Bike Ride - Pedal the Pinchot

On August 1999, I transferred jobs from the Six Rivers National Forest in northwest California to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington. I was looking forward to exploring my new surroundings. So on August 2000, I decided I would ride on the (now discontinued) "Pedal the Pinchot" bicycle ride. The event included four separate rides -- two for road bikes and two for mountain bikes. I decided to try the easier mountain bike ride which was described as "32 miles of moderate mountain biking with over 1,000-foot elevation gain on the Lewis River Trail to the Lower Falls". I loaded my mountain bike into the back of my trusty Isuzu Rodeo and drove about 2 hours to Curly Creek Falls trailhead where the ride was supposed to begin. I wasn't sure how many people would be there but based on other rides I'd been on, I expected there would be a fair number. Surprisingly, no one was there. I began to wonder if I'd gotten my dates wrong or was in the wrong place. So, I double checked and as far as I could tell, it was the right date and place. I unloaded my bike and prepared to ride. I wasn't sure what to expect and was happy to discover the trail was fairly level and followed the Lewis River through beautiful old-growth Douglas Fir / Western Red Cedar / Hemlock forest. Eventually however, the trail got steep and rougher with some major butt-clenching drop offs. I kept riding, hoping to see other riders. But none appeared. At several places with sharp drop-offs, I wondered if anyone would ever find my body if I fell over the side. I eventually arrived at the Lower Lewis River Falls campground and was delighted and amazed to see several people sitting at a table with food, waiting to greet riders. They asked me which ride I did and when I told them, they seemed surprised. After chatting a bit, one of them sheepishly said a biker had recently fallen off the trail and died! They gave me a “Pedal the Pinchot” T-shirt and I helped myself to some food and water while resting up for the return ride. I had originally planned on riding my bike back to my car on the trail. But after a little reflection and considering there was a road that paralleled the trail (90FR), I wisely decided to ride back on the road.