Back to Whitefish MT
Forty is one of those birthdays that makes you start thinking about time differently. For myself, it was the 38 and 39th leading up to this big one that got me thinking about those previously unnoticed weird body aches, joint cracks, and a newly growing sense of not having infinite energy. Having greatly enjoyed biking the northern sections of the Western Wildland Route (formerly known as the Wild West Route) a few years ago, I found sneaking into my consciousness this problematic, age-driven question of “what if you can’t do it later?” What if, or rather, when, will you be too old to pull off that kind of adventure again? We all know that day is coming in some form, no matter what we do. Maybe I’m just cursed with life FOMO.
It’s taken a few years to orchestrate… but I’m on the Amtrak Empire Builder to Whitefish MT. Just like last time, the train departed late Friday night and will drop me off 24 hours later with my bike and everything I need to bikepack for 3 weeks on the Great Divide Mointain Bike Route GDMBR. This route will take me further east compared to last time out here, through the Rockies of Montana, Idaho, under Yellowstone and past the Tetons through Wyoming, and hopefully into north central Colorado. With only 3 weeks I decided to maximize my biking time and not try to fly to the northern end of the trail in Canada. Someday I will tackle that part, as I hear it’s amazing.
Killing time on the train has allowed my mind some space that it hasn’t had in a long time. This past year of teaching has been wonderful, but intense and in a constant state of “go”! The train is full, and in this weird post-COVID (kinda?) time I’m the guy who has a loud cough. I feel the stares in my direction every time I let a throat-clearing bark loose and part of me wonders if wearing a mask would make people feel better or make them even more paranoid. While I don’t have COVID now, I did get it for the first time 2 months ago. In quarantine it didn’t really seem to affect me- a mild case. But since, my asthma and historical breathing issues have gotten much worse. As a result, no training has happened since mid-April, having focused on just getting through the work day without having to down too much Day-Quil and sneak hits of my inhaler without my students noticing. I haven’t been in this bad of shape before an adventure for as long as I can remember.
A week before departure I decided to do a test ride, bike fully loaded, to see where my body was. I was able to push out 70 miles without any breaks and was pleasantly surprised with how I felt during and after. While it wasn’t fast, it felt like 70 miles was a doable mileage that I could pull off fairly easily in this physical state.
I’ve built my daily game plan around 60-80 mile days. Which, given last years mileage during the Trans Minnesota Wheel Race, sounds so pleasant! I have ALL DAY to do 60-80 miles, no rush, rest whenever, eat, stop and enjoy the view… I think I can do that. With this game plan I should be able to make it to Steamboat Springs Colorado with 2 extra days I can use for bad weather or rest. The one big day that I’m nervous about is across the Great Basin from Atlantic City to Rawlins, which is a 130 mile day of nothing. But, that’s not for 2 weeks likely, so I’ll wait till then to worry about that.
On Sunday my satellite tracker will go active, which you can access at https://share.garmin.com/greenstoneguide.
If you leave comments below I will see them, but you can also FB and IG me.
Cheers to adventure and doing it while you can!
“a growing sense of not having infinite energy” is not a phrase I would EVER associate with you! You go, boy, I believe in you!!
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