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20: Centennials

A cold (35°F), early start got me in to Lima in plenty of time to get my resupply box this morning. I dawdled in Lima a bit, mostly soaking in warm sunshine.

The Centennials are far drier than the Beaverheads, with sagebrush predominating in the open spaces and creeks fewer and further between. The trail through the Centennials is old school—often climbing or plunging steeply. Most climbs are hike-a-bike and even a couple of the descents down the loose, volcanic soil had me off my bike. It’s been slow but steady going. Candidly, the Centennials are not the most inspiring range, though I’ve been enjoying the views of the Snake River Plain and Tetons to the south. Nailed my campsite tonight, up on a ridge with the Tetons perfectly framed in the opening of my tent.

Planning a short-ish day tomorrow into Island Park to wash my clothes and soak in a hotel hot tub.

Listening to: Mermaid Avenue (Vol. 1) by Billy Bragg and Wilco

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19: Hell for Lima

Struggling a bit to forgive myself for not having brought a few spokes. My relative inexperience with bikepacking is on full display. Living and learning, I guess. I’m going to be mired in a full week of worry due to not having brought 6 grams worth of spokes. Ug!

Much of the riding today was highly pleasant single track.

At 10,200’, Elk Mountain today marks the high point of my route until I reach Colorado (I think!).

Elk Mountain is also where my duct tape rim tape job from yesterday’s spoke fiasco failed. I probably should have just put in my spare tube, but last time I tried riding *not* tubeless it was a disaster (ruining 3 tubes in the next 8 hours). This time I took the tire completely off, and applied a proper rim tape patch job. Astonishingly, I was able to get the tire back on and seated. If only I had brought real spokes instead of this string spoke kit…

Today was a bit of a slog. Yesterday was cut short by the spoke situation and weather, putting me 15 miles in the hole at the outset. I pushed through and made it to my intended destination for the night, well positioned for an easy two hours into Lima to pick up my resupply box in the morning. I’m ahead of schedule, but veering into Type 2/2.5 territory.

Listening to: Wilco’s complete studio discography

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18: 55 Spokes

My plan for today was to get an early start and make some miles (in hopes of making it to Lima by Saturday morning to pick up my next resupply box).

Things were going according to plan (maybe better than planned on account of the trail having been recently cleared to deadfall) until I rode a bit too aggressively through a patch of sharp rocks, puncturing my rear tire (second puncture this trip—thank god for tubeless tires!) and … breaking a spoke in my front wheel for which, inexplicably, I didn’t have a spare—only a Kevlar string universal spike kit. Long story short: I successfully used my string spoke repair kit, feel stupid for not bringing any actual spokes (I could have actually fixed the broken spoke instead of merely applying a bandaid), and am moving along again toward a future proper repair.

Overall the trails today were far more ridable than I expected. I stopped off at a lake this morning with bountiful lupine and paintbrush. I spent much of the day on the crest of the Beaverheads with big views down into Montana on one side and Idaho on the other.

Today’s spoke fiasco set me back a couple of hours, and an evening thunderstorm (threatening snow) chased me off the trail to an early camp at Lemhi Pass. Fun fact: Lewis and Clark camped here on August 12, 1805. This was their highest elevation camp between St. Louis and the Pacific coast.

Listening to: “Napoleon: A Life” by Adam Zamoyski. (After finishing Ron Chernow’s Hamilton biography, I wanted something to give me an overview of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s arc.)

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16: Beaverheads

The 18 miles from Schultz Creek to chief Joseph pass were mostly easy and fun, and involved a few fun moments of filling in the mental map (“oh, I’ve skied there!”),

Crossed Gibbons Pass where Lewis and Clark camped on July 6, 1806, on their return journey. Lewis noted in a journal entry frost the night before and it being so cold he couldn’t sleep. My own camp was 45°F this morning, urging me south with trepidation of Colorado’s high country in September.

I stopped off for a long lunch at Chief Joseph Pass before crossing into what I suspect will be the hike-a-bike crux of the trip as I traverse the crest of the Beaverhead range, straddling the Idaho and Montana border.

After presenting an initially severe alpine and remote character, the trail dropped in elevation and settled into an easterly aspect with dark dirt and sometimes loamy trails and abundant huckleberries (which slowed my hike-a-bike this evening considerably). The first 10 miles or so of trail is newly, but often cut into steep side slopes. Given the remoteness of this section I am riding more cautiously and slower than is my wont.

After reaching the miner’s cabin, the newly constructed trail gave way to older trail and climbs steeply back to the crest of the range. With a few exceptions, I spent the balance of the day hiking my bike slowly up a rocky, steep trail.

I settled in for the evening below a scree field with a pleasant little stream, and have heard tonight the first pikas of the trip.

Current range: The Beaverhead Mountains

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