OTT Take 2: Day 1: Oakridge to Gold Lake

In 2018 a crew of six of us took on the first part of the OTT from the Southern Terminus to Oakridge. Originally my plan was to continue the whole thing that year, but due to mechanicals and injuries and overall feeling of defeat, I knew it was not the year for me to complete the entire thing.

In 2019, we gathered once again to conquer the beast that is the OTT. This time, we spent a couple of days as part of the OTT Stewardship Trail Work crew to work on part of Bunch Grass trail, which is one of the most notorious sections in the entire route. It was a blast hanging out with Gabe and crew for a bunch of work, a little riding/hiking, and tons of good food. The stewardship work parties are an essential part of the health and well being of the OTT. If you ever have the chance to help out with one, I would highly suggest it. Check out the Oregon Timber Trail website for details about when they will be holding future work parties!

Karey (UL), Bill (UR), Aliza (LL) Deann (LR)

After a couple of days working on the trail, we were dusty, sweaty and very sore, and so it began: our trek toward Hood River, the northern terminus of the OTT. Our goal was to make it in 15 days. After trying to tackle a lot of extremely long, extremely difficult days in the past year, I think we were all a little scarred, so we were fairly conservative with the mileage each day so that it was challenging, but enjoyable (for the most part).

Bunchgrass starts with some semi-technical riding including some very loose dry dirt, rocky patches, off camber sand and portions of the trail that had not been cut back yet. Despite the rough spots, I felt very grateful for the trail work that had been done thus far, because it probably would have taken us at least an hour longer to get through there if we hadn’t just done the work. We got a late start that day after some false starts and the typical yard-sailing that happens as every body Is gettin their gear settled in. Around mid-day in all its sunshine and heat, we got to the “Goat Trail” area of Bunchgrass which consists of big rocks, super steep ascents, loose dirt, roots. We took turns helping each other push our bikes up the hill to save time and energy. If I had been alone, I would have had to un-pack my bike and haul the packs up separately, and it would have taken A LOT of time!

The clearing at the top over looks Diamond Peak and the view was rewarding and (almost) worth the effort to get there. It’s moments like these that help me remember why I adventure like this. The pain and agony of getting up over that hill is quickly hushed when the glory of the top is reached. And it is with this, that we do it again and again. This was one of the moments that was a little sentimental for me - looking out over the majecstic forest and the mountains - I took a mental snapshot (as well as a real one) of the view to keep it with me always. I was headed out for Arizona for a new chapter in life later that summer and this was my final Oregon hurrah for a while.

Overlook to Diamond Peak on Bunchgrass Road: a much needed rest stop

The section after the “Goat Trail” turned into an off camber, side winding narrow trail that required much push. bike - much more than anticipated, which says a lot, because we were expecting a lot of push a bike. The meadow was grown over the trail so it was difficult to see. I tumbled a couple of times due to clipped pedals on the invisible rocks below. So, after much crashing, cussing, and frustration we finally got through that and into some rocky single track - which meant more pushing for me. A couple members of our crew were able to ride more than me, so I wouldn’t say it was unrideable - just more challenging. Shortly after that section, we hit a bunch of downed logs. Up and over and up and over for quite a while led us to snow fields which were too slick and soft to ride through. Bill ended up post-holing while he walked his bike and hurt his knee, but fortunately was able to keep riding.

FINALLY! We bombed down the most amazing single track goodness all the way to the campsite at Gold Lake. This was, by far, the best way to end a day filled with Type 2 Fun. The lake was beautiful and serene (though home to many mosquitos). We were all pooped so we made a cozy fire and some dinner and we were off to bed, looking forward to The up and down of the day to come.

Dinner, sunset and conversation at Gold Lake

Thunder and Lightning...Very very frightening...Day 3 of OTT

Running Away from storms:

I'll tell you what...there is hardly anything more frustrating than needing to go faster on your bike and just not being able to. Day three of the Oregon Timber Trail involved multiple bouts of thunder and lightning storms where we were caught out in the middle of exposed ridge lines with minimal tree coverage. The first was shortly after we woke up in the morning and were climbing up out of Mill Flat. The higher we got, the less tree coverage there was and the more ominous clouds rolled towards us. 

Morning Thunderstorms on the Climb out of Mill Flat

 We had the option to turn left to return to the OTT at mile 61, but since the day was going to be long we elected to descend gravel road and meet back up with the trail at mile 64. We then started our first big brutal climb of the day, but fortunately it was cool and the showers that had begun actually felt great especially compared to the heat we had felt on the first two days.   We made it up to round pass around noon and while we had yet to experience any lightning and thunder, the clouds just kept getting darker and more threatening. We stopped for lunch at some point and as we were eating the thunder started booming. We decided to hunker down under a nearby tree to let the storm pass. We had phone service so were able to check the weather app and it showed that this storm cloud was going to be followed by many others after what looked like a brief break, so our timing for crossing the pass was important.  

Being chased by thunderstorms

We decided to make a go for it during the break between storms.  This meant that we had to ascend up what I remember as one of the hardest climbs of the trip.  We kept going higher and higher up switch-back roads towards the top of the ridge.  Much of this part of the trail was unridable to me as my legs were giving out and it was loose and steep.  We came around the bend at one point and got a glimpse of the other side of the mountain and saw the massive storm cloud which was headed our way.  We tried to book it up the hill, but alas, since I couldn't even ride my bike up most of it, it was inevitable that we would get caught in the storm before cresting the ridge and descending down the other side.  

So, maybe we did stop to have some photo opps...

Just before we could make it all the way up and over the ridge, the storm was on top of us. We were out in the middle of a rocky exposed ridge, so we had to ditch our bikes and run backdown to the only group of tiny trees we had passed a few minutes beforehand. This time, we waited for about 45 minutes. Luckily, most of us had grabbed our warm clothes and bundled up.  We ate snacks, made some bad trail jokes, looked at our phones at the weather and hunkered down until the storm passed.  

 Once the storm passed we had blue skies and climbed up to the Morgan Butte Lookout which had a spectacular 360 degree view. After that it was all downhill...well, kind of...  It was really fast, pretty smooth, but sometimes loose single track. It was fun though I managed to fall over a couple of times because my clipless pedals failed to let go of my foot when I tried to put put a foot down. Overall, the descent was a much needed reprieve from all of the climbing and running away from storm clouds that we had done earlier in the day. We made it down to the Chewaukin river by 5:00pm afterwhich was seven mile road descent into Paisley.  

The skies cleared for a glorious descent into Paisley, OR

We arrived in Paisley to find out that the market that had planned on getting some supplies was closed, as was every other business in the tiny town but the Saloon because it was a Sunday afternoon. As we sat at the junction of the main road and debating whether to catch dinner at the saloon or ride to the hot springs, the wind started gusting and thuge bolt of lightning cascaded from the sky not far from us. That made our decision for us and we ducked into the saloon for some food and a celebratory beverage. We called Dwayne at the Summer Lake Hot Springs where we had booked a tent site for the night to see if we could upgrade our reservation to a cabin rental. (Disclaimer:  normally, I don't mind tent camping for multiple days in a row, in fact I much prefer it to a maybe-comfortable bed but after this long day and unforeseen circumstances, I gladly opted for a bed and a hot shower). Dwayne was more than accommodating and not only did he offer us the cabin, but he drove his truck into Paisley allowing us to avoid the six-mile full-bellied ride out to the hot spring.  

Summer Lake Hot Springs was heaven! We stayed in the deluxe cabin which had it's own private natural hot tub where we piled in and enjoyed one of the most beautiful countryside sunsets I witnessed on this trip. This rejuvenation station was much needed and helped revive our tired bodies and minds preparing us for the next and most challenging day of the trip.   

Sunset at the Summer Lake Hot Springs Resort

Things I learned today: 

- Pay attention to the sky and the wind.  Try to plan accordingly.  Separate yourself from your bike in a thunderstorm.  Find cover or roll into a ball.  

- Sometimes there are things beyond your control (like how steep and brutal a hill is).  Don't beat yourself up about it. Just do what you can and be happy with that.

- Sometimes clipless SPD pedals need lube and/or tightening. I know these things, but some people don't.  Before thinking your pedals are just broken, try a little lube or adjustment.  It makes a world of difference. 

- People are awesome. The people in Paisley are awesome. 

- The Pioneer Saloon in Paisley, OR is one of the oldest Saloon in Oregon at 134 years old! 

Keep calm and carry on...

Where's the Water?

After the first epic day of hot-as-hell riding we were a bit shell-shocked but ready to rock it when we awoke to the chirping birds bright and early the next morning. We made our breakfast, which for me usually consists of 1.5 packets of grits with some powdered butter and egg whites, truffled almonds (special treat), and coffee. We had a meeting about the day's plan and made it on the road by 8:30 am, which, for five people trying to get all their 75 pieces of belongings together and out the door by then is making pretty good time.  I will be honest, that I wasn't sure how my legs were going to hold up. Because of all the cramping on day one, I was going to try to avoid anything that I thought had made me cramp. I began the morning by downing a full bottle of water, and then another with electrolytes, I stretched, and then tried to take it as easy as possible in the beginning.  

Due to the potential lack of water available on the trail for the entire day, we decided to skip some of the single track and take the road up to Crooked Creek Trailhead via a short detour to Mud Creek CG to fill up on some water. Because all of us were pretty paranoid about the water situation, still recovering from the heat the day before, we filled up extra, so we were pretty loaded with weight as we began our climb. This steady climb eventually dropped in at Crooked Creek trail where we ran into trouble. The trail was awesome, it was fun, it was bumpy, we went through a few dried creek beds, skirted around the lush trees and bushes, and then suddenly Deann's rear seat post bag-cradle snapped clean off her bike. Her husband, Bill and her attempted to remedy the situation by jerry rigging the cradle with zipties and tape, but it wouldn't hold. So, Deann ended up distributing most of her things to Bill and rearranging to rest to her front roll. It was not the most ideal situation, but at least it got us back on the trail.

We continued rolling and found a great lunch spot by a sparkling spring. (Turns out we didn't need to be carrying so much water, but I suppose it never hurts). One of my favorite things is a lunch time near a creek. It means you get to have all the water you want to cook with lunch (if you need that), and you can probably even have an afternoon "iced" coffee!  It also means you can take a bath which is such a treat! So, of course we did all those things and started rolling again. That so-fresh-and-so-clean feeling did not last long, as we immediately ran into ALL the cows, which were walking the same trail. This also meant that ALL the cow dung was flinging everywhere; on our bags, on our clothes, on our helmets. It was pretty gross but fortunately we after some glorious descending, we ended up toward the end of the creek near the trail head and got to take bath #2.  

During our descent we ran into two hikers out on the trail who worked for the Forest Service. They also had an adorable golden doodle named Sadie. We chatted with them about the OTT alliance and all of the great work they have done. They mentioned being excited that people are using these trails, and I'm hoping that they will continue to see more people out there as the OTT becomes a more well-seasoned route. As we were leaving, Heather casually mentioned our water worries to the forest, to which they said thank you to the feed back and mentioned a few other places that might have water. We said goodbye and finished descending, took our bath and began the next chapter in the heat of the day. (Aliza likes taking her baths by just falling over in the river).

We had a few miles on pavement before turning off onto a dirt road up a horribly long, exposed climb. When I got to this climb, I knew I had to motor at my own pace and keep things steady. (This is usually the key to success for all things Bike-packing - and maybe even life in general). The minute I would start to go into the "red zone" as far as exertion goes, that's when I start cramping. So, I just started riding, and riding, and riding. Just keep pedaling, just keep pedaling. I tried to pull over at the one or two very tiny shady spots on the road but really just had to keep going.  I kept thinking, "Maybe there's shade around the next bend." But no....just more sun. And gravel. And uphill.

At this point, Aliza was starting to have a really difficult time in the heat and we were all just sort of trying our best to stay put together enough to make it up the hill. Then as we looked up the road at what seemed to be a mirage, a white Subaru with two guys were pulled off to the side.  As we got nearer, we realized that the hikers we had encountered earlier on the trail had driven up to see if there was water at the top in the creek (which there wasn't) and had driven back and waited for us with bottles of ice water.  TRAIL ANGELS! OTT TRAIL MAGIC! Whatever you want to call it - it was just another example of people just being awesome people when you are out on the trail.

The descent down to Mill Flat was pretty great, though short lived. We eventually had to bushwhack a bit to find the Mill-Flat lake (pond), but we found it, and were immediately greeted by some folks who were fly-fishing and had a camp set up.  They offered us a beer and whatever else we needed, which some people took them up on, and we found a place to set up camp for the night a bit aways from them as they warned us that they might get rowdy. We were able to  bathe and wash clothes in the run off from the small lake and bask in an rose sunset before making our way to bed at the end of the a much better day from the day before.

First Impressions of the Oregon Timber Trail: Travel day and Day 1

 Nap and rally 

The adventure began with a train ride on Thursday, July 13 from Portland. The adventure started as a dream and ended in a nightmare. We were stuck in West Fir for 4 hours due to a freight train vs car collision. Apparently we had to wait for EMS to clear and then for the freight train to be inspected. Needless to say we didn’t make it to Kalamath Falls where we had a hotel booked for the night until 2:45 am. We got checked in and to bed at around 3:15 AM and woke up the next morning at 5:00 to meet our shuttle driver Wes. You see, the start of this trail is not entirely convenient to get to (there is now a new optional start further south in California that you can get to via bus).  So, here we were, this leads us to Day 1 of actual riding, very sleep deprived, and anxious to get on the trail.  

Our shuttle driver, Wes, who works at Hutches Bicycles in Klamath Falls, instantly won a spot in our hearts as the biggest hero ever NOT ONLY for waking up at the butt crack of dawn to pick us up, AND for making us a communal cup of Portland-style thick coffee, AND for charging our group a VERY affordable price for the shuttle, but ALSO for being a super cool guy and providing the best entertainment on the three hour drive to Lily and Cave Lakes in California. We truly owe him a huge thank you in the form of beer, gifts, favors... whatever he wants, he deserves it! We stopped briefly in Lakeview to grab breakfast at Tall Town Cafe which was more than welcoming to and whipped us up some delicious breakfast to go. And who could beat a $5 breakfast sandwich special that comes with coffee?  Total score!  

Okay, so fast-forward three hours and a lot of curvy roads, laughs, and chamois cream later and we were on the go. The route begins with an immediate uphill effort, which basically means that I can stop talking about the entire day and and cut to the part where I remember saying, "This day is shit." Needless to say, the ride was difficult to begin with, got more challenging in the middle, and kicked my butt all the way until the end. With the highest point of the route at just under 8.5k ft. elevation and 3.7k ft. elevation gain over 27 miles plus crap ton of over grown single track, to say it was challenging would be an understatement. It took us (me) four hours to go 10 miles and another four hours to go the rest of the way. Why I say it took ME four hours is because I was definitely the weak link in our adventure train.  

In my previous post (It's go time!) I may have mentioned that I haven't been doing a lot of training for this adventure because of grad school.  Well, guess what? I suffered. I suffered bit time!  My lack of fitness (both aerobic and strength cause I had to do A LOT of hike-a-bike, combined with the elevation factor meant that I was gasping for breath most of the time on this first day.  My cohorts suffered seemed to suffer a bit less, but actually, they probably suffered just as much, they just went faster at it.  

Both of my legs began cramping through my quads followed by bouts of hamstrings seizing up at about mile 12 (after much hike-a-bike). We were close to running out of water and I began to to experience symptoms of heat exhaustion. I took a break in what little shade that was and tried to gather myself while a couple of the others in the group rode ahead to see if the creek really had water or if it had dried up as did many of the other creeks along the way. Once I recovered, Heather and I took a shorter route to the creek and to our amazement, we were rewarded with the cutest and most refreshing trickling stream we had ever seen!  

It is truly amazing what a little water can do for morale and immediately our moods were brighter and energies were up! We wisely decided to take the take the gravel road down into Squirrelville Cabins for the night instead of the single track, which was well worth it because we got there right as the sun was setting anyway. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I said that this day was shit, and believe me, it was!  The riding and the trails were incredibly difficult and there were many times when I pushed my mental and physical fortitude to the limits. But when you descend down that mountain that you've climbed and are greeted by some of the nicest people I have ever met, along with a beautiful sunset and an ice-cold beer, well, that's when you realize that it wasn't really shit, it was just a shit-ton of Type-2-Fun!  

Written in collaboration with my fellow bike packer extraordinaire, Aliza Richman

If at first you don't succeed...

Well, I will be honest.  There are not a lot of things in life that I set out to do that I don't actually succeed at. It's not to say that I don't make a lot of mistakes along the way, or that I get everything right on the first try. But usually I am able to get back up and try again until I succeed.  But this time was different. My goal was to complete the entire Oregon Timber Trail, all 669 miles, 69k of elevation gain, in 20 days. So, myself and 4 others began our Journey on July 13th. The first few days were difficult, very difficult..some of the most challenging times I have ever experienced in my life both mentally and physically.  That damned Fremont tier is epic and beautiful and just rugged.

But I pushed on with my crew and by day five and six, I was feeling better. My legs came around. I was climbing better, handling my bike better, but damn it was still so difficult. The trail, overall, is just relentless. But I had made up my mind after much back and forth, to keep going, determined that I would continue on to the next tier and the next until I ended up in Hood River.  

Day eight rolls around. We had come up out of Crescent Lake on the some of the most amazingly beautiful single track. We descended down through Alpine lakes (and many mosquitoes). At some point on the trail, I had to put a foot down on a steep incline and lost my balance and slow-motion topped to my right side, stupidly putting my hand down to catch myself and wrecked my wrist. It's not too horrible (at least with all the adrenaline at that point) so I keep trucking. Much later on the trail, my very tired body (and mind) was maneuvering around large roots, tight switchbacks and tromping through the marshy puddles of the Upper Middle Fork Willamette portion of the trail. While approaching a root drop, I put my foot down last minute and absentmindedly hit my front break, sending me catapulting over my handle bars, rolling onto my opposite hand and shoulder than I had wrecked earlier in the day. Again, seemingly not so bad, adrenaline kicked in, I hopped up, brushed myself off (cussed a little of course) and hurried on my way, trying to get to our camping site as soon as possible because we were all getting tired.

That evening while eating my tasty freeze-dried beef stroganoff for dinner, I began to feel the toll that the trail had taken on me that day. I ached from top to bottom, my wrists were throbbing, my shoulder had limited mobility and my back (which I have issues with because of a previous injury) was tingling and zinging when I bent over. This is when reality sets in. The reality that I no longer had the choice to continue based on whether my mental fortitude allowed me to do so.  I no longer could make the decision because my body was deciding for me. And this made me sad. And frustrated. And angry. And disappointed. I felt pressure. From myself because I knew I probably would not reach my goal and also from thinking that others were going to be disappointed with me if I didn't continue.  So I slept on it.

The next morning I woke up and new I would need to take the road back into town because my body was in no shape to ride the trail.  I could not put full weight on my wrists and my back was in bad shape.  So, I did just that. It wasn't easy to see my mates off at the trail and head on into Oakridge via pavement solo. It wasn't easy to digest my thoughts and the reality that I more than likely would not be able to continue on my journey and complete my goal.  And of course, that made me want it more than ever.  But, I officially decided that night that I would not be continuing on.  

And I feel like now that I am back in Portland, I know I made the right decision for my body but I'm still sad and I my initial reaction is to hide and feel ashamed that I didn't complete my goal. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that maybe I could change my goal - or look at the experience in a different way. My goal could simply be to experience something new and push myself more than I have ever before. And that goal...that goal I completed. Even in just the 9 days that I was out there on the trail, I learned a lot about myself, a lot about my adventure pals, a lot about Oregon, this beautiful place that I call home.  And that, all of that is worth every bit as much as completing the entire thing. So, I suppose the outcome of all this is that some times it is okay to fail, and with that "failure" comes success of something else, or success of that thing in the future.  (You can watch my trail farewell video below). 

Happy Adventuring!

PS - I will give more updates and specifics about the trail and the adventure later!

It's go time!

This website is very new - so if there are typos, horrible spellings, and things don't make sense - well, that's just how things are gonna be for now!  I'll try to post updates about my OTT trip when I can, but until then, stay tuned!  Happy adventuring everyone!  

Oregon Timber Trail Packing List

For those of you who are gear junkies - or maybe just curious about what to pack for an epic bikepacking adventure, here you go.  Please note that I am not an ultra-super-light-race-paced-packer.  I am your more mid-line, not too heavy, "I can do without a lot of things, but care about somethings and will deal with the weight," type of packer. Some of my gear is the top of the line ( have been using it for a couple years though), but my bike and components are definitely not.  So, for those of you who are looking for the latest and greatest - that's great and all, but you won't find that here.  What you will find is a pretty damn comprehensive list of things that are handy and possibly an opinon about why I do things the way that I do. This list that I have included here is pretty much the same list of things that I packed for my Great Divide Mountain BIke Ride in 2016.  

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SETUP: 

Bike: Focus Black Forest HT 29'er (Heavy old bike)

Seat Post: Suspension Seat PostThud Buster 

Brakes: SRAM Guide RSC

Handle Bars: Ergo Hand GripsErgon GP5 

Pedals: MSW CP-200 Platform/Clipless

Handlebar Bag: Revelate Sweet Roll

Navigation: Garmin 820 

Tires: Front: Specialized Purgatory, Rear: Specialized Butcher (Both Tubeless)

Frame Bag: Salsa Frame Bag 2

Cage Mounts for Salsa Anything Bags: I have a suspension fork with no mounts, so I had to use a different attaching system.  I use a Gorilla Clip Mount from Free Parable Design and it works extremely well!  I have taken it for miles and miles and miles!!! 

Extras on the Bike: 

Bear Bell

Small Speaker: AYL SOUNDFIT Waterproof Speaker (obviously not necessary, but man, I ride faster with some tunes in my ear, plus it warns the animals that you are coming!)

Extra tube taped under Downtube

2 spare spokes (one for L and R) taped to frame

Extra Cables and Housing in Handlebars

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Osprey Tempest 6 Hip Pack

• Water: Platypus Soft Bottle 1L + 2 large water bottles in each side (equals about 3 L of water)
• Lip Balm: Kiss My Face SPF 15
• Cell Phone
• Cash/Credit Card in Sea to Summit plastic holder
• Phone Case - Life Proof Nkd
• Eye Drops (2 - allergy and moisturizing)

Revelate Feed Bag 1 (I call this the food trough)

• Sunscreen - Keep it handy
• Whistle - Keep it handy
• Knife: Gerber - Keep it handy (especially for meat snacks)
• Titanium Spork - Keep it handy (usually I stuff it in the middle of the snack bag so that it doesn't fly out the side - this has happened to me before)
• Energy Bars: I like Picky Bars!  They go down easy and are nutritious with minimal to no extra preseratives and taste really good. But to each their own! I usually pack two bars for each day.  For this specific trip I mailed two boxes to different points so I would have bars in the future.  I don't have a horribly picky diet so I could also just pick up snacks at a convenient store if needed. I just like having what I know my stomach reacts well to.  
• Mace/Pepper Spray (protection just in case)

Revelate Feed Bag 2

• Cliff Energy Chomps (I usually go through 2-3 packs of these a day, pending how long we ride) 
• Other snacks as needed (could include an assortment of Keeblers Crackers, Salty Nut Rolls, Twix Bar sand Swedish Fish - a lot of Swedish Fish)
• Bug Spray - Keep it Handy
• (These bags are also great cause you can stuff your garbage in the side netting as well)

Revelate Gas Tank

• Energizer Headlamp (nothing fancy)
• Cycling Multi-Tool: Crank Bros M-19
• Headphones: Beats bluetooth Ear buds 
• Batteries: 6 AAA (Make sure you have enough batteries and the types that fit anything that needs batteries)
• Spare snacks
• Handy wipes
• Mosquito head net

Revelate Sweet Roll, Large

• Sleeping Bag Big Agnes Roxy Ann 15 degree 
• Sleeping Pad Big Agenes
• Tent: Nemo Hornet SL 2P + Footprint
• Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Premium
• Air Pump Neo (Not necessary, but especially at elevation, where I don't any extra air, it helps and it saves me time)
• Bag liner: Rab Silk Mummy Liner (a must! kept things clean, easily washable, added warmth)
• Showers Pass Convertible Rain Pants and Syncline Jacket (Yes, I take this in the PNW even when it's 100 degrees - doubles as an extra layer at night if needed, plus mosquito protection if really needed)
• Some times I also stuff extra food things in the Sweet Roll if I am riding for more than 3 days without a resupply.  Things like Tuna Pouches, Recoverite Drink Mix, Miso Soups, etc slide in really easily.  

Salsa Anything Bag 1

• Jet Boil Flash Lite X
• Jet Boil Pot Extension (fits inside Jet Boil)
• Fuel: 1 little (inside jet boil)
• Self Care Bag in a mini stuff sack
• Bag Balm Mini Canister
• Travel tube of Noxema
• Neosporin
• Sanitzing Wipes
• Toothbrush/paste
• Lotion (my hands tend to crack so I need this)
• Ear Plugs
• Tweezers
• Floss
• Dr Bronners Soap
• Contacts (Daily disposables so don't need solution)

Salsa Anything Bag 2

• Fuel: Big Cannister
• Titanium Double Walled Coffee/Whiskey Cup
• Assorted Tea Bags
• Instant Coffee packets
• Instant Green Tea Packets
• Emergen-C Packets
• (All of these mini drink packets are in a plastic bag inside of my cup - I like having them on the quick draw for mid afternoon pick me up of "iced" coffee or green tea)

Salsa Frame Bag  

• REI Micro Towel - Small size

• Bowl/PlateSea to Summit Collapsable Bowl

• Scratch Labs Lemon Lime Hydration Mix Packets Energy Drink Mix

• Hot Drink Mix - Apple Cider (tasty treat, also goes well with whiskey!)

• Food (I will include my list of go-to-foods later, but I can generally easily fit 4-5 days of food on my rig.  Usually my frame bag houses most of my dehydrated foods but could also include anything from flattened bagels to cans of chicken other tasty snacks)

• Pen & PaperWaterproof Field Notebook

• Sea to Summit X-Pot (aka Bob the Pot) 1.4 L (This is not a necessity, but I like to make a few fancy meals in the pot, so I choose to bring it - I fit my bowl/plate and my drink mix inside)

• Field Guide to Bike Repair (Cause I don't claim to know everything about fixing my bike on the fly)

• Electronic tire pressure guage

• Anker Powercore 20100 Portable Battery Charger

Tool Kit (aka Waterbottle in a cage under my down tube - fancy, I know)

• Universal derailleur hanger
• Cleaning rag
• Park Tool cleaning brush
• Chain Lube
• Patch Kit
• Tire Bacon kit (tubeless repair)
• Spare Cleats w/ Bolts (1)
• Spare Brakes (2 sets)
• Zip Ties 
• Wolf Tooth Components Pack Pliers (these include many tools in one)
• Park Tool Tire Boots (2)
• Replacement Chain Links
• Duct Tape/Electrical Tape
• Straight Needle
• Rubber Bands
• CO2's (3) and CO2 inflator tool

Revelate Viscacha Seat Bag

• First Aid Kit: Adventure Medical SL and Water Tight
• 50ft Paracord (an absolute must)
• Clothing Pod (a stuff sack sinched super tight with all clothes):
• LS Button up Icebreaker Merino (aka Town Shirt)
• Nike Running Shorts (aka Town shorts)
• Patagonia Underwear (1)
• Spare Chamois/Liners (1)
• Socks (2)
• Icebreaker Merino Sleeveless
• Icebreaker Merino LS (for riding)
• Icebreaker Merino LS (for sleeping)
• Icebreaker Merino Leggings (for all things cool)
• Sports Bra (1)
• LF Gloves (1 pair)
• Knee Warmers
• Icebreaker Head Cap
• Buff 
• Tiny Sack of any extra food that didn't fit anywhere else
• Big Agness Down Puffy in a stuff sack
• Flask of Whiskey (cause a little nip keeps me warm at night)
• Headlight: Nite Rider 650 Lumax
• Taillight: PDW 
• All cords for charging headlight, taillight, garmin, phone, speaker, etc. 
• Chacos Sandals strapped to the sides
• Platypus 4L gravity filter (strapped on top)

On My Person:

• Showers Pass Apex Merino Teach T-Shirt
• Specialized MTB Liner Shorts
• Showers Pass Cross Country Shorts
• Sports Bra
• Short Fingered Gloves
• Shoes: Specialized Motiva MTB
• Socks
• Sunglasses
• Bandana (a MUST!)
• Road ID bracelet
• Helmet: Specialized MTB - usually I wear a road helmet for excursions like this but this trip is very technical

Food

For this specific trip, I will be out on the trails approximately 21 days.  I have planned ahead and have mailed boxes to certain points, each about 3-4 days apart. There are two segments at the end where I will be carrying food and supplies for 5 days. These are general food ideas that I carry at any given time, but it changes depending on what is available. I do try to be creative and mix things up a bit, but especially for long periods of time, I just do the usual dehydrated meals.  One of my favorite meals is Chicken dinner and usual reserve this for Fancy Friday Feasts.  

• Dinners:
• Chicken Dinner: canned chicken, stuffing, instant potatoes, dehydrated veggie (usually green beans)
• Olive Oil Packets
• Norr Rice/Pasta Sides (add chicken or tuna and voila!)
• Good to Go Dehydrated Meals (I like these - they take a while to cook, but have amazing flavor and are very filling and provide a large amount of food in one pouch. Usually, I buy the two serving one and divide it in half, putting one portion in a small plastic bag so it takes up less room than the larger cooking pouch. I keep one cooking pouch handy for about 3 days and just reuse it.  
• Tuna Pouches (flavored ones add a bit of variety)
• Mayo/Relish/Mustard Packets - either order online or grab from convenient stores
• Flattened Bagels (BEST EVER!)
• Instant Miso or Soup Mix
• Hot Cocoa/Chai Mix
• Instant Grits
• Almonds/Trail mix
• Powdered Butter 
• Powdered Egg White (I use egg whites instead of whole eggs because they are less "eggy" tasting upon reconstituting. I mix this and the powereded butter into my grits)
• Freeze dried fruit mix (tasty as a snack, in grits, or as a rehydrated fruit salad)
• Meat Snacks
• Nut butter packets

And so it begins....

Today marks four days from departing on one of the most epic adventures that I have ever taken, and surprisingly enough, it is in my own backyard. On July 13, I will be joining a crew of four other people who will be riding the newly developed trail network called the Oregon Timber Trail. Three of them will be riding the first couple of tiers, dropping off at Oakridge.  Two of us will continue on to Sisters, at which point, my plan is to continue solo. This will be my first solo trip, and while it will only be six days of the entire 20-21 day journey, I am a bit intimidated, to say the least. The final tier of the journey is said to said to be some of the most difficult terrain of the entire 669 miles. 

To say I am nervous would be an understatement.  Not only is this one of the most rigorous bikepacking courses I have ever attempted,  I am also probably the least physically fit that I have ever been going into something like this. The past two years has been spent completing my masters degree in Music at Portland State University, putting a damper on my fitness. Yes, I know, you gotta make time for fitness and get to the gym, and it only takes 30 minutes of general activety to keep in shape, etc., etc.,. But, really, by the time I'm in classes seven hours a day, plus my Graduate Teacher Assistantship responsbilities and hours of rehearsal and hours of practicing the piano, even if I had time to workout, I have been so exhausted that all I want to do at the end of the day is wrap myself in a warm blanket and watch an episode of a mindless sitcom and fall asleep. But, no excuses - I have the body that I have and the fitness I have right now, and I just need to respect that. I had always heard that you don't really train for these things, you just ride into fitness while you are out there. And honestly, I believe it, but it also means you really have to respect your body. You have to acknowledge that you might not be able to push as hard as you want to, or that you used to be able to last summer. You have to acknowledge that your joints are going to ache a little bit more than usual and your muscles might cramp a bit more than usual.  And that's okay.  I truly believe that respecting the body and the terrain and accepting what you have to give for that day is enough is the key to gettin throug most anything.  Now, of course, if you have the time to do shakedown trips and fitness rides and strength training for all your adventures, you definitely should!  Injury prevention is very important...maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel a little better....

So, with that.  I will keep you posted possibly thorughout, but most likely after I get back.  And here's to hoping that things go well and that I come out on the other side a bigger and better person!  As I continue to build this adventure center, I hope to be able to recap on my past adventures as well. This most recent adventure has stoked the fire of sharing not only my stories and tips, but also successes and failures in hopes of encouraging you all to get outside and enjoy the stoke that mother nature has to offer!