To Canada , and back again
Well alrighty now. Time to restart the biking blog.
This year are again big plans, but I also have been schooled that many things need to align for success.
Last two adventures had fire interruptions, smoke, closures and plan cancellations, as well as the early snow of fall 2018 cut a tour very short.
If Weather, Fire, Bike, Body and Soul align, I hope to do the original canadian portion of the Great Divide Route in Canada from Banff to Roosville, MT on the border with Montana. A new border to border route is opened up this year called the Wild West Route, which traverses Idaho/Montana, Utah and Arizona on its way from Canada to Mexico.
Here are the routes
My plan is to start a little north of Banff (a day or two of riding, south of the Red Deer River in map above) and travel the original route through Fernie and Elko. Glenda and I will be doing several weeks of exploring of Waterton, Banff, Jasper, Yolo and Kootenay National Parks prior to the start of my riding, which will be approximately July 11th. This section conveniently leads to Roosville MT, which the start of a brand new off pavement MTB bikepacking route.
https://www.bikepackingroots.org/wild-west-route.html
This is again a daunting agenda for me, as the WWR route looks as if a mountain bike required (not just recommended as for GDR) and is said to be more technically difficult with many areas that are exceptionally remote for the lower 48. I ain't getting any younger either!
Lots of big climbs up passes in Idaho and Montana, which is right out of the chute. Section 2 looks to be particularly challenging. I will get a week+ of touring in Canada as warm up and training for my body.
In the southern portion, more desert than last time, with long stretches between water. As I will be hitting these late in the season, availability is of concern, as previously I found some dry country water sources had run dry by then. Thankful it is was a wet winter and cool spring, may add longevity there.
Along the route, resupply looks to be a challenge in many sections, with some long distance between minimally stocked stores.
Navigation is also a new challenge for me. The Great Divide Route had a guide book and a series of well designed maps; the WWR route is described by a set of GPX files and way-point files (which indicate campgrounds, food, water, public lands, etc). While this is the norm for most bikepacking routes, these are new skills for me to learn, with new technology of phone app maps, and external GPS devices. Again, I will get to practice on the GDR - Canada section first ( which has teh GDR map set to aid me ;-).
My rig will be the same as last year, which I switch from a trailer to rack and panniers on the newer hardtail Marin Pine Mountain 2. There are a few new additions this year based on route and lessons learned, may get to a blog post for those.
Again, if the stars align, I will end up at the Mexico border in the fall. If not, I am sure there will be some grand memories and new stories to tell (and scars to show?) ;-)
Feel free to leave comments in this blog, I really enjoy getting them and engaging with friends.
Ride On
Dan
PS you can find blogs of my previous 2 seasons of bike packing here, which include the US portion of the Great Divide Route, part of the Colorado trail, and a portion of the Utah Cliffs loop.
outtadoorsdans.blogspot.com
This year are again big plans, but I also have been schooled that many things need to align for success.
Last two adventures had fire interruptions, smoke, closures and plan cancellations, as well as the early snow of fall 2018 cut a tour very short.
If Weather, Fire, Bike, Body and Soul align, I hope to do the original canadian portion of the Great Divide Route in Canada from Banff to Roosville, MT on the border with Montana. A new border to border route is opened up this year called the Wild West Route, which traverses Idaho/Montana, Utah and Arizona on its way from Canada to Mexico.
Here are the routes
My plan is to start a little north of Banff (a day or two of riding, south of the Red Deer River in map above) and travel the original route through Fernie and Elko. Glenda and I will be doing several weeks of exploring of Waterton, Banff, Jasper, Yolo and Kootenay National Parks prior to the start of my riding, which will be approximately July 11th. This section conveniently leads to Roosville MT, which the start of a brand new off pavement MTB bikepacking route.
https://www.bikepackingroots.org/wild-west-route.html
This is again a daunting agenda for me, as the WWR route looks as if a mountain bike required (not just recommended as for GDR) and is said to be more technically difficult with many areas that are exceptionally remote for the lower 48. I ain't getting any younger either!
Lots of big climbs up passes in Idaho and Montana, which is right out of the chute. Section 2 looks to be particularly challenging. I will get a week+ of touring in Canada as warm up and training for my body.
In the southern portion, more desert than last time, with long stretches between water. As I will be hitting these late in the season, availability is of concern, as previously I found some dry country water sources had run dry by then. Thankful it is was a wet winter and cool spring, may add longevity there.
Along the route, resupply looks to be a challenge in many sections, with some long distance between minimally stocked stores.
Navigation is also a new challenge for me. The Great Divide Route had a guide book and a series of well designed maps; the WWR route is described by a set of GPX files and way-point files (which indicate campgrounds, food, water, public lands, etc). While this is the norm for most bikepacking routes, these are new skills for me to learn, with new technology of phone app maps, and external GPS devices. Again, I will get to practice on the GDR - Canada section first ( which has teh GDR map set to aid me ;-).
My rig will be the same as last year, which I switch from a trailer to rack and panniers on the newer hardtail Marin Pine Mountain 2. There are a few new additions this year based on route and lessons learned, may get to a blog post for those.
Again, if the stars align, I will end up at the Mexico border in the fall. If not, I am sure there will be some grand memories and new stories to tell (and scars to show?) ;-)
Feel free to leave comments in this blog, I really enjoy getting them and engaging with friends.
Ride On
Dan
PS you can find blogs of my previous 2 seasons of bike packing here, which include the US portion of the Great Divide Route, part of the Colorado trail, and a portion of the Utah Cliffs loop.
outtadoorsdans.blogspot.com
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures along the way and watching your progress!
ReplyDeleteJohn
thanks John, I hope you get an extended observation !
DeleteNice, Dan! I am jealous that you are getting to do the WWR before me. Looking forward to hearing your adventures and maybe connecting as you go by us.
ReplyDeleteYo Jim, It would be great if we connect up. The route goes right by the Thunder Mountain trail near Bryce and also not to far from the 20+ miles Rainbow Rim trail on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Some great places to camp right along the rim in the Kaibab NF.
Delete