To Humptulips Ridge and Back

Four years ago, I first attempted to reach Humptulips Ridge. It was the first year of the pandemic. There were no races, and group rides were frowned upon. Vaccines were not yet available, and nobody knew yet what was safe and what wasn’t.

But I yearned for big adventures. I figured that riding to one of the most remote places in the Pacific Northwest would be safe: Humptulips Ridge on the southern slopes of the mighty Olympic Mountains.

My plan was simple: Take the first ferry from Seattle to Bremerton, ride to Humptulips Ridge (or at least as far as could get) before returning to catch the last ferry back. That would give me 12.5 hours. The full distance was a little over 180 miles as far as I could tell. I was already thinking about the Oregon Outback FKT back then, so this would be a good trial run.

I planned my trip like I would a big race or FKT attempt. The only extra equipment I brought was a camera and tripod to document the ride. Looking at the photo above, I wish we already made the ultralight NUDA pump and TPU tubes back then! A sign of the times was the Rene Herse face mask that we made with our clothing supplier in Seattle for our customers. There was a shortage of protective gear at the time…

The morning ferry was almost empty. I sat on the car deck, getting ready for my big adventure.

Even though I brought a camera, there wasn’t much time for photography if I wanted to at least get close to Humputlips Ridge. The first miles along the Hood Canal passed quickly on smooth pavement. There was no traffic at all.

Then I left the familiar roads behind and started climbing into the Olympic Mountains. Forest Road 23 runs along the southern edge of the Olympic National Park. On that ride, it became an absolute favorite of mine. Long climbs, fast descents…

… deep gorges traversed on narrow bridges. It was everything I had dreamed of and more.

I was making good progress despite the mountainous terrain and rough gravel. After all the upheaval of the previous months, I was so happy to experience the simple joys of riding far and fast across beautiful landscapes.

I kept checking my watch and calculating when I’d have to turn around, factoring in the terrain I had traversed. I kept pushing further and further, until I could see Humptulips Ridge on the horizon. I knew: I had to turn around now if I wanted to stand even the slightest chance of catching the last ferry back to Seattle in a little over six hours. I had 80 miles to cover on the return leg.

The ride back was accomplished at even higher speed. Sleeping on a bench outside the ferry terminal would not be the end of the world, but if I could avoid it…

Since leaving the pavement behind many hours earlier, I had not seen any traffic. Now, as darkness was descending onto the mountains, two motorcyclists came the other way. One recognized me, waved and raised their helmet visor: It was framebuilder and friend, Corey Thompson from Olympia (right). He and his friend Josh Morse had the same idea of exploring remote areas, but they chose their motorcycles. We quickly said ‘Hello’ and took a selfie with my mini-tripod. I knew that this might cause me to miss my ferry—every minute counted, but I didn’t mind. Friends are more important than schedules!

I redoubled my efforts as I raced into the night. Three hours and 50 miles after meeting my friends, I rolled into the deserted ferry terminal in Bremerton. As I looked over the water, I saw the ferry pulling away. It was only 150 feet from the dock—so close and yet so far! I had missed the boat by about two minutes!

Fortunately, there was a later boat from Bainbridge Island. This added about 32 miles to the ride, but I had a little over two hours to get there.

I made that ferry with time to spare, and that’s how this adventure ended.

Since then, I’ve ridden these roads several times and even reached Humptulips Ridge. This area is still so remote that it’s always a real adventure to head out there. After the pandemic ended, Gravel Unravel started organizing a race on these roads, centered on the incredibly remote and beautiful Lake Wynochee. The Why-Not-Chee race is this weekend. I plan to retrace the route of this adventure, camp at the lake, ride in the race, and then return to Seattle. Let’s hope I make the last ferry this time!

More Information:

• The full story of this ride was published in Bicycle Quarterly 72 (Summer 2020).
• Ride and route on Strava.
• A few entires are still available in the Why-Not-Chee race. I hope to see you there!