Bike-packing the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

9/9/24 - Day 44

Weather: sunny

Conditions: flat pavement

Notes: Final day! I had slept on the ground in a flat sandy area last night without setting up the tent to avoid having to pack it up in the morning. I was back on the bike by 7:30am, and just as I had stepped back onto the road, my shuttle driver Sergio drove by and greeted me (I had ordered it for 10am at the border station to avoid having to pedal back to a city). He was the only car on the road. I took the 15 miles to Antelope Wells, TX border station leisurely and took it all in. As I arrived at the finish line, it was nothing but a satisfying and quiet dismount off the bike before putting my hand on the border wall. There was no one there besides Sergio and me as the station had not yet opened for the morning. I took some pictures with the sign, loaded up the bike in the van, and headed towards El Paso, TX to board a train back and head back home.

This has been the adventure of a lifetime for me, and I feel so blessed for having had such safe and successful travels, having had met those amazing people along the way, and having had seen some of the indescribable beauty in western America. To those who followed along, donated, or sent messages of encouragement, THANK YOU and God bless you!

9/8/24 - Day 43

Weather: sunny all day. Not too hot.

Conditions: pavement in and out of town. Gravel in the evening.

Notes: I rose up at sunrise this morning and headed into downtown of Silver City, NM where I found a cafe and grocery store. I stopped at a super cool coffee shop called Tranquil Buzz where I sat and charged my phone. It was super ‘homey’ and full of antiques and art. I then got into a conversation with a lovely lady named Jackie. We talked for what had to have been 2 hours. In spending time traveling alone, as I am, I deeply treasure conversations with local strangers such as this. I told her about my journey and she shared stories from many of hers. We said our goodbyes, and from there, after some coordinating to figure out how to travel home (without having to bike back), I started pedaling out of town towards the border. I pedaled until about midnight along the flat and open desert roads, lit by the start night sky, and I stopped about 15 miles north of the Mexican border.

9/7/24 - Day 42

Weather: sunny and kind of hot.

Conditions: rough gravel all day. Quite a bit of bike walking. Tough narrow single track in the evening.

Notes: Another good push today. I was running low on provisions so I knew I needed to make it to Silver City, NM before evening come. I was very low energy and sore when I woke up, so I was overjoyed when, after about the first 2 miles of the morning, I passed a driveway with a cooler at the end of it that was full of snacks and Gatorade for bikers! A very welcome moral boost. The rest of the day was a steady grind of climbs and descents through deserts and woods. I made it into Silver City, MN around 9:30pm and snarfed down a bunch of McDonalds before finding a spot to set up for the night.

9/6/24 - Day 41

Weather: partly cloudy all day. Nice temp.

Conditions: various qualities of gravel all day. Dusty!

Notes: Long day of just pedaling. I woke up at the toaster house and started pedaling around 7am. Relatively flat roads today. Very remote. Some roads through wide open desert and some among trees. Everytime a car passed me on the road, I’d be engulfed in a cloud of dust. It got dark around 8pm, and I went until 9pm before setting up on the side of the road for the night.

9/5/24 - Day 40

Weather: sunny and a bit cooler than yesterday. Partly cloudy in the afternoon and evening.

Conditions: half pavement and half sandy gravel.

Notes: Packed up and left the Motel around 8am and headed to Pie Town, NM. I rode the white line on the road through El Malpais National Monument for 35 miles which took me through some beautiful bluffs, or mesas. I’m not sure what they’re called. Plateaus? I then turned onto a gravel that took me to Pie Town, NM. I arrived at about 4pm, just in time to stop into the only shop in town for dinner, the Pie-o-neer. Great dinner and pie! The server asked if I was staying at the toaster house which was unfamiliar with, though I had passed a house on the way with yard decorated with toasters. She informed me that it’s a house, the owner of which had passed away, that had been donated to the hikers and bikers passing through the remote area. I am here now and staying for the night! It is a beautiful old cabin full of memorabilia from the owner and everyone who has passed through. When I arrived, the door was unlocked, and the house vacant. Beds everywhere, water and electricity, shower, food left behind by others, etc.. So so cool!

9/4/24 - Day 39

Weather: really hot and sunny.

Conditions: pavement.

Notes: I woke up around 8am in the wide open desert site where I had chosen to stop the night before. It’s a funny feeling sitting up in the morning, looking around, and realizing where you had chosen to stop in the dark to find a place to sleep. I saddled up and rode into Milan, NM. I made it to down the mountain around noon and headed to a Chinese buffet! While I was sitting there, I noticed a Motel 6 across the road with rooms for $60 a night. I checked the weather and saw that today was the hottest day of the week. I was still super tired from last night, so I chose to stay in the motel for the day/night! Of course, it was the best feeling ever to take a shower and lay in a bed for the rest of the hot day. While it is still supposed to be clear skies and hot for the next few days, I’m hoping I can rest up now, and then push through the last 400 miles to the Mexican border!

9/3/24 - Day 38

Weather: hot and sunny

Conditions: pavement

Notes: I got packed up and ready around 8 this morning and stopped into a local cafe for breakfast. After grabbing a bite, I washed my bike in a car wash, bought some snacks from the Dollar General, and started out of Cuba, NM. I made it about 30 miles to a gas station on the side of the road in the middle of the desert. I was planning on only stopping in for a quick lunch, but after coming back outside, I decided it was way too hot. I found an abandoned building where I took a nap, and then started back up around 5pm once it cooled down a bit. I’m glad I waited, as there was no shade or shelter to be seen for miles after. It got dark around 8pm, and I pedaled until midnight. It was the perfect temp and conditions to do so, and the stars were as bright and visible as ever! I stopped about 20 miles outside of Milan, NM.

9/2/24 - Day 37

Weather: hot and sunny

Conditions: extreme rock and sand in the morning, rocky gravel in the afternoon and evening. Pavement into town.

Notes: I started pedaling around 8 am and ended up mostly walking my bike until noon. The roads were nearly unridable, but I didn’t mind as it was a very unique landscape to me. It became a bit more ridable once I reached the top. Around 5pm, I reached the end of the Santa Fe National Forest as the trail turned out onto the highway and led into town. The descent on the highway into Cuba, NM was so very rewarding and satisfying. I really don’t know how to explain how great it felt to fly down a smooth, winding road towards a town with great food after having persevered the trail I had for the day. I reached town around 6pm and immediately got a burrito, a couple tamales, and some fry bread from a small Mexican restaurant. Life is good. Oh, I also saw an elk in the wild for the first time. It was huge!

9/1/24 - Day 36

Weather: hot, dry, snd sunny.

Conditions: rocky gravel all morning

Notes: I woke up this morning with a bunch of cows wandering around my tent. I packed up and started pedaling around 9am. Good, slow, and steady riding on rocky roads until around 3pm when I got to pavement and rode it into the town of Abiquiu, NM. My first stop was at a small pizza corner shop where I met a lovely local family. They were intrigued with my travels and ended up offering me some snacks from their car! The lady working the shop was accustomed to seeing bikers come through. She refilled my water bottles and gave me some info on what I can expect from the upcoming section of trail. I resupplied at a Family Dollar, charged my phone, and headed up the last 4,000 ft climb of the trip around 6pm. It’s been getting darker earlier, of course, so I decided to pedal a bit into the night to avoid climbing in the heat of day. I will never be able to fully describe the feeling of riding towards some distant hills, through a desert valley, when it is pitch black, and the clearest night sky filled with stars to light the dark night. An unforgettable feeling. I made it about 2,000 feet up before finding a good spot to stop for the night around 10pm.

8/31/24 - Day 35

Weather: partly sunny all day

Conditions: rocky, muddy, and desolate.

Notes: In looking at the map, I had hoped that today would go fast, but alas, I started up around 9am and walked my bike until around noon. The trail was either major chunky rocks that were unable to be rode, or muddy black dirt. One section went through a cow pasture of rich, black dirt that was super sticky. After stopping for lunch, the trail got a bit better with some rideable sections, but still much walking was needed to get through. I took it slow and steady until about 8pm this evening and set up next to a small creek in the woods.

8/30/24 - Day 34

Weather: cold sunny morning, rainy afternoon, cloudy evening.

Conditions: very rocky and steep roads in the morning, muddy afternoon, good gravel and a bit of highway in the evening.

Notes: Last night was definitely the coldest night of the trip. I slept with wearing every piece of clothing I had packed. I started pedaling around 9am or so and headed downhill into the ‘town’ of Platoro, CO. This may be one of my favorite towns so far, as it was not much of a town at all, but rather, it looked like a ghost town of old cabins. Some of the cabins were abandoned, and some were half-dilapidated, but still occupied. There was a small camp store selling few snacks and supplies attached to a cafe. I was the only one there besides the teenage desk attendant and the two 80 year-olds working on fixing the door to the large, old, wood structure. I bought some food and waited out the rain on the porch. I meandered around some of the old cabins for a while, and then headed down the road. It was terribly muddy, and I walked the bike about 5 of the 15 miles out of the ravine in which the trail was located. In the evening, I made it to the highway, and rode that about 5 miles to make it to the turnoff leading into the woods. I finally arrived at the Colorado-New Mexico border. I went a few miles in from there and stopped for the night.

8/29/24 - Day 33

Weather: mostly sunny all day. Hot and dry. Hail and freezing rain on top of the mountain.

Conditions: rocky dirt road in the morning and decent gravel in the evening.

Notes: I got packed up and started pedaling around 8:30am this morning and headed into the town of Del Norte, CO. The trail into town was rough. I arrived to town around 10am and stopped into a coffee shop for a burrito and coffe while I charged the phone. I took my time in town as it took a while for the batteries to charge. It was a hot afternoon, and right out of town was the start of the highest elevation pass of the route (12,000 ft) with a 4,000 ft climb leading up to it. After grocery shopping, it was late afternoon, and I stopped in to a place for a burger and a shake. As I finished eating, a couple who I hadn’t even noticed, were leaving and told me they had bought my meal! They asked a little bit about my ride, wished me luck, and left. So so kind. On my way out of town, I bought a peach from a peach stand, ate it in the shade, and then started the climb. The road was in pretty decent condition and gradual. I was dripping sweat by the time I reached the top of the peak, but within about 2 minutes, I was absolutely freezing. I raced to get down from the peak as the wind blew in and the rain was coming down. Around 8pm as it started getting dark, I was drawing near a spot on my map labeled the Elwood Cabin that I had hoped would be a free cabin where I could stop and sleep for the night. When I approached the cabin, I noticed it was occupied. As I rolled up, someone walked out. I said hello, to which they screamed, and ran back inside. This was shortly followed by a man who came out with a gun, and a bright flashlight, pointed. I put my hands up and apologized profusely for startling them. He was quick to understand, recognized me as a biker on the trail, and wished me the best in finding a spot for the night. I went a few more miles before finding a flat spot to set up for the night above 11,000 ft of elevation.

8/28/24 - Day 32

Weather: mostly sunny in the morning, cloudy and windy evening.

Conditions: gravel all day.

Notes: Today was pretty straight forward. Got on the road around 8:00 am and just pedaled all day. No towns or attractions, just scenic gravels over two moderate climbs, a couple of basins, and lots of farmlands. I stopped on occasion to have a snack and refill water from a river. Had some great podcasts to keep me company today. I rode until around 8:00 pm and reached an empty campground just as the headwinds started to get strong. Camped down in a canyon out of the wind.

8/27/24 - Day 31

Weather: clear skies all day.

Conditions: mostly gravel. Pavement in and out of town.

Notes: I got going around 8:30 this morning and did about 20 miles or so to make it to Salida, CO. I picked up some more snacks, charged the phone, and began climbing up a 4,000 ft. climb over Marshall Pass. Despite being a lot of elevation change, the road was in good condition and pretty gradual. There’s truly nothing better than the feeling of gliding down a mountain side after climbing all day. I pedaled until about 8:00 pm before finding a spot to camp alongside the road.

8/26/24 - Day 30

Weather: cool temps and wind all day. Party cloudy all day with some rain in the afternoon.

Conditions: mostly gravel all day. Some pavement.

Notes: A good day of just pedaling. Started climbing out of Breckenridge, CO and over Boreas Pass around 8am. For how high the elevation was, the road was nice and gradual. The downhill on the other side was absolutely amazing! Definitely, one of the best feelings out here is being able to go down the mountain on the other side. The views were fantastic all day. The rest of the afternoon was mostly pedaling across rolling hills and valleys. It rained shortly after I made it to Hartsel, CO, and I was able to wait it out under shelter. From there, I pedaled until 8:30pm and found a grove of aspens in a pasture where I hunkered down for the night.

8/25/24 - Day 29

Weather: cloudy morning. Rainy afternoon and evening with thunderstorms.

Conditions: paved bike trail.

Notes: When I woke up this morning, I went downstairs around 8:00, and Tim was making us all breakfast! So kind. Whole bunch of eggs, vegetables, fruits, and bagels. We sat and ate while talking about the day until 11:00 am when I decided to say my goodbyes. We knew this would likely be the last time we’d see each other on this trip as we were leaving in different directions, but we exchanged contacts, and I can go visit them in Germany next time. I rode about 10 miles total in the day. I had planned to make it through Breckenridge, CO and up and over Boreas Pass (11,500 feet), but after having lunch and talking on the phone with my mom, she had made a joke about hanging out at an oxygen bar for the afternoon. Since I had just pedaled past one, and knowing nothing about it, having never done it before, I decided to check it out. The building the shop was located in was an old, log cabin of which I came to later find out, was the second oldest building in the city of Breckenridge, CO. Ty, one of the owners of Pharmstrong, was super hospitable and walked me through the info. Apparently breathing O2 can enhance athletic performance, especially at those high elevations. As I was in there, a thunderstorm started to roll in. Ty offered to let me sleep in the shop for the night as to avoid having to pedal through the storm on the pass. The opportunity was way too cool to pass up, so I decided to stay for the night in downtown Breckenridge, CO! Thank you, Pharmstrong, for your kindness and generosity for me to indulge in this amazing experience!!

8/24/24 - Day 28

Weather: mostly cloudy and windy all day. Almost rained but it held off.

Conditions: gravel all day and pavement into town.

Notes: Started the day with a cold morning climbing out of the Colorado River ravine followed by a 15 mile climb to Kremmling, CO. Along the way, I realized I wasn’t able to shift into my lowest gear, so I stopped and hung my bike in a tree to work on the derailleur. It took me about half an hour, but I was able to get it working again. Stopped for a coffee and breakfast burrito in town and pushed on to make it to Frisco, CO. Along the way into town, I saw a sign on someone’s driveway that read, “free biker water”. I slowed down to check it out, and the cooler under his mailbox had waters and snacks in it. I stopped for a snack, and pretty soon, the owner, Steve, came out to greet me. He kindly offered me more food if I wanted and told me what to expect with the upcoming climb into town. Super cool! Also, a guy we camped with last night kindly gave us free access to his Airbnb for the evening! I got there about 9pm, took a shower, and relished in the luxury of hanging out and talking with friends in the nice living room. Feeling so thankful and blessed!

8/23/24 - Day 27

Weather: coldly morning. Off-and-on rain all afternoon and evening.

Conditions: pavement out of town, gravel rest of day.

Notes: Felt good to be rolling again after a break yesterday. I waited until about noon to start pedaling hoping the rain would stop. After having spent yesterday drying out my shoes and cleaning the bike, it immediately started raining again as soon as I was out of town, but that’s part of the game. Had some decent climbs with awesome descents over the 60 miles I biked heading out of Steamboat Springs, CO. I made it to the Colorado River at about 8pm and found Tim, Mathias, and another biker, Jesse, at the campsite and promptly set up the tent just before it started raining again.

8/22/24 - Day 26

Weather: cloudy all day. Rainy in the afternoon.

Conditions: be-bopin around town.

Notes: Today was my first zero day! Technically we did about 6 miles to get to the bike shop and back, but riding without the bags made me feel like I was gonna float away. We had an amazing lunch at a Mexican restaurant, went grocery shopping, and went for a good, long walk. The rest of the time we were just chilling in the hotel room. I also got some fresh tires and brake pads on the bike! I am happy to have rested today, but extra excited to get back at it on fresh wheels tomorrow!

8/21/24 - Day 25

Weather: hot and sunny in the morning, rainy all afternoon and evening.

Conditions: gravel. A very rocky and technical mountain pass. Pavement into town.

Notes: Another big day. Started pedaling around 8 this morning. Around 10am, I made it to the Colorado border. Then around noon, after a bit of a climb, I arrived at Brush Mountain Ranch, CO where I happened to see Tim and Mathias again along with many other bikers! The lady running the ranch was super kind, and she casually brought me pop and water as I sat on the deck with the other bikers. There were many cabins there, mostly for bikers, as we were on a remote mountain side. The lady also made us amazing wood-fired pizzas. Everything was donation based, and it was more like a beautiful home than anything else. Tim, Mathias and I decided we wanted to push into Steamboat Springs, CO for the night because they had already booked a room and wanted me to split it with them. When we left around 1pm, there was about 10 bikers beside us who were also riding into town as we noticed a big thunderstorm coming up over the mountain. We had about a 3,000 foot climb over a mountain to get into town, and the pass was severely rocky and technical. It was also raining. We made it over the pass and back down to pavement around 7pm. We had a 20 mile or so push into town through hard rain to reach the hotel. We arrived around 9:30pm, checked in, bought a couple of snacks from Safeway, and then went to bed. This was my first night not sleeping in my tent since I started!

8/20/24 - Day 24

Weather: hot and sunny

Conditions: gravel, and some washboard gravel

Notes: After biking until about midnight last night, and because today was the hottest day of the week, I decided to take it easy most of the day so I could wait until it cools down in the evening to keep pedaling through the Great Basin. I spent most of the day at a truck stop rehydrating and relaxing until about 6pm. I pedaled about 40 miles in the evening. It felt weird starting so late in the evening, but I am happy about it because it would’ve been way too hot, and I am already I bit sun-burned from yesterday. Pedaling through the desert at night is a feeling I’ve never quite felt before. The moon was near full so I could often ride without my headlight. I stopped at about 11pm and set up in the most wide open area I’ve ever camped before.

8/19/24 - Day 23

Notes: hot, sunny, and strong winds. Partly cloudy in the evening.

Conditions: arid Wyoming desert with rolling hills. Gravel all day of various conditions.

Notes: A lot of pedaling today! I got up and going from the little oasis in the desert I had camped in and then spent all day riding through the wide-open desert. I took a brief break around noon in the small, rundown, and mostly abandoned town of Atlantic City, WY where I ate a quick burger at the mercantile and was able to visit with two northbound bikers. From there, I biked a lot of straight, long miles with very gradual climbs and descents. I ended up pedaling some night miles as it was a full moon with cooler temps. I also had a tailwind. I made it into Wamsutter, WY at about midnight. The desert is not for me, but it was an amazing experience to have crossed it, and it was super cool to have done some night miles! My map says I did around 140 miles today. I also reached 1,400 miles which means I’m halfway through my adventure!

8/18/24 - Day 22

Weather: hot and sunny until 5 p.m. when clouds rolled in. Storms on the horizon tonight.

Conditions: half pavement and gravel. Mostly flat.

Notes: I started today with about 25 miles into Pinedale, WY and grabbed lunch and groceries there. Mostly highway miles into town and about 5 miles on gravel. I hung out in the shade at a gas station during the hottest part of the day and had a good conversation with a 26-year-old dude from Alberta, Canada who was motorcycling around the states. I did about 10 more highway miles to get out of town, followed by about 40 more down gravel through what felt like the desert. So thankful for the clouds that rolled in toward the evening because there was no shade to be found. I camped in a grove of trees next to a river.

8/17/24 - Day 21

Weather: very hot, sunny, smoky and dusty until around 4 p.m. when clouds and a cool, strong headwind rolled in.

Conditions: some pavement, mostly gravel with some sections being very rocky and chunky gravel. The type of road would only be ridable by four wheelers and side by sides.

Notes: Started the day out by riding about 15 miles down from a mountain pass and happened to notice Tim and Mathias’s bikes outside of a log cabin cafe. Side note: I love checking out all these little cafes. We were the only ones dining in this cafe. There was an older lady who was the only one working. She was both cooking and serving and was quite straightforward in telling us what we could and could not order as she “only does scrambled eggs”. I was thankful to have stopped in as well because she told us that due to a wildfire, we had to go over Union Pass instead of our designated route, about a 10-mile extra detour. It was a tough climb in very hot and smoky conditions. After about 4 hours, I reached the top and could see the gigantic smoke plume coming from the 700-acre fire I had thankfully avoided. Crazy sight to see. The weather shifted fast around 4 p.m. and clouds and a strong headwind blew in. The wind was so strong, I had to pedal in a low gear in order to keep moving downhill! Extremely rocky gravel heading down. I am so amazed and extremely thankful for my still-inflated tires and lack of mechanical issues. Pedaled until about 8:30 p.m. and made it to a bar and grill cabin called ‘The Place’ and hung out with a group of locals playing pool for the evening.

8/16/24 - Day 20

Weather: nice and sunny all day.

Conditions: half pavement half gravel.

Notes: I started pedaling around 10 a.m. after a slow start this morning and pedaled into a camping town of sorts on the edge of Jackson Lake, WY in Grand Teton National Park. Tim and Mathias caught up to me as I was browsing for snacks in the gas station. I spotted a laundromat with showers and decided with spend the afternoon there. I got done with that around 4 p.m. and pedaled mostly highway miles until I turned off onto a very rutted gravel that I rode for a half an hour before finding a place to setup for the night in the moonlight around 9:30 p.m.

8/15/24 - Day 19

Weather: cold morning but mostly sunny, bit of rain in the late afternoon and a big thunderstorm late evening.

Conditions: about a quarter of the day on pavement and the rest on various types of gravel.

Notes: I started pedaling out of camp around 7:30 this morning after having camped with six other bike packers, and I rode about 10 more miles to get to a gas station where I bought a coffee and a sandwich. From there, it was a few hours of super soft and sandy gravel. The Germans, Tim and Mathias, caught up to me around 11 a.m. and we rode together for most of the afternoon. On the pavement, we took turns drafting and leading. It was super fun to ride with others, especially on pavement, as it made it feel safer and set a good pace. Then we got to some really bumpy gravel where we all split up as we worked our way up a mountain pass. I caught up to them around 6 p.m. as they were setting up camp for the night. I took a break with them for a few minutes before continuing on. I did about another 20 miles from there before settling down for the night on the edge of Grand Teton National Park.

8/14/24 - Day 18

Weather: sunny morning, rain in the afternoon, cloudy evening.

Conditions: packed gravel and pavement.

Notes: Today when I woke up at camp, I got to talking with 63-year-old bike packer, Eric, who I talked with as I packed up in the morning and then met up with again once I got to town. Also, I met up in town with two German bikers my age named Tim and Mathias. It was about 35 miles from camp into town, and after having spent most of the morning cleaning my bike, I was so thankful to reach shelter in town just before the rain started. We all got Subway sandwiches, stopped at the grocery store, and then camped about 5 miles out of town. I am very thankful that my bike is still mechanically sound after yesterday!

8/13/24 - Day 17

Weather: very windy morning, rainy afternoon, cloudy evening.

Conditions: flat open gravel and dirt roads. Mud.

Notes: I left Lima, MT about noon today, after waiting for my batteries to charge in the morning, and set off into another day of being in a big, flat, expansive plain between the mountains. While today might’ve been the flattest day so far, it was by far the muddiest. The rain started around 2 pm while I was in the middle of a 20-mile expanse with no shelter or trees to be found. After an hour of riding in the rain, I found an unlocked, empty cargo box in a field where I got warm and waited out the rest of the rain. Towards the end of the day, the rain had been the perfect amount to form on the dirt roads what is known as “peanut butter mud” because it is so sticky. I went through a particularly muddy section of road, and within 50 feet I could no longer pedal the bike because the entire drivetrain was clogged with mud. I spent the next few hours pushing my bike about 6 miles to reach the spot I wanted to camp at for the night. There were sections where my tires stopped spinning completely due to the mud as I continued to push it down the road. Got into camp late and promptly passed out.

7/12/24 - Day 16

Weather: sunny in the morning, off and on rainy in the afternoon, cloudy in the evening.

Conditions: smooth to rough gravel all day with a few miles of pavement.

Notes: Today felt like I put the most miles on in one day. When I left the state park, I rode about 15 miles of what felt like the most deserted gravel road ever just because of how out in the open it was. As I pulled into the ‘town’ of Grant, it looked as though the three buildings, of which the town consisted, appeared out of nowhere and were completely uninhabited. One building had seven bikes parked outside of it and I knew I had found where to stop. It was a restaurant of sorts, and the sign said “closed” but when I walked in through the big thick wooden door, there were all the bike packers sitting around a dinner table of what looked to be someone’s living room in a cabin. A 12-year old girl greeted me at the door and showed me to a fridge they had stocked specifically for bike packers to get some food! I microwaved one of their homemade burritos and had coffee around the table with the others. From there, we all took off accordingly down the most straightforward gravel I’ve ever rode, with almost nothing to be seen besides the vast, reverent mountains in the distance. It was relatively the flattest land I’ve had on this trip with about a 3,000 ft. climb over 30 miles with a respective descent on the other side. I pedaled until 9:00 to make it to Lima, MT.

8/11/24 - Day 15

Weather: partly cloudy all day.

Conditions: pavement!!! WAHOO!!!

Notes: Today felt really great! Started the morning with biking 10 miles into the town of Wisdom River, MT to get a breakfast burrito. Afterwards, I did about 35 miles on a paved scenic byway to make it into Elkhorn Hot Springs, MT! They had a sauna with a hot springs hot tub in it, so I spent two hours relaxing there before pedaling about another 20 miles to get to Bannack State Park, MT. The pedal out to this point was unlike anywhere I’ve pedaled so far. For a majority of this trip, I have traveled on back gravel roads deep in the woods and occasionally some open valleys, but in pedaling to this camp, I rode through what felt like a desert. There were no trees or shade of any kind to be seen, in any direction, for miles. There were the occasional set of corrals or a deteriorating shack, random cows plunked throughout the area, and the road you’re pedaling looks like it goes infinitely into the horizon. It eventually dipped down into the state park which was in a ravine that was home to an old ghost town… and it was free to explore! Travelers had to pay to camp in the park, but just as I pulled in, a guy who was pulling out said I could have his spot for the night.

8/10/24 - Day 14

Weather: rain off and on all day.

Conditions: mostly muddy gravel. Muddy black dirt on a mountain pass.

Notes: Today, all day, felt like a lot of pedaling though it was only about 50 miles over two big mountain passes. It rained off and on all day and I felt like I was stopping to change layers every hour - either to put on or put away my rain jacket. The bouts of rain would last about 20 minutes at a time and I’d usually wait it out under some pine trees. I saw two honey badgers on the trail today. Today might’ve been my favorite so far just with the amazing huge views in conjunction with the crazy weather. Totally indescribable the feelings of seeing lightning above a mountain in the distance when you know you’ve already passed or are going to be climbing, or the feeling of riding down the side of a mountain during a thunderstorm hoping to make it out of the open and into the trees before it starts coming down hard, or the feeling of knowing you’re the only one who will ever see the view you’re seeing… the way you are seeing it. My thoughts are alway focused on where I’m getting to next or where I am going to get food or water, but I’m focusing on trying to be present in each and every unique experience.

Also, a note of what I’m working with logistically - My gps is great at letting me know exactly where I am, but it does not track me close enough (such as if I climb a mountain full of switchbacks, the gps will draw a straight line through them instead of tracking my distance by the road I was on) and so I am unable to get an accurate measure of my daily mileage, but I am ok with that as it has allowed me to think less about how far I am going per day and more so focus on how I am feeling day by day as well as how much effort I’m putting in. I have been satisfied with my efforts thus far and I can say honestly to myself that I am giving everyday the best that I have to give. From what my map shows, I’ve done over 700 miles so far which means I’m averaging a little over 50 miles a day regardless of elevation.

8/9/24 - Day 13

Weather: sunny all morning, rain, lightning, and hail for an hour in the afternoon, cloudy evening with rain at night.

Conditions: bad gravel most of the day with a very rocky and washed-out mountain pass.

Notes: Started the morning with a climb to a rocky summit and descent down into the town of Basin, MT. I got a taco salad for lunch at the only business in the town, a bar, and they said that pass was one of the hardest parts of the trail… I heard the same thing about Canada and Colorado. Then I did a moderate climb out to town to make it towards Butte, MT for the evening. Around 5:00, it started to rain and I sought shelter under a nearby shed just before it started to hail. After waiting it out, the sun came back out as I rode down into Butte, MT. This area is so beautiful. I’ve been riding through a lot of cow pastures and have had amazing expansive views most of the time. I feel like I’m on the set of the show Yellowstone.

8/8/24 - Day 12

Weather: cool and cloudy most of the day.

Conditions: rough gravel to start the day, pavement into Helena, MT, and gravel out of town.

Notes: Helena, MT was cool! Kind of a gnarly rutted gravel descent this morning to get down to the highway, then rode into town and got breakfast and groceries before checking out The Great Divide Cyclery, where I got a sweet sticker. Then early dinner while recharging the batteries at a brewery where I met two other bike packers riding from the top of Canada to the bottom of Argentina. I asked how long they had been riding. One of them has been bike packing consecutively for nearly 6 years! After everything was charged, I did a big climb out of town on gravel which felt like an intense rumble strip the whole way. Camped next to Park Lake near the top of the mountain!

8/7/24 - Day 11

Weather: cloudy and cool in the morning, rain for about two hours in the afternoon, partly cloudy evening.

Conditions: good gravel for most of day. Rocky trails on two climbs.

Notes: Today was a good pace. Knee pain not as much of an issue today. I got coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the gas station in Lincoln, MT and started pedaling around 9:00. When I reached the top of the first pass, it started raining and continued for two hours or so as I descended. Went past the infamous lama farm hostel on one of the gravels. Tonight, I’m camped near the top of the second mountain pass I crossed today about 13 miles from Helena, MT.

8/6/24 - Day 10

Weather: rained till 8, sunny morning, cloudy afternoon, rainy evening and night.

Conditions: gravel in the morning, highway in the evening.

Notes: Started the morning slow after waking up to some rain while camping just outside of Seeley Lake, MT. Got groceries and breakfast in town before riding a gravel to the town of Ovando, MT. After talking with some other folks riding the trail, I had to re-route south of the mountain pass that I was supposed to take and ended up doing 25 highway miles into Lincoln, MT because of the Black Mountain Forest Fire. Hopefully all this rain helps. Dealt with some constant knee pain for most of the day. Met two hikers in Lincoln, MT who were on day 112 of their hike on the Continental Divide! Also got a big burger in town.

8/5/24 - Day 9

Weather: cloudy and humid all day. Rain started at sunset.

Conditions: mostly wet gravel all day with some tight single track and some rocky mountain passes.

Notes: Today was mostly solo all day. I got up around 8 and started pedaling, hoping to make it to the town of Seeley Lake, Montana in time for a late lunch/early dinner. I had 40 miles to tackle before reaching the town, but once I started climbing the next mountain pass, I realized it would take me a lot longer than expected. The climb went well and it had a really fun semi-smooth single-track descent. As I was nearing the road again, I was thrilled to see a group of five bike packers at the bottom who must’ve descended just before me. When I reached them, I was surprised to see my friend Rob, who I had met while crossing the border, with this group. However, I was even more surprised to see him dusty, bloody, and in an arm sling. While descending, his tire snagged a log which resulted in sending him over the handlebars, bending up his front tire, and his bike, while also dislocating his shoulder and puncturing his arm in multiple places. As soon as I reached the group, they asked if I had phone service. I had one bar of coverage, more than any of them, so I called 911. The ranger arrived after about half an hour. Rob was in a lot of pain, but nothing immediately life threatening, so the ranger left, but told the ambulance how to get up there. Another half an hour later, the ambulance arrived. I disassembled Rob’s bike and loaded it into the ambulance as they cared for him. They drove off and I rode into town to get a good dinner. It was a stark reminder of how bad things can go out here.

8/4/24 - Day 8

Weather: rain through the night till 8 a.m. then from noon to 6 p.m. pretty steady and heavy. Cloudy, foggy evening.

Conditions: muddy gravel all day.

Notes: Today was just a steady grind up and down gravels. Started the morning with a jaunt into a super small town where I got a coffee and bagel from a corner shop for breakfast then went down an old gravel for a few hours then climbed up a pass for the following few hours while it was raining. I stopped for a while under a big pine tree to get some cover during the hard rain. It let up let up in the evening, so I was able to push on. Camped on a turn off on this gravel road for the night. Haven’t seen a car on this road all day so I should be good.

8/3/24 - Day 7

Weather: cloudy and humid with light sprinkles in morning and afternoon.

Conditions: good gravel and pavement.

Notes: Feeling refreshed after today! Started with a fun 25 mile cruise mostly downhill into Whitefish, Montana. Got a burger with a huckleberry shake for lunch and pedaled another 15 miles over to Columbia Falls where I spent the evening at the laundromat, grocery store and an old baseball dugout during a bit of rain. On my way out of town I saw a mountain lion cross the road! I put on some miles from there and now I’m posted up for the night!

8/2/24 - Day 6

Weather: hot and dusty

Conditions: 2 rocky gravel climbs over mountain passes and the rest was suuuper dusty gravel.

Notes: Shortly after leaving the campground this morning, I was surprised to see Rob had caught up to me, and so we rode together for an hour until I took off ahead up the pass. I stopped to talk with two other bikers from the UK who had stopped under the shade of a tree on a cliff halfway up to have lunch. Around 2:00, I came across a public cabin and stopped to have lunch. Rob caught up to me shortly after I arrived and hung out for an hour before pushing on. I stayed another two hours in the shade to beat the main heat of the day and did one more big climb this evening. Looking forward to Whitefish, Montana!

8/1/24 - Day 5

Weather: no clouds. Very sunny. Dry heat. 95 degrees. No wind.

Conditions: overgrown road to start followed by completely overgrown, muddy single track up a mountain, rocky gravel descent. Pavement into town and to Grave Creek campground.

Notes: This route is no joke! Started the day getting on some overgrown muddy single track trail to reach the base of Galton pass. On the way there I carried my bike up a section of the trail called ‘the wall’. Following this was a 2,000 ft climb followed by a 3,000 ft descent on an abandoned overgrown road. This let out onto the highway leading to the border. While crossing I pulled up to the station the same time another bike packer, Rob, arrived. I saw his bike in town along with others next to a restaurant, so I stopped as well and got fish and chips there along with a couple other bikers I’ve seen along the way. Super fun to hear about other people’s experiences on the trails. After charging my devices, I took a break from the heat to swim in the river and met Rob there, and we ended up talking for about two hours. Then I took off around 7 toward Grave Creek campground on the edge of Flathead National Forest where I’m camping tonight. Happy to be back in America!!!

7/31/24 - Day 4

Weather: partly cloudy all day with moderate winds in the afternoon. Clear skies tonight.

Conditions: long gravel roads of various conditions.

Notes: Today was a steady grind down a lot of long backcountry gravels. Started with a long descent onto a dusty gravel that I rode for some hours til reaching Butts cabin. It was a small cabin along the side of the road with a stove and some bunk beds for travelers to use. After lunch there, I ended up going 2 miles downhill past my turn and also missed the turn on the way back because it didn’t look like a road at all. That road led me to the road I am camping on tonight; it’s about a 15 mile road permanently closed to motorized vehicles, thus it is very overgrown and laden with debris. Very fun to explore but makes for slow travel. I am now camped about 25 miles from the US border with a steep climb between here and there and an infamous section of the trail called ‘the wall’. We’ll see how it goes!

7/30/24 - Day 3:7/30/24 - Day 3

Weather: cloudy most of the day with light rain in the afternoon. Low winds, nice temperature.

Conditions: remote forest, service gravels most of the day.

Notes: Great day! Woke up this morning to a deer sniffing at the outside of my tent. The two of them proceeded to hangout nearby as I packed up and ate breakfast. Started the day with a good climb followed by an awesome descent leading me into Fernie, British Columbia for lunch and a resupply. On the way into town I saw a bear about 30 yards ahead of me run into the woods as I rounded a corner. In town, I got a burger and a beer while waiting for my phone to charge and got talking with a local man who paid for my lunch! Thank you Randy!!! I left town around 3:00 and did a good casual climb until 9:00 this evening. Feeling good!

Not to mention the views are… the best.

7/29/24 - Day 2:

Weather: cold morning. mostly cloudy all day with light sprinkles in the evening. Hard headwinds while going through a mountain valley.

Conditions: long hilly, dusty gravel in the morning, extreme “hike a bike” mountain pass in the afternoon, long, hilly, windy gravel in the evening.

Notes: Day 2! Wow. So this is what bike packing is like. I started pedaling around 7:00 this morning and stopped at 7:30 pm. The gps said I did 66 miles, but my map says I did 80. I have a few ideas why the gps might not be keeping up, but it’s no problem for now. This morning started with a long, hilly, and dusty gravel road that went about 40 miles with no turn offs. I was hoping to make it into the town of Fernie, British Columbia for supper this evening but quickly realized that wasn’t gonna happen when I started my way up Elkford pass. It took me about 5 hours to carry my bike up about 5 miles of steep, completely unridable, barely walkable, jagged rock… and the flies were terrible. The descent took quite a while, too, as I had to walk my bike down more jagged rock. I ended the day slowly working my way through a mountain valley with extreme headwinds. It was a brutal day, but the views are spectacular, and I am feeling good and am so thankful to be out here!

7/28/24 - Day 1:

Weather: mostly sunny all day with the perfect temperature

Conditions: rough and rocky double track this morning followed by a long stretch of super dusty gravel with cars going by, couple miles of pavement, then ended the day with some rough, steep “hike a bike” adventure up to a summit.

Notes: Day one in the books! I am so happy to be on trail and done with planning. Now all that remains is myself, my bike, and a long trail. I knew beforehand that I wouldn’t know what I had gotten myself into until I started, and it has become blatantly apparent how physically challenging this is going to be. Nevertheless, I am filled with gratitude for how blessed I am to be able to experience this, and I am excited for the challenge. Tonight I am camping on the boarder of Alberta and British Colombia.

P.S. The mosquitoes are horrendous.

Let the adventures begin!!!

Spray River West - Trail head in Banff!

Since August of 2023, I have been trying to figure out if I am capable of giving myself, and following through with the opportunity to bike-pack the entirety of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. From what I learned circumnavigating Lake Superior, the process of planning for a multi-week expedition… solo… is a strange and arduous journey in and of itself.

Currently, I am writing this a week away from my departure to Banff. In anticipation for such a trip, now is when I find myself unable to think about anything else other than one general question; am I ready?

I’ve come to learn that you can get stuck asking yourself this question ad infinitum. It is easy to get stuck in the planning phase and incessantly ask yourself what else you could do better to prepare, what better piece of gear could you get or go without, what if, what if what if… but at a certain point, you have to nail down a date and ‘just send it’.