back at home

And glad to be with the fam hanging out for the afternoon.  I'm still debriefing the trip (with myself), but in general it was very successful, including the highs and lows that usually go along with adventure.     I didn't see all the country I was aiming for, but I exceeded my distance goals nonetheless, and I'll have plenty more to explore next time.  More trip report to come.

Almost home!
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.646488,-108.868155+(MyPosition)
accuracy: 5 m
altitude: 2913 m

Good progress this morning. Very windy overnight but surprisingly calm this morn.

Dinner down and ready to crawl in. Great ride today, even with an unintentional scenic detour. 52 miles, +3,500 ft.

Camp tonight.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.644707,-108.243960+(MyPosition)
accuracy: 5 m
altitude: 2189 m

Test position post

I am currently here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.830684,-108.731079+
accuracy: 5 m
altitude: 1640 m

The Route

My goal is to complete a loop, round-trip from home.  Mountain biking has allowed me to explore my "backyard" more this year, and I want to expand my reach with overnight travel.  Though I'm familiar with the paved roads and a bit of the backcountry where I am headed, there are many square miles that I have not set foot in or rolled across, and I look forward to introducing myself.

The general route will take me from home towards Hudson, where I'll start off on the Hudson-Atlantic City road.  I'll follow this or near it to the top of Beaver Rim, then head South to cross the highway West of Sweetwater Station.  From here I'll head South and hopefully slightly East across the Sweetwater River, and towards Cyclone Rim and the Great Divide Basin.  At Cyclone Rim I'll take a right and head West towards the Oregon Buttes.  This section will involve some travel on the famous historic trails that run through the South Pass area.  After reaching the Oregon Buttes, I'll head North and East using some of the Continental Divide Trail, towards Christina Lake in the Shoshone National Forest.  I will cross the Loop Road, barely using it at all, and continue Northeast to pick up an ATV-sized two track road North to Fossil Hill.  Here I aim to head West again to the Worthen Meadows trailhead where I will descend to the Sheep Bridge over the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River.  Then It's all downhill along the Middle Fork and Sinks Canyon right back to home.

I have yet to measure this route closely, but I'm aiming for 40-50 miles per day, and I have a number of "escape" routes to shorten it up if need be.

Genesis

After professionally walking through the woods (and other terrain) with a progressively lighter backpack for a number of years, I've spent my daddy years with cycling as my main pursuit for adventure and fitness.  This Fall I spruced up my mountain bike, and have been dreaming about combining overnight travel and bike riding: bikepacking.

Riding with Lucas at the Bus.

Test by SMS.