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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? on: July 27, 2017, 10:45:32 AM
Yogi the Barry


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« on: July 27, 2017, 10:45:32 AM »

Just read about the Oregon Timber Trail in Bikerumor.
668 miles, 66K climbing, no summer monsoon [what I hate about the CTR]... It's only a matter of time, or are there plans already being made, that this becomes another ultra...
http://oregontimbertrail.org/

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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #1 on: July 27, 2017, 03:54:19 PM
taprider


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« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2017, 03:54:19 PM »

they say please don't race or ITT at least for the first year nono

but I sure would like to Grand Depart that route next year or the year after headbang
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #2 on: August 07, 2017, 02:24:50 PM
evdog


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« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2017, 02:24:50 PM »

Guess this means we need to get cracking on a California route to connect into it....!
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #3 on: August 19, 2017, 03:46:28 PM
hikeabike


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« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2017, 03:46:28 PM »

I completed the route (with adjustments) a couple weeks ago and it is a great route, but the trail itself and the accuracy of the track need a lot of work before it is "race ready".  My impression/guess is that it may be ready for a group start (nonrace) next summer and then ready for prime time the following year, but the organizers are working on it and know what's what!  Right now so much of the surrounding land is on fire Sad
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #4 on: August 20, 2017, 07:25:05 AM
Rooster Cogburn


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« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2017, 07:25:05 AM »

Hikeabike:  The GPS track available from the Timber Trail web site seems coarse and jagged when overlaid on detailed maps and imagery, especially in the southern sections.  It seems to be a digitized rather than a field-based GPS track.  Was that part of your navigational challenges? 

Did you compile a GPS track during your trip that you would like to share?  Also, a description of the sections of trail that have too many downed trees and require a detour would be handy.  I agree with you -- the fires are making a fall trip of this route unlikely.
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #5 on: August 20, 2017, 01:03:16 PM
hikeabike


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« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2017, 01:03:16 PM »

Yes, part (but not all) of the challenge was that parts of the track are hand drawn.  I was recording my track each day and have shared them all with the organizers. I would rather not put them all out publicly, but if you ever need a specific section I am happy to share that and discuss its pitfalls and strengths.  I did not try to ride a few of the earlier sections, due to fatigue from the previous miles of exploration and bushwacking, so I do not have info on every bit of the Fremont portion.

I stayed on trail for the first 35 or 40 miles and some of it was reasonable riding (very beginning) and then some romping through the forest.  At the 395 I bailed on the hwy to Paisley, but apparently the on-trail climb from 395 was the part they cleared this year, so you should go check it out!  I took the listed alt from Paisley to Summer Lake HS and up the forest road to Currier Sp/Winter Rim, the 12 miles after the spring go clean, but you have to follow the line (on the ground, not the track) VERY carefully. After that (from Fremont FS Cabin) it seemed like hell, so after a couple miles I backtracked and took dirt roads down to Silver Lake, from that point on I was fairly true to the track, but all the way to the end you want to make on the ground common sense decisions and not just follow the lone on the gps unit.

I'm working on a couple interviews with folks involved with the trail and as soon as those are done I will try and link them here, but you will likely see them on the OTT FB page first.  The organizers are hard at work on this and by next summer I am sure some of these things will be much improved!  The scenery and remoteness of the southern portion is fabulous!
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #6 on: August 20, 2017, 01:42:10 PM
Rooster Cogburn


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« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2017, 01:42:10 PM »

I've ridden the piece north of Highway 140 along the breaks and can only imagine how difficult the other bushwhacking bits are.  Congratulations on adventuring through some rough terrain, spiked with a lot of uncertainty.  Seems like the trick is to get to Silver Lake intact.

Looking forward to reading more about your journey.  Cheers.

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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #7 on: August 21, 2017, 07:40:31 AM
Yogi the Barry


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« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2017, 07:40:31 AM »

Make it CA, OR and WA, then you have a West Coast version of the TD, with endpoints in Vancouver and TJ! Do it the logical south to north running direction. Hit as many brewpubs as possible for bonus points...
Guess this means we need to get cracking on a California route to connect into it....!
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #8 on: August 28, 2017, 11:09:42 AM
evdog


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« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2017, 11:09:42 AM »

That's the idea!  Someone else will have to take care of WA though, and might need some help with Norcal.  That's a lot of ground to cover.  I have a pretty good idea of routing up to Tahoe. 

Make it CA, OR and WA, then you have a West Coast version of the TD, with endpoints in Vancouver and TJ! Do it the logical south to north running direction. Hit as many brewpubs as possible for bonus points...
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #9 on: September 13, 2017, 09:11:49 PM
hikeabike


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« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2017, 09:11:49 PM »

As promised, if you scroll part way down this write-up you can find the logistical details of my experience on the southern portion.  Cheers!
https://www.benedicto.co/heather-rose/]
[url]https://www.benedicto.co/heather-rose/
[/url]
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #10 on: September 14, 2017, 07:59:48 AM
Yogi the Barry


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« Reply #10 on: September 14, 2017, 07:59:48 AM »

Heather [hikeabike],
Congrats on being the first! I hope to do the OTT after I retire, in a year or two. You have inspired me.
Re: Your bike-over-head photo - As a windsurfer [and now also a kiteboarder], I've been spending 1-2 summer weeks in the Gorge since ~'87. I can visualize the almost exact place, in the Hood River area, you are standing in.
Re: Orajel (topical anesthetic for your bum) - Awesome idea! I'll add a small tube of that to my 'bum kit' [A & D ointment].
Re: Mosquitoes - You say the head net wasn't needed, but what about the netting for sleeping? And many skeeters' to fight while biking?
Ciao,
Barry Ritchey
 
As promised, if you scroll part way down this write-up you can find the logistical details of my experience on the southern portion...
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #11 on: September 14, 2017, 08:36:55 PM
hikeabike


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« Reply #11 on: September 14, 2017, 08:36:55 PM »

Thanks, Barry!  The netting for sleeping was definitely needed, as they were out enough to be a real nuisance.  Granted it was early August in a super high snow year, but by local accounts the Waldo lake area (after Oakridge) is mosquito death zone until September.  I had them the worst near the Windy Lakes just after Crescent (day after Chemult), but luckily I wasn't trying to sleep up there.  I think the main reason I didn't use the head net is that I hate the idea of riding with it, I'd rather slather on Deet (which I did several days).

Hood River is a great town!  I could spend some real time there.
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #12 on: December 20, 2017, 01:00:20 PM
taprider


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« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2017, 01:00:20 PM »

is 2018 too early for a Grand Depart?
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #13 on: January 09, 2018, 10:18:43 AM
Rooster Cogburn


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« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2018, 10:18:43 AM »

I'm bumping this to the top in order to gauge interest in a Grand Depart for 2018.  Any event would be unofficial and just a small group of people out for some adventure against the clock, either in racing or touring mode.

The GPS track should be more accurate and refined for 2018.  Also, more of the trail will be cleared of logs and not require on-the-fly reroutes.  That was a big problem last year in the southern-most tier for the few riders who gave it a try.  Small modifications elsewhere should alsom ake it a more rideable route.  Nevertheless, it is not an easy ride and most mortals would probably be limited to an average daily distance of less than 100 miles.  The route is about 670 miles.  Think of a pace similar to the Arizona Trail.

Not everyone has the luxury to spend more than a week racing, including a day to get to the start and a day to get home after the race, so maybe it could be truncated to exclude the Fremont tier.  That would put the start in Chemult (south of Bend on Hwy 97) and lop off 200 miles.  Excluding both the Fremont and Willamette tiers would make for a 223-mile ride with a start at Waldo Lake, which is a bit in the middle of nowhere and lousy with mosquitoes until September.

Chemult is a four-hour drive from Hood River (the end of the route) and also four hours from Portland.  Chemalt is small with no public transportation or rental car services that are friendly for bicyclists.  I live in Hood River so could be a source for getting people shuttled to the start line and set up with transportation home.  The shuttle to the very beginning of the route near the California border is far removed from any public transportation.  A shuttle from Hood River would take 7 hours.

Here is a summary of what I know about the route. I've only ridden pieces of it:

The first 200 miles, starting just south of the California border, is called the Fremont Tier and is probably the most interesting to me.  It is rugged and challenging and some of the trails will have problems with downed trees. It goes up to 8000 feet so would probably require waiting until after the 4th of July for the snow to melt.  This is also a problem for certain sections throughout the route.  This year, with the nearly non-existent snowpack, snow may not be a problem at all.

Mosquitoes and wildfire play heavily into the timing of riding this route.  The  Fremont tier and the Hood tier (the most northern) have the least problem with mosquitoes, even in July.  For the other two tiers, Willamette and Deschutes, the mosquitoes can be absolutely unbearable.  Waiting until early September solves the mosquito problem but usually the wildfires have kicked in by then.  Much of the route was engulfed by fire and smoke by early September last year. 

The Willamette Tier (the next 150 miles) probably has the most challenging trail riding.  It drops down to Oakridge which is a great little town and a mountain bike mecca.  Lots of climbing north of Oakridge though.

The Deschutes Tier (130 miles) is the most civilized and may have many hikers or motos on certain stretches in July and August.  It does include some epic singletrack and includes good views of the high country.

The Hood Tier (the most northerly 190 miles) has its own challenges.  Much of the route is far removed from civilization.  Only Idahna (mile 40), Olallie Lake Resort (mile 71), and Parkdale (mile 162) offer reliable food re-supply.

So, the other thing to think about is when to schedule a start.  I was trying to avoid weeks when other high profile races in the west were taking place.  Of special interest to me was avoiding the first week in July when the BC Epic 1000 occurs and the Bones to Blue (starts August 19).  One option is a start on July 29 (this would at the same time as the Colorado Trail Race though) or August 5.  Bumping it down the road to September 16 is another possibility.

What are your thoughts?
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  Topic Name: OTTR [An Oregon Timber Trail Race]? Reply #14 on: January 18, 2018, 10:36:28 AM
hikeabike


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« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2018, 10:36:28 AM »

FYI:
Oregon Timber Trail - 2018 Grand Depart
July 14th, 2018
8am
Cave Lake Campground, CA
Modoc National Forest
Thus far only a dozen or so people have completed the Oregon Timber Trail. There have been wildfires, clouds of mosquitos, some bad GPS tracks, thousands of downed trees, long miles without milkshakes, jobs that actually require you to show up, tires that don't hold air and at least one bout of loneliness.

We make no promises to alleviate any of these complaints, but it is our hope that by inviting some people to start riding together as a group we'll make some friends, share in the beauty of Oregon, and learn from each other.

THIS IS NOT A RACE. Seriously. This is a fun ride where each go our own pace, camp when it gets dark, and eventually make it as far as we want to make it. 

See the rest here: http://oregontimbertrail.org/blog/oregon-timber-trail-2018-grand-depart-july-14th-8am?utm_source=Oregon+Timber+Trail&utm_campaign=27a476a093-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2f9842cf46-27a476a093-439151077
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