So it's been awhile since my last blog-worthy adventure. Well, really I just haven't had the time for anything since the holidays. Ya know the usual suspects: work, other work, family life, and just trying to get rides in when I can. All of those things have kind of put racing on the back burner this year so far; besides, racing costs money and we are looking to buy a house this year. Anyway! I had planned to do a two day bike pack trip early this year to prep for the AZT 300, but as many of you know that plan was squashed in November. But, this shouldn't rule out an overnight trip, right?
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| Top cap Mantra. |
I began planning for this trip about a month ago (February). I had a general idea of where I wanted to go and how to get there, but wanted to do it right (complete GPX track to follow). So naturally I started with gear instead of the digital bits. I ordered up a Revelate Designs Pika seat bag and the Bedrock Bags Vishnu handlebar bag. These were the last two pieces to the gear puzzle in my eyes, besides a Tyvek bivy pocket, which I needed to make. I had plans for both bags, but soon realized that the bar bag wasn't going to hold quite as much as I wanted. So I was forced to put my clothes and small personal items in the bar bag and my sleep system in the seat bag, that way those bags wouldn't need to be accessed until I reached camp. As for my bivy pocket, I tracked down an E-how file and it seemed easy enough. Instead of stitching two sheets together I just used heavy duty packing tape and doubled up the seams.
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| Some of my nutritional items |
After figuring out the mechanical details I turned to the logistical aspect. I decided to ride from home to Bumble Bee via the Maricopa Trail and
Black Canyon Trail, most of which I had ridden, except for the BCT North
of Rock Springs. I also think having the complete GPX just made navigating less stressful even over familiar terrain. Until this trip I had only use Topofusion software to read and analyze GPX files for other trips I was going on. I had never used it to create one, boy did I hit the learning curve HARD! I'm not super tech savy, so I just fumbled my way through it just like most other things and eventually; over three nights, I figured it all out. I wont lie I was pretty proud of myself. All that was left to figure out was nutrition and loading the bike.
The time had come, three weeks of planning for two days of riding. I left home at 0630 to take advantage of the cool morning as much as possible. On the ride through the Sonoran Preserve I came across quite a few hikers and some cyclists, I guess they got the memo about warm weather coming in. After reaching Carefree Hwy I chose to follow 7th Ave North through Desert Hills to the MCT.
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| Busy Intersection |
While in the bike lane I passed a number of runners participating in the Ragnar Relay which had a checkpoint nearby.Some of the runners were definitely in the pain cave, others were a bit more cheerful as I greeted them. After pulling off on the MCT at the fire station I stopped to take off my knee warmers and put on my glasses and sun sleeves. My next stop was the Fry's in Anthem to top off water since my next source would be the Aqua Fria past Table Mesa. I continues on the MCT until it intersects with the BCT near the federal prison and started north. That lower section of BCT is pretty awful, luckily I ticked by pretty quick and I hit Emery Henderson by 0845. I was warned that the BCT from EH to the first jeep road was really rutted from rain and bikes, it most definitely was. After trudging through ruts the trail smoothed out after the first jeep road and remained constant the rest of the way.
I started to notice the heat after passing Table Mesa Rd and started to focus on hydration since I didn't want to fall behind. I quickly scaled the dead cow segment on the East leg of the Little Pan and found my way to the river. I found the recently cut path to the river which was nice.
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| Some wildlife on the trail |
I made my first water crossing and decided to eat lunch and filter water to top off my supply. I made sure to soak my feet in the water to cool down and kept my bandana and sleeves wet. I was stopped for about 45mins and started of around 1200. I came across a heard of cattle just up the road climb, so I stopped and slowly wrangled them out of the road and I was on my way. I came across four more cyclists at the top of the Little Pan as I started the segment to Rock Springs, I think they did an EH-RS out and back. This is where the heat got real and I stopped twice to catch my breath and force hydration. The section between the last jeep road and the RS over look turns into an oven at high noon, reminiscent of the AZT climb out of the Gila towards Picketpost. I finally crested over and cooled down on my descent to the next river crossing.
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| It's too hot for this! |
After crossing at Rock Springs I took my time to finish up some of my water since my next stop was just over the hill. I then began climbing out and over to the Trailhead. I rounded one of the corners to see the AZDPS helicopter landing just off the trail. It turns out someone was being evacuated from the trail. Just another reminder to stay hydrated. After reaching the gas station near the Rock Springs Cafe; I decided to finish what remaining water I had before going in to buy more. I also determined I only had about 3-4 hours before making camp which would put me there around sunset. I spent about an hour in the shade drinking water and eating snacks before topping off and heading out. I mainly did this because I wanted to ensure I was well hydrated since there wouldn't be any water at my camp area.
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| First of four water crossings |
When planning my trip I knew I had the option of back tracking to the river and doing the complete BCC section or accessing the trail elsewhere after passing through town, that idea sounded better. I figured it would be one less water crossing and would save some time. I gradually found my way to Maggie Mine Rd and started riding/hiking my way up. Everything from here to my camp would be new to me and It started out really fun and twisty. It was demanding since it was tight and not much trail in spots, but it was nice to be back on the dirt as the sun started to fall over the hills. To my surprise there was one more water crossing and this was the swiftest yet. I quickly crossed at mounted up eager to find camp. Then, I hit the crappy two track climb; I tried my best to keep pedaling over the loose rocks but it was just too slick and I wanted to conserve energy so I started hiking. After meeting with a jeep road I was greeted with more twisty single track and luckily it didn't feel like much climbing. I was getting close to camp as the buzz of the high way got louder. And then I was there!
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| Looking South towards Anthem on Maggie Mine Rd. |
I rounded one last turn to see the trail head in the distance. I didn't want to camp at the trail head because it was close to a road and there were flat areas off the trail. So I picked a spot and started to set up. I got my bivy and fleece bag all situated and then started boiling water for my dehydrated meal (red beans and rice with jerk chicken).
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| Camp for the night |
I got changed into some dry clothes and left my others to air out. I sat down next to my gear and saw bugs flying around, than realized they were mosquitoes, then noticed they were swarming around me I had to keep moving around so they couldn't land and bite me. It was still to warm to put on more layers. After riding all day I really just wanted to sit and relax, but now walked up and down the trail eating my dinner and drinking my scotch. Luckily there was no one there to see it, they would have thought I was a mental case. My only hope was that it would cool down and the mosquitoes would go away. I finally had enough and sought shelter in my bivy while trying to keep as much of my body covered from mosquitoes. But, they were relentless. I could hear them with my ear plugs in as they buzzed around my head and neck. Finally, I just covered my face with my hoodie and fell asleep for about 2 hours, only to wake up for a while then drift off again. This cycle went on all night. I began to get cold and started putting more layers on, first my knee warmers, then another pair of socks, then a beanie and my hoodie. The condensation began to build on the inside of the bivy which made my fleece bag wet and colder as the breeze picked up. After never ending restlessness and being pestered by insects the moon began to set and the sunlight began to show; I got up and wrapped myself in the fleece bag so that I could sit and drink my coffee and eat my Kates bar for breakfast, without being eaten alive.
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| What a view for morning coffee |
I was excited this morning, because today my good friend Scott was coming up to meet me and ride back to Table Mesa, he had arranged a shuttle for himself. So I slowly got changed and packed up my gear. As I begin to strap my bar bag on the bike I notice a crack in my frame about 3" from the head tube, It went almost around the entire top tube I knew right then my day was over before it began. I called Scott to let him know and arrange a pick up. I was pretty bummed, but I was more bummed for Scott since we hadn't ridden together in about 6 months and had been planning on this rendezvous for the last week. Alas, Scott picked me up for the short drive of shame back home. I spent the rest of the day cycling through all of my supplies and cleaning up.
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| Uh oh! :( |
Like the title says, Catastrophic doesn't always mean failure. Yeah I DNF'ed my own ride due to mechanical problems, but I learned a lot on this ride. I know I need to rethink my bivy/sleep situation for 50* weather and bring bug spray if you are ever planning to camp on the BCT in March. Otherwise, this trip was semi successful. I woke up ready for another complete day on the bike, I felt "refreshed" considering how I slept and I didn't run into any major mental/emotional issues at all. I followed my fueling plan and never ran out of food or felt overly hungry. Not sure I'm fat adapted like I would like to be, but I never got any real Keto symptoms. All things considered it went well, except for the mosquitoes, I'll never forget that. I am glad I experienced more of the wondrous Black Canyon Trail, maybe a full meal deal in the fall as a day trip. For now I've disassembled my bike to have it repaired and am riding a loaner from the bike shop. Its good to have connections I guess.
Until next time, Happy trails!
Don't forget the bug spray!!!!!
I was originally planning to be a dot on the map this year, but poor planning and other factors took me out of it this year. But, over the last year of planning and preparation several of my friends were also planning to attempt the AZT 300. So I did the next best thing, cheer for all of them and watch their progress along the way. I still felt like watching the screen wasn't enough though. So, I talked with Mallory and convinced her we should spend our day off watching some of the 300 finishers cross the line at Picketpost.We planned to make carne asada tacos and hand out beer. Who wouldn't want that after eating gas station burritos and meal bars for about 3 days? 
