Hut-to-Hut: September 7 (Day 3)

Today's leg was 34 miles and the start and finish huts were at basically the same elevation: 9,100ft. Our endpoint for the day was the Columbine Hut.

Snack time!

We started the day under cloudy skies and on soggy dirt roads from the previous day's rain. The route was basically up-and-down with very little flat. However, none of the grades were too severe. The road cut through the Uncompahgre National Forest heading northwest across the plateau all day long.

As the day started, I wasn't feeling that great and felt like I was having to work harder than the previous 2 days. My mood wasn't super but at least Gina was having a good day, sprinting full speed on all the downhills. The iPods were out today and I think that helped the miles go by quicker.

We took a snack break after an hour or so and the sun was starting poke out. That meant it was time to break out the portable solar panels and charge the iPhones/iPods. The device we have can only charge the iPhone & iPod, but they do make a bigger panel that can charge an iPad too. In the end, it worked pretty well. Here's the one we used: Nomad 7

Although in theory there were a few scenic overlooks in the first part of the day, the clouds obscured everything and we didn't get any good pictures. Also, as the day was basically level and the road tree-lined, there weren't many opportunities for expansive views.

Kickin' up the legs and having some lunch!

We arrived at Columbine fairly early in the afternoon and had time to relax while the sun set. Of course no relaxing was done until the beer was located! Apparently we had a group of vets in front of us that had some recovering alcoholics, so the San Juan Hut folks, as a courtesy, had the beer out of plain sight. Thus, I am captured here diving for beer hidden behind some trailer tires under the bunks.

Where did they hide the damn beer?!?

Despite my not feeling super, this was probably one of the easier days. Gina definitely was having fun today. She determined she liked downhills, as long as they weren't too steep.

Hut-to-Hut: September 6 (Day 2)

Day 2:  Last Dollar Pass to Spring Creek Hut, 27 miles

The day began high on Last Dollar Pass under gray skies. The forecast was overcast with possible rain later in the day. On paper, the days route was downhill, but as we soon discovered "downhill day" simply means you end lower than you start. It doesn't mean you won't be doing any climbing! Even with a few uphills, this was probably the easiest day of the trip.

The start was a fairly long descent from Last Dollar through aspen groves to a high desert plateau. Here we rode by the old ranch where the original True Grit movie with John Wayne was filmed. We rolled up and down on this plateau until a sustained downhill to Highway 62. The roads on the plateau had more traffic than most due to the number of ranches in the area and the close proximity to the highway, but is was still tolerable. As we took a brief rest at Highway 62 (about the halfway point for the day), we talked with a couple guys who were riding across the country, east to west. They were nice guys and looked to be having a good time, despite getting wet and a little cold.

From Highway 62, we climbed up a couple miles to another high plateau populated with expansive ranches. Here we rode over nice gravel roads that zig-zagged through the ranch properties towards a darkening sky. Although we had sprinkles at various points during the day, I thought we might get lucky and avoid any hard rain. It was not to be, within 10 miles of the end the rain started to fall in earnest. The roads got progressively wetter and muddier as we approached the endpoint for the day. Although we were kicking up some muddy spray, thankfully, the roads never got boggy.

Today was Gina's longest ride ever! But, then again, so are the next 5 days! I for one couldn't imagine tackling this ride with as little preparation as she had going in. Nonetheless, today she was riding strong and in good spirits most of the day. Things started to unravel a little in the last few miles. Unfortunately, we ended with a climb and although Gina was still doing well physically, she was mentally ready to be DONE for the day. Although we never had any significant problems locating the hut at the end of any leg, it still can be a minor mind-f*** to not know exactly where the finish line is.

We arrived at the hut in the rain and partially covered in mud. Getting gear and clothing clean and strung up on the clothes lines was a little messy. Before getting cleaned up, I got the handsaw out and got my Paul Bunyan on. Luckily the wood at the hut was under the cover of trees so we had dry wood for a fire in the stove. This made it possible to get our clothes dry for the next day, yay!

In this picture you can see the "crapper" in the background. Apparently, these composting toilets have been pretty nasty in the past, but they were totally clean and non-nasty. They appeared to be relatively new and the design really works well.

Hut-to-Hut: Telluride to Moab

Early in September, Gina and I did a backcountry MTB tour with San Juan Hut Systems. It was 7 days, 215 miles from Telluride to Moab. For those who might be considering such a outing, here's my review. For booking info see, San Juan Hut Systems.

Intro

First off, San Juan offers 2 routes: Telluride-Moab and Durango-Moab. Telluride is supposedly the easier of the two, but I think this refers mostly to technical difficulty. There are two days that have significant climbing, and the route is by no means a walk-in-the-park. The route could be done on a CX bike, but there would be some rough sections and the steep climbing could be pretty tough (probably depends how lightly you pack). If you want singletrack, the Telluride is NOT the way to go. It has very limited singletrack options off the main route. The Durango route is apparently much better in this regard.

The huts are great. Some are nicer than others, but all are comfortable and get the job done. The food choices are necessarily limited, but its no problem to put together tasty meals and chase them down with some well-deserved beers. Each hut has room for 8 people, so you can put together 8 friends and fill up the hut, or go with fewer and either end up by yourself or make new friends if others book the same start date.

Day 1:  Telluride to Last Dollar Pass

This was a short day--only about 15 miles--but it has some good climbing. The first few miles are flat-to-downhill out of town on a paved bike path. From there you turn north and make a decent 2 mile road climb up to the airport. The dirt/gravel begins from the airport and takes you up to the pass. It is basically uphill from here with the exception of a section of downhill early on (losing whatever altitude you had gained from the airport). The early parts of the climb are in an area with some housing so the road is smooth, maintained gravel. After a few miles, the maintenance ends and the road becomes rougher dirt. Close to the top there is a 1 mile section where the gradient kicks up dramatically. On a regular MTB ride the grade might not be too bad, but carrying or pulling gear (I had a trailer and probably 40-50 lbs of extra gear) makes it pretty challenging. And there is the 11,000ft of altitude item too! The day ends with a 1/4 mile hike-a-bike that, for me at least, was the hardest part of the day. Pushing 75 pounds of bike and gear up a loose gravel pitch was a bitch. Nonetheless, it is all worth it when you finally get to the hut. It sits on a ridge line looking down the way you came up. It is amazingly scenic and probably the best vista of the whole trip.

More to come...