News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A self-portrait at the summit. photo provided
For most folks, riding nearly 100 miles in a day on a bicycle is more than enough of a workout. And climbing South Sisters is plenty of adventure for one day.
For Gabriel Gillan of Sisters, the only way to satisfy his craving for a challenging workout and a grand day’s adventure was to combine the two.
On Friday, July 15, he saddled up on his Cannondale R 1000 road racing bike and left his home in Sisters at 5:30 a.m. Five hours and 47 miles later, he was at Devils Lake Trail Head.
The long bike ride surprised him a little.
“Century Drive is a lot steeper than I thought,” he said.
But he was undeterred. Parking his bike, he hit the 5.5-mile summit trail.
“I’ve never actually climbed a mountain before,” he said.
Though not too experienced on the trail — and suffering “some mild discomfort” from an upset stomach — Gillan made it to the 10,358-foot summit in four hours.
On the way he passed hikers swimming in frigid glacial lake waters, an act he thought was “crazy.” He laughingly acknowledged that such judgments might be considered suspect coming from him.
Gillan paused to take some photos at the summit, then hustled back down the trail in 2.5 hours. Then it was back on the bike for the long trek home, which he reached at about 9:30 p.m.
The trip was not all smooth sailing. Gillan acknowledged that he badly underestimated the amount of food and water he would require. In fact, he ran through nearly two gallons of fluids part way up the mountain and refilled his Camelback hydration bladder from a glacial stream.
Gillan, who turned 21 on Monday, said that he was sore for two days after the epic trek, but by the third day he felt completely recovered and “I was trying to think where I’d go next.”
Though obviously in excellent shape, Gillan said he doesn’t specifically train as an endurance athlete. He rides his bike to work at Ray’s Food Place every day and he rides a unicycle to deliver flowers for Three Sisters Floral.
And he “rides around a lot.” That includes riding to Florence on the Oregon coast in a single day and other jaunts.
Right now, he’s not sure what adventure to seek out next. But he’s sure it will include lots of miles and adventure.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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