For the Love of Dirt
Simplicity, style and lessons in bike jazz on Eastern Washington鈥檚 Beacon Hill.
鈥淚鈥檓 generally bad at drawing boundaries between different riding styles,鈥� Carston Oliver admits. 鈥淚 just try to find the fun on whatever bike, terrain or 鈥榯ype鈥� of ride I鈥檓 on.鈥�
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All photos by Ken Etzel
If you get your nose close enough, ponderosa pine bark smells like vanilla. Or butterscotch, depending on the tree.
Washington is famous for its pine trees. It鈥檚 portrayed as a land of constant water and ever-present green, which, in mountain biking terms, translates to a land of perfect trails and perfect dirt in perfect forests. And that鈥檚 true 鈥� or at least for the state鈥檚 欧博会员入口st Side.
Elliott Milner isn鈥檛 much of a rock climber, but Beacon Hill鈥檚 trail builders provided other ways to get to the top for those willing to step things up.
Artist and athlete Brooklyn Bell is a born-and-raised Washingtonian, and her flowing and playful style works as well with the 欧博会员入口st Side鈥檚 verdant greenery as the East Side鈥檚 subtler palette.
In both his skiing and mountain biking, Carston is so calculated that he makes even the trickiest features look casual鈥攁nd makes smiling with a mouth guard look comfortable.
Spokane, on the far eastern edge of the state, is not famous for its pines or perfect mountain biking. It鈥檚 famous for apple trees and college basketball. Like much of the state鈥檚 eastern two-thirds, it鈥檚 a half-dozen inches of annual precip away from a desert. The forests are sparse and scattered, the hillsides a mix of sunbaked dirt, crunchy grass and a patchwork of scratchy shrubs. The terrain is craggy rather than steep, where it鈥檚 not expansive, horizon-wide farmland more akin to the Midwest. The trails are dustier, more likely sand than loam, and speckled with fist-sized pine cones.
That austerity is why some 欧博会员入口stern Washingtonians consider it the 鈥渂oring side鈥� of the state; for East Siders, the modest palette just highlights the subtle details. On the East Side, you can see the landscape鈥檚 bones.
Lime and yellow and orange patches of lichen announce the rare island of granite, which, in turn, hints at the story of two apocalyptic floods: the first, a roiling wave of fire and lava, left behind the area鈥檚 iconic hexagonal basalt columns; the second, a wall of ice and water, carved that basalt into deep gorges and scattered the leftovers across hundreds of miles.
The Specimens of Beacon Hill
Fig. 1 – Loose: A mix of sunbaked dust and dead pine needles is the antithesis of traction; adds spice to even the simplest corners.
Fig. 2 – Tacky: Damp glacial sediment and silt create a smooth yet grippy trail surface that occurs during shoulder seasons or rainstorms; glory dirt.
Fig. 3 – Granite: Granite, basalt and assorted glacial till: Rare example of flow chunk; wide spectrum of terrain particularly conducive to free-form riding styles.
Don鈥檛 let Beacon Hill鈥檚 modest vertical relief fool you; the knoll is actually part of the same continental plate as the Rocky Mountains, an island of ancient granite rising above the basalt lava flows that buried the area millions of years before. Brooklyn puts her tires on some deep history on Beacon鈥檚 upper reaches.
And, when the still-damp soil meets the full brunt of Eastern Washington sunshine, there is no better place to ride a bike. For a few weeks each spring, those bones are covered in a riot of color that鈥檚 both delicate and dramatic. The streams surge with snowmelt, shimmering ribbons of liquid life in a still-slumbering desert.
鈥淏ikes are instruments, riders are musicians, and we all play them differently. The basic goal is to be good at playing your instrument, but some people just love playing for the sake of playing.鈥� 鈥擡lliott Milner
Waves of grass sheath the hillsides like green lace, spotted with yellow and purple polka dots of balsamroot and lupine. The spice of sage and fir blend with the vanilla-butterscotch of ponderosa, an intoxicating concoction that embodies spring.
Left: Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) is loved for its fuzzy mint leaves and vibrant sunflowers, but the plant鈥檚 name comes from the balsam-scented resin in its taproot, which can reach as deep as 9 feet and be used as a coffee substitute.
Right: A blank canvas takes many forms.
The landscape鈥檚 frugality only serves to highlight the nuances of each, distilling the experience rather than obscuring or diluting it behind a wall of green. Glimpses of other trails through the ponderosa are just visible enough to pique curiosity. Maybe the next lap you鈥檒l find where they go. Or the lap after that.
What you draw isn鈥檛 the point. The point is drawing itself.
Dirty hands are signs of a good time.
Riding behind Elliott is like bike jazz; he鈥檚 constantly improvising with a trail鈥檚 textures and subtleties, and you never know what he鈥檚 going to do next鈥攜ou just know it鈥檚 going to be interesting.
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