Fortunately, I am not the first nor the 1,000th person to do this particular ride. There are excellent maps through Adventure Cycling, a terrific bike advocacy and trail building organization which has been planning and mapping trails and routes for bikes for over 50 years. Several good guides are also available about the realities of biking on dirt roads and trails, often without seeing a town for several days at a time. And—of course—there are YouTube videos with every imaginable opinion about what not to bring and what you must have. Equipment costs can run into hundreds if not thousands of dollars, so some innovation, some doing without all the bells and whistles, and some “buying used” is necessary if you’re not flush. It’s doable.
On the trip in 1985, I scrimped to put together a travel kit that was less than optimal, and it turned out to be fine. Because of the uncertainties of biking in wilder areas, this time I am adhering a little closer to the riders who have gone before.
Planning has been fun. I started last October laying out an itinerary and bought the excellent Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride (GDMBR) trail map set from Adventure Cycling. How to figure out how many miles/day would be possible, researching difficult parts of the tour with regard to water/food scarcity or climbing grades, and where grizzly bears are the most common, and where you can camp and where you cannot. The guides are good for this and if you like maps, the GDMBR maps are wonderful to pore over for hours.
Similarly, there are lots of lists about what to bring. By the time you account for tent, sleeping bag, pad, tools, water storage and filtering, eating kit, food, rainwear, satellite unit, medical kit, etc., it leaves you room for about a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Here is a picture of what I have to carry—the only thing left is to figure out how to get the bike to go up hills.
Not sure how much this will all weigh and maybe it’s better not to know!
Top Row: H2O filter, 50’ cord, cat hole shovel, tent stakes, tent and fly, sleeping pad, bandana (2), hat, sneaks, shorts(2), shirts(3).
3rd Row: journal, maps, map holder, water bottle(3), sleeping liner, headlamp, tail light, bug net, pillow, emergency blanket, gloves, sleeping bag (black off to the side).
2nd: Row: pump, lock/cable, collapsible water bottle, benadryl, sunglasses, cook set (stove, pot/pan, utensils, towel), food (partial!), raincoat, socks (3), tights, thermal jacket.
Bottom Row: Bike tools, extra tube, vitamins, pain relievers, prescriptions, lip balm, sunscreen, first aid, toiletries, wipes, phone, satellite connection, battery, earphones, rain paints, shoe covers, down vest.
Not shown: helmet, riding boots, spare parts, spare tire, stores bags, emergency whistle, bear spray, gas canister (cooking), head light, cyclometer, reading glasses, aches and pain, elation.
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