Day 7: Sat 6/25: 91 mi: 6086’ climbing: 1 Week: 445 miles

Holy cold morning.  My Garmin read 30 degrees when we all emerged from our tents at 6am wearing every single layer we all owned.  When it’s that cold you really do to want to eat cold bikepacking foodstuffs, so we all focused on packing quickly, trying to stay warm by moving our bodies.  

Kai informed us that he was throwing in the towel and would be biking back to Butte to make arrangements home.  His cold/sickness was getting the better of him, and most worrisome not letting get the sleep he needed.

I was ready to roll at 6:50, so I did.  Wearing my rain coat, buff, long johns, and shorts over bike shorts I started the descent from Highline, gloriously into the sun.  Over the next few miles of descending interspersed with short wake-up-the-legs punchy climbs I did the strip down dance, slowly removing all the layers as my body got kicking and the sun quickly warmed the air.  Brent caught up and the last few miles dropped us out of the trees and into the valley carrying I-15.

Crossing under the interstate we immediately began the gentle at first climb on washboarded roads up towards the famous Fleecer Ridge.  I was definitely feeling yesterdays climbs and made slow progress.  Just as we arrived at the steep face-punch at the end of the climb we passed a heavily loaded couple from British Columbia who were descending.  They shared that it took them almost 2 hours to push their bikes, one at a time, up the NOBO side.  That sounded about right given what I’d heard about Fleecer Ridge, but it seemed surreal at the moment.

Picture opp on top and then we began the descent.  Riding at first with brakes fully engaged, we descended a badly eroded ATV two-track until we came to what appeared to be a cliff.  Suddenly the track just plummeted down.  We dismounted and began walking our bikes down.  Rather, I dragged my bike, with both brakes death squeezed and both tires usually locked up, over the cobbles and boulders of the straight down descent.  Often, my bike just tried to skid on past me, as I gingerly placed my right foot and tried to baby my right knee, which very much opposed this dumb method of travel.  After 15 minutes we finally reached the bottom where it leveled off and we could ride again.  Descending carefully down the well eroded track, we quickly made it to Wise River, about 35 miles from our morning camp.

Wise River is small.  A mercantile and 2 bar/cafe things.  We hit up the closet bar cafe and we’re the only ones in the antler strewn establishment at 11:20 am.  The food was good and it was nice to be out of the blazing sun.  They even packed us sandwiches to go!  Before rolling out I headed to the mercantile. Which made me think that this must have been what the original Walmart was like(they had everything- but only one type and one of it).

Loaded with snacks, instant mashed potatoes, and red licorice I headed out of town, turning left onto what turned out to be a paved road.  And for 25 miles I climbed slowly, but with smooth, fast rolling pavement and a good tailwind, the miles passed quickly.  

Until they didn’t.  The last 3 miles were steep and my legs and lungs weren’t appreciating the 6 days of pedaling and thinning air.  I slowly made it up, saw a

moose on the way, and was rewarded with 3 more miles of rolling “park land” that was swamped with water and storing hordes of mosquitos who were just waiting for you to stop.  Luckily, or not, the wind had switched and now become a headwind- doing a great job of keeping the mosquitos away.

I finally hit the actual descent and it was paved!  I just opened it up and flew down for miles.  The Cutthroat handles speed when loaded like a boss!

Passing my initial camp spot doing 30+ mph helped me to decide that I should keep going, even with 65 miles already behind me.  Dropping out of the upper forests and into the wide, sagebrush valley the headwinds picked up but the grade generally stayed around -2%.  Luckily this downslope kinda canceled out the headwind, so progress was efficiently made.  But jeez is pavement boring.  It had been a long day and my legs were so tired, so I put one earbud I out one earbud in and kept my brain busy so it would stop checking the bike computer mileage.  I finally rolled into the Bannack State Park campground at 6, changed out of bike shorts, and immediately smashed those two sandwiches the bar packed for me.  So good.

Tonight I share the hiker biker campsite with a father and daughter team and they are hilarious.  I enjoyed chatting with them and the father was able to give me some valuable beta given that this is his third time on the GDMBR. 

I am really tired.  But satisfied and content.  To sleep.