Greek Creek & North Clifty: Solo Extreme Night Dirt Bike Ride

Had planned this ride for the night of July 3rd but mechanical issues stopped our group. So, decided to do this ambitious mission solo last week. Greek Creek and North Clifty are a couple of the most difficult trails in the State of Washington.

Greek Creek is difficult because it goes down very sharply then up just as steep during its rough 2.5-mile distance. If you get stuck down there, you're in real trouble. It's also physically demanding because the West side is heavily rutted, the East side has sharp and steep switchbacks.

North Clifty is more technical and is a steady climb up to the pinnacle point of the Little Naches/Taneum riding area; Mt Clifty. The trail is jagged, very rocky in spots, loose ground, overgrown trees, and a deadly fall to your death 900 ft cliff. It is perhaps more mentally challenging than physical. I was terrified of this trail until I finally rode it a couple years ago...yes, solo in the dark up and down.

For 5 yrs now I've been doing Mt Clifty area rides in the dark. Part of it was to fight/manage the fear that I had early on, another ride to overcome some drama and stress in my life, and certainly the adrenaline rush of the entire experience. This certainly isn't for everyone, and that is evident by the fact that I have never encountered another group in any of my night rides.

This ride is dangerous during daylight, even more so in the dark. I was recently reminded by a challenging ride that it's easy to take for granted the level of difficulty that I'm now comfortable with compared to before. I am not the fastest, best rider by any means, but I'm better than most....and this video and others make some of this look easier than it really is. This night ride additionally had the danger of cold and dark, so I made sure to have lots of backup lighting and warm clothes, made communications where I was in cell areas, left written notes with my son where I was riding, and had ample material in good conditions to make a fire.

The lyrics of the two poems are rather intentional, and I hope you take the time to read and think about the words and how they might apply to you. Both have tremendous meaning and room in my life.

I'm not entirely sure if this might be my last night ride in the area. I've been there and done that now, and I sense that a certain chapter in my life is closing, while another may be opening up. I'm making plans on moving out of state and next month I plan on heading south, to the south for several months to explore a part of the country I've never been to. I will be using Instagram on the trip, not sure if I will be doing much YouTube work after mid this month. I got a couple more videos I'd like to make but it might be a while before I produce anything new.

"If you're going to go, go all the way...."

-TigerTanker