Hot Water

I’ve always been told you get what you pay for when it comes to outdoor equipment. The Outdoor Research alpine bivy kept me dry through the rain last night and relatively warm despite 20 degree temperatures. It was an uphill battle finding the motivation to remove myself from my humble shelter but I was pleased to see the sun pop over the hill across the river just as I poked my head out.

I was eager to cut weight and increase space in my saddlebags so it was snacks for breakfast that morning. I took my time packing the bike so that my equipment could dry and enjoyed the fine porcelain provided by the park in which I wasn’t supposed to be camping before hitting the road at 11.

The beginning of the ride was pleasant thanks to a lot of downhill and thousands of prairie dogs chirping me along with enthusiasm as I rode. Then the wind came, along with my first “fuck this” moment. If you’ve ever slowly biked downhill in your lowest gears for four hours you might actually be able to understand my frustration during those moments.. I cursed everything: canyons, mountains, llamas, and especially those prairie dogs.

By the time I got to Poncha Springs I was considerably pissed off and exhausted. I was planning on camping at the bottom of the 2000 foot pass I needed to ascend before heading into the San Luis Valley, but to make matters worse my front racks were falling apart. I eventually decided to head east into Salida to try and find a place to camp closer to civilization so I could work on my bike.

After about an hour of sitting in McDonald’s I decided the best course of action would be to stay somewhere indoors to prepare for the next portion of my ride. It was then that I discovered the Simple Lodge & Hostel, my home for the evening.

I’ve really been diggin’ this place so far.  The man signing guests into the hostel happens to be the brother of a patroller I knew back in Breckenridge. He and another guest played guitar together while he sang. His voice was incredible! Allegedly he had a lot going for him before some sort of operation damaged his vocal cords. Another guest was an older man posted up with his two boys after a couple days of mountain biking. He had a pretty accomplished history touring on his mountain bike and provided a lot of solid insight on my trip. He referred me to Absolute Bikes where they fixed up my bike quite nicely and set me up for the climb. I also took my first shower in four days and it was excellent. Needless to say, I’m glad I made the decision to spend a little extra and am tempted to stay another night.

Time to get off my phone and socialize, the next couple of days will be pretty lonely.

Peace!

Ready to go!

I spent the past 5 hours preparing the bike and finally it’s ready to go.  I’m guessing that the final weight of the bike is something around 70 pounds. Although this will substantially decrease as I exhaust all the food and fuel I’ve been hoarding, the first 12 miles up to Hoosier Pass (which happen to be 2200 feet uphill) are going to totally suck. Fortunately the next 70 will just be ripping down mountains and steady coasting until I reach Buena Vista.

I am hoping to leave early tomorrow morning and reach Buena Vista by late afternoon. If I end up being too exhausted I plan on posting up somewhere around Fairplay. Once I’m in Buena Vista, I’ll spend at least two days off my bike hiking the fourteeners Princeton and Antero if my legs are up for it before continuing south past Salida to Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Once I’m in the dunes I plan to chill nice and easy and work up some sun tolerance for the desert. I’d like to spend at least one day in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range hiking Blanca Peak, which will mark my 10th ascent over 14,000 feet.

I will then head west to Durango where I will be taking my Wilderness First Responder rectification April 19th – 20th. Then I’ll be off to the desert and canyons of Utah.

Next time I post I’ll be on the road!

Here’s my packing list for those who are interested:

Gear
– Surly Long Haul
+ Shoes
+ Helmet
+ Spare parts + tubes
+ Tools + Patch kit
– Camelback Backpack (waterproofed)
– Iodine Tablets
– 30 Degree sleeping bag
– Big Agnes Sleeping Pad
– Waterproof Tarp
– MSR Pocket Rocket Stove + Fuel
– Cooking Pot + spork
– Fry/bake
– Outdoor Research Alpine Bivy
– Asolo Boots
– Drom
– Black Diamond Headlamp
– Biking Multitool + Leatherman
– First Aid Kit
– Hand sanitizer
– Camelback
– Flask

Clothing
– Under armor base layer
– Climbing pants
– Exercise shorts x3
– Padded Biking shorts
– Waterproof jacket
– Nano-puffy
– Synthetic Hat
– Buff
– Gloves
– Sunglasses
– Biking socks x3
– Wool socks x3
– Synthetic tank top

Misc
– Phone + charger
– Wallet
– Headphones
– Batteries for headlamp
– Trashbags for waterproofing
– Contacts + Solution
– Glasses
– Dr. Bronners
– Lighters
– Toothbrush + toothpaste
– Repair Tape
– Flint Stick
– Waterbottle x3
– Chafe powder
– Sunscreen
– Lip balm
– A Song of Ice and Fire: Game of Thrones

Food
– 5 Mountain House Dinners
– 2 Mountain House Breakfast
– 24 Almond Nature Valley Bars (160)
– 5 Protein NV Bars (190)
– 42 Peanut Butter NV Bars (90)
– 5 O+H NV Bars (90)
– 3 DCC NV Bars (140)
– 1 DCPB NV Bar (190)
– 7 Oatmeal Packets
– 12 day vitamin supplements
– Jolly Ranchers
– Peanuts
– Pistacheos
– Protein powder