29: Wyoming Range, Adieu
Broke camp, pedaled a mile or so, then took an hour to scamper up to the top of McDougal Peak (one of the few named peaks in the range). The views were excellent, the peak had one of those delightful registers common to peaks that only see a handful of ascents each year, and the extra hour of sun gave the trails a chance to dry out a bit, taming the gumbo mud.
“Biking” the Wyoming Range National Recreation Trail (WRNRT) is 10% “ooh-ing and ah-ing” at the landscape, 30% riding, 40% hike-a-bike, and 20% standing dumbfounded looking at one’s GPS and muttering “where the hell is the trail?” It’s a rather absurd place to take a bike! I “Type 2” enjoyed the 55 miles or so of the trail I traveled, but candidly the trail would make a far better fastpack than bikepack. The first 25 miles or so of the range are necessary to make the route work. Any additional miles in the range are merely masochistic bonus miles.
Random comment to myself while riding down a wide and trailless (save for the occasional cairn or post) basin: “I’m very glad I got my bike in ship shape before leaving Victor. This is the rowdiest shit!”
Exited the range around 6 pm and pedaled like mad for Marbleton, making it to town just in time for a hamburger.
