For those unfamiliar, bikepacking is like backpacking, except that you have the majority of your gear on your bike instead of your back (in theory). At the shop, we’d been talking about exploring this for a while. It’s different from bike touring with racks and panniers in that the bags are soft and many are mounted with velcro onto the frame. Many setups allow them to ride technical singletrack, so it really opens up a lot of options for exploration.
It’s hot and I’m ready to get on the trail.
Freedom.
Pretty dang warm out…
First water stop at Brown’s.
Oasis in the desert.
Humboldt in the distance.
Through Brown’s for Helen, Marty and Jefe.
We decided Seven Springs would be a good first destination to test out our gear and see how our bikes handled when loaded. We bought some specific gear, most notably from Revelate Designs and mixed in some camping gear each of us had to come up with our various setups. Just doing that was really fun, and I remarked to Marty that if we weren’t complete gear junkies, we’d all be runners. Apologies to you runners!
Sunset on the road to Seven Springs. Gorgeous!
Rob all set up with his Niner RLT.
Made it! My and Gary’s rigs.
A couple camp setups.
We put the trip out to everyone and figured, with everyone’s schedules, we’d all just ride out when we felt like it and get to camp sometime Saturday afternoon/evening. I planned my route from MMC through McDowell Mountain Regional Park and Brown’s Ranch, before a little pavement and then more dirt as I glided past Mt. Humboldt into Seven Springs. That was 45 miles for me, but we had people ride from Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Scottsdale, etc.
Gary, Nick, Daniel and I got to camp first, and we picked a good spot and set up. With hammocks and tents up, we gathered firewood and did the usual camping routine. Pretty soon, it was time to sit by the fire and watch the others roll in, telling jokes and stories and having a great time, knowing that we pedaled ourselves almost into the middle of nowhere.
Buddies!
Marty and Rob had a full day at the shop, so they were late to leave FH, but were joined by Marie, Snowflake and El Jefe, so they were in good company. Once the whole gang settled in, we cooked our meals by the fire, sipped whiskey and laughed a lot. We must have been having a good time, because it was after 11 before my head hit the hammock and I’m a pretty early bird these days trying to somewhat mirror Jenn and Ellie’s schedule.
Fire. Coffee. Good.
The night shift. There were 13 of us and like I mentioned, some of us were in hammocks and others in tents. It’s safe to say that all of us in hammocks froze our BUTTS off! None of us had the required underquilt for insulation but I figured I was good to go with a 20-degree bag. Nope. Others were worse off, only having a sleeping bag liner. There was some doubling up for warmth during the night and we all survived until morning. Lessons.
Tim earning huge style points with his socks.
Packed up and ready to roll home!
Pavement! I got off as soon as I could.
The next morning was gorgeous and sunny but cool under the big trees. We made coffee and ate breakfast by the fire and told stories about how we froze. The Tent People snickered and I resolved to look into underquilts. Before long, we all packed up and rolled home, simple as that. Car stayed in the garage the whole time and we all got two good rides in. On the way home, I broke off and found some really fun singletrack and decided to take the twisty way home. I had plenty of food and water and was ahead of schedule and I only started to get warm in the last couple miles on the road into town.
The gang makes it back to Brown’s Ranch.
As far as riding a bike that usually weighs 18 lbs and now weighs 45, it’s different! I had taken my Unbeaten Path out to our Tuesday Night ride somewhat loaded to get a feel for it on singletrack and was surprised at how well it handled. Now fully loaded, it felt similar but a little better balanced. The weird thing I noticed about a loaded bike is that, while you notice the weight, once you get it rolling it’s not too bad. If I had to ride it crit-style, blasting out of every corner, that would suck. But rolling along, keeping momentum through turns, it was actually really enjoyable.
Carrot Top is getting familiar with this National Forest.
It was a run-what-ya-brung sort of affair and everyone’s setup ran the gamut; from my buddy Nick, a newbie to riding but not camping, who just put his pack on his back and rolled, to Marty and me, who had everything we needed on our bikes and nothing on our backs. Then we had Tim, who’s an experienced bikepacker and had a dialed setup, complete with solar panels and a camp chair. And finally we had the minimalist, Hunter, who had a handlebar roll and a burrito. Also, I need to give Sledgehammer a special shout-out, who didn’t have any gear yet but wanted to be a part of the experience. He drove out with coolers of water and beer and chairs and stuff. That was awesome. While it was the intention of some of us to be self-sufficient, having Daniel there is worth the price of admission and we were more than happy to drink his cold beer. Thanks, buddy!
This was a super fun time exploring a beautiful but close-by part of our state by bicycle with great people. Another adventure in the books and we’re planning our next one for the high country this summer. Come join us and thanks for reading!
Brent