# Lightweight touring.



## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

The word 'touring' tends to conjure up images of wool-knickered and bearded guys laboring along the shoulder with a 100+lb panniered pig. The first time I saw a touring cyclist I wondered what was fun about it--it looked awful from my singletrack-centric perspective.

But that was almost 20 years ago.

Meanwhile, gear gets lighter and I've gotten older. I still have a singletrack focus, but day rides don't always cut it when exploring in the high country.

After cutting short a Crested Butte epic a few years ago due to lack of daylight (we'd been out for 12+ hours) I started to wonder about overnights. And that wonder has turned into my latest passion: Singletrack touring.

What if you went in prepared to say "Screw it--let's keep rolling" after the sun went down? You know, ride til the stars come out, find a little nook to sleep in, then wake with the sun and repeat?

Well, you might find yourself having the time of your life. I sure have been.

Last summer Scott and I loaded up the bikes and headed West outta Leadville--over Hagerman Pass. A short descent on gravel brought us to an unsigned turnoff onto singletrack, and for the next four days that's primarily what we rode.


Rain threatened the first few hours, but that was far from the theme for the trip.


Maroon Bells in the distance--more on those later:


Lots of alpine (and somewhat techy) trail:


A few moves that neither of us could quite muster up the gumption to attempt:


And some that we could:


Climbing away from Lenado and toward Four Corners:


Jumping for joy on the descent into Aspen:


Lots of nice stuff to look at--both high and low:


A brief pitstop in Aspen then we climbed a bit of pavement to get to the Maroon Bells trailhead:


Not far past the trailhead we decided to call it a night. I hung the tarp and unstuffed the bag, then settled in for some fresh vittles and stargazing:


Morning brought clear skies, warm light, and a long climb to the first pass--time to get moving:


This ~10-mile trail passes through Wilderness (no bikes). We didn't want to ride the 70+ miles around it on high traffic and dusty roads, so we improvised:




Union rules required a break here:


Scott working his way up the valley:


Nice views downstream--if you're into that sorta thing:


Closing in on the top:


Over the summit and down through oceans of wildflowers brought us to the end of Wilderness, and, not coincidentally, the top of the 401 climb near Crested Butte. Wheels back on, clipped in--let's go!




Scott's in there somewhere:


Arcing a corner as Baldy looks on approvingly:


All the way down 401, the Upper Loop and Tony's Trail into CB for a mandatory burrito, washed down by a sarsaparilla and topped off with a quick siesta in Totem Pole Park. Then it was back onto Tony's and Upper Loop, out Brush Creek to climb Strand and 409.5. Nightfall found us with a stunning view over the East River Valley, as well as a nice duff-covered camp spot:


Morning came about the time it usually does, presenting us with more of the same ho-hum alpine trail:








This day included descents of 412 and 410 to Cement Creek, a climb of the infamous Deadman's Switchbacks, a traverse of the Highway in the Sky (aka Julie Andrews Trail) then a descent of Rosebud to Spring Creek. Then we climbed/contoured/descended Doctor Park into Taylor Canyon. That section alone is one of my favorites on this planet.


Our only extended non-trail time of the trip came on this afternoon--cruising up Taylor Canyon on pave, then over Slaughterhouse Gulch and into Tincup on dirt road. Past Mirror Lake the dirt turns rough and just past the top of the pass night found us yet again. I think we both racked out pretty quick on this night--no surprise considering the epic flavor of the day.

Packed up and rolling for less than a mile the next AM brought us to the turnoff for the CDT, where miles more alpine skinny awaited us:


Filtering up high:


Mucho climbing brought us a brief but scary squall at the high point:


The weather was short-lived and we continued on across Hwy 50 to the Crest Trail:


The only thing I can say about the Crest/Silver Creek/Rainbow segments that hasn't been said before is that it's a bang-up way to finish a 4-day singletrack tour:




The last few years I've been experimenting with a lightweight touring setup, which to me means that it's light enough and un-cumbersome enough that I can ride **everything** I normally would unloaded, loaded. This approach allows you to cover ground pretty darn quick, but also opens up some amazing high country loops that, until now, I hadn't really considered. Like the one you just read about.

My current setup has evolved to look like this:








_(Thanks to Scott for the photo.)_

Bike + gear attached (including food, sleeping bag, pad, and tarp, stove/fuel/pot, GPS, camera, batts, etc...) is 35lbs. Pack (including 120oz of water, raingear, TP, vitamin I, etc...) is about 17lbs.

Pretty light all things considered. Most folks that saw this setup would assume that I (or any of the guys I ride these tours with) was just well-supplied for a long day in the saddle.

When you get right down to it, that's pretty accurate--we're just heading out for one long day after another, with a few naps and meals thrown in.

Cheers,

MC


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## KERKOVEJ (Jan 23, 2004)

Posts like this are one of the many reasons I moved to CO back in October. Can't wait for the snow to melt in the high country.


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## YuriB (Jan 12, 2004)

mikesee said:


> Well, you might find yourself having the time of your life. I sure have been.


 I'll second that notion and yahoos like you and Scott have been great for touring plagiarism. I'm pretty happy with my set-up (I love the penny stove - gotta have my coffee in the morning) but I think my Atmos 50 has out lived it's usefulness - time for something smaller.


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## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

what are you usin for a sleeping pad? i like closed cell foam for it's cheapness, reliability, and weight, but it doesn't pack down anywhere near as small as what you've got on your bars there...


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## Bula (Sep 20, 2004)

*Wow*

Fabulous post. Inspirational. Keep 'em coming.


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## brado1 (Oct 5, 2004)

fuggin' nice shots there Mike! :thumbsup: well done


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## A1an (Jun 3, 2007)

Beautiful shots. One of these days I'd love to get a group together to venture outside of FL and do something like this.


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## HikerToo (Jan 18, 2008)

Excellent  
I'm a backpacker and know the feeling of transitioning from long days hikes to "why not just stay out" but you guys have taken it to another level by doing this with your bikes, very cool !! We've done some long days hikes in the Aspen area and it was like a dream or being in a calendar, keep up the hard work and good times, wish my wife could do more of the biking, but at least she'll backpack on foot.


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## mtroy (Jun 10, 2005)

EXCELLENT! I have been planning just such a set-up this year, but a new bike build is getting in the way a bit. Once the Lenz is done, I want to concentrate on organizing for trips like that, and emulate that bag-only/rack-less rig. Not sure if I can go with no tent, though. I just bought a one man tent with decent room, I have a good, stuffable, down bag, and I figure that with a moderate sized backpack, I can get away with a bar/frame/seat bag combo.

Where I live, the issue is water. That makes it more of a challenge. Not too many snow melt creeks in So Cal.

Not enough interest, most likely, but it would be nice to have a bikepacking forum one day where we could share set-ups, routes, tips, etc.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

mtroy said:


> EXCELLENT! I have been planning just such a set-up this year, but a new bike build is getting in the way a bit. Once the Lenz is done, I want to concentrate on organizing for trips like that, and emulate that bag-only/rack-less rig. Not sure if I can go with no tent, though. I just bought a one man tent with decent room, I have a good, stuffable, down bag, and I figure that with a moderate sized backpack, I can get away with a bar/frame/seat bag combo.
> 
> Where I live, the issue is water. That makes it more of a challenge. Not too many snow melt creeks in So Cal.
> 
> Not enough interest, most likely, but it would be nice to have a bikepacking forum one day where we could share set-ups, routes, tips, etc.


Keeping the riding fun is my main goal on these trips, so I don't mind sacrificing a bit of comfort (read: tent) to get there. I just use a tarp and it's been great in steady drizzle as well as wind-driven rain *so far*. Caught unawares or with a bad pitch it'd likely be miserable. That's what motel rooms are for. :thumbsup:

I forget what size your Lev is but you might want to have a look here. As far as a seat pack check out Epic Designs (Eric posts frequently on the AK forum as Bearbait) or Carousel Design Works (Jeff posts on the Endurance board as Mountainboat).



sean salach said:


> what are you usin for a sleeping pad? i like closed cell foam for it's cheapness, reliability, and weight, but it doesn't pack down anywhere near as small as what you've got on your bars there...


I use the 20 x 60 mummy. I've used everything from Z-rests to car windshield reflectors to many sizes of Thermarest. I like the compromises of this one the best so far.

MC


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## alizbee (Aug 25, 2005)

Awesome!


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## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

Amazing. Did you ever get tired of those redundantly spectacular vistas all day long for four days? Seems like your eyeballs would melt down from sensory overload after awhile.

Have you posted the GPS profile/map anywhere? That would be cool to look at.

Thanks for posting over here Mike. This is what Passion is all about.


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## markf (Jan 17, 2007)

as someone who's done the super fully loaded roadie touring for months at a time, i want to get into this type of thing, but the middle of iowa isn't exactly a haven for such activities. need to find a job in colorado or somewhere it seems.


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## Motorep (Jun 20, 2004)

<snip> This day included descents of 412 and 410 to Cement Creek, a climb of the infamous Deadman's Switchbacks, a traverse of the Highway in the Sky (aka Julie Andrews Trail) then a descent of Rosebud to Spring Creek.

You rode up Deadman's? I always thought that was suppossed to be a one way trail (down)? Also, if you did ride up it my hat's off too you! That trail has some incredibly steep switchbacks.

I ride dirt bikes (dual-sport) up there every year and that's one of my favorite trails (Reno Ridge to the entrance of Deadman's). I'll be up there again this September and plan on bringing the mountain bike this time.

Kevin


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## mtroy (Jun 10, 2005)

mikesee said:


> I forget what size your Lev is but you might want to have a look here. MC


XL.


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## karatemonkey (Mar 9, 2007)

Not that my fire needed any more stoking, but you definitely just turned the blaze from a nice campfire into a diesel soaked bonfire with this post! 

I cannot wait for my tour this summer. Nothing but what you described above for over 3 months linking together the singletrack of CO, UT, WY, MT, AB, and hopefully BC. Gotta love unemployment!

Thanks for the inspiration to chase my dreams. You will probably be hearing from me shortly looking for guidance.


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## Cabin Fever (Jan 23, 2004)

oh man....


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## doitdoitnow! (Apr 19, 2008)

First* thanks*, that is a seriously high quality ride report - the photos alone are inspirational. More! I say more! Just think, it won't be_ that_ long until the planet will be so populated that rides like this are harder and harder to do. do it now!


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## ZoSoSwiM (Dec 2, 2005)

Thank you for sharing that!

Beautiful and inspiring! I hope to experiance that kind of stuff someday.


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## seosamh (Mar 17, 2007)

puts me to shame, this is how my bike looks for tomorrow and a 2 night camping trip...still could be worse, camping gear all in comes to 6/7kg, plus and few clothes tools and food etc on my back, mind you i'm just cycling to trails and pictching a tents and dumping the stuff..

defo need to look in to your gear more for next time.


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## PaintPeelinPbody (Feb 3, 2004)

I would love to do that...only...I've never been out west. I would get lost out there.

I really need to get Colorado, and soon.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Motorep said:


> You rode up Deadman's? I always thought that was suppossed to be a one way trail (down)? Also, if you did ride up it my hat's off too you! That trail has some incredibly steep switchbacks.


Yep--up it. For several years now (since the reroute?) that trail has been downhill travel only for motorized traffic. I think hikers/horses/bikes are legal both ways.

I was a bit intimidated by the thought of climbing it--hadn't attempted it since the first summer I lived in Colorado ('92) where it shellacked me but good.

Both Scott and I were thrilled to ride as much as we did--IIRC we both dabbed twice, and IIRC none of the dabs were on the hard moves, they were all when we let focus lapse (while recovering) on the tamer sections.

We both agreed that teeny bit of added mass to our bikes/kits helps keep the wheels planted and definitely assists with traction on climbs/moves like this.

MC


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## rs3o (Jan 12, 2004)

Kudos for carrying your mechanized travel devices through the Wilderness! That'll show 'em!


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*More...*

Thanks for posting this Mike. It's about time you delivered a ride report from your ever growing backlog of trips.

This trip was a favorite of mine. Maybe it was the incredulous nature of the weather (one storm in five days!). Maybe it was the endless singletrack. Maybe it was riding the coattails of a great summer of touring and refining our setups. Maybe it doesn't matter -- it was just a great ride.

Climbing Hagerman Pass out of Leadville:




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Following the "Nast E" trail, shown on USGS maps, but slowly being swallowed by the forest.




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Dropping in to Hunter Creek, almost to Aspen. Past Hunter we continued following our GPS line onto some seriously technical creekbed trail. I think if we had been expecting it we'd have been all over it, but it was such a surprise that it threw us off guard.




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Early morning hiking in the Maroon Bells...




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Wheels as walking sticks.




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Mellow, swooping descents are a challenge to walk when you know how fun they'd be to ride. At least the scenery was pretty OK.




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This was my first time on all the Crested Butte classics. Mike put together an incredible route, and it was all done beforehand. All I had to do was follow the line on my GPS screen.




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That line led to miles and miles of tasty alpine trail.




​
It's quite a deal to travel like this. Instead of fooling around in town, unloading bikes, finding the motel, we rolled out of town, schlepped up a big hill and crashed out under the trees. The next morning it was minutes and we were back on fabuloso trail again.




​
The CDT from Tincup to Monarch was a favorite of the trip.




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Well, there was the small detail of climbing from Boss Lake back to the divide. That one was a healthy push.




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We got strafed by sideways hail pretty much at the precise moment we reached the divide. It made the technical challenges up there even more interesting.




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The rest of our ride down Monarch Crest, Silver Creek and Rainbow was pretty uneventful, minus the big grins. It was my first time on any of these trails. I felt like a gluttonous fool for the entire last hour on Rainbow.




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Thanks, Mike.


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## treestan (Jan 10, 2008)

Hey Mike-
Beautiful, inspiring shots. I've always been a mountain biker, but this past summer I had the opportunity to do some of that road-shoulder touring you seem not to be so in to. I will say, I had a blast. By the end of my trip (~50 days) I was down to ~45 pounds of gear (plus bike), but it was distributed through 4 panniers. 

Being that I've always been a mountain biker (and now quite fond of epic rides), I've been eying some week-long offroad jaunts. Could you give me a full loadout of what you carried? Also, some shots of your bike, fully loaded down, from the side would be cool too. Was your primary water source filtered? Could you rely on town proximity for food? Was GPS your primary guide, or did you follow a trail/maps?

Again, beautiful, beautiful shots, and an inspiring post. Thanks


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## Motorep (Jun 20, 2004)

mikesee said:


> Yep--up it. For several years now (since the reroute?) that trail has been downhill travel only for motorized traffic. I think hikers/horses/bikes are legal both ways.
> 
> I was a bit intimidated by the thought of climbing it--hadn't attempted it since the first summer I lived in Colorado ('92) where it shellacked me but good.
> 
> ...


Makes sense on the motorized traffic. Last time I rode down it was raining/hailing/snowing and the water was running downhill faster than we could ride it. I made sure I was out front to keep the speed down and our impact light. Wouldn't want to ride up it in those conditions for sure. Should of seen the reactions when my group got to the bottom and discovered they had to cross a rain swollen Cement Creek!

Kevin


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## surlytman (Nov 9, 2005)

Also check out posts by Brother David Sunshine on the Surly Blog

http://www.surlybikes.com/surlyblog.html

he has been refining his lightweight touring gear for as many years as I have known him. There are many blog posts if you scroll back about this.


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## Noelg (Jan 21, 2004)

What a fantastic thread! You sure know how to make a guy envious...  

Keep up the good work! :thumbsup:


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

KRob said:


> Did you ever get tired of those redundantly spectacular vistas all day long for four days?


Not a chance!



KRob said:


> Have you posted the GPS profile/map anywhere? That would be cool to look at.



<img src=https://topofusion.com/images/diary/pbsal_profile.jpg>​
~40,000' of climbing according to the GPS track.

3D view:


<img src=https://topofusion.com/images/diary/pbsal_3dtopo.jpg>​


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## Monte (Dec 20, 2003)

Nice guys, been thinking about doing something like that this year. Very cool.

Monte


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## sherpaxc (Aug 12, 2005)

How did that Ergon pack work out for the multi day ride? I've been using my Osprey Talon 22 and have been happy with it, but I feel like it has to be packed perfectly or I'll be poked in the back by whatever is in there. I really want to try one before the Colorado Trail Race this summer but don't want to spend the coin on one if it doesn't work out.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*A horse of a different flavor*

Lee and I traced a route through the San Juans using Scott's Topofusion software last fall. We waited for a decent weather window (and left Scott behind because T-storms seem to follow him...) then set out from Ouray.








And learned a lot very, very fast. Primarily that the San Juans are steep.







Steep in some locales means that you find yourself in the granny gear on occasion. Steep in the San Juans means maybe you shoulda left your bike at home.







We walked *lots* (up, across, and down) and ended up aborting the original plan after only two days.























Still, the scenery was stunning and I was tickled to have gotten to experience it.

MC


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

sherpaxc said:


> How did that Ergon pack work out for the multi day ride? I've been using my Osprey Talon 22 and have been happy with it, but I feel like it has to be packed perfectly or I'll be poked in the back by whatever is in there. I really want to try one before the Colorado Trail Race this summer but don't want to spend the coin on one if it doesn't work out.


Super comfy and hugely adjustable pack that carried the weight really well. Downside was a lack of organization--everything ends up in a heap in the bottom. You could probably sew some pockets or dividers into it easily to take care of this, or maybe you wouldn't even notice.

MC


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

<img src=http://lh3.ggpht.com/mike.curiak/Rxvis0kwNcI/AAAAAAAAAfI/69TSH92YEes/s800/pbx%20263e.jpg>

401?

That's a tricky spot - I almost lost my bike down the cleft the first time I did it.

The second time someone videoed it, and I made it but it looks totally anticlimactic.

Great post - phenomenal areas! Gotta getta GPS and some free time!


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## AlliKat (Apr 28, 2006)

I second the request for a breakdown of your gear with pictures. I would love to ride like this. I'm curious what you do for stove, water purification etc. what tarp? One of the ones by a tent mfg?


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## sherpaxc (Aug 12, 2005)

mikesee said:


> Super comfy and hugely adjustable pack that carried the weight really well. Downside was a lack of organization--everything ends up in a heap in the bottom. You could probably sew some pockets or dividers into it easily to take care of this, or maybe you wouldn't even notice.
> 
> MC


Thanks Mike. I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on one. You're right about sewing some dividers in there. It shouldn't be a problem. The one thing I love about the Osprey is the pockets on the hipbelt. Perfect for the camera and some bars.


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## Jaydude (Apr 1, 2006)

*Amazing*

Wow spectacular. I cant wait for the snow to melt. Looks like I have a new route to study!


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## cartographer (Jun 20, 2006)

Inspirational! 

Thanks for sharing.


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## anotherbrian (Mar 18, 2005)

mikesee said:


> Super comfy and hugely adjustable pack that carried the weight really well. Downside was a lack of organization--everything ends up in a heap in the bottom. You could probably sew some pockets or dividers into it easily to take care of this, or maybe you wouldn't even notice.


Did you consider fitting a small rack, or did you have a self-imposed limitation of what could fit into the pack?

I've been thinking about an Old Man Mountain rack that I could be mounted on a full-suspension frame. Intent would still be to go as minimal as possible, but not be constrained to what I'd want to carry all day on my back (or be limited to riding a hardtail).


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## Enel (Mar 23, 2004)

Epic.

Inspirational.

Beautiful.

Thanks.







I can't believe you got the bike plus gear down to 35lbs plus 17 in the pack!

I also understand the need for "crutch" gears now.


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## spudpatch (Feb 1, 2006)

Thanks to all for the inspiration and motivation!


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

Yet another amazing adventure that is inspiring.

Some of the posts on mtbr lately have really gone back to the roots of getting out there.

This is a gem.


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## trail717 (Feb 9, 2006)

*Now I am really ready to go&#8230;..*

Hey Mike, what a thread to get psyched with!!!

I am off tomorrow for the weekend&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;
By this time tomorrow I will be sleeping somewhere on the Paradox Trail.

Sleep system good to about 25 deg & and got's all my 'rain gear' just in case

Bike + gear as shown in picture, with food for 2.5 days and 150oz water/Gatorade, bout 55lbs


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## MrMountainHop (Oct 20, 2005)

*Wow....*

Without a doubt the most incredible mtbr post I've ever read. Inspirational adventure, incredible photography.

Just two days ago I bought a ultralight tent, to execute on the plan to ride in somewhere, stay the night, and ride out. I'm now inspired to make it into a multi-day exploration.

I'll second the request for a "schematic" of your gear.

Really incredible stuff.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

mikesee said:


> We waited for a decent weather window (and left Scott behind because T-storms seem to follow him...)


Good one.  It is true that I was overdrawn on my weather karma account, having to counter for all your bad weather juju from Pb to Salida.

Stop posting pictures of that trip! I'm already jealous enough that I didn't get to join you and Lee.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

Enel said:


> I also understand the need for "crutch" gears now.




20 x 36 granny gear . . . ahhhh.

Even when I'm not using it, it's nice to know it's there...


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## crakkillsdaily (Apr 10, 2008)

I have to say i would like to do this ride. let me know what maps you used it looks like a kick ass time and did you encounter anybody in the wilderness area


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## Evil Patrick (Sep 13, 2004)

Thanks a lot, Mr. Curiak!

You're killin' me.

You, and Scott.

I *gotta* get outta here and _fast_!

:thumbsup:


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*Another one from last summer.*

Scott and I have ridden most of the Colorado Trail and loved the bulk of it. Lots of fun, rideable alpine trail on that route.

But it also passes through beaucoup wilderness (no bikes), and there are several sections that are bike-legal but just no fun to ride/walk/push. The point of much of last summer's 'sploring was to find a more mtb-friendly routing for the illegal or unfun sections. _Someone's_ gotta do it...

On one of these exploratories we left from his apartment in Manitou Springs and climbed a neat old railroad grade. Lotsa tunnels (some open, some not) and zero traffic made for a fun way to access the higher country to the west.



A late start meant that we rode later into the first night. Partially because we were amped to be out, period, but also because the day had been hot and it just felt good to cruise some mandatory dirt road miles in the dark.



We bivied near a creek and felt a few raindrops during the night, but (seemingly) only enough precip fell to knock the dust off the local flora.



A cool morning presaged a roasting afternoon:



Although we didn't know it yet, the flowers on this trip were to be among the best we'd ever seen:


I tend to fire off as many shots as I can when the light is good, but if it's overcast or rainy or a descent is just too flowy to break up for photos, well--then there's a break in the visual record of the trip. We cruised a lot of hot dirt roads on this afternoon, none of them awful but also not worthy of repeating on a 'singletrack tour'. Then when we hit Kenosha Pass the skies opened and we ended up descending the paved pass, in the dark, to find 'refuge' in a crappy dank motel room. It beat bivying in the driving rain, but only just.

The paved climb back to the trailhead the next morning was a great way to open up the legs for the real climbing beyond.





Working our way up Georgia Pass:







No pics from the blazing fun descent into Silverthorne, but then we resumed climbing towards Searle Pass so out came the camera again:






On paper Searle looks terrifying because it tags ~12k' and it's a rare trail that is rideable much above ~10,500.



The trail up to Searle is a rare beast--~95% rideable from the base of Copper to the saddle at the top.





All sorts of fun challenge sections on the way up. Much ice cream was bet, won, and lost on these uphill moves in the thin air.



Short snowfield just past the summit, then you mostly contour for a few miles before climbing to Kokomo Pass.







CT thru-hiker. We were blazing as fast as we could on the descent to Camp Hale, having already heard the first thrumbles of the day barreling down on us. Felt a little bad for this guy--knowing he'd still be a long ways up here when the storm hit.



Even rushing down the way we were it was hard not to stop and gawk on occasion.







The flowers don't get that good without lots of this.



We slopped our way into Leadville and crashed with *the* Lee Blackwell. Fun times that evening eating good food, talking gear and potential routes, and all while listening to the rain pound down outside.

_{to be continued}_


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

The next AM we three loaded up and headed back into the hills.



Scott was a man among boys climbing the Elbert Trail, then we all had a hoot of a time descending to Twin Lakes.



Up and over Independence Pass and on into Aspen for some lip-smackin' barbecue, then we climbed the face of Ajax with full bellies and a white-hot sun on our necks.



The trail was awful from a 'fun riding' standpoint, but it got us back into the alpine with no traffic and no pavement, and plenty of nice stuff to look at as we ground out the vert.









Shelter from the rain in an old a-frame that night, then back out into overcast skies and tacky/wet trails for the traverse of Richmond Ridge.









Some of these trails were new to me and I was a bit torn when riding them: I loved the scenery but I knew we were no closer to finding a mtb-friendly reroute. With resignation I simply accepted that another route exploration (another tour!) would soon be in order.

Meanwhile, nothing to do but plug on and deal with it.





Scott's intro to CB trails was not a good one.



Lee is always just happy to be out--doesn't really matter what the trails are like.





Rutted and eroded track, but the flowers are as good as ever.





The trail took a turn for the better as we traversed under Star Pass.











Alas it was short lived and even with the stunning flora no one could ignore the eroded, fall line trail.





It beat the hell outta being at work, but we all agreed that we'd be very happy to come and help reroute this section of trail. The potential is enormous.





Rain-soaked trails with more in the air prompted an on-the-fly reroute, so we climbed Reno Road and descended Flag and Bear Creek to get out to Spring Creek Road.



Moto-ripped and whoop-de-doo'ed trail made Scott's day.



A rip-roaring thunderstorm prematurely ended our day at Taylor Canyon, but made for well-packed track the next morning on the way to Gunnison.





Dancing through the sage with the West Elks looking on.



From Gunny we called a temporary halt (the storms were taking a toll on cycles and psyches) to head home and regroup.

MC


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## karatemonkey (Mar 9, 2007)

these posts and the trip planning research that naturally insues after reading them are not condusive to me graduating in a week. Thanks a lot MC...please don't stop.


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## cocheese (Jan 12, 2004)

Thanks for posting this Mike. I needed that. I've been working through my recovery from knee surgery and sometimes, in the process, get kind of bummed that I cannot yet ride as much as I'd like. Thie thread is "good medicine" and I can honestly say that this post has made me more stoked to ride than any post I've ever read/seen. Seriously great stuff. No amount of discussion of fork offsets can touch the enregy of this post! This is the real deal. :thumbsup:


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## GreenLightGo (Oct 24, 2006)

great post! I miss my homestate...

alas - is this a carbon fiber rack on the back? Interesting rack none-the-less.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

crakkillsdaily said:


> I have to say i would like to do this ride. let me know what maps you used it looks like a kick ass time and did you encounter anybody in the wilderness area


Routes were pretty much exclusively dreamed up, mapped and uploaded using TopoFusion.

There were a number of other hikers on the trail, yep.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

GreenLightGo said:


> alas - is this a carbon fiber rack on the back? Interesting rack none-the-less.


No, it's Lee's homebrew rack made of sheet titanium. Unfortunately, the less said about it the better...

It started the trip out with a lot more weight than is shown in that pic. As the abuse racked up it repeatedly failed until he finally had to pitch it.

He has refined the design and made a new rack out of steel. That rack has a much better track record.


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## Padre (Jan 6, 2004)

Mike, are you sporting a 'stache?

If so, I'd have to say that's as awesome as these "ho hum" pictures.

Great shots! Great ride. Wow.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

anotherbrian said:


> Did you consider fitting a small rack, or did you have a self-imposed limitation of what could fit into the pack?
> 
> I've been thinking about an Old Man Mountain rack that I could be mounted on a full-suspension frame. Intent would still be to go as minimal as possible, but not be constrained to what I'd want to carry all day on my back (or be limited to riding a hardtail).


I've done a few of these tours with racks, and now a few without. For the sake of 'fun riding' my preference is to ride rackless, although for your trails or the way you ride a rack could work great.


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## Monte (Dec 20, 2003)

mikesee said:


> ....After cutting short a Crested Butte epic a few years ago due to lack of daylight (we'd been out for 12+ hours) I started to wonder about overnights. And that wonder has turned into my latest passion: Singletrack touring....
> 
> MC


Mike,
Haven't you been doing this sort of thing for years, just at a little different pace?

Monte


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

AlliKat said:


> I second the request for a breakdown of your gear with pictures. I would love to ride like this. I'm curious what you do for stove, water purification etc. what tarp? One of the ones by a tent mfg?


I'm hesitant to make any sort of specific gearing recommendations for trips like this. The temps/precip conditions are so varied that what I carry in the alpine wouldn't work at all in the PNW, and would be totally overkill in a true desert. You simply have to experiment to know what works best for you, where you're headed.

Lest the real point get swept under the rug, I should also add that the gear research/experimentation/fiddling is one of the more fun and rewarding parts of this kind of travel. For example--making a 1oz stove out of a soda can, then using it to cook for a group of 4 is pretty cool. Likewise with turning an old tent footprint into a waterproof tarp, or taking an old mesh tent door that had been in my gear pile for a decade, cutting it to size then sewing it over the opening of my sleeping bag as a bug deterrent.

It's a never-ending process. You make some assumptions, take a few actions, then go out for a tour to see how you've done. There is always room for improvement--not a trip goes by that I don't have a list of gear 'tweaks' to make when I get home.

Have fun widdit.

MC


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Monte said:


> Mike,
> Haven't you been doing this sort of thing for years, just at a little different pace?
> 
> Monte


Monte-

Errr... sorta. But not really.

My perspective is that racing through this kind of country has almost nothing in common with touring it. For starters, when racing you don't get to *ride* much of the singletrack--you're usually too torched to do anything other than push the bike up it and hang on/survive on the way back down. And race routes that utilize this much ST are very, very rare.

When racing my sleep kit was minimal to nonexistent--replaced by good quality lighting. I'd stop and curl up under a spruce for an hour or two, then drag myself out into the gloomy, wet darkness and keep on trucking. When touring we sleep 7-8+ hours at a time and in order to be comfy doing that you need a pretty different gear pile.

So there are some similarities, but I think they're more different than anything. Starting with perspective, moving on through preparation, and continuing through execution. Not to mention the after-the-fact memories and photos are worlds apart.

MC


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## 29erchico (Jan 1, 2005)

Krein said:


> 20 x 36 granny gear . . . ahhhh.
> 
> Even when I'm not using it, it's nice to know it's there...


I know what you are talking about. I'm running a 18x34 granny now and when I get out to Colorado this summer I'll be sporting a 17t granny on my Mtn. Tamer.

Man, if this was the 29er forum we would be getting jumped on by a bunch of flat landers for having ultra low gears on our rides...


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## 29erchico (Jan 1, 2005)

So, I have to ask, what is the preferred sunscreen for all this high Alpine exposure?


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## jgsatl (Sep 16, 2006)

holy crap. just fantastic.


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## ~martini~ (Dec 20, 2003)

oh wow. I miss CB. Someday I'll be back there.

Just bookmarked. I think I'll be saving all of these pics for those gloomy winter days...


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## JackFromNC (Dec 24, 2003)

Stunning!


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## radair (Dec 19, 2002)

Fkn eh!

Stunning shots and trip. I love adventure riding and you guys were having some incredible adventures.


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## Camshaft213 (Feb 16, 2008)

i can only hope to be that cool one day. i mean that seriously


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## Brown_Teeth (Jan 15, 2004)

Sweet makes me want to CO2 and go there, oh well kids great shots


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## Bula (Sep 20, 2004)

*Are these rides doable by mortals?*

When I say that this post is inspirational, I'm not kidding. I have got to get out there and ride some of that terrain and see some of those views myself before it's too late. Soooo.... I'm seriously considering trying to do a guided, supported tour of the area later this summer to at least get a taste. But here's my question. Is it feasible for a 57 year old guy with strong technical skills and a pretty darn good level of fitness (for his age, anyway) to live and train at sea level (while working full time and attending to other responsibilities) and then go out and survive, and hopefully even enjoy, those high altitude climbs? Anyone out there got a young set of lungs and a heart they be willing to rent me?


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## Hjalti (Jan 22, 2004)

*Ultralight Bike Touring List*



mtroy said:


> Not enough interest, most likely, but it would be nice to have a bikepacking forum one day where we could share set-ups, routes, tips, etc.


It already exists, although it isn't mountain bike specific.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ultralightbiking/

H


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

Bula said:


> When I say that this post is inspirational, I'm not kidding. But here's my question. Is it feasible for a 57 year old guy with strong technical skills and a pretty darn good level of fitness (for his age, anyway) to live and train at sea level (while working full time and attending to other responsibilities) and then go out and survive, and hopefully even enjoy, those high altitude climbs?


FYI - Lee (pictured in some of the trips so far) is in his 50's and is only a few years younger than you. He's got strong tech skills and good fitness, and he does well.

In fact, he and I are leaving tomorrow for a tour along parts of the GET and CDT trails.

I say go for it!! No time like the present.


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## crux (Jan 10, 2004)

Would be cool to post up gear lists for fast packing via bike.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

crux said:


> Would be cool to post up gear lists for fast packing via bike.


Since I just finished packing for this:




​
In pack -(Osprey Talon 22):

Marmot precip jacket
PI arm and knee warmers
random first aid and repair items (zip ties, chain link, tape, etc)
camera
toiletries (toothbrush, etc)
200 oz bladder
Katadyn Hiker water filter
lightweight running shorts (for camp / town)
Mucho food (~3 days in this case - there ain't much in the way of "civilization" out in the Gila)

On body:

Long sleeve tech shirt
PI shorts
Smartwool socks
gloves, helmet

On bike:

Thermarest prolite 3 (short)
Garmin eTrex Vista CX
In frame bag - bike tools, pump, 2 tubes + 1lb Twizzlers

In seatbag (made by Carousel Design Works):
Western Mountaineering Highline ~40 deg bag
adventure medical "emergency" bivy
Mountain Hardware rain pants

Lotsa food in two of these.

notes:

No tent, no stove.

This is for a high desert tour where water is scarce, at best. For other trips I would tweak some things, like the water filter and perhaps clothing choices. In CO, or if expecting significant rain, I'd bring a tent footprint tarp. If racing... well, that's a different story.

It all looks something like this:



photo by MC​


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## mtroy (Jun 10, 2005)

Krein said:


> Since I just finished packing for this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nifty emergency bivy. How durable is that? It is very inexpensive so even replacing it every year would be easy. I see it on REI.com, etc.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

mtroy said:


> Nifty emergency bivy. How durable is that? It is very inexpensive so even replacing it every year would be easy. I see it on REI.com, etc.


I'm on my second one in 4 years. Never had one tear from rocks/sticks, but I tore the old one while trying to stay dry during an all night deluge in CO (I should have had the tarp for that trip, but didn't).

That bivy is not for everyone, that's for sure. Like Mike said in his intro to this thread, we're out there to ride, not camp comfortably. Camping is just something we have to do after the sun goes down and we're tired of night riding for an hour or two. I'd rather be light and be able to enjoy the ride.

The flipside is, of course, that I don't like to take it to the point of being unsafe. Gotta have enough to stay warm and dry.


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## Porchsong (Apr 28, 2004)

*wow.*

Stellar. Chalk me up as one of the many mortals inspired by your backcountry adventures. I hope to put together a similar trip in the future. Bikepacking in the CO back country, It couldn't get any better for me.

Thanks for the all the fantastic posts. Keep it up.

Porch


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## LeeL (Jan 12, 2004)

Re light weight biking. I have the same basic setup. Front handlebar bag - conveniant for map and tools and bearspray. No rack. 30l pack. Bike's about 32 lbs. Pack is 20 lbs. That is good for 4 days. Thanks for the stoke


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## brianc (Jan 13, 2004)

this thread should win the Grimey for post(s) of the year.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*The Fred Tour*

Snuck out for a quick two-dayer with Fred. Great to get out in it, doubly great to be able to refine gear a bit more. Fred's fitness is coming around _fast_ (no pun) as evidenced by the fact that he was out ahead the whole damn time, as well as by the fact that I had a hard time getting out of bed at 9 AM this morning.

Fred putting in a little extra oomph to keep it flowing.





Paintbrush glow while Fred earns the climb.



Great flowers and a brief break with impending doom on the horizon.



A 4 hour spring shower (with snowline just ~1000' above us) meant a severe revision of our route plans. Wet clay in this region is simply impassable, prompting a 30-mile stretch of abandoned hwy to get to a c-store. Much consumption ensued.



We didn't leave the c-store until close to midnight, and were tired/sleepy enough to stop and drop just about any time. Cold evening temps prompted us to ride a few miles before stopping, just to get our core temps back up.



Acute right turn comin' up. Hard to see the vague trail in the dark, so navigation by GPS was often necessary.



Rise and shine.



Damp trails early on caused some delay while we scraped mud or searched out detours.



The one thing that the pics can rarely convey is wind. Throughout the day I'd estimate we were bucking an average ~20mph headwind, with rare lulls and frequent ridgeline gusts of 30+. As we crested this ridge (and every one thereafter) we were met with a blast to the face.



To put the day in perspective, a 'normal' mid-May ride in this region would feature ~90 degree temps, lots of sand, past-prime wildflowers and cheat grass going to seed. We never took off the leg warmers, drank less than half of what we thought we would, and the flowers seemed like they were still on the upswing.

Nice flow through here.



The previous day's rain packed the washes down real good--for the most part.



Some were moister than others, and this one was pretty heavy on alkali soup.



Some were simply impassable.



Moto-installed trails in this region have many things in common. Among them are ridicu-steep hills that no human could ever pedal up. The spines they ascend/descend are aesthetically pleasing for sure.



Not thirsty at the moment, thankyouverymuch.



Clouds boil as Fred crests another steep one.



'Ow' is the best word for the constant steep spines.



Claret cups brightened the landscape. As did paintbrush, flax, phlox, chamisa, globe mallow, and 62 others whose names I'll never remember.









Go that way.



Now this way.



Yay.



Again I say yay.



Neither of us ever cried uncle, nor did we complain at the brief bits of flat ranch road that connected the steep singletrack.



Cairn.



Fred's a spiny fella.



Hauling the mail as the day winds to a close.



Our route connected one of the most popular regional routes (first day) with one of the least popular (second day). We saw a few motos, a ~dozen or so bikers and a few vehicles on the first. And the second? A few sheep and a man atop a horse, cresting a ridge a _long_ ways off.

Like I said above--it was great to be out. Some trails are so fun and well put together that I can't wait to get back out on them. Others? Not so much. I doubt I'll ride this one again (at least not in it's entirety) but I'll never forget it either.

MC


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## Bula (Sep 20, 2004)

*Thanks again*

The good stuff continues! Thanks for keeping 'em coming. Meanwhile, I've booked a trip to Colorado - guided sissy style, but it's a start anyway. I can't not ride this stuff myself.


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## mtrh8 (Apr 7, 2007)

Your posts have to be the best stuff I have read since joining MTBR.Your feeding that part of all of us that longs for freedom-and on a bike too:thumbsup: Please continue for all of us,thank you


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## Noelg (Jan 21, 2004)

Anyone else want to ride down this?!!! :thumbsup:

AND why is no one paying you to write/photograph your travels for any of the dirtrags out there???

Seriously, your stuff is as good as it gets! Thanks for letting us share in your adventures and daydream about having some of our own...


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## mtroy (Jun 10, 2005)

Now this is passion.


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## ionsmuse (Jul 14, 2005)

mikesee said:


> Fred's fitness is coming around _fast_ (no pun)...


That sandbagger. Peas in a pod......?

Book cliffs eh? Sweeeet.


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## Bearbait (Jan 14, 2004)

Nice Mike!
I'm still stoked that you hiked over south maroon pass with your bikes, what a great idea!
great pics as always, getting after it!


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*Arizona, Part One*

My passion has evolved from alpine riding to alpine touring since moving to Colorado 15 years ago. Hard to beat the alpine scenery and experience.

Part of what makes the alpine so precious is the short window of time that it is accessible. Late June through late September is about it, leaving the other 9 months of the year to explore elsewhere.

But where?

I live in a high desert and am comfortable with the compromises involved in traveling through it. But even still--we get snow from December through March, rendering clay-based trails impassable.

Which leaves the low desert, accessible nearly year round and completely foreign to me.

Aren't they incredibly hostile, lacking water and shade yet abundant with trail nasties like scorpions and snakes and millipedes? What about the Boogeymen lurking behind the ocotillo?

This spring I finally pushed aside all of the doubts and took the leap, destination southern AZ.

Roadtripping south with Fred and Pete.


Cruising through the Canelo Hills SE of Tucson.


_"Hey Guys! I think this'd be a good place to camp. Guys?"_


Afternoon heat fades into the Golden Hour, and you'd have to be pretty sunbaked to not notice.


This is southern Arizona?


Corporate America take note: Tubeless flat as team-building experience.


Pete bonds with the new bike.


The Arizona I expected to see.


One of the highlights of the trip was this Star-Wars-esque slalom through the saguaro and ocotillo, shooting through washes and playing cat and mouse with the guys. Seemed like it lasted 30+ minutes, and the permagrin lasted _days_.


Alien life forms?


Reupping on vittles as the sun sets over Tucson.


I don't recommend licking the thistle. But riding Redington and Molino is a pretty good idea.












Micro-hucking on tour.


No way to avoid assuming the position on summa these trails. Good time to check out the scenery.




Mix several days of dust and sweat with a Fresca chilled to 42.6877* F, then suck it up through a February 2008 vintage Twizzlers Pull and Peel and you too could sport this lid.


Hmmm... something tells me that it could get windy here.


Strange though it seems (and is...), Scott seems to *prefer* hiking with his bike.


The sun beats down on what the fire burnt up.


The forest recovers but we're not that lucky--much more up to come.




Finally descending toward Oracle.






_To be continued..._


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## Evil Patrick (Sep 13, 2004)

Wait...

You guys started way down in the Sonoita area, road into Tucson and went up and over Mt 
Lemon?


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## Noelg (Jan 21, 2004)

*Dude, you're killing me!*

two words: don't stop

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Fantasic!

I am SO looking forward to getting on my bike this weekend now...


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## Gordothor (May 7, 2008)

*wow*

absolutely orgasmic! :thumbsup:


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Evil Patrick said:


> Wait...
> 
> You guys started way down in the Sonoita area, road into Tucson and went up and over Mt
> Lemon?


Route details are *here*.










Scott put this route together as a race of sorts. I (and others) went there to tour it, simply because there was an easy-to-follow GPS track provided.

Great, great route. More pics to come of the ~second half.

MC


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## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

pete looks like he's enjoying mtb touring without the risk of frostbite-death.... these trips look fantastic. i hope this catches on.


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## Exodus11 (Aug 21, 2007)

I OFFICIALLY ENVY COLORADO MTN BIKERS!!! :cornut: :yesnod: 

AZ seems to suck now...its all brown and rocky...:skep:


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## azepicriderandrunner (Feb 8, 2008)

Great pictures Mike. Did Scott's tubeless system not work out?


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

azepicriderandrunner said:


> Great pictures Mike. Did Scott's tubeless system not work out?


Hey Chad-

Ultimately it worked great (he had no further flats)--we just had to dial in the sealant solution first.

MC


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*Arizona, Part Two*

After a gorge-a-thon, a shower, and sleep indoors (<-yes, I felt dirty for having done so on such a perfect moonlit night) in Oracle, our 4-man-party-pack restocked at the Circle K then pointed the bikes back onto dirt.

The local flora had been good every day thus far, but this day it seemed to demand my attention.












Not that I minded.





Pete broiling his way up a steep one.


The King of hike-a-bike.


I'd seen ocotillo before but never when it was leafed out *and* flowering. 






~Halfway through the longest waterless stretch we came upon ~15 gallons of fresh agua cached under a tree. A quick glance at the GPS showed that even in a vehicle this was not an easy spot to access, meaning (to me) that someone out there has earned some huge karma. 


Thank you--from all of us.


A stinkin' hot afternoon as we headed for the Boulders.




High speed and cruisy descending on the way down to the Gila crossing.


Climbing over the shoulder of Picketpost Mtn.


Pete in the zone, arcing desert singletrack like he's been doing it his whole life.


Some good old fashioned wash bashing.


Don't forget to look around.






With the gang at the end.


Homeward.


Another fantastic trip. Thanks again guys.

MC


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## mtroy (Jun 10, 2005)

If someone wanted to bite this off into a bite size chunk, say cut the ride in half and go from the start at Parker to Tuscon...looks like 130m.

Worthwhile? This would be over two days (for us mere mortals).

Or is there a better section to ride, say from Tuscon up to the end?


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

mtroy said:


> If someone wanted to bite this off into a bite size chunk, say cut the ride in half and go from the start at Parker to Tuscon...looks like 130m.
> 
> Worthwhile? This would be over two days (for us mere mortals).
> 
> Or is there a better section to ride, say from Tuscon up to the end?


We're all mere mortals. It took us ~two days to get to Tucson, and 4 days for the whole thing.

We rode the first day from the start to ~near Elephant Head. Camped under the stars.
Second day from EH through Tucson and up Redington aways before camping under the stars.
Third day up and over Lemmon, across Oracle Ridge (hint: take the Control Road instead) and down into Oracle. Crashed out in a rented house.
4th day past Antelope Peak, through the Boulders and Box Canyon, then started the climb up Picketpost. Crashed out under the stars, then finished the last few hours early the next morning.

Hard to pick a 'better' part on that route. The trail was more fun to ride on the first half, but I enjoyed the remote flavor and scenery of the second half just as much if not more. Win/win.

MC


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## mtroy (Jun 10, 2005)

mikesee said:


> We're all mere mortals. It took us ~two days to get to Tucson, and 4 days for the whole thing.
> 
> We rode the first day from the start to ~near Elephant Head. Camped under the stars.
> Second day from EH through Tucson and up Redington aways before camping under the stars.
> ...


Ah. Hard to tell from the post or maybe I missed it. Looked like two long days. I thought that was kinda outrageous.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*Gunrack*

In the now-common theme of searching for reroutes to avoid the craptacular sections of the Colorado Trail, Scott, Pete, and I headed out for a recon south and west of Gunnison. Lots of precip in the days leading up to departure had me psyched to ride hardpacked and fast trails.

Pete had been on some of these trails before but it was all new to Scott.


Swooping and carving at speed is OK--as long as you're into that sorta thing.




A few miles of county road hither and thither never killed anyone. But we peeled off on the first singletrack anyway. Can't be too careful.


Some sage lined doubletrack took us to the first of many private property/no trespassing signs. Time for a reroute.


We forged on as the ceiling dropped. It was cool but not cold, until we started climbing.


About this time the natives were getting restless (myself included). Crossing creeks and getting wet as the snow comes down is all fine on a day ride, but we were a *long* way from anything and only getting wetter/colder.


I suggested (optimistically) that the temps would warm and the trail might dry out if we headed lower, so we altered the route as the sun dropped. Descending here, but it only seems to be getting sloppier.


We bottomed out on a paved road and discussed our options. We were all soaked and chilled and the sun wasn't even down yet. None of us was looking forward to trying to bivy in these conditions. I had held out hope that we could find a dry spot and get a fire going, but it just wasn't happening. After a quick GPS consult we agreed to motor back to Gunnison on pavement to get a room for the night. Many, many miles of pavement later we checked into a room, showered, then ordered in pizza to accompany Law and Order re-runs. Really roughing it.

The next AM dawned clear, bright, and (most importantly) dry. Back to the grind.


Unfortunately, even though we split up to check more alternatives and spent the entire day searching, the overwhelming result of our explorations was always some version of this:


After regrouping we camped for the night and discussed the situation. It seemed our best option was to use our limited remaining time to enjoy the known local goods unloaded. We removed the camping gear from the bikes and prepared to turn lemons into lemonade.








We came away from the trip with big grins and a keen appreciation for why the CT is routed where it is: Often there is no other alternative.

Doesn't mean we've stopped looking...


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## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

best thread on the internet. ever.


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## brado1 (Oct 5, 2004)

sean salach said:


> best thread on the internet. ever.


+1 on that- thanks for the hit Mike


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*My turn...*

For those keeping score, this report and pics correspond to Mike's post #49 above. (Summer 2007 on the Colorado Trail and the C.A.R. bypass).

This is part one.

~-----------------------~

We decided that rather than shuttle a car to Denver, we'd ride right from my house in Manitou. The Colorado Trail is not far, but a question remained - where exactly to connect?

That decision wasn't made until literally 20 minutes before we left the door. I had mapped out 3 different options, all ready to be loaded into our GPS units. In the end we decided we didn't really want to start our tour of Colorado with hike-a-bike, so we chose option 3, the easiest and longest.

It started out superbly. We coasted through downtown Manitou Springs and rolled into Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock was the perfect way to start a tour -- singletrack and climbs so subtle you hardly notice them.









​
We climbed through Quarry Pass, up Roundup, then out the top of the park to connect to Section 16. Mike had to stop 4 or 5 times to add pressure to his brand new, untested, tubeless wheels. When he finally stopped to put a tube in, I officially granted him "that guy" status for the day. Lucky for him, this was the shortest day of the trip.

After more fun trail on Section 16, we popped out on Gold Camp Road to begin the long climb into "the Mountains." You've got to get out of the plains somehow, and this was as good a way as any. To our left was Kansas. In front of us, the Rockies. Time to climb.









​
It was a pleasant evening. No traffic, gentle railroad grade, evening light. We made it to 10,000 feet before switching on our headlamps to search for a camp site.

Amazing -- camping with Mike Curiak, and it wasn't raining (YET). (Thunder and rain follow him around like stink on a pig).

My bivy bag was on standby, but I never used it. It was a good night.

We continued on the route, eventually retracing some of the Ring the Peak route, backwards. We then went in search of singletrack at Dome Rock and Mueller Park. My map was only a couple years old, but sadly it was out of date. "No mountain bikes beyond this sign." (a park ranger later told me that the bighorn sheep were getting scared of bikes)

Shut out of singletrack, we reluctantly left the trailhead to ride YET MORE dirt roads. This was a major blow to our morale, and really killed this route, in my mind. We made one last attempt to find good riding by climbing up into Mueller Park via the park road. We gained a nice view, but little in terms of good riding. Apparently all the narrow singletrack in the park was getting scared by bikes too -- only old double tracks were open to us.

Still, there are worse things than having to ride dirt roads all day, and that's what this day turned into. We stopped briefly in Divide, where Mike ate his first of four ice cream treats (there would be many, throughout the day). Divide led to Lake George, where I made a few on-sight route changes (based only on connecting roads I saw on the GPS). I was just trying to keep things a tad interesting.

It kinda worked, and soon we were on the Tarryall detour of the Colorado Trail, which features... even more dirt roads! Still, I was curious to see what it was like, and it wasn't bad at all. Fast roads, broken pavement, minimal climbs, and nice scenery. But mountain biking it was not.

It was along the Tarryall that Mike confessed his misspent youth -- on nintendo games. He admitted to taking down Mike Tyson himself (no easy task), winning Metroid (bikini ending), and winning money (!!) in dorm wide Ice Hockey tournaments. I could barely keep my bike upright, I was laughing so hard (I was also a nintendo junkie in my youth, but I freely admit it!).

That's what long rides on boring dirt roads will do to you -- make you admit your darkest secrets.

As we neared the actual CT I noticed vague connecting roads on the GPS that I seemed to have missed in the initial drawing of the route. One way was a graded, vehicle infested road, another a quiet double track. We took the double track.

Let's just say it didn't turn out quite as I planned. We did some hike-a-bike (with no trail), chin scratching, and in the end burned quite a bit of time. But we did get on the CT a little bit earlier.

At last, we were on singletrack. And the singletrack was good.









​








​
But the weather was not. We stopped to ascertain direction of movement, but it's rather academic when storm clouds surround you.

We made it to Kenosha Pass without incident, but the occasional views into South Park revealed our time was limited. With 100 miles on today's clock so far, we decided to hole up in the campground to see if the storm(s) would pass by.

They didn't. I spent about an hour under the overhang outside the bathroom before realizing it was going to be a long, wet night. I walked over to chat with the ever-so-friendly camp host (who seemed to be the antithesis of last year's Kenosha camp host). When I asked about motels in Jefferson, he responded there was now a motel in Grant, 8 miles, downhill from where we stood. Easy choice.

We donned full rain gear and readied ourselves for a unpleasant 1500 foot drop. We survived, and soon were inhaling second hand smoke in the living room slash motel office. It was good to be indoors since it ended up raining most of the night.

The early morning climb back to Kenosha Pass was a small price to pay, and not a bad way to warmup worked legs. We were soon back on the CT, ready for a day of awesome singletrack.

It was exactly that.









​
My legs had strength; the climbs did not intimidate, they did invigorate. Refreshing change from last year.









​
Trees disappear. Views and flowers present themselves. Is it the rarified air or the qualities of the place itself that makes it seem so other-worldly?









​
I think Mike put it best, "we don't spend nearly enough time in places like this."

Fortunately, we had the luxury of time. Last year we were chased from the pass by electricity. This year we took photos, sat down and spent some time up there.









​








​
The descent to the Swan River seemed about 7.5 times more fun this year. Not worrying about the weather was great, but so was the Lenz Leviathan. No doubt in my mind -- this was the bike for this trip.

We crossed the road and onto new-to-me Colorado Trail (we missed the 'Tiger Loop' section last year due to pounding rain). The climb was great, but thoroughly overshadowed by the descent. I proclaimed to Mike at some point, "whoever designed this trail deserves an award!". The downhill flowed endlessly, always at high speed. I remember a lot of coasting, smiling and laughing.

We ran into a couple hiking the CT, with dog. They said he's a happy dog as long as he gets ice cream in every town. That pretty much describes Mike's outlook on the Colorado Trail (and life in general). I chuckled and told them I had the same situation with my CT buddy.

As we descended to "Breck" we could see Black Doom approaching from the south. We pedaled the bike path into Frisco, got a room, and called it a day at 3pm.

"Now this is touring," says Mike. By the time I got out of the shower, it was pouring, and we were both laughing.

Early AM, easy pedaling on the Tenmile bike path. At Copper Mtn it was time to climb out of the trees again. The trail was just as I remember it - very rideable and absolutely a blast. The climb to Searle Pass could have been twice as long, for all I cared. It was a blast from start to finish.

Mike offered me dinner if I made it to Searle with 2 or less dabs. May as well make it interesting.









​








​
It looks like Mike's going to make it here, but he didn't, and neither did I. Dab 1.

Dabs 2,3 and 4 came soon enough, finally giving up and walking the final pitch. Great challenge, and awesome trail.









​








​
More good trail vibes continued on the lovely section between Searle and Kokomo. Then it was time to descend, and none too soon. The storms had moved in already. Neither he nor I could stop taking pictures, so it was a slow descent. But a memorable one.









​








​
As we neared Camp Hale the skies let loose. The cowardly bikers scurried into old bunkers to attempt to "wait it out." This storm would not be waited out, so we eventually struck out and returned to the trail. It was interesting to see how poorly the trail up to Tennessee Pass drains. Water was running right down the trail, not off it. Yet, it wasn't all that rutted and wasn't all that bad to ride.









​
We crawled towards the pass, stopping at times, then finally committed to it. It wasn't raining at the pass, nor on the Leadville side. We blasted down the highway, headed for PBville.

Lee Blackwell was waiting for us, and his Leviathan was prepped and ready to ride, including his homebrew titanium rack. We ate a good meal and got some quality sleep before setting off towards Mt. Elbert in the morning......


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*Part two*









​
Mike, Lee and I left PB (Leadville) early. Pavement is good for one thing: warming up. Good thing, because the Elbert Trail starts out steep and serious.

In my mind there was a 100% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. I figured we would make it into Aspen by mid-afternoon, just late enough to survey the sky and decide to seek shelter. A short day means I've got matches to burn.

Or so I thought. I weaved through CT backpackers and Elbert peak baggers, tires clinging to the precipitous trail. My heart was pounding in my head, but it felt good. I remember stealing quick glances ahead on the trail and thinking I'd be walking by the time I got "there." Not so. Pedals kept turning, tires continued to find traction, lines found on ledges. Brilliant.

Soon enough we were contouring and blasting through aspens.









​
The CT hits a dirt road, but we take a singletrack down to Twin Lakes. Someone has been fooling with what was (in my mind) a nearly perfect piece of trail. Seems like it is going to be adopted as either CT or CDT. Too bad they felt the need to modify it. Still a fab trail, and a wonderful descent.

It was time to wave goodbye to the Colorado Trail as it begins its less-than-desirable traverse along the Arkansas river valley. It's not bad trail, but we decided to test our fate with a different route: Mike's route.

First we had to get over the divide. Wilderness forces us on pavement, under the name of Independence Pass. I had never been over the pass, so my interest level was high. I love a good climb, when in the right mood. And going above treeline is always a treat, even on a paved road.

So it was a great climb. Excitement built near the top, dampened only by traffic and tourists (we belong to the latter category). I was pretty anxious to see the other side -- new territory for me. The 'other' side did not disappoint. I put on every piece of clothing I had for the descent. It felt more like October than July at the top.

5000 feet of elevation is a lot to drop. Too bad it was on pavement, but halfway down the consensus was, "great fun, for a paved road!" The corners are tight, the road narrow, and you can usually go faster than vehicles. It gave me a small glimpse into the world of motorcycle touring. It was fun, but I'll stick to the dirt.

We rolled into Aspen, where Lee took the reins. He shot off in front of Mike and I, following his nose to the BBQ place. I don't think there was any way he could have resisted. I was hungry, so it was good to sit down and eat. Even Mike ate a full meal, to the shock of everyone in the restaurant (Mike often insinuates that eating is a sure sign of weakness). If I pull out a Balance Bar, it's weakness and cowardice. But a full meal? We might as well have turned in for the day right there and then.

But we didn't. We hit the City Market and began riding to the top of Aspen Mountain. Except it wasn't really riding. 3,200 foot climb in less than 5 miles. Fresh and unloaded? Great, let's grind it out! Crispy matches (burnt on Elbert Trail and Independence Pass) and loaded bike? You're walking, my friend.

And so it was. Mike took the lead, pushing his bike at a steady pace. It was sticky and hot, with the absence of cooling wind. But I've seen worse ways to gain elevation. Lee and I leap frogged each other for a while, before finally reaching the top of the gondola, whose zipping cars had been mocking us the entire way up the mountain.

Friendly ski patrol gave us some beta on possible spots to stop for the night. It was still looking amazingly clear as we set off to traverse Richmond Hill. We didn't gain much elevation on this heavily used 4wd road, but we sure climbed a lot.









​
I had no idea what to expect. We were following Mike's route and ideas now. It was great, really. I'm used to being the driving force behind all route beta and map studying, but instead I just let it unfold.

A few tire tuffies passed us as I began to understand the character of the area. It was muddy and ripped up, but I was happy to be spending more trail time up high, rather than attaining a high pass and quickly descending. Mike's, "we don't spend enough time in places like this" quote originated here along Richmond Hill.

And he's right. Lucky for us, we got to spent a nice night up there too. For many reasons, this was a great night, though it did rain. Lee spent some time repairing his rapidly failing titanium rack. It didn't make it very far, but was still doing the job, for now.

It was pretty special to wake up at 11,500 feet and step out into the early morning alpine air. We followed Richmond Hill, with its fall-line ups and downs, until we dropped into Taylor Pass.










Lee and Scott along Richmond Hill​









Fog concealed Taylor Park and Reservoir​
At Taylor Pass we took more primitive roads and eventually moto trail towards Star Pass (one "R"). The trails were heavily eroded and not overly fun to ride, but the scenery and new-to-me factor made it well worth being there.










Hike a bike towards Star Pass​









Eroded moto-track near Star Pass​








​
Mike cleaned this steep pitch, after which I muttered, "great, now I have to" to Lee. For whatever reason I just wasn't feeling it this morning.

At the foot of Star Pass Mike began weighing options. It's been some time since he rode up here, so he was pretty much shooting from the hip. But the goal was clear - try to find a fun, contouring descent.

First we contoured over to the pass just east of Crystal Peak. This part of the trail was great. There was only one obvious trail at the pass, and I'm not quite sure what happened, but suddenly we were too far down to backtrack, and it was obvious we were fall-line descending. Doh! Mike was pretty distraught, but given the character of everything I'd seen so far, I was skeptic that any other trail in the area could be much better.

It was still a good descent, I thought, just not spectacular. It's a moto trail.










Descending to Cement Creek​









Lee descends through the flowers​
Mike guessed the switchbacks out of Cement Creek would be too muddy to ride effectively, so he altered the route to head to Flag and Bear Creeks, apparently one of the quintessential rides in Crested Butte. Indeed, at the top of Reno Divide we ran into a group of mountain bikers, including their support vehicle. We dropped down the descent.

Crested Butte - home of the most eroded, moto'd out trails in Colorado. Motorcycle use usually doesn't bother me, but this was over my limit. It's possible my expectations were too high, but pristine alpine singletrack it was not. I wasn't feeling the CB love. Left wondering what all the hype is about.

Not bad riding, at all. My wheels were turning, I was getting air in places, and occasionally you could ride 50 feet without splashing or dodging a puddle.

Lee fought with his rack throughout the day, finally abandoning it in the thicket by Spring Creek (fully intending to retrieve it on his way back to Leadville). We climbed to Doctor Park as the clouds built around us. It was a steep one, but I had shaken off the funk of the day and was feeling good.

Mike had spoken highly of this trail, having been a part of its rediscovery and re-hab when he lived in CB in the 90's. Indeed, once we were on singletrack, it was good stuff. Contouring, narrow, technical in places. Most importantly, not destroyed by motos, though their influence was evident.










Lee in Doctor Park, Black Doom hot on his tail​
Crossing Doctor Park, the hail assault began. We made haste towards the descent, but we were too late. Water was already flowing down the trail, and blasting us in the face.

After the second thunder crash Mike was gone. I knew we wouldn't see him until the bottom, where shelter of some kind awaited (we knew there was at least a store in Harmel). Lee and I pulled off into a small grove of trees to suit up in rain gear and wait for cessation of driving rain.









​
It didn't take long before we coasted down the slippery trail. Soon mud was packing up thick on my tires, and off trail excursions were necessary. The trail was a river, and I felt anything but "in control." Rain picked up, making visibility the biggest challenge. I got off to walk a steep/technical spot. I pulled out my allen wrenches to adjust my brakes for more power. I didn't care if they were rubbing, I just wanted more grab. I waited some minutes for Lee, who was having much more serious brake trouble than I was. I had been a little worried about him to that point, but when I talked to him it was clear he was just walking parts he wasn't comfortable with, and he was in much better spirits than I.

I was cursing the steepness / nastiness of the trail, the lack of drainage, the sticky mud, and the continuing onslaught of storms. Lee was frustrated with his brakes, but otherwise didn't think anything was at all the matter. It made me take a step back and wonder what I was so worked up about.

Well, safety is always a concern, and I really wanted to be off the mountain. I wasn't too worried about the constant lightning, but I have trouble descending with rain in my face. So I took off at the first lull.

As I finished a derogatory thought about the eroded, craptacular nature of Crested Butte trails, the trail crossed a creek and instantly turned sweet.

No ruts, no puddles, outslope (drainage!), mellow grades. Fun, fun, fun and fun.

I flew down the trail, smile growing by the minute. Eventually the trail was dry, though the thunder continued unrequited, behind me. I felt sorry for Mike, who probably didn't enjoy this section much, riding in thunder fear mode. After a day of somewhat disappointing trails, we were finally on some really good stuff, and he couldn't really enjoy it (or so I thought).

I sure enjoyed it. I thought about waiting for Lee, but fear of driving rain in my face, and slippery descending, convinced me I wanted to finish the downhill. So I kept rolling. The trail alternated between the "fun fun fun fun" and even better technical stuff. I had plenty of brake power, if no modulation due to sticky cables, so the steep technical stuff was a blast too.

The trail dumped me out into a campground, and as I suspected, there was no Mike. I could see no shelters where I could wait for Lee, so I coasted the 0.25 miles down to Harmel, dragging my wheel in the dirt a few times along the way.

I eyed each overhang of a roof, longingly, then heard Mike calling me from off the road. It took a while before it registered, but he had rented the last room available. Boy was I happy when that realization registered. Lee rolled down a while later, swearing at his brakes, but also glad to see we had a room.

The rest of the night was spent drying out, eating gas station food (the dinner buffet was $30!), and evaluating our bikes. We all worked on our brakes, and came to the conclusion that our bikes needed some bike shop attention. We were ~30 miles from Gunnison, but Mike didn't think any shops would be open on a Sunday.

Eventually Mike and Lee decided that rather than waiting for a shop to open, they would return to their residences to make repairs and regroup. I didn't think much of it at the time, but this was the undoing of the trip (we had planned on riding to Durango).

Lee left his overnight gear in Harmel, since he had to pick up his broken rack on the way back to Leadville anyway. After filling the void in my stomach at the breakfast buffet, we continued on the "Gunnison Spur of the Colorado Trail", destination: Gunnison.

Interesting route, interesting trail. Worth doing, for sure, but I think Dave Wiens described it best (to us): "The whole section is tough...lot's of agonizing, steep ups and downs." Emphasis on the agonizing part.

The first few unnecessary elevation losses can be avoided by taking any one of 7 or 8 contouring cattle trails. But once we got far enough up Beaver Creek there were no shortcuts. I had to turn my GPS off elevation display -- it was too demoralizing to watch how much hard earned elevation we'd lose on the next super steep descent.










Steep up, steep down​








​
The descents may have been steep and unnecessary, but at least they were sprinkled with jumps. So it wasn't a total loss.

We crossed Beaver Creek and moved into the mud. Yes, it had rained hard yesterday, and Mike and I found ourselves walking and sliding. Lee kept riding, much to our confusion. True, he had ditched his camping gear. True, he weighs at least 30 pounds less than us. True, he had large tires at low pressure. But still! His bike was barely making a track in the mud where my shoes were packing with mud. I'd turn around and see that my tires were making more of indent than his, even though I was walking and he was riding!?

The amazing mud floating Lee Blackwell was waiting for us at the junction with Lost Canyon Road. Mike pulled out Dave Wein's written description that was to guide us to more singletrack (thus far had all been dirt road and 2 track). I had drawn a best guess GPS track based on the description, but I doubted its accuracy.

My track saved us a seemingly unnecessary climb, and soon enough we were staring at a stunning 360 degree view. Descending along Signal Mesa was a treat, even on the double track. Dave's directions were right on, and our expectations for the singletrack were thoroughly exceeded. First the trail wound around between the sage, but then it began contouring the hillside, with some great flow.









​
The old water line took us, without climbing, into the backdoor of McDonald's, where we sat to discuss the future. I had realized, on the way down, that once we disbanded, that was probably the end of the trip. We'd look at wunderground.com and question the wisdom of venturing off into the San Juans. I was feeling good, and my bike was in good working order (just needed some new brake cables), but I must admit that the constant rain (especially at night) was getting old.

As predicted, the weather didn't look too inviting, and a violent storm in Grand Junction closed the door in Mike's mind. This phase of the trip was over.

A few trip stats:

370 miles
52,000 feet of climbing
7.6 mph average speed (shockingly high)


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## Bula (Sep 20, 2004)

*Enough!*

This thread remains the best of the best, but it is having a seriously adverse impact on my work productivity. This cannot go on! :madman: :thumbsup:


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## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

keep em coming! i want more. just downloaded topofusion btw(free version, then pro once i saw what it had to offer). kick ass product. i had been using google earth to try and spot trails visually through the bare trees of early winter here in nj, but they recently replaced them with summer shots and hid all the trails. 

also ordered a basic jandd frame pack on closeout. can't wait to get a few of these under my belt.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

Krein said:


> Amazing -- camping with Mike Curiak, and it wasn't raining (YET). (Thunder and rain follow him around like stink on a pig).


Thank you! Incredible ride, and great report. :thumbsup:

Your humor as counterpoint to Mike's seriousness is a hoot. 
I laughed till I cried over the above quote.

That said, I understand Mike's reaction to electricity. On a solo three highest peaks in Idaho climb (pre-mtb early 70s) I had shoe lace eyelets, zipper on my knickers, and metal pack buckles (pre-delrin) buzzing as clouds swirled around, building, building. I dropped 3000 feet off that ridge, and huddled under a poncho in pounding rain as the earth tingled and discharged the strikes above. I never ever want to feel that tingle again.


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## Evil Patrick (Sep 13, 2004)

Bula said:


> This thread remains the best of the best, but it is having a seriously adverse impact on my work productivity. This cannot go on! :madman: :thumbsup:


I'm heading over to the "Rider Down, injuries and recovery" forum to cheer myself up.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*Gunnysack*


<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny9.jpg>​
We're working on an alternate route for the Colorado Trail. A major piece of the puzzle was getting from Gunnison (Hartman Rocks) to ~Los Pinos Pass.

So I spent a few hours with the Gunny BLM/Forest Map and TopoFusion quads and aerials. A few possible options presented themselves, but only on-the-ground recon would tell us if there was a viable route. Hopefully such a route would be fun to ride, too.

Hartman's sure was fun. Riding fast and carving turns isn't my number one attraction to mountain biking, but my constant grin made me believe otherwise for a time.

After an hour and a half of playing, we descended to South Beaver Creek. Pete picked up his bike and blasted across the knee deep creek without hesitation (and still in his bike shoes). Mike and I grinned at each other as we pulled off our shoes and tip-toed across.

New country from here on out. We had several GPS lines to follow, and for a while, they worked out well. Sugar Creek was a wonderfully mellow climb on a grassed over double track. At some point after Vulcan, we got a little lost when the double track disappeared into a grove of aspens. There was an obvious road around it that fooled us until a check of the map revealed that it was a dead end.


<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny2.jpg>​
We found a small trace of the road making its way through the aspens.

As we gained elevation road conditions deteriorated. Mud started collecting on our bikes. Then the tiny specks of falling snow grew a bigger. It was not warm. But Mike had assured me that no storms can make it over the wall of the San Juan Mountains. It never precipitates in Gunnison, he says, despite the NWS forecast that read:

Southern mountains above 7500 feet will see precipitation in the form of snow with accumulating snow above 8000 feet. Expect showers to persist into the afternoon with trough axis swinging through the region during the latter part of the day. As this occurs...area will likely see transition to more cellular convective processes but sufficiently numerous to yield widespread snow accumulations in the San Juan and portions of the west Elk and sawatch ranges.

It was getting late as we climbed to 10,000 feet. None of us relished the thought of starting a 20 degree night wet, and the snow was showing no sign of letting up. I was happy that Mike and Pete, veterans of the Alaska snow races, seemed more concerned about getting somewhere warm than I did. Once I lay out a GPS line I want to see where it goes -- merging mapping with reality. But we sat at 10k, and our route climbed (steeply) through more snow. Unless the ensuing descent was a major, graded, gravel road (it wasn't) we would be foolish to try to descend it.


<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny5.jpg>
Hikin' and slidin' to 10,000 feet​
So we turned off the route at 6pm and descended towards to the 'town' of Powderhorn. It was an exciting descent, snow collecting on my brow as I struggled to see/read the wet trail. Thank goodness for disc brakes. 1800 feet of descending later, we were much colder, and still looking longingly at any sort of structure, no matter how derelict.

A patio at the school looked tempting, except for the obvious "No camping" sign that had Mike laughing out loud. It was brand new and seemed like they put it up just for us. Otherwise there wasn't much at Powderhorn. We milled around for a bit, before I pulled out the map and realized our best option at this point was to turn tail, put our heads down and pedal back to Gunny. It was unknown mileage and unknown climbing, but it was mostly paved.

The highway climbed more than expected, which was fine. I found a comfortable spin and grinded it out, which warmed me up considerably. What goes up must come down, unfortunately, and I froze myself nice 'n good on the descent. Mike and Pete were less affected by it, so they waited as I walked to regain feeling in my feet. It came back soon enough.

At Highway 50 the sun had set, so we stuck together and spun out the last 9 paved miles into town. The Water Wheel Inn provided roof, shower and hot chocolate.

It's still winter in Colorado.

Not so much the next day. Blue skies and spring time temps. We retrieved the cars at Hartman and drove back to Powderhorn to resume exploration, still with camping gear. We climbed towards Huntsman Mesa, en route to rejoin our snow descent route. But there was another way to get us up there, and it piqued my interest. I gave Mike and Pete plenty of opportunity to take the known/gradual route back to 10,000. But in the end they let me decide.

We went the new way.


<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny7.jpg>​
They should have known better. _Hike-a-bike._


<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny8.jpg>​
Beautiful day, though, and I think we were just happy to be out. Mike was having stomach troubles, so Pete and I waited and discussed a few options. The last part of yesterday's route didn't work out, so we decided to split up, with Mike backtracking on a loop back to Midway/Vulcan, and Pete and I continuing on, hopefully making it through to Cathedral.

There was a large stretch of "white" on the map we needed to cross. White = dreaded "private property." There were no locked gates, according to the map, but that doesn't mean it's OK to pass through. I write and say this all the time, but there was only one way to find out.

We pushed on through the hike-a-bike, bushwhacking a short section of forest to an old cabin and another steep road. At Huntsman Mesa we found a maze of bumpy roads, which we continued climbing on. Keep in mind, Pete was rolling a singlespeed through the whole trip. In classic Pete form, he was putting his new bike together at 1am the morning before driving to Gunnison. I guess the frame builder sent the wrong dropouts, so he had to run it as a singlespeed. He already had some serious miles on his legs (Kokopelli Trail out 'n back), yet the guy was riding strong throughout, in very unfriendly singlespeed terrain.

We ran into more hike-a-bike where we rejoined the GPS line at our bailout point. Then my suspicions were confirmed -- the extremely steep descent to "Road Beaver Creek" was muddy/slick enough today. I could only imagine what it would have been like last night.

We made a few unplanned deviations from the GPS line (aerial photos are obviously old here) but found our way to the big climb back to Summit Park. It was a beautiful little two track. Lush canyon, lots 'o wildlife, good climbing. Pete and I chatted about his upcoming Great Divide attempt and the whole range of multi-day races. It was pretty cool to be able to ride with him.

We crossed the creek and continued on the only road present -- but I quickly saw it was deviating from the GPS line. I was sure I hadn't missed a road, so we kept climbing. Eventually we met a dead end and I realized the ~6 foot high trees around us meant we were in a logging area. I had seen these roads on the aerials and knew they didn't go anywhere -- at least not that the photos indicate. It was worth climbing up there to be sure they hadn't been extended since the photos were taken and were indeed dead.

So we rolled back down to the creek and searched out the missed road. Pete hopped a fence and looked on the hillside while I searched near the logging road cut. I found an opening on one fence with a faint trail that led to another fence. Ahead I could barely make out an overgrown, but cut, path just wide enough to be a road.

We quickly lost this road, running into a large boulder field. Backtracking I kept looking over my shoulder for something we had missed. Sure enough, there was a tiny little cut into the hillside that led around the lower edge of the boulder field.


<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny10.jpg>
Doubletrack that rides like singletrack​
What followed was surprisingly rideable and clear of trees/brush. Amazing considering how invisible it was at the start.

Sadly, 0.1 miles from the top, we met with No Trespassing signs. This was the crux of the route, and we were shut out. Nothing to do but descend back down to Powderhorn. Fortunately all our climbing paid huge dividends. It always sucks to backtrack, but I remember loads of coasting and smiling. Jumps. Creek crossings. Coasting and smiling.

Mike met a similar fate -- mucho gates and private land near Midway. It's back to the drawing board.

We camped at Hartman's that night. Listening to Mike and Pete reminisce about the ridiculously epic battle that was GDR '04 was highly entertaining. I was on the route, with Paula, during that race, and following it intently. I don't know if there will ever be a GDR, or any other multi-day race, or any race *period*, as good as that one.

We finished up the trip with 3.5 hours of unloaded singletrack bliss courtesy of Mike's knowledge of the area. Plenty to do there and plenty to like. If you're into that kind of thing...

As Mike loves to say.


<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny12.jpg>​

<img src=https://www.topofusion.com/images/diary/gunny13.jpg>​


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## towers07 (Dec 15, 2007)

wow what an amazing place


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## Bobonli (Mar 22, 2008)

What type of camera rig did you pack along, Mike?

Incidentally, for those interested in lightweight touring/over nights, there's a good article and gear list on Fastpacking in this month's Trail Runner magazine. The principles of fastpacking would transfer directly to lightweight bike touring.

Bob


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## alpka (Aug 20, 2007)

*Oh Colorado*

Just a thanks for the effort that has gone into this thread. I grew up in Co and get that mile high envy once in while, like right now


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Bobonli said:


> What type of camera rig did you pack along, Mike?


I always just use a basic point and shoot. The increased clarity/resolution/options of a DSLR aren't appealing enough (to me, when touring) to counteract the extra weight, bulk, batteries, and fiddling.

Roughly half of the shots in this thread came off of a 5 meg Olympus D435. I think that was a $99 camera. The other half came from a 10 meg Canon SD900. I'm really liking the instant-on of the Canon so that I can grab shots on-the-fly without losing the flow of the ride. This camera is ~a year old and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. Except that I see Canon has one-upped it with a new 12 meg version... Might have to upgrade when this one dies.

Only complaint with this Canon is that its auto ISO setting results in terribly grainy shots in low light (dusk or dark or indoors) situations. Pretty sure it can be manually adjusted without much ado, but I just haven't bothered with it yet. At dusk or in the dark I'm usually far more concerned about the boogeyman and the bears, or finding a good campsite.

MC


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## dieselcruiserhead (Aug 3, 2007)

Awesome photos Mike.. I was wondering just that, what kind of camera you were using and how accessible it was... I have a cheapo Canon and you can manipulate the shutter speed to as long as 2 seconds and use some light filters to get some great night time and dust photos, but like any camera when it gets too dark... 

Night time and late late sunset on the Dolores a couple weeks ago (and unbelievable)... At the 2 second interval...


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## ionsmuse (Jul 14, 2005)

*My puny contribution*

A ~200 mile overnight tour from Prescott to the Grand Canyon.


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## T_E (Jan 8, 2008)

MC and Company - you guy's are the epitome of riding, the prototype of good breeding. Extraordinary and compelling adventures. 

We are only posers and showoffs...Nothing more.


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## alpka (Aug 20, 2007)

*you two need some alone time?*



T_E said:


> MC and Company - you guy's are the epitome of riding, the prototype of good breeding. Extraordinary and compelling adventures.
> 
> We are only posers and showoffs...Nothing more.


Get a room already!


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*More lightweight touring*

*Part 1 - High Stakes Bicycle Canyoneering on the Safford Morenci Trail*

I've been dreaming about this trail for some time. Before the highway, before the Black Hills Backcountry Byway, there was a pack trail that linked the farms (Safford) with the mines (Morenci) in Arizona.

It came to my attention due to its inclusion on Brett Tucker's *Grand Enchantment Trail*. From the very beginning I knew I couldn't rest until I had attempted to ride it. With multiple slot canyons and recently (re)constructed trail, it was an irresistible adventure.

Lee Blackwell signed on for the ride, and I can't think of anyone better for this kind of caper. He's the king of enduring hike-a-bike and difficult conditions, always able to maintain a positive attitude and appreciation just for being "out there." We planned to ride the Safford Morenci Trail and continue with the GET route into New Mexico, budgeting about six days to do so, including time to "shuttle" ourselves back by paved and dirt roads.

We parked Lee's car at the Safford Regional Airport and began pedaling late in the morning. It was already warm, but we were headed to higher country.

The graded climb over Solomon Pass went quickly and featured a man vs. machine race. When I heard a truck behind us I figured we would get passed, but he was moving just a hair faster than us. We beat him to the top and continued on into the valley below.

I love being a bike tourist. Pleasant 2-tracks and 4wd roads continued through gold hills, lined with bushes and volcanic rock. We would soon get more than our fair share of that dark rock.

We saw a few vehicles on mine exploration missions, walked a bit in the sand, then crested a pass that dropped us to the BLM Safford Morenci Trailhead. As I signed in I wondered what Brett would be thinking when he saw that we actually signed in and attempted the trail.

Would we make it through? Would he follow tire marks in the sand to Morenci?




​
Singletrack started off well. Groomed trail lined with rocks. This is too easy.




​
We stopped and congratulated ourselves on finding some primo trail. Not 50 feet later the word primo faded from our minds as sharp vegetation and boulders appeared. "They brought the dignitaries and higher ups this far, but no further..." says Lee.

But it was still a good ride. Just a tad overgrown and requiring a dismount every now and again.

We came to a 4wd road that Brett had suggested we take since the "trail" is simply the wash. But the fall-line 4wd looked none too attractive--straight up and direct sun exposure. We opted for the wash.




​
This was the trickiest spot. We handed our bikes up the concrete dam after the boulder trap.

We rejoined the 2-track that dropped us through interesting rock formations to the head of Johnny Creek. This was the first slot canyon, but Brett had warned us about it and suggested we seek out an alternate route. I had an alternate of sorts planned, but nothing could convince us (yet) that Johnny would be that bad.

It started out quite nice, really. There were pieces of trail to pick up, and they were a breeze. But soon there was nothing but brush to lose skin on and loose rock to slide on. Time to walk.

No biggie, it was downhill and our bodies were not sick of lugging a bouncing bike... just yet. The canyon got slower and slower as the rocks and walls became more interesting. Green water appeared and out came the sandals. A few moves required careful negotiation of our steeds. Then we came to a 10 foot high cement dam.

We handed bikes down (a solo rider would need to drop his bike and I'm not so sure about going back up with a bike).




​
The canyon narrowed and thankfully the cobbled rock disappeared.




​
Time to ride!! If only briefly.





More Johnny Creek​
A metal trail sign directed us away from the wash following some semblance of a trail. It was taking us above the canyon, hike-a-bike style, to bypass an impassable pour-off. Once the climbing was all said and done the trail was very rideable, though quite precipitous. We were both tired enough of walking that we rode it anyway.





View of lower Johnny Creek and Bonita Creek from trail​
The trail descended through some interesting stone cut switchbacks (potentially rideable, but the price for failure was too rich for my blood). We dropped back to the (now wide open) wash to resume walking.

For some reason I was convinced there was more singletrack to be found, so I crossed back and forth, occasionally following game trails with high hopes. I can definitively say that there's no singletrack. In my explorations I ended up on the southern embankment which quickly became choked with brush. I backtracked but didn't want to go all the way back, so I found a somewhat reasonable spot and dropped my bike off the edge, trying not to kick too many rocks onto it the process. I walked to a different spot to hang/jump down to retrieve my bike.

Lee was waiting at perennial Bonita Creek. The water was a welcome sight as I was running low. It had taken 3.5 hours to cover the 4 miles of Johnny Creek. Lee's comment at Bonita summed it up "it's a good thing Johnny wasn't any longer!"

I sat in the shade and pumped about 200 oz. We then readied ourselves for the next challenge - Midnight Canyon. There was no alternate for Midnight, and to keep ahead in the morale game we set our expectations appropriately. It's probably going to be at least as slow as Johnny. Flags placed by Brett led the way to the mouth of Midnight.

The initial foray into the floodplain went well -- rideable sand. Gone were the cobbles, gone was the brush.

Before we knew it we could touch both sides of the slot and were still pedaling.




​
Beautiful red rock.




​
Solid surfaces continued.




​
A wall appeared ahead of us, but large mortar steps took us easily up the slope.




​
I lost GPS signal in the slot, which brought an immediate panic attack. Where am I?!!!

Midnight canyon opened up to impressive views of the Turtle Mountains. It was a quiet evening, and the pedal strokes were effortless. I stopped to snap pictures as Lee pulled ahead.




​



​
There was a good campsite where new singletrack branched off a 4wd road. I was shocked to not find Lee there. He was up ahead, on the trail.




​
He knew as well as I that there was no chance of a reasonable place to camp until we reached (at least) Bellmeyer saddle (in the pic above), some 1500' above us.

I was happy because a little night riding/hiking means less sleeping bag time.




​
We rode as much as we could as the sun set pale yellow behind us. Progress was slow, but we marveled at the quality of the trail. There were some nutty sections alright, but generally very well done. We walked once it got dark.

It seemed to get steeper as the darkness engulfed us. Or we may have just been getting tired. The word deathmarch was tossed around in our heads.

But the saddle came soon enough. No views for us, and we found it too windy to camp without tents. We proceeded down the trail but there was no ground free of rock. We made due with what there was.

I think I'm still not heat acclimated, because I could hardly eat anything before calling it a night, and I felt warm in my sleeping bag. At least I had plenty of water.

In the morning I walked back up to the saddle to check out the view and search for my wayward sandal. Last time I saw/felt it was somewhere before it got dark. I wasn't about to walk to the bottom of the climb, but luckily I found it not 500 yards from where we camped.

Eventually Lee started stirring (I'm so uncomfortable camping with my minimal setup that I'm often waiting for the sun to come up so I can get up) and we packed up to head down the trail.

Our first introduction to the descent was a little shaky. I reeled in my expectations and resigned that we might be walking.

Another turn later the trail showed its true character -- a hootin' and hollarin' rocky descent through oaks and junipers. Big time payoff and obviously recent construction. Rocky as hell, but we don't push big bikes (29ers with full suspension) just to look cool.

Our bikes got a good workout and the smile grew on my face. 6000' to 4000', just like that.




​
Cobbly 4wd continued down South Smith Canyon, interesting in itself, though not as narrow and cliff lined as yesterday's adventures. We continued to the west terminus of the official Safford Morenci Trail, where I commented "Awesome! Thanks for all the great trail work."

A brief section of graded road dropped us to Eagle Creek, flowing wide but only shin deep. Lee immediately took to the pump house location and started settling in for a shower and extended nap. It was a beautiful spot, but I was fired up and wanting to continue exploration.

The nighttime push over Bellmeyer Saddle had been costly to our energy stores, and we were debating about whether to skip a more obscure continuation of the Safford Morenci Trail: Gold Gulch. I thought for a moment, deciding quickly that I didn't want to miss it. So I proposed that I follow Gold while Lee took a nap, following the (surely) faster road climb instead.

I knew that Gold Gulch was the most "technical" of the slots and that I might not be able to get through with my bike, solo. But it was easy to rationalize that I'd just turn around if it wasn't possible. Easy to say that now!




​
First I had a handful of Eagle Creek fords and some beautiful canyon country to admire. Sand traps stopped me dead in a few spots, but jumping into the cool water was a great respite from the heat. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down Eagle Creek, and marveled as I saw the opening to Gold Gulch.




​
I pedaled carefully through the labyrinth and was surprised to find a ~20 foot pour-off suddenly in front of me. I knew there was one impassable one, but wasn't expecting it so soon. I doused my head in the pleasant trickle of water that fell from it, then back tracked to find the old trail around it.

There was only one spot it could be, and soon enough I found old metal bars that used to hold rock to the cliff face, providing more tread for stock animals. I didn't need it, but I did need some careful placement of the bike as I made my way up the exposed face, eventually descending back into the slot.

Interesting challenges presented themselves. For a few narrow spots I had to lead the bike in front of me, nudging and kicking it to get the front tire turned correctly. Some spots were only as wide as a tire for the bottom 2-3 feet. I scraped and bent my front rotor a one spot.

Then I came upon a more serious pour-off. The first thing that came to mind was to get the bike wedged as high as I could. I could then climb unencumbered around it and pull it up from the top.




​
This worked beautifully for the above pour-off. The bike was wedged a few feet off the ground and I was able to climb up the white spine to the right. Pulling it up was no big deal from there.

I was pretty proud of my bike-cayoneering technique and eager to test it further.

"Oh boy," I muttered out loud as I stared at an even taller pour off. First thought was "not possible." Then, "maybe."

"We shouldn't have split up. What am I doing here by myself?"

Turn around? Not a chance, not until I at least try.

No way I was going to get the front tire over the lip of the choke rock, but I could get it several feet off the ground, wedged under it. Without thinking too much I had the bike wedged and proceeded to climb around it.

Bike shoes are not exactly the best for this kind of thing, and I'm no rock climber. In other words, I made it to the top, but I didn't have positive thoughts about going back down, especially with the bike in the way. So now the task was to pull the bike up.

I had several ideas (using various straps) that would have worked better if I'd thought of them before climbing up. I couldn't see an easy way to pull the bike out from under the choke rock. But there was a chance the wheel might roll around it, if I could get a good angle on it.

I couldn't. I had to lean so far over the edge just to reach the bike that I could only pull one direction. For a moment the imperative to get the bike up almost overrode common sense. I thought about putting both hands on the bike. But one arm was on the side of the canyon, supporting me and keeping me from tumbling off the edge. It's possible I had enough weight that I could have used both hands, but I doubt it. The fact that I considered it, and almost moved my arm was pretty damn frightening. Unfortunately I had loosened the bike enough that if I let go with the other arm I was pretty sure it would fall.

At this point I should have let it fall and thought of something else. But instead I entered a desperate struggle, tapping every bit of strength my body could muster. The front tire would not go around the rock, but by pulling the handlebars and eventually the stem I got the rear wheel to move up. For a moment the rear end of the bike was suspended out into space, before I let it crash into the side wall so it was somewhat stable. I could then move back a bit, grab the seat and flip it completely around with both arms.

I made it, but it was a little too exciting for me. I'm sure there is a better way to negotiate such an obstacle with a bike, but I'm not all that certain what that method is. Taking the wheels off, tossing them up, then dealing with only the frame was one idea that may or may not have worked. Having another person to hand bikes up -- now that would have been a winner.

So it was a foolish move to split up, but so it goes.

At the moment I was worried that I hadn't yet seen the worst of it. But I wouldn't try anything like that again. If it looked bad I'd simply ditch the bike, walk to the road and find Lee for assistance.

Sure enough I came upon another obstacle that was even higher. Impossible without a rope, but I had seen that the left side wall had eased up before I entered this particular chasm. Sure enough, there was a route through some brush and over a boulder. Gratefully the slot opened here and I was soon blasting through sand, safe and sound.

I exited Gold Gulch by a steep 4wd road, rejoining the road Lee would be on. To my surprise he wasn't at the prescribed meeting place, so I sat down in the shade, running the events of Gold Gulch through my mind.

He must have overslept on his nap, but eventually came riding up the road. "Wow, a lot happened in the hour and a half I was sleeping by the river," he says.

I don't think either of us were ready for how much Eagle Creek Road climbed before reaching the highway. Back up to 5000' we went, with the sun beating down us. Big views of the mine waited for us on the highway.





Those trucks are about as big as my house.​
Miles of blissful coasting brought us into the town of Morenci. Copper prices have turned this sleeper into a beehive of activity. The pizza place was jammed full of miners and the cafe took over an hour to churn out our grub. Well worth the wait.

By the time we bought groceries it was late in the afternoon and the wind was unreal and out of the south. Our plan from here was about 70 miles of road riding, so it was an easy choice to roll on down to Clifton and get a room rather riding a few unpleasant miles just to camp on the side of the road.

We toured Clifton in the evening, checking out the old cave drilled jail and the catholic church (nicest building in town, of course!). The church choir was practicing, complete with accordion and trumpet. After filling us in on some of the local news they played a tune to send us on our way.

A pleasant evening in this interesting, if somewhat derelict, town.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*part two*



bikes wait for riders, adventure​
"Oh, what's this? Forest road 215. We can follow it to Dix Mountain road and all the way up to Mule Pass."

We're about to go to sleep, and Lee's pouring over the maps, dreaming of an alternate to our scheduled road ride. Sure enough, there's something I missed in the maps -- except that we had already seen how high the San Francisco River was running. If the 4x4 road required a ford at all, it'd be a no go.

At PJ's cafe we found a local who confirmed what I suspected -- more fords than miles on the San Francisco River "road." I knew there was a reason Brett took trail instead of following the river (on the old G.E.T. route).

With full bellies we rolled out of town for the regularly scheduled roadie ride. Curiously, I couldn't talk Lee into my last minute GPS track of Ward Canyon. We stuck with the highway and I grumbled a bit at all the traffic. Once we got a few miles out of town it got pretty quiet.

At the junction with NM 78 things got really quiet. Like 10 cars an hour quiet. We met a cyclist with an Australian accent and a Bob trailer. I saw the Adventure Cycling maps on his handlebars and realized we were now on the Southern Tier route. He'd started in St. Petersburg Florida about a month ago. He raved about how he'd just had the biggest and most continuous descent of his entire trip.

In other words, time to climb for us.




​
No complaints here. No boulders to muscle over, no hike-a-bike, no white-knuckle descending. Just pedal and relax. It's nice when a 3000' climb can seem easy and relaxing. I got into my own little rhythm and pedaled away from Lee.

As I cleared the pass I started searching for a shady spot to stop and eat an orange. Just around the corner a cooling descent led to the best spot on the planet to eat an orange. Thick ponderosa pine forest and a picnic bench.

Heavenly.

If only all road riding were this good.

We continued riding through the forest to the New Mexico line, where we promptly descended into rolling grasslands.





we're not the first cyclists to take a break here​
Lunch at the Mule Creek PO. Friendly folks around. A settled state of mind seemed to pervade all of New Mexico. Quite a contrast from the bustle of mining AZ, or Tucson for that matter.

Even the livestock seemed more settled. Or maybe it was all in our heads.

Tail winds might also have contributed to our own calm minds. Anything is possible with a tail wind.





richie, road walker​
A figured appeared, walking along the road. When I saw he was wearing jeans I immediately assumed it was someone who preferred not to be out there (i.e. hitch-hiking). But as we approached there was something about the way he walked. This guy was motoring.

Turns out he has been walking since Florida (for the last few months). !!! You can't tell in the pic, but he does have a sleeping bag, though not much other than that. He seemed genuinely happy to be out there, not a care in the world. "I love to walk," he says. He went to Florida to look for his brother. Couldn't find him, so he started walking. Goal is St. George. He's probably there by now.

We rolled into Glenwood and debated about what to do. 72 miles on the road seemed easy, but it does take a toll, and we wouldn't make it far if we did continue. I had a plan to explore more GET-bike route as an out and back, but as we ate lunch the plan morphed into going to hike the catwalk trail (which is the main GET route).

So we rented a room, relaxed on the balcony soaking up the views, then headed out near dusk to ride unloaded out to the catwalk.




​
When we got there no one was around, and we scoured all the signage for anything indicating bikes were not allowed. It ain't wilderness (for a few miles) and wasn't signed, so we just kept pedaling.

Pretty cool to be suspended over rushing water while making your way up a narrow slot. I rode some stairs that were a little questionable, but I couldn't help myself. It was the only technical riding of the day.

I'd never been to the catwalk, so I eventually parked my bike and walked a ways up the canyon. Very impressive, and the evening light dancing between the walls made it ever so.

We couldn't stay long as the sun was setting, but even the ~5 mile ride back to Glenwood was just perfect. The road dead-ends at the catwalk, and we knew exactly how many cars could pass us -- about none.

We hit "town" with enough time to stock up on food and watch the last rays of sun fade out across the Gila Wilderness.

This was one of my favorite days of the trip. A rest day, sure, but more to the point I felt like a tourist--like I was on vacation. Relaxed, settled, peaceful.

Welcome to New Mexico.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*part three - charlie moore and the wildbunch trail*

We got the full local scoop from Bucky Allred at the Blue Front Cafe in Glenwood. He did encourage us to join his organization that aims to keep existing roads and trails more or less open. Other topics included the dastardly Mexican Wolf, grazing in general and how the 'good old boys' knew what they were doing back in the 60's. Nothing outrageous and you could tell the guy had a heart of gold.

They cook a mean, well, everything, in that place. Best food of the trip by far.

We rolled a few miles pavement to Alma.





fording the san francisco river near alma, nm​
"That'll cool the pups down!!"

The river was cold, and I was anxious to get to climbing. 3000'+ elevation to gain, with unknown trail conditions.

Sunflower Mesa came and went peacefully. As if placed by curse, as soon as we crossed the state line back into Arizona things got a little rowdy:

Volcanic rock, and lot's of it. But we were riding, and the elevation was ticking away. Onto singletrack we turned, giving a brief smooth section here or there. Signs of pruning and maintenance gave hope for the rest of the day.

Descending off Charlie Moore mountain turned into a chore -- a burn area gave way to rough and slow conditions and the dreaded high elevation briar bush made an appearance. I'm usually pretty resilient when it comes to getting torn up by the many vegetative wonders Arizona has to offer. But the briar was getting to me today, for reasons I don't quite understand.

The burn didn't take all that long to negotiate, and part of the frustration was that we were walking downhill. I was prepared to walk up all day.




​
Good thing. The switchbacks up Maple Peak (8300') would be rideable down, but were too steep and narrow to get much of a purchase. A pleasant walk, though, really.




​
The snow provided an additional challenge, drawing some blood on my shins and proving we were the first humans of the season to venture onto the trail. Lee had a bit of a mishap, slipping off the snow and falling ass over tea kettle. No biggie except that it aggravated an existing shoulder injury.

We attained the ridge, but as the grade eased the fallen trees and volcanic rock resumed. I broke branches and cleared trees ahead as I waited for Lee to catch up. It was slow going and the further we got the lower my expectations dropped for riding.

I started grumbling internally at the sight of more briars. Turning into quite a deal, it was.

So I suggested we stop and eat lunch. I tried to detect any sign of frustration in Lee, but there was none. He was in as good of spirits as ever. Maybe my standards (for being able to ride) are too high, but regardless I learned a bit from Lee's unflinching attitude.

King size snickers, an orange and incredible views of all the terrain we'd been riding for the last 3 days; all was right in the world.

While Lee was eating I scouted ahead on foot, kicking branches and throwing trees off the trail. As far as I went it didn't look good, but we remounted to ride the 100 feet I had cleared.

3 or 4 log piles later the trail turned into pristine forest and though the trail was traceless, it was rideable everywhere. An orange flag from Brett Tucker kept us on course as we weaved between pines.




​
Maybe we'd ride afterall...




​



​
One leg out, tripod-style, but riding nonetheless. Good trail tread, really, but narrow and covered with front-wheel-diverting baby heads.

I was happy to have survived the descent, but now the task was finding the trail. After a gate several cow trails led to false leads, and it looked like Brett's flag had been eaten or purposely untied.




​
Some searching led to an obvious rock crib wall, and a bit of a line following a narrow escarpment. The true nature of the Wildbunch Trail was revealed to us: *impossibly rocky*.

Words fail to describe Wildbunch. It was amazingly free of brush, but just rocky enough to be unrideable. We traversed towards Morris Day Gap, finding an exquisite little spring that had recently had a small mortar/rock wall built around it to keep cattle out. We pumped a gallon or two and drank quite a bit. Though it was mostly downhill to the Blue River, and not that far, conditions were proving slow and we may not make it by sun down.




​
I don't know if the trail got any easier (impossibly rocky still fits it to a "T"), but we both started riding, and boy was it a wild ride. I'd get on and ride until my threshold for continuous buckin' bronco riding was reached, failing or falling off the side of the trail somewhere. Then I'd watch as Lee would ride a little further before reaching his own threshold.

We leap frogged each other down the trail. High focus riding, but the kind that you can't help but grin at. Unrideable sections would appear, sure, but overall we were having a blast and just marveling in this remote place we found ourselves in. Each stop would force a 360 degree view and a new cliff face or canyon to inspect.

As the trail dropped into Wildbunch Canyon itself Lee heard a hound dog in the distance. Lion hunters, we figured. Our sense of solitude was fading as I realized we were getting somewhat near a driveable road.

During a few stops to laugh and marvel at what we'd been riding through we tried to ascertain the position of the pup. His bark was echoing on the cliffs, which made it difficult. Finally I spotted him on the opposite wall, and it was obvious he was hurt and alone. We called him over, then resumed our slow crawl down the canyon.




​
He caught us quickly, and had a collar, but we couldn't get him to come over (otherwise we could call the owner). He limped on down the trail in front of us, eventually disappearing.

Lower Wildbunch was slow, but I found it quiet enjoyable. Never continuously rideable, but always interesting around every corner, and still featuring plenty of coasting. Coasting and smiling, the sun setting--it doesn't get much better than this.

Graded Juan Miller road was a welcome sight, however, and the ability to both *ride* and *look* at the same time was even more welcome.





the blue river gorge, from juan miller road​
We descended blissfully down to the Blue, debating about where to camp. When we saw how high the river was running it was an easy choice -- best to get across now.




​
It wasn't as high as it looked. We found a spot in the sand where the rushing river would lull us to sleep. Around two in the morning I was listening to deception of the thrush as the moon lit the cliffs around us. There are advantages to sleeping under the stars, especially when you can't sleep much.

After pumping water in the morning we were off to climb Juan Miller Road, then explore more singletrack back to the Coronado Trail and, eventually, Morenci and Clifton.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

*part 4 - closing the loop*





climbing away from the blue river​
Despite being the weekend, Juan Miller Road was a very quiet place to be. A perfect morning on the bike. As usual, the lack of rough conditions was welcomed after yesterday's tribulations on the Wildbunch Trail.

We pedaled and set our heads to 360 degree sweep mode.





juan miller freeride anyone?​
My head, especially, was intently scanning the terrain. I quickly realized we had discovered some prime mountain bike country. Solid rock was everywhere and my "line detector" was firing left and right.

The mesa in the above picture, in particular, called me. Kinda like Area52, but with trees. I found a rideable line (with gap move) onto the mesa, but time/food/water didn't permit a further exploration.

I commented to Lee that it was almost a shame that the road we were riding was so well graded. It'd make a heck of a 4wd road, and reminded me of the rug road in many ways.

"Here you go, Scott! Steep, rocky! You can quit belly-aching about the road being too smooth now."




​
We turned onto the Pigeon trail / 4x4 road and I got what I was looking for. A few side slickrock moves were irresistible, but we soon climbed out of the cliff country and into more typical AZ terrain -- loose volcanic rock.





looking back towards maple peak from this vantage, it became obvious that the trail crosses at the highest possible place -- for dozens of miles on either side​
We prepared ourselves for another extended hiking session.

Not to be, after the above pitch it was 99% rideable up to Wing Tank. A solid 1500' elevation gain.

We began deviating from the drawn line I had uploaded to my GPS. But a Brett flag showed us the way... for a while. Eventually a flag just led off into the trees, so we followed for a while.

"Guess I'll get my gaiters out--this looks like some real bushwackin'" says Lee.

I headed due north for the GPS line and sure enough, there was an old 2 track heading in the correct direction. This led to a fascinating stone corral -- fascinating that it was still standing since it wasn't much more than a pile of rocks.

The next section of singletrack looked good, on paper. I had originally laid it out for my '07 GET trip (laughs), but it has now become a part of the official GET route. Even a cursory inspection leads to words like "contouring" and "rideable" being conjured in one's mind. Even a moderately detailed look still looks good -- a lot better than some of the other terrain we had already covered.

So perhaps it was with high expectations that we hiked our bikes up the first hill away from the stone corral. A false lead led to McBride spring, a good source.

It's true that we did find some sections that contoured, and many of those were rideable. But seemingly every up and every down was eroded, sloughed off, ludicrously rocky, or all of the above. Once again, it's rare for a trail to be so unrideable downhill, so I think it was pretty unexpected.

The trail skirted the edge of some beautifully colored purple and red erosion channels. It made for some sketchy downhill walking. It was a relief to enter back into the forest.

And then it wasn't a relief at all. The trail suddenly got quite overgrown -- well into the "hold your bike" stage. Fighting through brush with a bike is slow going, and a lot of work. It really wasn't very long, but even Lee started grumbling a bit.

I tried to break branches, but it was hard to accomplish anything without loppers.

I kept looking at the straight line distance to the next trail junction on my GPS. Getting 0.1 miles closer was an accomplishment. We were getting tired. It took 2 hours to cover the 2.5 miles from the stone corral. We were now at a decision point. The GPS showed a shorter trail going straight up and over the western ridge. It had a hefty climb though -- up to 7400'+ feet. Our intended route stayed lower, but was ~5 miles with unknown trail conditions.

Despite being in the sun, we sat at the junction to eat a snack and decide our fate. It seemed pretty obvious -- get back to the highway (Coronado Trail) ASAP. Downhill coasting on a nearly traffic-free highway sounded pretty attractive at this point.

One look above, though, didn't look so attractive. We'd be pushing in the sun for well over an hour. One look ahead didn't look so attractive either. We saw dead/burned brush -- a good indicator of nasty overgrowth. If we'd seen ponderosa forests in either direction the choice would have been clear.

We both agreed to pushing up and over. But then a quick scan through on the GPS led to a discovery -- part of the 5 miles ahead on our intended route was a road, and if memory served it was driveable. I rallied to stay the course, rationalizing that at least we'd be in the shade.

So, down (!!) we went on the Frye Trail, and initial indications were good.

Fresh lopper cuts, tread work. Yee-haaaaaaw!

I steep descent led to a creek bed and a flowy ramble down the canyon. An up and over rock move had me smiling. Regardless of how bad the rest was, I was happy with the choice.





contouring trail!!​
Lee didn't ride the up and over, and by contrast he was questioning the decision. Especially when the next climb started with a hiking pitch he looked longingly back at the other choice.

We weren't in a ponderosa forest, but it was pretty darn close. Those "dead" trees were really maples (I think) and the soil content was high, rock content low. Hallelujah! Leaves crunching under tire, I made some bold climbing efforts.

I couldn't get enough. Soon the trail did contour, for extended periods. Recent tread work, some awesome rock work. Quite a little gem and I felt incredibly fortunate just to be out there, experiencing it, riding it.

Meanwhile Lee was getting tired. This was the only part of the trip where I felt like I was consistently waiting for him. For a guy in his 50's he's sure a fit guy. But he was walking where I was burning energy pedaling, so it led to quite a difference in speed.

It just gave me more time to enjoy where I was and savor the fact that more singletrack remained.

A steep descent led to the 4wd road, right where the GPS said it was. Unobstructed descending followed, leading to the switchbacking Coronado Trail. We skipped a further 4wd descent (Chesser Gulch) favoring the smooth surface of highway 191.

191 -- fast, smooth, beautiful -- for a while. Not all downhill -- a few 500'+ sucker hills in there, and the wind was powerful. Wind and open pit mines aren't really a good combination. The dust was bad, but the scariest moment came when we were riding on a narrow ridge of tailing pile. The highway was relocated onto the tailings providing a perfect catalyst for high wind.

I'm a terrible estimate of wind speed, but it was challenging to stay upright and impossible to keep a straight line. Thankfully the one car that passed us in this stretch moved three lanes over into the other side's passing lane to get around us.

We filled up once again at the cafe in Morenci, then explored a traffic-free alternate descent into Clifton. I remembered Brett had it marked on his maps for hikers, and the phonebook called the old railroad grade the "Greenlee County Healthy Lifestyles Trail."





view of clifton, AZ from the greenlee county healthy lifestyles trail​
We got turned around a few times in Morenci, eventually getting directions from some locals. A steep quad trail dropped us from the cemetery down to the railroad grade. We found an ancient sign near the bottom of the trail that indeed called it the Healthy Lifestyles Trail. Something tells me people in town are more into unhealthy lifestyles -- this trail sure isn't getting used.

We ate (again!) at the mexican place in Clifton before getting a room at the Rode Inn once again. The town was abuzz about a group of ATV riders that had ridden all the way from Tucson to Clifton with "very little pavement." They were at the Rode Inn, so we had a nice chat about their route and the differences in our chosen modes of travel. They did do the rug road which was impressive.

It was funny how we heard about these guys from multiple people before meeting them. I doubt the town gets very excited about a thru-hiker or bike tourist passing through.





the byway​
The next day was a straightforward ride, shuttling selves and bikes back to the Safford Regional Airport by way of the Black Hills backcountry byway. From riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route I know that the backcountry byway system usually means a great bike route.

It was. Smooth dirt, fantastic views, and only a handful of vehicles over 20+ miles. Plenty of climbing, too. I hit a mini-huck on a CCC built check-dam--just couldn't resist. We pulled out our mp3 players and mine sure played some good tunes. More a function of my good mood than any particular song. After growing up listening to a walkman while mountain biking I've gradually gone away from it. The mp3 still comes along on any tour, mostly for use in the sleeping bag.

But on this section of road I was loving the tunes. I was loving that the trip was 'over' (conceptually) and yet it wasn't. From the high points of the byway we could survey much of the terrain we had ridden, carried and fought through for the past five days. Creeks Bonita and Eagle were obvious lush drainages. The turtle mountains, the dusty mine, Mule Pass, the Blue Range hiding New Mexico.

Yeah, it was a good trip.


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## MrMountainHop (Oct 20, 2005)

Great write-up. Climbing the pour-off going up Gold Gulch, with the wedged bike, catching yourself in the moment you're about to make a really dumb decision - man, did that get the pit of my stomach working. 

Nice.


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## afie (Aug 28, 2006)

Thanks Mike and Scott. Fantastic photos and great blogs.


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

sean salach said:


> best thread on the internet. ever.


Yup, this is definitely one of the best posts I have seen.  I don't know how i have missed it until now. Vaction Forum? This is Passion at its finest!


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## Monte (Dec 20, 2003)

mikesee said:


> Hey Chad-
> 
> Ultimately it worked great (he had no further flats)--we just had to dial in the sealant solution first.
> 
> MC


Couple months late, but were you messing with the sealant on the trail? Someone have a jug of sealant with them?

Monte


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

Monte said:


> Couple months late, but were you messing with the sealant on the trail? Someone have a jug of sealant with them?
> 
> Monte


I started with a mix of "Super Juice" and Stans. When the rear failed I replaced with the 2oz bottle of Stans I was carrying and it held for the rest of the race and nearly the rest of the life of that tire.

Pure Stans seems to be the way to go... at least in AZ.


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## Monte (Dec 20, 2003)

Krein said:


> I started with a mix of "Super Juice" and Stans. When the rear failed I replaced with the 2oz bottle of Stans I was carrying and it held for the rest of the race and nearly the rest of the life of that tire.
> 
> Pure Stans seems to be the way to go... at least in AZ.


Thanks Scott. I never thought of carrying sealant with on a trip, but it sounds like a good idea. Especially if a couple oz. does it. Whenever I finally go tubeless.

Monte
(TopoFusion user


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## nm13 (Jun 5, 2005)

*Silver City??*

Were some of you guys in Silver City this summer? Maybe July after the monsoons started? I saw several bikers outfitted like you all riding through town and shopping at the local market. Whoever it was was muddy and looked hungry. I assumed the group was trying to ride the CDT using ultralight gear. Pretty close guess maybe.
Best,
Todd Schulke
Silver City, NM
By the way, we like both wolves and bikers in Silver.


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## walkre73 (Mar 18, 2006)

The riders you saw in july were probably racing the GDR Or the Tour Divide , that would have been when they passing through Silver City .


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## nm13 (Jun 5, 2005)

Sounds right. I've lived here 20 years and never seen or heard of these folks. But then I'm not plugged into the race scene. Pretty awesome.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

nm13 said:


> Sounds right. I've lived here 20 years and never seen or heard of these folks. But then I'm not plugged into the race scene. Pretty awesome.


Definitely divide racers, though there is a huge difference between the CDT and the GDMBR, which is the route they race.

For example, Mike and I just finished a trip on the CDT in Montana. For one section we used the race route to loop back after 3 days on the CDT. It only took us a half a day to loop back using the race route.


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## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

Best post I have seen here... Great job to all!


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## jmilliron (Aug 24, 2007)

What an inspiring thread! Thanks for sharing you guys.


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## chazamis (Nov 16, 2010)

Incredible post, I'm inspired.


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## mikedeber (May 10, 2006)

this is my favorite thread, thanks for all the contributions. You guys are livin' right:thumbsup:


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## efuentes (Oct 13, 2009)

This gotta go back to the top, great thread :thumbsup:


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## BP the mntbkr (Mar 5, 2012)

*MC touring lightweight article*

I would be very interested in a couple things-
1bike build
2touring set-up on your bike
3what you all pack
4trail by trail route description for your rout leaving Leadville to Aspen to Crested Butte and back:thumbsup:


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

I moved this thread to the Bike Packing forum because evidently this is its real home! Please enjoy and continue to contribute!


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## Kid_Ville (Mar 8, 2012)

Nice bro!


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## motomuppet (Sep 27, 2011)

Awesome thread, but what happened? You guys finally explore all possible options and move on? Last proper post was 2008?


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

motomuppet said:


> Awesome thread, but what happened? You guys finally explore all possible options and move on? Last proper post was 2008?


Read two posta back and you will see there is an entire forum. Search for user names and you will find they have done hundreds of rides since this one.


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## motomuppet (Sep 27, 2011)

Oops! Thanks for that...read nearly the whole thread in one go and missed that bit!


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## fb71 (May 8, 2006)

rockcrusher said:


> I moved this thread to the Bike Packing forum because evidently this is its real home! Please enjoy and continue to contribute!


This tread is the best! Can you make it sticky?


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## vzman (Mar 30, 2006)

mtbr.com needs a like button. i always enjoy ready mikes write ups.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*Twenty.*

Inconceivable though it seems, last weekend marked an anniversary of sorts: Two decades of missions in and around Moab.

The best part is how little I feel I've seen in that time--so much more 'sploring to be done.

Chops and Fettucini were champing at the bit to get their feet wet packrafting, and for a brief few days I found myself in possession of three boats. They came up with a plan that involved mellow floating--to allow them to figure things out with little stress on the water--and with mellow riding to keep my as-yet tender elbow happy.

Chops and I strapped boats, bags, and bivies onto our bikes and rode out to Fettucini's place.


A minor amount of fiddling and gawking there before we headed across the street, literally, to put in.








Usually a good idea (especially early season) to paddle a short distance, take out, readjust, retemper, and re-cinch, then start fresh.












The river doesn't so much flow as ooze this time of year, thus if we wanted to make progress it was largely up to us to put our backs into it. Dodging sandbars and reapplying sunscreen became the most challenging aspects of the day. 


Around about here I called a powwow so that we could run the numbers. We'd taken but one break in ~5 hours of paddling, yet had covered far less than half of the distance to camp. And with only three hours til dark, it seemed we needed to make a change. All agreed, so we deflated the boats, put wheels back onto bikes, and continued downriver.








We doubled our mileage for the day in less than an hour of easy pedaling. There the road ended at a boat launch. And hey whaddya know--we've got boats!


The canyon had constricted a bit, giving us a minor amount of current to enjoy. The river oozed us along, the light got creamy, and all we had to do was occasionally dip a blade to adjust our view.




The sun vanished as we reached our takeout, giving us reason not to dally as the temps dropped at water level.




We rode out a wash, found a rough track that became a road, then ascended a few hundred vert to gain a few degrees of warmth. No wood meant no fire, which also meant that we all tucked in fairly early.

Cookin' dinner:


Moonrise, hours later.


A quick breakfast for the boys while I fixed a flat, then we got back on the bikes.






A quick regroup for views and layer adjustments at the top, then down we went.




No blood had spilled, no one swam the frigid river, we'd all even gotten some good sleep. Thus we were all smiles as we rolled back into town, vowing to do it again soon.


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## She&I (Jan 4, 2010)

Thanks, mikesee and rockcrusher. Pure gold!


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## bmike (Nov 17, 2009)

mike,

more info or images please on that log roof structure... someone's house?
very cool...


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## lostraveller (Feb 28, 2012)

Great pics. Inspiring. Thanks.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

*Filthy.*

Funny how evolution works. Never, ever saw myself deliberately adding 8 *pounds* of gear to my kit, especially after spending so much time trimming away ounces and then grams to get it so light and compact.

But back when I started this thread I had no idea about packrafting, and 8# (that's boat, paddle, PFD, and attendant inflation/repair kit) seems a paltry addition to be able to do stuff like _this_.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

The story goes that as Powell and his men floated the Colorado past the confluence with a certain Utah river, one of the men on the opposite side of the boat asked if they might be able to catch some trout from this as-yet-unnamed stream to supplement their diet. The reply was some version of 'Nah, she be a Dirty Devil...!'






Freakin' Filthy is more like it. Doom, Flipper, Greg, Fettucini, Weedzilla and myself immersed ourselves into the lower section over 2 days in March.

We parked not far from Hite on Friday after sunset, rigged the bikes, then pedaled off into the night. 26 miles of quiet, slightly ascending pavement riding that first night to camp. 16ish miles of rough 4wd and sandy wash riding the second morning to the put-in. 5ish hours (10 miles?) of floating that afternoon to camp, then ~10 hours (~20 miles?) of floating the next day back to the cars.
















































Ironic that I thought of it as a killer weekend trip, while Flipper praised it as '...a trip of a lifetime'.

Either way, we'll all be back to do it again in some fashion.

Flows were 140-150cfs. I might have walked my boat a total of 200 feet in 30 river miles. Still, 200cfs would have been better, 300 would have been super cush.

Music by The Section Quartet, "Such Great Heights".


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## Dusza (Feb 18, 2011)

Mikesee, thanks for keeping me entertained, motivated and inspired all at the same time - please keep it coming :thumbsup:
Do you mind sharing how you protect your photo gear from the elements? Sorry if you have mentioned it on your blog and I've missed it - could you point me in the right direction?


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Dusza said:


> Do you mind sharing how you protect your photo gear from the elements? Sorry if you have mentioned it on your blog and I've missed it - could you point me in the right direction?


I keep my SLR in this:

View the Aqua Zoom at http://www.ortliebusa.com

I can strap it to my bars, strap it to the deck of my boat, wear it on my chest with a harness or as a part of my backpack. It isn't the easiest to get the camera in and out of, but it's dry and that's the most important thing. I've swam a few times (flipped the boat, with the camera pack strapped to the deck) and have not yet had any water get inside.

I keep my second lens, batts, intervalometer, etc... in a drybag in my backpack. If I wasn't doing bike/boat trips, I'd not bother with the drybags at all. For day rides I just stick the SLR in my pack with a rainshell between it and the outside of the pack. I've crashed on it a few times (fairly hard crashes, coming down at speed) and neither the pack nor the camera/lens have been damaged yet.

Cheers,

MC


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## Dusza (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks Mike, I'm currently experimenting with a mix of Erics handlebar pocket and a Billingham hadley small bag insert. It's a snug fit but with a shoulder strap it makes a pretty neat photobag, wouldn't mind using it around town - just need to fit a dry bag inside for ultralight waterproofness to make it trail worthy... might be tight.


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## Solo-Rider (Sep 15, 2013)

I realize this is an old post however, I just came upon it. 

First: You are awesome! 

I've just started to go through your blog and that took me to this post. Also, The IdIta Tour Was one hell of an adventure. 

Love the videos. 

Congrats on your achievements.


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