This years bikepacking adventure will be my first solo trip. After failing to convince anyone to come along, I will again be tackling the Idaho Hot Springs route out of Boise, ID all alone. 500ish miles of fire roads, single track, and double track located in Boise National Forest and the Sawtooth National Forest. Running in and out of towns/ghost towns such as Prairie, Pine, Featherville, Ketchum, Stanley, McCall, Cascade, Idaho City, and Placerville.
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| Early Days of Last Years Attempt |
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| Last Years Crew: Justin, Colin, Andy and Me |
Last years attempt at this route proved to be unsuccessful in several ways, but I learned some things that hope to make this years trip a winner. Getting lost in the single track sections last year proved to be a common occurrence. This year I have down loaded the GPX files, and I hope to just follow the line on my GPS.
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| Lost for a whole day and night in Fools Canyon |
Last years trip came to a sudden halt after I wrecked on a loose corner leaving Idaho City. I tore up my shoulder and had to be picked up in Idaho City and transported to Boise for some medical attention. It is because of this that I am making some modifications to my bikepacking kit.
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| Last Years Setup: Surly Ogre with Relevate Designs bags. Fast but not to stable with a load on loose gravel. |
Because I will be going solo I will need more capacity to carry more gear. I selected to ride my Surly Pugsley with some slight modifications. I will be using the Pug with rabbit hole rims and Knard 3.0 tires, essentially a 26+ setup provide by my friends at Greasy Fingers Bikes and Repair in Sandpoint, ID. I have found that the Pug with this tire set up is a perfect compromise between stable carrying capacity and sure footed speed...ish.
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This Years set up is a Surly Pugsley with 26+ tires and Relevate
Designs bags. |
