Trail Redux

Except this time I went north.

Really, I'm not a glutton for punishment! Yet, once again I headed out to the Chehalis Western Trail. I figured going north would be better. I was right. The section of the trail from Yelm Hwy into Lacey is much more heavily travelled. There are still just as many trees, but it does go through more of a residential area.

For the most part, there was just debris in the form of small twigs with the occasional larger fir branch. Easy to roll over or dodge around. Going toward town, there was only one spot where there were about three birch tree trunks still obstructing the trail. I easily lifted Betsy over them and continued on.

What was a little more treacherous were the patches of ice. One spot in particular worried me enough to make me put my foot down and kind of "scooter" my way through it.

As I approached the side path to Panorama City (a Senior Community), I saw a gal sweeping the trail. Turns out I know her. I stopped and chatted for a bit. I told her she should grab a chainsaw and head further south! Yesterday she had swept the trail all the way to 21st Ave (quite a ways if you're pushing a broom). She is a fellow cyclist, so I told her she was just doing some cross-training! Very nice of her to do it on the trail!

Coming back I decided to take the slightly longer way by continuing past Yelm Hwy on the trail to 67th. Along that way there was a downed tree covering most of the trail and there was a large section of snow and ice. Getting around the tree would have been pretty easy if the snow and ice hadn't been there. I started riding in a narrow wheel track, but felt imminently close to kissing the ground against my will. So, I got off and walked the rest of the way till the pavement was clear.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Going toward town, I only went as far as the I-5 bridge. I'm sure the trail would be fine for a bit further but, it would likely be bad again further north where it becomes more rural again.

Here are some photos from today. Thanks again to Kris for making the trail nicer.