WWR: Trail Notes: First Post

Unedited, no pictures, bad grammar and all done in my phone.  Will update later.
Day 0:  Trains are amazing.  Checking in was super chill.  When it came time to pass my bike up to the baggage car it was tagged and instantly gone , despite the 2.25” tires (max is 2” according to Amtrak).  There is so much leg room !  And space for your stuff and outlets to charge things!  It made the hour and 20 late train not matter, because everyone was so chill!  23 hours of sitting does get old, but with the viewing car and cafe, the dining car, and the decently wide aisles, it was easy to get up and move.  Before loading I noticed lots of people with blankets and pillows.  Those are smart people.  Even with my sleeping bag I didn’t get much sleep.  A pillow would be amazing.  The train arrived in Whitefish an hour late, but luckily there was enough lighting outside to get the bike all loaded up in the dark.  By 11:30 I made it to Whitefish Lakw??? State Park and found the bikepacking campsites filled with  5 other tents!  Fortunately 1 person was awake and directed me to squeeze my tent in between two others on the gravel pad.  I didn’t sleep much given my excitement and lack of activity on the train.

Day 1:  The rain and the constant trains didn’t help with sleeping, but didn’t want to be the guy who got up at 6 and woke everyone else, so I waited till someone awoke.  At the camp were Molly and Skylar (I think) who had just started the WWR a few days prior but had returned to Whitefish to fix a broken spoke.  They were excited to meet someone else doing the route, although they are doing the whole darn shebang!  Molly is on the board of bikepacking Roots, knowing Gabe being from Portland, and have me a sweet WWR sticker. Another gentleman there, looking to be in rough shape, was doing the GDMBR and was positive about it all.  There were some others too, even two from MPLS who I didn’t get to meet.  Having no food and being quite hungry I knocked down the tent quickly and loaded the bike up, saying goodbye while folks made breakfast and planned their days.  

I navigated back to Whitefish and found the small grocery store in downtown.  Looking at my route notes I would be able to buy food this eve in Eureka, so I just needed food to get me there.  I found a bagel with bacon on top.  Opting for the no stove meal plan, I forged myself on a sandwhich and two bananas then loaded the bike with a brick of cheddar, tortillas, 6 granola bars, a chocolate bar, and a small bag of salt and vinegar chips.  Getting the GPS all set, I finally took off North to the border.

Paved, then narrower, then gravel, then two-track, back to gravel, then paved is how the day went.  A little over 5k of climbing and 79 miles.  10 miles out of town I met heading the other direction Alan from Holland who had just started the GDMBR.  Great spirits and already some amazing adventures despite only being a few days in.  Hearing that I had just started he exclaimed “that is why you are so clean and do not smell!”

After a good climb and a fantastic descent I pulled into Olney, a small town/village/crossroads with a post office, numerous signs stating “This town supported by lumber”, and 1 general store that is surprisingly not on the main highway but hidden a few blocks away.  It was the kind of place where the owner mans the register, stocks the shelves, takes orders and cooks all at the same time.  It was busy.  With locals.  They tolerated my presence with kind smiles.

North of Olney the route got rough and slow,reminding my of the forest service tracks the Heck of the North and Lutsen 99er races use in MN north shore region.  Slow going, had to walk a few loose and steeps parts.  Eventually the gravel returned, and the last 15 miles were paved into Eureka.

I found a small grocery store and bought dinner: apple, yogurt, mango juice smoothly, and peanut butter to put on tortillas.  While eating and calling home I watched a GDMBR rider come through, followed by a second not too long after.  I then ended up at a gas station to use the restroom and ran into the second rider.  He was making great time, this being only his second day of riding and already here from Banff.  I’m not sure where he is from, somewhere around Britain, and he is spending 2 weeks riding the GDMBR.  It was fascinating to chat with him and to hear his take on roughing it in America as he called it.  Very nervous about bears, staying threat there isn’t anything at home that will try to eat you.

We parted ways and I headed a few miles West out of town to Rex Bench.  Not wanting to camp with all the rv’ers I filled my water bladder and took off for a hidden beach camp I’d identified on the map along the lake here.  While it is beautiful, the winds are crazy and sand is flying everywhere, but no mosquitos!

Dinner or jerky and cheese on a tortilla, a cool down swim, and time to write and read.  The first day was solid.  I’m happy with how the bike performed on the rough parts of the day and my packing arrangement on the bike seems to be balanced and tight.  My legs are tired, I can feel some recovery cramps lurking, but my body is in a good place for 79 miles and 5k of climbing on a loaded bike.  Tomorrow, lots of climbing but shorter mileage.

Day 2:

MN legs today.  Found myself often happy with 6 mph.  

The morning started calm and clear, the sun making the tent warm finally after a cool evening.  My 1 sided sleeping bag is pretty worthless any time you roll over.

I packed up the bike and ate 2 mini tortillas with cheese and beef stick wrapped inside, hitting the trail at 9.  Don’t know if it was MT 9 or MN 9, haven’t changed all the time keepers.

Climbing immediately.  But then beautiful and fun downhills all the way back down to Lake Koocanusa.  Across the bridge on pavement to the west side of the lake, seeing no cars for miles, then heading South along its shore.  

Turning west to follow a river, the road  gravel and steep at first but gentler with time.  1700’ to the pass along a slowly narrowing road turned 2-track cutting through quiet woods, skirting along and crossing over the humming creek.  Beautiful, lush, tall forests.  Too steep to ride, walked for a small bit till it leveled out.  Just keep spinning- 8 mph is great, 6 will get it done!

The top is unmarked but immediately my speed tripled and the next 9 miles are amazing and refreshing.  Stopped in a grove of the largest white cedars I have ever seen.  Bigger than what two of me could hug.

A short jaunt on pavement, then west again 3 miles up to Loon Lake Campground.  Met another rider just before there.  Started from Eureka and went out and back from the MacGruder Corridor.   Turned around there because he heard there might be snow still!  Hopefully it’ll be melted by the time I get there.  He was cheerful and enjoying it all- from Colorado.

Stopped early, around 2pm, at Loon Lake Campground for the night.  52 miles and 5400’ climbing today.  I felt like I could have kept going and spent a long bit studying the route and contemplating continuing, but ultimately decided to take it easy and rest.  There are many more days to come and no need to rush along now.

The Campground is small, 3 sites, at the end of a marsh lake.  No one here but me.  Big trees, shade, and leftover firewood for tonight thanks to a prior camper.

Day 3:  Loon Lake CG to Bull River CG : 85 mi : 7.2k climbing 

Pushed it today.  Not speed wise, but distance.  Leaving from Loon Lake around 9, the riding was amazing.  Amazing means mostly downhill.  It was a blast.  Clear skies, big views, and the first bear scat sighting.  Minus a few steep climbs, the 23 mile ride to Killbrennan Lake was grand.  And The Campground at Killbrennan is awesome-  it sites on a beautiful lake, no one there, bathrooms and picnic tables.  The lake was clear and deep- good for swimming.  From there to Troy was 12 miles more of sweet downhill.

Troy was a good stop.  Quite a few restaurants, of which a local I asked recommended “Our Place”.  It was decent food and my body appreciated the volume ordered.  Across the street to the grocery to stock up- pepperoni and salami sandwhich along with a string cheese stick for dinner, pop tarts, 2 candy bars, and a yogurt for right now.  And a postcard to send home.  Packed up and headed south on a highway for a few shitty shoulderless miles before turning up a river valley.  Being so close to town, a lot of time was spent on pavement,  but in what seems to be a habit the trail instantly turned into a rarely used 2-track.  Know why it is rarely used?  There’s a river.  

Crossing the river barefoot on slippery rocks sucked.  I carried the bike, not knowing how the dynamo hub would take submersion, and miraculously didn’t slip.  I did slice my shin open trying to man-handle the bike.  Probably should have done a trip first with the bags- that would have made it a lot easier.

Back to flying along.  Then getting a bit lost in a maze of forest roads.  Then back to the damn highway.  Jeez cars get close.  At least the pavement allowed me to move quickly.  Finally turning off the road and onto some quiet gravel that would take me 7 miles up to Snake Creek Pass, where I intended to camp.  The pass required a 1200 ft climb, but stretched out over 7 miles it wasn’t bad.  Spin spin up the switchbacks.  But getting to the pass I found the campsite to be a marsh field and was instantly swarmed.  Onwards!

Down down down is so fun.  Glad I brought extra brake pads.  My notes placed the pass 17 miles away from camping and a store.  It was hot, high 80s, so I started dreaming about a cold beverage that wasn’t water.  Onwards!

Eventually back to the highway of no shoulders and favored by lumber trucks, for 9 miles.  Getting pretty tired now on some of the long climbs.  Finally made it to the store where the highway intersected HWY 200.  It had closed 15 minutes ago.  Darn.

Down the road to Bull River Campground, which is nice but on a busy and loud road.  The water is good though.  Having eaten a ton, drank a ton, cleaned my shin gash, washed my salt stained clothes, and gotten all set up I am very ready to sleep hard.

DAY 4:  Bull River CG to Berlin Flats CG

46 mi: 5600 ft gain

With yesterday’s long day, today would only short.  So I slept in and was in no rush to move on.  The Campground was quiet, no generators despite all the rvs, but I hadn’t slept well.  

Rolling out around 10, back onto Hwy 200 for 5 miles, stopping at a convenience store for a drink and the highest calorie package baked goods I could find.  Walked out of there with a good 2000 calories to add to my stash, as this would be my only supply stop till tomorrow.  

My legs felt good as I rolled across the old school bridge in Noxon and south without seeing much of the small town.  Following the river, the pavement turned to gravel till passing the hydropower plant where it turned to two-track as it followed the power lines up steep slopes as it negotiated itself along the reservoir.  Up and then down to the river valley and Morton Creek Campground.  

Turning up a valley that would take me up 2900’ in 13 miles to Porcupine Pass I felt good physically.  It started out nice and gentle, then as the walls of the river valley closed in it quickly got quite steep, 13% grade at one point.  On and on it seemed.  I was cemented in my lowest gear spinning at 5 mph, taking breaks fairly often.  The higher I got the less shade there was and the temps neared 85.  Off with the helmet, hat, glasses and continuously stopping to mop myself off.  My new favorite snack is vinegar and sea salt potato chips.  I think it took me about two hours to make the climb, maybe more.

The top was broad and flat for about 2 miles and the views were amazing as I reached the pass and crossed the state line into Idaho.  

At least with going up a pass you know that you will get to go down.  This down was rough and full of surprises so I didn’t unleash too often and let gravity have her way.  About half way down, cruising at about 20 mph while trying to observe the view down the valley to my left I suddenly found myself about 8’ from a large moose to my right!  The moose was standing in the tall vegetation munching away as I flew past.  Thankfully I was going fast, as for a moment there that massive beast made ready to jump out and run with or at me down the mountain rode!

Downwards, connecting valley to valley as the river flows all the way to Berlin Flats Campground.  It is early, the bugs are mostly flies, and I contemplate continuing on.  But I am tired and tomorrow I have two passes to negotiate so I eventually call it for a day.   Time to eat all the calories.

Day 5: Berlin Flats CG to N. Fork St. Joe River : 53 mi : 5900’

Today was phenomenal.  Last night was an adventure.  Sometime after dark I was startled awake by the sound of a large animal crashing haphazardly through the brush nearby- it was no ninja sneak.  Then nothing, but needless to say I was awake and my heart rate was a bit elevated.  I dozed off, this time awoken by a much closer heavy huffing and ground stomping.  Very awake now.  Slightly panicked.  Left the bear spray in my bike.  Gosh it’s close!   I make as much noise as I can as I fumble around for my headlamp.  Trying to shine through the small window of tent screen I am welcomed by the unmistakable sight of two glowing eyes about 50 feet away.  They are low to the ground, moving, bobbing around as I shine my light at this mystery animal.  Yelling, making weird sounds that were new to me, opening the tent and throwing rocks did nothing except make the glowing eyes elevate much higher off the ground.  Like a bear standing up.  

Thinking back to my summer in Alaska workin at a remote bear camp I knew it was time to go in the offensive, and I really wanted to have my bear spray in hand.  In my undies, out of the tent.  One hand grabs the bear spray and the other dismounts from the bike my high power bike headlight.  I pull up a downloaded Spotify playlist, Bob Marley, and blast it as much as an old iPhone can blast.  Shooting 700 lumens worth of photons at the beast while yelling to Bob Marley in my underwear I finally get a glimpse of its body.  

It’s a moose.  Not a bear.  Big sigh of relief right there!  But a big moose, and I don’t really want it to be comfortable around me, even if Bob Marley is playing and I’m in my undies.  Throwing rocks, while yelling and walking towards it finally spoils the moose and off it goes bashing through the brush.  Back to bed.  

But I can still hear it.  It hasn’t gone far.  There will be no sleeping for a long time as I continuously prop myself up to shine the light around my camp.  No eyes, but I can hear it.  Finally sleep gets me and I’m out.

Until I’m not because there is again heavy huffing and stomping on the other side of my campsite.  The light shows me that this time the moose is approaching my hanging food bag, which is not nearly as Hugh as it should be.  Back to it- the yelling in undies and throwing rocks and off it goes again.  I fell asleep at some point.

In the morning I saw no sign of the moose but found an interesting set of tracks that seemed to indicate the bigger spent a good amount of time doing circles around my campsite.  Odd.  Do moose like human food?  Has this moose been trained to associate humans with delicious snacks and hunts them like an oversized trash panda?

The morning was relatively uneventful.  Looked like rain.  Packed after eating a plastic wrapped and formaldehyde preserved baked calorie repository.  Met the one other camper in the Campground.  He was super friendly and turned out to be sort of an expert in the trails around this area- for 4 wheeling.  I stopped at his camp as I rolled out and he passed to me two forest service maps that show all the roads, trails, and campgrounds that often don’t show on the maps I’m using. 

It was a chill, beautiful downriver 15 miles to Prichard and the G+C  Riverstop Convenience Store.  Better than that there was a food trailer parked next door and it was open and it’s menu sparked a ginormous appetite in my belly.  While ordering a breakfast burrito and chatting with the chef she asked where I was going and I all I could come up with as a reply was to point and say “that way” (which was actually the wrong way).  She point behind me and said “Those two are going to Mexico!”  Turning around I found Molly and Skylar packing their bikes.  I had first met them in Whitefish at the bike packing campsite and was wondering if our paths would merge.  It was refreshing to talk with someone who didn’t consider my current endeavor ridiculous and has a similar mindset guiding their efforts.  After chatting and snapping some pics they took off while I ate, hoping to meet up with them at the top of  Dobson Pass.  I caught up to them and waited at the top of the pass, which being paved and only 1800’ was a piece of cake compared to yesterday’s Porcupine Pass.  Waiting in the shade they arrived soon enough and we began the descent into Wallace together.  With their fatter tires and front suspension they let it rip down the eroded 2-track.  Me and my rigid 2.25” held it back and I was thankful for it, as we Skylar hit a stick and punctured his tire.  They easily patched it, threw in some more sealant, and got it back to like new.  Down we went for miles, eventually hitting pavement and rolling right into historic Wallace.  

Our first stop- beer, which Molly graciously take care of.  Then to the grocery store, which I must say that when you know your appetite is grand and space/weight limited it is fun to find the most calorie dense foods you can.  Generally not on my weekly dad-goes-grocery-shopping list.  I ate a pizza pocket from the deli.  It was just like high school lunch 20 years ago. Then off to find a postcard and a mailbox followed by some time to reconnect digitally.  Molly and Skylar has some other things to wrap up so I took off towards Moon Pass.  

With 2200’ of climbing starting right out of town, I wasn’t looking forward to the next 9 miles.  Despite it being gravel, the road was not steep and I made good time up it.  I think my legs and mind are getting used to this climbing thing.  From the top down along twisty tight corners where I could feel my rear wheel cutting loose if I took it too fast, in no time at all I was at the bottom.  Where a creek crossed under a bridge I found an unused dispersed camping site and called it good for the day.