OK, so probably the best way to tell this story is in a Dan Brown, third person omniscient tone reminiscent of the calibre of books found a the checkout counter at the grocery store....
.......................
Trystan had been the last one up the long a desolate gravel road that day the the alpine lakes. After several medicated doses of Power Bars and Hot Tamales, the valiant rider finally joined his team mates, who were in much better condition than he, but still looking pretty spent after their third 100 + km day in a row. Not only was Trystan physically exhausted, he was also in a terrible mood. He thought to himself: "The only way to shake this thing is to climb that peak and catch the magic hour lighting on Glacier National Park".
And so, as the boys (Grant, Simon, and Ben) started to prepare for an evening of relaxing, Trystan had one goal on his mind: get to the top. And so he put on his new light hikers, long pants and rain jacket to be ready for any conditions he may encounter in the next couple of hours. Being well aware of the cougar and bear risk, he armed himself with his can of bear spray and a soft tattered water bottle, which could be lethal in a pillow fight. Trystan consulted his tree planting team mates to establish the best line up the peak. He was warned that the bush would be thick, and the challenges would be great, but he knew he had to press to the top to let the mountain tame his bad mood.
As he climbed up the steep slope through scree, thorns, shrub, wildflowers, and pine trees all intermixed like a confusing Jambalaya his brother was renound for making, the views of the surrounding Montana wilderness just kept getting better. But just like the beads of sweat pouring off his brow, Trystan could not help the feeling that he was being watched by a very large cat. With every snap of a twig, his body would surge with adrenaline. This was man versus wild, mountain versus bad mood...and it was not yet decided who would come out victorious.
At 8:00 pm, just as agreed upon, Trystan gave off his Turner-wide "cooo-eee" near the top of the peak and Simon responded back from the valley far below as planned. Trystan could now see many of the proud peaks of Glacier National Park, and the scramble had thus far been a success. Realizing that he was getting low on water, he took some snow and packed it into his water bottle. He knew that his meandering accent would not be the ideal path back down, and that instead he should scramble across the decaying shale bluff, and follow a steep, avalanche chute back down that only had low bush to get through...
..................
At the same time, back at the camp down below, a lone fisherman was casting away into the tranquill lake lake. He had seen this party of mountain bikers struggle up the hill earlier that evening; they seemed young, naive, but full of promise and adventure. As he was looking across the lake and into one of the lush green avalanches chutes, he saw that familiar brown movement far off the distant. He knew it well, and it could only be one thing: Grizzly.
He quickly summoned the boys from away from the campfire and pointed out the great beast slowly wandering across the chute, and Simon took a fast picture. They nervously laughed in amazement, and thought, Trystan doesn't know that bear is there, imagine if he decided to pick that same line down....
....................
Meanwhile Trystan, ever cognisant of the falling sun eager to kiss the horizon, started to pick up his pace down the mountain. He had had some close calls with the rock face, but was now in a position to grab the small growing pines as he briskly headed down towards camp. He gave a small "cooo-eee" to let the boys know he was OK, and because of the sharp acoustics off the lake below, he could hear their barely audible voices off in the distant. He could have sworn they said something about him.
......................
Back at the camp, the boys had just told a group of moterbikers about their sighting moments ago. Grant pointed out to the group the chute where they had just seen the bear, but as they all looked up, they couldn't see the bear anymore, just a distant grey shape that could only be their mates jacket...in exactly the same spot they had just seen the bear. Grant then let out a yell, that would have sounded distincly similar to 'fire truck' in the crisp Montana air.
........................
As Trystan stopped to hold his weight against a pine tree, he heard a ruffle to his right across the chute, the hair on the back of his neck crept up and he was filled with a primordial instinctive feeling and then time just stopped.
...............
Meanwhile, back at the camp, as the boys were getting ready to prepare their well-earned tuna and pasta dinner, they looked into the campfire, and were full of excitement about having just spotted a full sized grizzly...close enough to see but far enough to be of any real concern, but little did they realize, that at that exact moment, trystan was starring right into the deep black eyes of a this same bear.
..............
And then there it was, Trystam frozen solid, he could not speak. The bear, equally startled was motionless too. All that separated these two creatures was some 20 metres of shrub. Trystan knew that grizzlies have been clocked at 60 kph, and that an encounter could be less than two seconds away. But as every aspect of Trystan's mind was brought to the immediate present, the bear acted first...and quickly turned the other way and charged through the bush at full speed.
The photographer in Trystan superseded the survivor, and he reached for his camera, but all he got was a futile video of some shrubs crashing and parting as the bear retreated away...
With blood rushing through his veins like a boxer entering the ring, all Trystan could think now was "get back to the camp, now".
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Fernie - Now for some photos
I'm lugging the 'hubble telescope' as Grant calls it, so I had better make use of the images and put a couple up...
Fernie - "Burn That Guy!!!"
Ok, so that is by far the best line of the trip so far. So Yesterday, we popped our 100 km-in-a-day mark, and it felt mighty good (the legs though, a little less so I must confess).
So the day was winding down as Grant was frantically searching for a Bob trailer, and the days final planned destination was receding faster than my hairline. But with a pretty quick climb on some nice gravel and paved roads (in stark contrast to the axle-bending, rack-snapping, ball-breaking, crank peeling potholes and boulders encountered earlier along the route) things were looking up.
While pouring over the map, Simon, with that look that only a seasoned tree planter can generate, looks at us and says "Fernie, we can do this". While Grant was cautiously encouraging this cavalier enthusiasm, the steady headwinds were howling by and cancelling out any downhill or nice-road advantage that we had. But we decided the luxury of camping in the same place for two nights was incentive enough...to say nothing, that is, of the cold beers and pub feed that we had steadily centred in the front of our minds.
So, we did make it to Fernie. And it would not have been possible with some serious 'drafting' and well co-ordinated teamwork. This is the technique whereby the guy at the front is giving-er pretty hard (and taking all the headwind), and the others sitting in a row right behind, are saving their energy for their turn.
So anyways, as we are descending into the outskirts of Fernie, I'm at the front of the group spinning away with my trailer and the rest of the clan in tow...and then this roadie (on a nice fast road bike) with a muscle shirt pulls out from tributary road, say, 400 m ahead and starts tearing into it. Then, Ben just explodes out from behind me and screams (in 16% enthusiastic and 84% full-on rage tone) "Burn that guy!!!". And so the race was on. We were already moving a a pretty good pace of 17 mph (on fully loaded mountain bikes I might add) and then we start accelerating 18, 19, 20, 21, 22...up to 23 mph... and we're gaining.
A couple minutes later Ben starts draughting off this guy, and then has the nerve to dig deeper and pass. Then Simon passes. Then Grant gets neck-and-neck, and I think this guy must have seen Grants trailer and that was enough for him...he flexes his arms, drops his head and says 'I'LL set the pace" and tears off into the distance. It was a moral victory indeed and we slow right down and half collapse. Riding into Fernie, all we had on our mind was food and beer. A job well done.
So the day was winding down as Grant was frantically searching for a Bob trailer, and the days final planned destination was receding faster than my hairline. But with a pretty quick climb on some nice gravel and paved roads (in stark contrast to the axle-bending, rack-snapping, ball-breaking, crank peeling potholes and boulders encountered earlier along the route) things were looking up.
While pouring over the map, Simon, with that look that only a seasoned tree planter can generate, looks at us and says "Fernie, we can do this". While Grant was cautiously encouraging this cavalier enthusiasm, the steady headwinds were howling by and cancelling out any downhill or nice-road advantage that we had. But we decided the luxury of camping in the same place for two nights was incentive enough...to say nothing, that is, of the cold beers and pub feed that we had steadily centred in the front of our minds.
So, we did make it to Fernie. And it would not have been possible with some serious 'drafting' and well co-ordinated teamwork. This is the technique whereby the guy at the front is giving-er pretty hard (and taking all the headwind), and the others sitting in a row right behind, are saving their energy for their turn.
So anyways, as we are descending into the outskirts of Fernie, I'm at the front of the group spinning away with my trailer and the rest of the clan in tow...and then this roadie (on a nice fast road bike) with a muscle shirt pulls out from tributary road, say, 400 m ahead and starts tearing into it. Then, Ben just explodes out from behind me and screams (in 16% enthusiastic and 84% full-on rage tone) "Burn that guy!!!". And so the race was on. We were already moving a a pretty good pace of 17 mph (on fully loaded mountain bikes I might add) and then we start accelerating 18, 19, 20, 21, 22...up to 23 mph... and we're gaining.
A couple minutes later Ben starts draughting off this guy, and then has the nerve to dig deeper and pass. Then Simon passes. Then Grant gets neck-and-neck, and I think this guy must have seen Grants trailer and that was enough for him...he flexes his arms, drops his head and says 'I'LL set the pace" and tears off into the distance. It was a moral victory indeed and we slow right down and half collapse. Riding into Fernie, all we had on our mind was food and beer. A job well done.
Fernie - Bob success!
About 20 calls later, from the phone of the kind people at the Elkford Chamber of Commerce, and I had a Bob on its way by overnight courier from Calgary to Fernie. Thanks to Doug from Bow Cycles in Calgary, the courier service, and Straightline Bicycles Fernie, I had the new Bob trailer less than 24 hours after my frantic hunt begun. How great is that? Even better we are now enjoying a well deserved rest day in Fernie. But the boys can update you on that. In the mean time here are some of those elusive photos. Sorry if they don't enlarge when you click on the pics... I am not sure why.
Roadtripping
Soon to leave Banff. In such a hurry in fact that we missed the obligatory pic in front of the Banff castle.
Campsite - day 1. A late start, cold and a bit wet, a mechanical break down, and an illegal location. But we were on our way and it was great! Note the size of the tent the bro's are sharing.
The view from camp. Perhaps Trystan or Ben will explain the geology?
Can't make it too easy for the bears
Parallel parking
Water stop. No need to filter here.
Trystan looking the part
Sometimes the scenery is just really too tough to look at
Simon and Ben being brotherly
Moods were as high as the sky was blue
You can't do this at home
The climb to Elk Pass was not always straight forward
Unless today was your day off towing the trailer.
My bike not long before rack failure. You can actually see the rack is bent already! No wonder looking at that load. Broke for the better I'd say.
An friendly dog? No, just a curious wolf.
Can you pick up some milk on your way home?
Caught in the moment?
From Rockies to coal mines all in one day Thursday, June 25, 2009
Elkford - The adventure does not disappoint
Last time I said I would see you in Alberta. Well, we actually crossed back into BC yesterday, at the same time as making our first Continental Divide crossing - Elk Pass.
Right now I am sitting on a computer in Elkford - after making an early morning dash from our campsite 16 miles out. My mission is to find a third Bob trailer fast (to be reffered here on is as Bob - or Beast of burden). I will tell you why soon, but in the mean time I will update you on the trip to date - while I wait for shops to open at 10am - what is that all about?
We wanted an adventure and we expected an aventure, and to date this journey has delivered in spades. From late night and last minute prep, repacking, mechanical issues, magnificent scenery, variable weather, and finding our feet as bike-packing adventurers, it has been an action packed three or so days. I think I have already have the outline of the first three chapters of my own personal guide to bike touring - funny it will look much the same as all the others. Read on.
The road trip to Banff began with an epic breakfast (it was Trystan's birthday), and we were finally on the road shortly after eight. It was a tight squeeze inside, and I half expected to hear four bikes go tumbling off the back. The scenry along the way was a great tast for things to come - though the devistation of the pine forests due to the pine beetle was quite evident and it is a sad sight. We found a campsite just out of Banff which gave us our last hot shower for a few days.
We wanted to be away quite early the next morning - not only to get on the trail, but also to see Caitlin off on her way back to Vancouver in good time. We failed miserably. A three mile ride into Banff all loaded up and kitted out and a total repack and rethink of gear was required [first chapter of touring guide]. Extra clothes, camera lenses, double ups of toiletries, extra reading material, and more, was all sent home with Caitlin, who finally was able to leave shortly after midday, which must have meant a return to Vancouver after midnight. What a star.
Delays sending our bounce box and grocery shop meant we finally made the trail by 3pm. In planning this trip I had somewhat optimistically hoped (as a best case scenario) we could get to Banff mid afternoon on Sunday, hitch our trailers, and do ten miles before the official Monday start! Anyway, setting off in light rain, with heavily laden Bobs (me and Ben), and with Trystan and Simon enjoying relative freedom, we were put almost immediately into the total rugged wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. They are superb. The laden trailers combine with rear rack proved quite a handful (light steering, impossible on the steeper climbs) but a repack the next day to put weight lower down, along with eating some of the weight (thee days of food is heavy!) relieved this somewhat.
Ten miles into our intented 17 mile day, and our first breakdown. Simon's pedal had unthreaded and in doing so stripped the crank thread. He was down to one pedal. We got lucky though, with Canmore being a 6 mile (I am quickly getting used to this alternative measurement, though unfortuately miles take a long time to pass) almost entirely downhill ride/ one legged coast from our campsite. Which incidentally we found out the next morning was illegal. Dispite the calamity, and setting up camp in not the nicest weather, spirits were high.
Trystan and Simon set off to Canmore on Tuesday morning, on a mission for a new crank. They got this, but by the time Ben and I met up with them, 7 miles down the trail at the agreed meeting point, it was again 3pm! Dispite the late start we pushed through 35 miles for the day, including an especially steep climb, cool single track, a brief navigational error, more brilliant scenery, and some great decents. We did not find a good campsite until 8pm - by which time we were cold and hungry, and some of us a little grumpy! We decided we would make an effort to have earlier finished were possible. It is amazing what a good meal can do to the mood though - and we went to bed in high spirits and with great ideas flowing.
Day three, yesterday, we were greeted with a frost which quickly turned into a warm and quite brillant day. Ben and I finally handed over the Bob's to Trystan and Simon - I was quick to point out to Trystan that he was carrying two days less of food. Wide open roads and decents made an easy start to the day and we chewed through some miles quite quckly. On starting the climb to Elk pass we rode on paved bike double track (what the hell - this is BF nowhere?) and we gained a false impression our first divide crossing would be a gimmie. A stop at the Boulton Creek trading post for icecreams and we were all fueled for the climb to the top. We were greeted with two crazy steep, longish climbs, and I can tell you I was enjoying being Bob-less right then! A muddy decent over the otherside ensured we looked like hard-core mountain bikers by the days end. We joked that we could have taken a road over the top - but as it turns out it is a 200 mile drive from one side of the pass to the other.
Progress was good, and we managed a 53 mile day. But mechanical number two struck. I had a rear rack that was mounted to the seatpost - you will see a photo at some stage - to carry a few lighter things. The rack, which is cantilevered, is not a great solution, but was a necessity due to lack of rack mounts on my (and Trystan's bike) and also not going to the trouble of fabricating a proper solution beforehand. On top of the poor design, the weight distribution was poor, making the bike front end difficult to manage. So anyway. I was enjoying a nice decent yesterday afternoon, hitting about 30mph. I unweighted for a pothole at the bottom but this was quickly followed by a horrible noise from the rear of the bike. Coming to a halt, I find my rack broken nearly in two. I unceremoniously dispose of the rack in frustration, but fortunately we have redundant carrying capacity. Map inspections - a new rack in Fernie or wait to Whitefish - can we get that far? What better rack solution can we come up with - the first one lasted all of 80 miles after all. There were options, and possible solutions. But the best solution become evident when we inspected Trystan's identical rack. A crack in the same spot and his rack's lifespan will be short too. The third Bob became the obvious choice - by the time we spend up on racks that may or may not work we could have bought another Bob. Plus the Bob will improve bike handling no-end. We do loose our "freedom" days, but our loads will be lighter, and all in all should help us get to Mexico faster. So right now I am trying to find that Bob. Either in Fernie, which we should hit tomorrow morning, or perhaps get one couriered further ahead.
Despite all this, we remain roughly on schedule. Granted we had some fat in the schedule for the first section, which we new would be required for one reason or other. We will hit Fernie tomorrow morning, and quite likely stay the night there. The border crossing should be sometime late Saturday or early Sunday.
I have yet to see a bear yet. Apparently a grizzly walked through a campsite yesterday morning near where we passed through though. I have seen plenty of deer, a moose, and even a curious wolf. None of which seem to concerned about the precence of cyclists.
Unfortunately I cannot post any photos right now. I will try to post some in Fernie tomorrow. There are some killer shots, Trystan's might have to wait a while, but the pics off my point-and-shoot will be a good start. Hopefully Trystan will put an update on too, and Ben and Simon might even make their maiden appearances and you will be able to get the Canadian perspective.
Better get back to the Bob hunt.
Grant
Right now I am sitting on a computer in Elkford - after making an early morning dash from our campsite 16 miles out. My mission is to find a third Bob trailer fast (to be reffered here on is as Bob - or Beast of burden). I will tell you why soon, but in the mean time I will update you on the trip to date - while I wait for shops to open at 10am - what is that all about?
We wanted an adventure and we expected an aventure, and to date this journey has delivered in spades. From late night and last minute prep, repacking, mechanical issues, magnificent scenery, variable weather, and finding our feet as bike-packing adventurers, it has been an action packed three or so days. I think I have already have the outline of the first three chapters of my own personal guide to bike touring - funny it will look much the same as all the others. Read on.
The road trip to Banff began with an epic breakfast (it was Trystan's birthday), and we were finally on the road shortly after eight. It was a tight squeeze inside, and I half expected to hear four bikes go tumbling off the back. The scenry along the way was a great tast for things to come - though the devistation of the pine forests due to the pine beetle was quite evident and it is a sad sight. We found a campsite just out of Banff which gave us our last hot shower for a few days.
We wanted to be away quite early the next morning - not only to get on the trail, but also to see Caitlin off on her way back to Vancouver in good time. We failed miserably. A three mile ride into Banff all loaded up and kitted out and a total repack and rethink of gear was required [first chapter of touring guide]. Extra clothes, camera lenses, double ups of toiletries, extra reading material, and more, was all sent home with Caitlin, who finally was able to leave shortly after midday, which must have meant a return to Vancouver after midnight. What a star.
Delays sending our bounce box and grocery shop meant we finally made the trail by 3pm. In planning this trip I had somewhat optimistically hoped (as a best case scenario) we could get to Banff mid afternoon on Sunday, hitch our trailers, and do ten miles before the official Monday start! Anyway, setting off in light rain, with heavily laden Bobs (me and Ben), and with Trystan and Simon enjoying relative freedom, we were put almost immediately into the total rugged wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. They are superb. The laden trailers combine with rear rack proved quite a handful (light steering, impossible on the steeper climbs) but a repack the next day to put weight lower down, along with eating some of the weight (thee days of food is heavy!) relieved this somewhat.
Ten miles into our intented 17 mile day, and our first breakdown. Simon's pedal had unthreaded and in doing so stripped the crank thread. He was down to one pedal. We got lucky though, with Canmore being a 6 mile (I am quickly getting used to this alternative measurement, though unfortuately miles take a long time to pass) almost entirely downhill ride/ one legged coast from our campsite. Which incidentally we found out the next morning was illegal. Dispite the calamity, and setting up camp in not the nicest weather, spirits were high.
Trystan and Simon set off to Canmore on Tuesday morning, on a mission for a new crank. They got this, but by the time Ben and I met up with them, 7 miles down the trail at the agreed meeting point, it was again 3pm! Dispite the late start we pushed through 35 miles for the day, including an especially steep climb, cool single track, a brief navigational error, more brilliant scenery, and some great decents. We did not find a good campsite until 8pm - by which time we were cold and hungry, and some of us a little grumpy! We decided we would make an effort to have earlier finished were possible. It is amazing what a good meal can do to the mood though - and we went to bed in high spirits and with great ideas flowing.
Day three, yesterday, we were greeted with a frost which quickly turned into a warm and quite brillant day. Ben and I finally handed over the Bob's to Trystan and Simon - I was quick to point out to Trystan that he was carrying two days less of food. Wide open roads and decents made an easy start to the day and we chewed through some miles quite quckly. On starting the climb to Elk pass we rode on paved bike double track (what the hell - this is BF nowhere?) and we gained a false impression our first divide crossing would be a gimmie. A stop at the Boulton Creek trading post for icecreams and we were all fueled for the climb to the top. We were greeted with two crazy steep, longish climbs, and I can tell you I was enjoying being Bob-less right then! A muddy decent over the otherside ensured we looked like hard-core mountain bikers by the days end. We joked that we could have taken a road over the top - but as it turns out it is a 200 mile drive from one side of the pass to the other.
Progress was good, and we managed a 53 mile day. But mechanical number two struck. I had a rear rack that was mounted to the seatpost - you will see a photo at some stage - to carry a few lighter things. The rack, which is cantilevered, is not a great solution, but was a necessity due to lack of rack mounts on my (and Trystan's bike) and also not going to the trouble of fabricating a proper solution beforehand. On top of the poor design, the weight distribution was poor, making the bike front end difficult to manage. So anyway. I was enjoying a nice decent yesterday afternoon, hitting about 30mph. I unweighted for a pothole at the bottom but this was quickly followed by a horrible noise from the rear of the bike. Coming to a halt, I find my rack broken nearly in two. I unceremoniously dispose of the rack in frustration, but fortunately we have redundant carrying capacity. Map inspections - a new rack in Fernie or wait to Whitefish - can we get that far? What better rack solution can we come up with - the first one lasted all of 80 miles after all. There were options, and possible solutions. But the best solution become evident when we inspected Trystan's identical rack. A crack in the same spot and his rack's lifespan will be short too. The third Bob became the obvious choice - by the time we spend up on racks that may or may not work we could have bought another Bob. Plus the Bob will improve bike handling no-end. We do loose our "freedom" days, but our loads will be lighter, and all in all should help us get to Mexico faster. So right now I am trying to find that Bob. Either in Fernie, which we should hit tomorrow morning, or perhaps get one couriered further ahead.
Despite all this, we remain roughly on schedule. Granted we had some fat in the schedule for the first section, which we new would be required for one reason or other. We will hit Fernie tomorrow morning, and quite likely stay the night there. The border crossing should be sometime late Saturday or early Sunday.
I have yet to see a bear yet. Apparently a grizzly walked through a campsite yesterday morning near where we passed through though. I have seen plenty of deer, a moose, and even a curious wolf. None of which seem to concerned about the precence of cyclists.
Unfortunately I cannot post any photos right now. I will try to post some in Fernie tomorrow. There are some killer shots, Trystan's might have to wait a while, but the pics off my point-and-shoot will be a good start. Hopefully Trystan will put an update on too, and Ben and Simon might even make their maiden appearances and you will be able to get the Canadian perspective.
Better get back to the Bob hunt.
Grant
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The holiday is over and the adventure begins
As I write this it is 9 on Saturday night and we are committed to leaving at 5am tomorrow for our ten or so hour road trip to Banff. As Trystan has already explained Caitlin has come to the rescue in a big way - a days driving for us really is quite something. Caitlin, you are officially awesome.
I wish I could tell you that we are all packed up and ready to go and have just enjoyed a great bbq dinner with Trystan's, and Ben & Simon's family and friends, but that is far from the truth. Well the packing part anyway. The final feast was everything it should have been - a relaxing dinner and if it wasn't totally obvious before it became abundantly clear then that there will be many people closely following our progress on both sides of the Pacific, with no shortage of anticipation to keep us motivated along the way.
But now to more pressing matters. Yesterday the crew assembled - and at what better location than MEC - the greatest outdoor gear shop I have ever seen in my life. With the three page gear list in one hand and the credit card sitting itchy in the pocket the store did not stand a chance. Two return visits were required, with a brief interlude at the bike shop which was conveniently placed across the street. And yes, we all bought a can of bear spray each.
Right now the Glynn-Morris lounge is a bomb site and we have several hours of work to do before we will be ready to hit the road. The power tools are a constant background noise as rack extenders get fabricated in haste. Trailers will no doubt be packed and repacked to make sure everything fits - don't forget the food has to go in there too! And then somehow we will make the gear plus the five of us all fit into the Subaru. It will happen, but I suspect sleep might be measured in minutes rather than hours tonight.
Before I go I should make mention of the week I have had in Vancouver. Trystan, utilising all his logistics coordination skills, arranged for his uni friend Caroline to "adopt a kiwi" for the week. This became two kiwis when a week before the trip I learnt of another Taupo local Andrew coming to Vancouver on the very same flight. From the moment we were whisked away from the airport to leaving in far too much of a hurry on Friday the hospitality was top notch. I had close to a week to play tourist with Andrew, and a very recent addition to Vancouver, Emma, and we had a great time checking out the city - including biking Stanley Park, a climb up the Grouse Grind and an encounter with (caged) grizzly's. We even made it out to Whistler. To the disappointment of many we did not make it to the aquarium - which is apparently a must see especially now that they have a new baby... or something like that. And I cannot not mention Paige's dinner party - excellent. They do things pretty well here in Vancouver. All in all, terribly relaxing and but now it time to stop gushing and get stressing. See you somewhere in Alberta.
What's with these Friday nights!?
I think if you are the sort of person that is looking to spend 2 months in Lycra, then perhaps spending two Friday nights in row packing gear is a not such a bad thing.
Yesterday was crazy. I went out to the ferries and picked up Simon and Ben. We then met up with Grant at MEC (only the greatest store in the planet). Initially we had our carefully though out lists in hand, diligently going through each one by one...but then the 'museum-legs' started setting in (I know you know what I'm talking about) and it started to get confusing: we just started grabbing stuff willy-nilly, and saying she'll be right' like the good honorary Kiwi's. Speaking of, yesterdays highlight was when the checkout lady asked where Grant and I were from, and I gave my standard 'yeah, I have a pretty messed up Canadian accent, eh?', and then just pointed to Grant and informed her that Grant was from Aussie...and I did so completely sincerely. Brilliant!
I must now take this time to pay my tributes to the early death of one of our members: I am sad to report the passing of Bougie's potentially-unfaithful Land Rover. This M.A.S.H. era steed has been removed from the trip plans. Bougie got it checked out by the mechanic, and the mechanic must have been a bit soft or something s as he said that it was not fit for the road, something trivial about the clutch, transmission and brakes being totally completely and shot...I'm sure we would have been fine though....
But as one door closes another one opens, and my wonderfull sister Caitlin will be doing the unthinkable tomorrow. Driving some 1200 km to take up to the trailhead in Banff, and then turning the Subaru around, and heading right back...now that's love.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bikes and bits
Trystan has done a top job introducing the background to this epic adventure, the trip vision, and the team. Now it is my turn to introduce you to the stuff that really counts – gear and gear philosophy. After all this is the real reason we do this sort of stuff - it is the perfect excuse to go out and buy more gear!
Bear with me if this gets a little technical in places as I fill the top half of this blog page with great stuff about bikes and trailers.
The trail will be predominantly off the paved road and is often rough or badly corrugated, not to mention remote. For this reason bikes suitable for off road are a must. For most of us that means a good reliable and sturdy mountain bike. But for Ryan, adventurer extraordinaire, this means a cross bike (a bike that looks much like a road bike but with beefier wheels, tyres and brakes). We all mulled and researched and mulled some more over bikes. At first it seemed that a full suspension bike was the best way to go. Then we started to hook onto the idea of riding 29ers (the latest mtb fad with road bike size rims) which roll a bit better over the rougher stuff. I also seriously considered a carbon hardtail. In the end both Trystan and I settled on standard 26” hardtail (front suspension only) steel framed (retro-cool) mountain bikes. Ben and Simon will be riding 29” alloy hardtails. And Ryan has his Specialized Tri-cross.
Staying with the NZ bikes for just a moment. Many thanks must go to the Top Gear team www.topgearcycles.co.nz , especially Mark and Nigel, who run hands-down the best bike shop in Taupo. Always offering great advice and outstanding service, and hooking Trystan up with a killer deal on his Jamis Dragon Pro bike – a Reynolds 853 steel beauty looking resplendent in pearl white and ghost [fancy name for baby] blue. Also many thanks to Oli of RoadWorks fame www.oli.co.nz , for a killer set of wheels and his knowledgeable advice; and Paul of Essence Bicycles www.essencebicycle.co.nz , who distributes the Cotic brand in NZ – and I have found out for myself why these Cotic bikes have such a strong following!
Bike selection wasn’t quite as simple as described above – because so far I have neglected to mention another, very important element of this trip. This trip is not supported, and as such we will have to carry pretty much all our gear – clothes, tents, sleeping bag and other camping equipment, water, up to 3-4 days of food, bike spares and tools, and the odd heavily scrutinised luxury. So how to carry all this gear?
Racks and panniers are the most common means of carrying gear for bike touring. However, as far as the GDR goes, advice seems to lean towards towing a trailer for a whole host of reasons. The most common and best regarded is the BOB Yak trailer, and this is what we have ended up with. If the idea of towing a trailer sounds weird, have a look here to see what they are all about: http://www.bobgear.com/trailers .The Bob can carry up to 70 pounds of gear, and attaches at the rear dropout of just about any bike. On the other hand, panniers work best on bikes designed to take them – which excludes most modern mountain bikes. Test rides of the Bob over the local W2K (Whakaipo Bay to Kinloch) trail, loaded with firewood and rocks no less, proved to be a pleasant surprise with the trailer not overly detracting from the experience and feeling of freedom of riding a bike (though they are not gravity cheating devices by any stretch of the imagination!).
Taking into account we will be travelling quite light, and we can try and squeeze in longer days where necessary as to carry less supplies, we will be able to get away with one trailer between two. Trystan and I will be sharing one, Ben and Simon another. Ryan, Mr Ultralight, is going to show us that a trailer is actually unnecessary and carry everything he needs on his bike - I haven’t even met this guy yet but I sure admire his style. The trailer sharing will clearly result in some interesting day-to-day group dynamics. We hope that the burden of towing a trailer for two will be more than offset by the feeling of freedom the remainder of the time. Being able to swap trailers at (mutually agreed) will, will no doubt lead to some interesting and creative bartering on the trail. The trailer-less bike will never be totally burden-free though - to give us a bit more trailer space each bike will also have a rear rack which will be used to carry some of the bulkier/ lighter items.
I must mention one more thing which I think is pretty cool: The drift box (bounce box). This is a nifty device used by adventurers like ourselves to post items ahead on the trail. It involves posting stuff to ourselves at post offices along the trail. If we don’t open a box it is even free to forward onto the next post office of choice. The biggest downside of this technique is making sure we get to the post office when it is open – which is far from guaranteed in the small towns we will be passing through. We will be using the drift box to post the likes of critical spares, hard to come by food, new reading material – that sort of thing. I have already bought a weighty quantity of Whittakers chocolate for just this purpose.
So that is the brief (really, it is, believe me) summary of our bikes and load carrying gear. There is plenty of other stuff to talk about, like spares, camping equipment, food, and safety measures – but that can be left for another day.
Bear with me if this gets a little technical in places as I fill the top half of this blog page with great stuff about bikes and trailers.
The trail will be predominantly off the paved road and is often rough or badly corrugated, not to mention remote. For this reason bikes suitable for off road are a must. For most of us that means a good reliable and sturdy mountain bike. But for Ryan, adventurer extraordinaire, this means a cross bike (a bike that looks much like a road bike but with beefier wheels, tyres and brakes). We all mulled and researched and mulled some more over bikes. At first it seemed that a full suspension bike was the best way to go. Then we started to hook onto the idea of riding 29ers (the latest mtb fad with road bike size rims) which roll a bit better over the rougher stuff. I also seriously considered a carbon hardtail. In the end both Trystan and I settled on standard 26” hardtail (front suspension only) steel framed (retro-cool) mountain bikes. Ben and Simon will be riding 29” alloy hardtails. And Ryan has his Specialized Tri-cross.
Staying with the NZ bikes for just a moment. Many thanks must go to the Top Gear team www.topgearcycles.co.nz , especially Mark and Nigel, who run hands-down the best bike shop in Taupo. Always offering great advice and outstanding service, and hooking Trystan up with a killer deal on his Jamis Dragon Pro bike – a Reynolds 853 steel beauty looking resplendent in pearl white and ghost [fancy name for baby] blue. Also many thanks to Oli of RoadWorks fame www.oli.co.nz , for a killer set of wheels and his knowledgeable advice; and Paul of Essence Bicycles www.essencebicycle.co.nz , who distributes the Cotic brand in NZ – and I have found out for myself why these Cotic bikes have such a strong following!
Bike selection wasn’t quite as simple as described above – because so far I have neglected to mention another, very important element of this trip. This trip is not supported, and as such we will have to carry pretty much all our gear – clothes, tents, sleeping bag and other camping equipment, water, up to 3-4 days of food, bike spares and tools, and the odd heavily scrutinised luxury. So how to carry all this gear?
Racks and panniers are the most common means of carrying gear for bike touring. However, as far as the GDR goes, advice seems to lean towards towing a trailer for a whole host of reasons. The most common and best regarded is the BOB Yak trailer, and this is what we have ended up with. If the idea of towing a trailer sounds weird, have a look here to see what they are all about: http://www.bobgear.com/trailers .The Bob can carry up to 70 pounds of gear, and attaches at the rear dropout of just about any bike. On the other hand, panniers work best on bikes designed to take them – which excludes most modern mountain bikes. Test rides of the Bob over the local W2K (Whakaipo Bay to Kinloch) trail, loaded with firewood and rocks no less, proved to be a pleasant surprise with the trailer not overly detracting from the experience and feeling of freedom of riding a bike (though they are not gravity cheating devices by any stretch of the imagination!).
Taking into account we will be travelling quite light, and we can try and squeeze in longer days where necessary as to carry less supplies, we will be able to get away with one trailer between two. Trystan and I will be sharing one, Ben and Simon another. Ryan, Mr Ultralight, is going to show us that a trailer is actually unnecessary and carry everything he needs on his bike - I haven’t even met this guy yet but I sure admire his style. The trailer sharing will clearly result in some interesting day-to-day group dynamics. We hope that the burden of towing a trailer for two will be more than offset by the feeling of freedom the remainder of the time. Being able to swap trailers at (mutually agreed) will, will no doubt lead to some interesting and creative bartering on the trail. The trailer-less bike will never be totally burden-free though - to give us a bit more trailer space each bike will also have a rear rack which will be used to carry some of the bulkier/ lighter items.
I must mention one more thing which I think is pretty cool: The drift box (bounce box). This is a nifty device used by adventurers like ourselves to post items ahead on the trail. It involves posting stuff to ourselves at post offices along the trail. If we don’t open a box it is even free to forward onto the next post office of choice. The biggest downside of this technique is making sure we get to the post office when it is open – which is far from guaranteed in the small towns we will be passing through. We will be using the drift box to post the likes of critical spares, hard to come by food, new reading material – that sort of thing. I have already bought a weighty quantity of Whittakers chocolate for just this purpose.
So that is the brief (really, it is, believe me) summary of our bikes and load carrying gear. There is plenty of other stuff to talk about, like spares, camping equipment, food, and safety measures – but that can be left for another day.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Adventure Cycling Association
Here's the link to where the original idea spawned, and some more information on the route etc...Were been using their maps, guidebook and publications to get geared up...so to speak.
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/greatdivide.cfm
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/greatdivide.cfm
The Trip VISION
Being a pretty large group, it became pretty evident that coming up with some sort of 'vision' would be pretty important, so communally, we came up with and agreed on one to stick by for the trip...so here it is:
- Four leave Banff, five arrive in Antelope wells in the allotted time
- To always realize that the team is stronger than the individual and to stick together and support each other through the trip
- To soak up the opportunity to be living the dream in the outdoors
- To have good times with good people and meet some characters along the way
- To take advantage of being in the Great Divide by not only cycling through, but by taking epic side trips, having cultural experiences etc.
- To ride sufficiently long days to allow for the above to happen in the allotted time
- To grow individually and as a crew and to answer those unanswerable questions
- To leave with a ton of stories to tell your grand kids on a rocking chair
- To leave the trip wanting to undertake more BET’s (Big Epic Trips)
- To promote self-propelled adventures
- To get a picture of Grant (our token Kiwi) with a bear
- Four leave Banff, five arrive in Antelope wells in the allotted time
- To always realize that the team is stronger than the individual and to stick together and support each other through the trip
- To soak up the opportunity to be living the dream in the outdoors
- To have good times with good people and meet some characters along the way
- To take advantage of being in the Great Divide by not only cycling through, but by taking epic side trips, having cultural experiences etc.
- To ride sufficiently long days to allow for the above to happen in the allotted time
- To grow individually and as a crew and to answer those unanswerable questions
- To leave with a ton of stories to tell your grand kids on a rocking chair
- To leave the trip wanting to undertake more BET’s (Big Epic Trips)
- To promote self-propelled adventures
- To get a picture of Grant (our token Kiwi) with a bear
Introducing Trystan
Trystan, or Twisty, is the Godfather. Sort of like those mafia circles where nobody knows each other except for the head guy...yeah, just like that. As the team is spread across the Pacific, nobody knows everybody...except for this guy... feel the power already?On the trip, Trystan is the go-to guy for taking photos, and lots of them. Described by a concerned team member as the 'Hubble Telescope', Trystan's camera equipment will be pretty crazy... but it's a small price to pay for sensational 'hero shots'.
Likes: the elusive Swedish Tramping Team, smiley faces, mountains, Denny's, Americans
Dislikes: Soapy dishes, burnt porridge, bad moods, corned beef, Vegemite
Introducing Ryan
Ryan, of 'Bougie', is a walking example of living-the-dream. This man's CV includes walking to Mexico from Canada on the PCT, biking across Canada and pretty my always finding epic adventures. In fact, Bougie will be joining late, somewhere in Wyoming as he's skiing back country on big terrain in Alaska.On the trip, Bougie is the go-to guy for ingenuity and getting back to the basics. Bougie goes ultralight and promises to teach the group to cook dinner with a beer can, antifreeze and a pot...
Likes: Skies, snow, mountains, beer cans, his truck, 'paperwork'
Dislikes: Bad attitudes, snowmobiles, j-rooting.
Introducing Simon
Simon, or Simmons, is an international man of mystery. While being terrible at 'staying in touch', answering emails and pretty much anything involving communication, this guy prides himself by unplugging from the grid...so to speak. In addition, I'm not sure if anyone on the planet can thrive on cramming as well as Simon can, but we'll let his transcript speak for itself...most people don't hit triple-digit percentages.On the trip, Simmons is the go-to guy for ditching the bike, and climbing up...mountains. Just look at those glasses. Simmons will re-define the boundaries of the 'rest day.
Likes: Other redheads, freckles, Tricycles, trees, test tubes
Dislikes: The sun, his cousin's farts, Dutch ovens, email, neighbourhood bullies
Monday, June 8, 2009
Introducing Ben
Ben is a chick magnet. This is the only man who can successfully pull off pink jeans, and the ladies love it.On the trip, Ben or Benbo, is our go-to guy for babes. Ben is in charge of picking up 43 year old cougars named 'Thelma' in back-state Montana...Ben is also our source of music. When it all turns to custard, Ben will carefully unwrap his harminica and play like Bobby D. to take the edge off the situation...
Likes: pink jeans, hemp, things that make sound, couches and red wine...
Dislikes: Back country skiing, having his buttons pushed, having his dad take photo's of him in embarassing situations.. 'Peace! Dad...'
Introducing Grant
Grant was born to ride, loves riding, loves wheels, cogs, bits and Bobs...as long as there are hills to climb, Grant will be happy.On the trip Grant is our go-to guy for bike maintenance, tuning, etc...anything to do with our rides, this is our guy.
Likes: Road bikes, mountain bikes, nice bikes, dark chocolate, the Saturday newspaper, routine, order, efficiency, bears (although he's never seen one...yet)
Dislikes: Stacked up dishes, crappy bikes, his flatmate...
The Journey of 3000 miles must begin with one single entry...
My name is Trystan, and this trip is my brainchild....
But in all seriousness, it's a bit challenging and daunting to begin a blog, a shameful rant sent into cyberspace...to be read by...errr...anyone? Regardless though, I suppose, as with any good story, one must start at the beginning...
The idea for this trip was born just over 5 years ago, in the small Sherpa village of Phortse at 4000 m elevation, in the Solokumbu region of Nepal. I was teaching English at the time with my brother at a small elementary school there during the pre-monsoon season. Some of the climbers heading to Base Camp camp would have stopped off at the guesthouse where we were staying, and one of them must have dropped of a yuppie copy of Outside Magazine. And on one fateful May afternoon, after a long day teaching undoubtedly subsidized by coconut cookies and milk tea, I stumbled upon this magazine, and more specifically, an article outlining the 5 greatest bike trips of all time. That is when I first read about the Great Divide Mountain bike route: the longest off-pavement route in the world, that follows the spine of the Rocky Mountains from Banff, Alberta through BC, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and finishes in Antelope Wells, New Mexico...some 4400 kms and 60,000 m of cumulative elevation gain later.
The Trip promptly made it to the 'List of Must-Do Adventures' in the back of my journal, where it lay dormant through an Engineering Degree, some work in the Arctic, Vancouver and travelling in New Zealand, until a Saturday afternoon in November of this past year. Over a casual beer with my Kiwi flatmate Grant, I casually pitched him the idea of embarking on this trip as he had been getting itchy to spread his wings in an 'overseas' trip, but he wanted to do something epic, crazy and memorable. Something a little different than the standard Overseas Experience, or OE as they say here...
But I had been pitching this trip to various people over the past couple of years, and there was always the 'yeah, that would be epic', or 'can you imagine?' or 'are you crazy?'...but this time was different, Grant said 'I'm in', and I knew he was serious. Now I should add that Kiwi's are a pretty 'straight-up' people, and they call a spade a spade, so I knew he was rock solid. I should also add, that while Grant had been racing as a roadie for years, my debut into the word of cycling happened just some 4 months prior and everything about me screamed 'hack'. What I lacked in riding experience though, I knew I could make up in wilderness experience.
So we had a team of two. And we had the will. And everything else just fall into place right? But wait a tick, oh yeah, we were both working full time as engineers for a power company, how could we take that amount of time off? And again, in typical Kiwi fashion Grant pitched the idea to his boss immediately on the Monday morning...for my Canadian personality though, it wasn't quite so easy. Asking my boss seemed as embarrassing as asking out a really hot girl, one that you knew the chances were stacked against you...but, with a bit of gumption it just sort of came out and with a bit of time, we were both given conditional-'go-ahead' which we were (are) very grateful for.
So then, a couple questions still needed to be answered, first off, when? We knew it had to be in the North American summer, and the preferred direction seemed to be south....so we'd have to leave late enough to allow for most of the snow to melt in the high passes of Colorado, but not leave too late by hitting the derailleur-breaking sticky bad weather in New Mexico. So we planned for July-August as the ideal time....
And then, how long should we take? After a bit of research, the route has been raced in 15 days and change, and the 'suggested' riding days by the guidebook is about 67...so, we knew we didn't want to race it, but we had limited time at our disposal, and we wanted to plan for lots of 'rest days' to climb mountains, go fishing and do other things to take advantage of the surrounds....so we narrowed in on about 50 riding days and 10ish rest days.....making for average days of about 90 kms with a little over 1000 metres of climbing....yikes. But, as they say in NZ ...'she'll be right'.
And finally, who else? Other potentials were my good friend Pablo and my brother John, neither of which could make the timing of this adventure in the end. But my two cousins Simon and Ben were both keen as...and so was a good friend Ryan....So with 2 to start, and potential numbers up to 7, the final number is now at 5 (we'll, 4-1/2 but I'll get to that).
So just who are these jokers that think they can do this anyways? Stay tuned to find out....
But in all seriousness, it's a bit challenging and daunting to begin a blog, a shameful rant sent into cyberspace...to be read by...errr...anyone? Regardless though, I suppose, as with any good story, one must start at the beginning...
The idea for this trip was born just over 5 years ago, in the small Sherpa village of Phortse at 4000 m elevation, in the Solokumbu region of Nepal. I was teaching English at the time with my brother at a small elementary school there during the pre-monsoon season. Some of the climbers heading to Base Camp camp would have stopped off at the guesthouse where we were staying, and one of them must have dropped of a yuppie copy of Outside Magazine. And on one fateful May afternoon, after a long day teaching undoubtedly subsidized by coconut cookies and milk tea, I stumbled upon this magazine, and more specifically, an article outlining the 5 greatest bike trips of all time. That is when I first read about the Great Divide Mountain bike route: the longest off-pavement route in the world, that follows the spine of the Rocky Mountains from Banff, Alberta through BC, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and finishes in Antelope Wells, New Mexico...some 4400 kms and 60,000 m of cumulative elevation gain later.
The Trip promptly made it to the 'List of Must-Do Adventures' in the back of my journal, where it lay dormant through an Engineering Degree, some work in the Arctic, Vancouver and travelling in New Zealand, until a Saturday afternoon in November of this past year. Over a casual beer with my Kiwi flatmate Grant, I casually pitched him the idea of embarking on this trip as he had been getting itchy to spread his wings in an 'overseas' trip, but he wanted to do something epic, crazy and memorable. Something a little different than the standard Overseas Experience, or OE as they say here...
But I had been pitching this trip to various people over the past couple of years, and there was always the 'yeah, that would be epic', or 'can you imagine?' or 'are you crazy?'...but this time was different, Grant said 'I'm in', and I knew he was serious. Now I should add that Kiwi's are a pretty 'straight-up' people, and they call a spade a spade, so I knew he was rock solid. I should also add, that while Grant had been racing as a roadie for years, my debut into the word of cycling happened just some 4 months prior and everything about me screamed 'hack'. What I lacked in riding experience though, I knew I could make up in wilderness experience.
So we had a team of two. And we had the will. And everything else just fall into place right? But wait a tick, oh yeah, we were both working full time as engineers for a power company, how could we take that amount of time off? And again, in typical Kiwi fashion Grant pitched the idea to his boss immediately on the Monday morning...for my Canadian personality though, it wasn't quite so easy. Asking my boss seemed as embarrassing as asking out a really hot girl, one that you knew the chances were stacked against you...but, with a bit of gumption it just sort of came out and with a bit of time, we were both given conditional-'go-ahead' which we were (are) very grateful for.
So then, a couple questions still needed to be answered, first off, when? We knew it had to be in the North American summer, and the preferred direction seemed to be south....so we'd have to leave late enough to allow for most of the snow to melt in the high passes of Colorado, but not leave too late by hitting the derailleur-breaking sticky bad weather in New Mexico. So we planned for July-August as the ideal time....
And then, how long should we take? After a bit of research, the route has been raced in 15 days and change, and the 'suggested' riding days by the guidebook is about 67...so, we knew we didn't want to race it, but we had limited time at our disposal, and we wanted to plan for lots of 'rest days' to climb mountains, go fishing and do other things to take advantage of the surrounds....so we narrowed in on about 50 riding days and 10ish rest days.....making for average days of about 90 kms with a little over 1000 metres of climbing....yikes. But, as they say in NZ ...'she'll be right'.
And finally, who else? Other potentials were my good friend Pablo and my brother John, neither of which could make the timing of this adventure in the end. But my two cousins Simon and Ben were both keen as...and so was a good friend Ryan....So with 2 to start, and potential numbers up to 7, the final number is now at 5 (we'll, 4-1/2 but I'll get to that).
So just who are these jokers that think they can do this anyways? Stay tuned to find out....
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