This may be pushing it on CR, but the bikes where luged steel. My first and second MTBs were made in 1980 in Portland. Chuck Dobins commissioned the first one, I also made one for myself at the same time. Because there were no other MTBs in Oregon at the time the rules for riding them were not figured out. So we got the idea to ride around Mt. Hood on the Timberland trail. Today this is straight to jail stuff. This normally would take a hiker 5 or 6 days to do, about 45 miles with maybe 10,000 feet of climbing. From the start we counted on doing it in one day, so no overnight gear was included. Start at Timberline lodge going east. Almost all the uphill is glacial till, i.e. sand. So, it's pushing uphill. High point is 8,000 ft., but down to every river coming off the mountain. The rest of the trail is very rocky, with drops that you would die for sure if you came off. One get off I did was on the edge, 6 more inches and it was 1,000 feet down. After about 10 hours of this the trail went down to the Sandy river, only 2,000 feet high. Because this river is fed by a glacier, late in the day the water is really coming by. When we crossed it Chuck fell in and lost one of his shoes. So we have to climb up to 6,000 ft and he only has one shoe. On the way up he lies on the trail and says he is going to die, just leave him there. I talk him into living again, and we make it back to Timberline after 13 hours. I have done road rides of 180 miles in the mountains, but this tops them all.
Jim Merz
Bainbridge Is. WA