July 31, 2021 to August 4, 2021
Warm up on the Great Divide - Part I
Jackson to Pinedale Wyoming on the GDMBR
There is not much left to do on this final day before my flight to Paris except worry - hoping that I have all the required documents and tests needed to board my flight, exit CDG in Paris, and get to Munich on the 11th. I'm just back from my latest PCR test, hoping to get results in time to print them out before leaving home tomorrow morning. To distract me from idle waiting, I've decided to include this throwback entry describing a short, van supported tour along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) that I completed in August. It is tangentially related to my upcoming European tour as it is the second of three tours celebrating my 70th birthday (the first leg is detailed here) and does involve climbing.
In the fall of 1988 I moved from western Montana to Iowa to begin my first real job. My route took me through Yellowstone NP where I was shocked by the still smoldering effects of the summer-long fires that had affected about 800,000 acres of the park. I headed south on US 191 through Jackson, Wyoming to Rock Springs where I picked up I-80 Eastbound, leaving the Rockies for the plains of the midwest. The ride south from Jackson to Rock Springs skirted the western edge of the Wind River Range and is perhaps the most memorable stretch of America I've ever driven through. Therefore, I was quite excited when my friend Kitty asked if I was interested in signing up for the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) cycle tour on the Wind River section of the GDMBR.
Despite my excitement, there were a few things about the trip that gave me pause: the challenge of climbing at high altitude on gravel roads; camping, including several days of primitive camping; and last but not least grizzly bears. I spent last summer doing a fair bit of gravel riding, but that was in the flatlands of central Iowa. After moving to North Carolina I began to embrace climbing - and grew a bit more confident following several one-day rides along the paved roadways in the nearby Sauratown and Blue Ridge Mountains. I got new tires for Vivien George- wider and knobbier with a tubeless setup. I couldn't do much about the altitude but felt pretty well prepared for the biking challenges of the trip.
Camping is something I've done only a handful of times in my life, and primitive camping was something I really did not want to imagine. But I did have camping gear and found that I had no trouble setting up my tent on my sister's lawn. So camping seemed a new experience I was ready to embrace. Still, I was a little uneasy knowing that we would be camping in grizzly country. Not surprisingly, I became completely unnerved a few weeks before my trip when a touring cyclist was dragged from her tent and mauled to death by a grizzly bear while camping along the GDMBR route in Montana. I seriously considered canceling the trip. Seriously. But I knew it would be a unique and unforgettable experience as well as a great warm-up for my Alps adventure.
And so I found myself in Jackson, Wyoming at the end of July, armed with a bear bell from REI, bear spray from the local outfitters, and ready to embark on an 10 day guided tour with a group of (mostly) strangers - two guides and eight paying customers. The tour was "van supported", which meant that they carried your gear and passed by once each day to make sure everything was okay. A sweep guide cycled behind - usually quite a distance back. Otherwise we were on our own, riding alone or in small groups guided by RWGPS. For most of the tour we were off the grid, without cell service or electricity. I used my phone sparingly and kept no written record of the trip. I've split the tour into two entries, with comments based on recollections aided by memory, photos and maps.
The ACA van met us in Jackson to pick up our gear and transport it to the first night's campground. Kitty and I opted to bike the 13 mile to the Gros Ventre campground located just northeast of Jackson. It was a great decision as we spotted a moose and her calf munching along the Gros Ventre River. After meeting the other participants, I found a spot for my tent and made my new home as comfy as possible. I'm always nervous at the start of each bike tour, especially so on a guided tour with people I don't know. The first two days looked to be the most challenging and I hoped I would be able to keep up with other riders. When mixed with the novelty of camping and the fear of bears, it all added up to a pretty restless night.
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The official cycling started around 10 am the next day, following a shuttle to Moran Junction where we picked up the GDMBR. The 42 mile route was about a 3:1 mix of gravel and tarmac, winding through high meadows and forest before crossing the continental divide at Towogtee Pass, elevation 9658 ft. We took a short break at Wind River Lake and then it was all downhill on gravel. My new tires did great and the ride down was highly enjoyable. Overall though, it was a hard first day for most everyone, with many experiencing some effects of the altitude/climb. I felt an occasional shortness of breath and at one point some dizziness, but that cleared up after a brief rest. Others experienced nausea and/or cramping. However, all but one of us made it to camp by 4:30 - she and the sweep guide eventually about 7:30, just as we were finishing dinner.
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The second day started with a wonderful 13 mile downhill on pavement! I had gotten an early start as it was my turn to cook that evening and I knew there was quite a bit of climbing ahead - all on gravel. We made another crossing of the Continental Divide at Union Pass and then had 20 miles of rolling until reaching our primitive camping site at Mosquito Lake. Dinner preparation was a bit stressful as it took way longer than expected, but our Italian Wedding Soup was deemed by many to be the best meal of the tour.
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Day 3 looked to be a breeze - mostly downhill and only 28 miles to our campsite at Green River Lake campground. It turned out to be quite an experience. The descent from Mosquito Lake was the probably the roughest stretch of the whole tour. It was near impossible to find a smooth line and it seemed like I bounced over one rock after another. At one point my front wheel hit a large rock and I careened off the road. In the space of what seemed a few nanoseconds, I erroneously thought I could navigate back onto the road, then braked when I realized I was speeding down the hillside, and then quickly unclipped to keep from hitting my head on another rock. Thankfully it all ended with a safe stop and a little more cautious descent.
After crossing the Green River, we left the GDMBR route and followed the river up to the Green River Lakes campground. It was a stunning ride up the valley, marred only by the fact that it entailed 16.5 miles on gravel washboard. But it was totally worth it.
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The next morning we made our way back down the 16.5 of gravel washboard, which somehow seemed a little less bumpy than yesterday. Perhaps it was because we were headed to Pinedale where we could take our first shower of the trip! Or maybe it was the promise of ice cream! I celebrated my safe passage through grizzly country with a huckleberry float and looked forward to the second half of the tour.
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3 years ago
In researching the GDMBR for our ride next year, I came across these two pages. Mostly though, I lived in Missoula MT from 1983 to 1988, thinking we may know some of the same people? (I celebrated my 71 year birthday this year)
Rachel (Racpat)
3 years ago
Happy belated birthday!
I lived in Hamilton from late 1984-1988 while doing my postdoctoral studies at Rocky Mountain Labs, part of the NIH NIAID. Tony Fauci had just been named director of NIAID and I remember him coming to visit the labs.
I didn't know too many people in Missoula, but we would go up for movies, restaurants and the requisite visit to Freddy's Feed and Read. It was my first time living in the northwest and I was enthralled with the open spaces and adventurous spirit.
Best wishes on your GDMBR trip - it should be an epic ride. You're a braver soul than me!!
3 years ago
3 years ago