hey does anyone know of some good xc trails maybe with a few drops in it in the gorge? preferably in the hood river, white salmon area maybe as far as the dalles. i know of little moab in lyle something more like that would be sweet. thanks

well, there are tons of trails in the gorge - and right near Hood River...

i haven't ridden any in over 3 years since i moved, so my info is old...

and i don't know any super-technical stuff with drops, but...

Mission Trail starts just outside of Hood River to the southeast.
wow, i'm blanking on the trails... actually 4 years ago i was totally bonked at the end of a ride and had my worst wipe-out ever - flew 20 feet in the air and landed head first and slid 15 feet on my face, breaking my nose and 2 teeth and ripping my lower lip off so it was hanging below my chin... it all got repaired quite nice and i don't look much worse...

"7 steams" i think is the name for another that starts right in Hood River.

maybe there are new books, but the Hood River Single Track Anthology has a ton of great trails

then close to Hood River in the direction of Mt Hood is Surveyer's Ridge and Dog River trail - super single track with something like 3000ft vertical AND it's rideable uphill!