Elwell

Top of Packer. You can barely see the fire lookout on the butte behind us. Brandon is actually four months along.
Truffle Shuffle!

If the views don't make you forget the hike a bikes the downhill sure will. Brandon is already forgetting that he is pushing.

Right now he is having a hard time forgetting. The up side is that he is a hundred yards from downhill the rest of the day.

We met up with a group of people I know and finished our adventure with them. This is John about thirty seconds away from an endo.

Top of Elwell looking back.

I wanted to get up to the Downieville area before summer ended. I figured Labor day might be my last chance. I thought I was going solo at first but Brandon pulled in some favors and made the trek with me. My wife was nice enough to shuttle us to the top. Unfortunately for Brandon I wasn't interested in the "normal" Downieville run. I had read about the Mt. Elwell trail a couple times but I could never pull it off. We rode the "perfect cycling trail" from Packer to the base of Elwell. I don't know anyone that could climb to the top, so of course we walked the last mile. We were rewarded with spectacular views in every direction and burly downhills long enough to make my brakes steam at the creek crossings. Bitchen ride!