Day 4: Route of the Hiawatha: East Portal Out and Back

August 19, 2016

Bear Eats iPhone

The Route of the Hiawatha reminded me in many ways of the Great Allegheny Passage, a rails-to-trails conversion in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The GAP is considerably longer, but the Hiawatha packs many spectacular engineering achievements into a few miles through this part of the Bitterroot Range. In some ways it's a wonder a railroad ran through here at all, and in any event it didn't last very long.

The owners of the Milwaukee Road (later called the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound, then the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific), based in Chicago, decided to expand operations by pushing their upper mid-western railroad all the way through to the Pacific coast. Construction began in 1907. After much effort—and running considerably over budget—the new route through Montana and Idaho to Tacoma, Washington, was completed in 1909. The following year, a massive forest fire destroyed towns and infrastructure along the line in the Bitterroot Range. Despite rebuilding and electrifying, the business seldom turned a profit, twice declaring bankruptcy.

The company attempted to alter its fortunes by introducing powerful new 100-MPH trains. For marketing purposes, these were named "Hiawathas," running on the "Route of the Hiawatha." But even the latest in locomotive technology, passenger comfort, and snazzy advertising couldn't rescue the business. The last passenger train passed through the Bitterroots in 1961, and the line closed completely in 1980.

Nowadays the Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area operates a short stretch of the abandoned rail line from East Portal to Pearson as an unpaved commercial bike path, charging for the pleasure of pedaling the old route through long, dark tunnels and across high steel trestles in the midst of thickly forested mountains. They promote the Route of the Hiawatha as "the crown jewel of rail-to-trail adventures."

I don't know much about jewelry, but they might be right.

Summary

Date: 19 August 2016

Time: 8:00 - 3:00

Weather: 50-75° F

Route: From East Portal, out and back on the Route of the Hiawatha

Distance: 22 miles

Bike: Surly Long Haul Trucker

Riders: Bill and Jeff

Jeff and I arrived at the East Portal trailhead of the Route of the Hiawatha around 8:00. The weather was sunny but chilly.

The trail crew had not yet arrived. There were about three other riders in the parking lot, all bundling up.

The term "East Portal" refers to the eastern entrance to tunnel number 20—about 1.6 miles long—through the mountain at St Paul Pass, which marks the northern terminus of the Route of the Hiawatha trail.

The East Portal is in Montana, but the other end of the tunnel—the West Portal—is in Idaho, because the bore through the mountain passes right under the state line. Although we're starting in the Treasure State, that means most of our riding will be in the Potato State. I mean the Gem State.

By the way, tunnel number 20 is also known as the St Paul Pass Tunnel and the Taft Tunnel.

While we finished getting our gear ready—stripped down considerably from three days riding and camping in the Silver Valley—the trail crew arrived to begin selling tickets and directing traffic.

I had a humorous conversation with one of the women selling tickets. She told a long, convoluted, and obviously apocryphal tale about saving a young rider on the trail from a bear, during the course of which the bear swallowed her iPhone. By dialing her own number repeatedly, she and her companions subsequently located the phone in a big pile of bear scat. She ended the story by pulling the phone from her sweatshirt pocket with a flourish and declaring "After washing thoroughly, it works fine!"

This photo was actually taken later in the day when we returned from the trail and she waved the miraculous iPhone at me again.

The Surly stood ready at the East Portal. Damp, dark, and more than a mile and half long, the tunnel looked like the perfect place to encounter a Balrog.

Jeff and his Trek joined the Surly at the entrance to the first tunnel, number 20.

With the temperature around 50° F inside and outside the tunnel, and water dripping from the ceiling, the boys dug out extra clothes for the morning. I wore a buff, lightweight plastic jacket, and full-finger gloves.

These garments might also provide some protection from an enraged Balrog.

Or a bear trying to ingest my iPhone.

The West Portal of tunnel number 20 exits in Idaho.

Where are the boys? Did the Balrog get them?

Jeff emerged unscathed from tunnel number 20.

Bill and Jeff successfully battled past the Balrog, through the tunnel, and onto the trail.

Only nine more tunnels to go. Then turn around and ride through them again.

At the West Portal of tunnel number 20, we found this waterfall.

Looks like the Surly is taking a shower.

We ain't in the Silver Valley no more.

The trail follows the old rail line through the Bitterroot Range.

An old-timey sepia view of the trail, mountains, forest, and distant trestle.

It didn't take long before we rolled through another tunnel.

Lights and helmets are required by the proprietors—this being a privately run commercial operation—and enforced by trail marshals.

Jeff pedaled out of another tunnel.

As in this case, often the trail transitioned directly from a tunnel to a high trestle.

A short break on one of the first trestles, high above a steep-sided valley.

With all the tunnels and trestles, this segment of the rail line was quite an engineering achievement.

Another trestle in the distance.

The sequence of tunnels and trestles continued, gradually taking the trail down to lower elevations.

Another high trestle.

Several signs along the trail provided interesting information.

According to this, the average bicyclist can muster .2 horsepower, while some of the locomotives on the Route of the Hiawatha were rated at more than 5000 horsepower.

Jeff is an above average rider, so I think he could beat any of these engines.

This black-and-white shot gives a pretty good feel for some of the high trestles we crossed.

Trek and Surly, lightly loaded, on another trestle.

This Canadian couple said they saw us on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes yesterday.

We talked to them for a long time about Canadian bicycling routes.

Although we were almost the only riders earlier in the morning, by mid-day the trail was filling with riders.

More riders meant more congestion in tunnels.

This must have been quite the conflagration. We read more information about it in Wallace and Mullan yesterday. According to one account, the fire destroyed enough timber to supply all the needs of the entire United States for three years.

Our lunch spot beside the trail.

Most riders start at the East Portal, follow the trail to its end at the Pearson trailhead, then catch the shuttle bus back to the top. All downhill all the time, and most of the traffic is one-way.

Jeff and I knew we had traversed all the trestles and all the tunnels except the last one at Pearson. We'd also been told the trail becomes rather ho-hum as it approaches Pearson. We decided to turn around and pedal back up the trail.

That was fine, but it meant we had to watch for oncoming downhill traffic, especially in tunnels.

From one of the lower trestles, looking up at one of the higher trestles.

In the distance, riders crossing the upper trestle and heading in our direction.

The crowd of riders on the trail surprised us. The Route of the Hiawatha is a popular attraction.

Here's the scene near a restroom.

I counted seven long trestles on the trail.

We crossed them going down, and we crossed them going up.

Looking down at riders on the lower trestle where we were a few minutes ago.

Rider on the trail, number one.

Rider on the trail, number two.

Rider on the trail, number three.

Rider on the trail, number four.

Rider on the trail, number five.

Looking straight down at the creek far below the trestle.

This was one time when Jeff didn't want to jump from the bridge into the water.

Somebody's shoes photobombed me.

Typical group of downhill racers.

More riders on the increasingly crowded trail.

Jeff studied the trestle and mouth of the next tunnel.

Maybe the bear ate his bike. Or his iPhone.

Off he went into one of the shorter tunnels.

Jeff, not the bear.

I convinced Jeff to stop so I could snap another photo.

While we rode uphill, large numbers of oncoming riders sometimes made navigating tunnels a bit tricky.

Inside a tunnel. Completely dark, but I aimed my light toward the ceiling.

One of the shuttle buses at the West Portal of the first tunnel.

When shuttled back up here from the end of the trail at Pearson, riders still need to pedal through the tunnel in order to reach the parking lot at the East Portal.

One of the guys from the trail crew.

He told us a bicyclist went over the edge, down a steep ravine, and had to be rescued by helicopter about a month ago. Given some of the shaky steering and panicky faces we observed, I'm not surprised to hear about an occasional disaster. Lots of folks on the trail haven't straddled a bike in decades.

Almost back at the West Portal, and the bear didn't eat my iPhone. Yet.

Jeff and I made it back to the West Portal. Now we only need to ride through the long tunnel number 20 in order to finish our out-and-back ride and return to the parking lot.

Big fun on the Route of the Hiawatha in the Bitterroot Range!

Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 175 miles (282 km)

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