I'm down for a beer with Adam and John!  Great job out there everyone!

I'm thrilled to see Adam having a solid run at his first 750 attempt. He is a such a great contributing member to our community, always sharing knowledge and advice and his preparation for an event is always 100%!  We are cheering for you, Adam!

It's all down hill from here, Kurt!! Woohoo!! Such an impressive run, and wishing you smooth sailing for the last bit.

Hot Damn, Kaitlyn! Flying!

FYI:
Oregon Timber Trail - 2018 Grand Depart
July 14th, 2018
8am
Cave Lake Campground, CA
Modoc National Forest
Thus far only a dozen or so people have completed the Oregon Timber Trail. There have been wildfires, clouds of mosquitos, some bad GPS tracks, thousands of downed trees, long miles without milkshakes, jobs that actually require you to show up, tires that don't hold air and at least one bout of loneliness.

We make no promises to alleviate any of these complaints, but it is our hope that by inviting some people to start riding together as a group we'll make some friends, share in the beauty of Oregon, and learn from each other.

THIS IS NOT A RACE. Seriously. This is a fun ride where each go our own pace, camp when it gets dark, and eventually make it as far as we want to make it. 

See the rest here: http://oregontimbertrail.org/blog/oregon-timber-trail-2018-grand-depart-july-14th-8am?utm_source=Oregon+Timber+Trail&utm_campaign=27a476a093-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2f9842cf46-27a476a093-439151077

Feel free to send me a PM about issues/questions specific to being a female in this sport.

Heather

Thanks, Barry!  The netting for sleeping was definitely needed, as they were out enough to be a real nuisance.  Granted it was early August in a super high snow year, but by local accounts the Waldo lake area (after Oakridge) is mosquito death zone until September.  I had them the worst near the Windy Lakes just after Crescent (day after Chemult), but luckily I wasn't trying to sleep up there.  I think the main reason I didn't use the head net is that I hate the idea of riding with it, I'd rather slather on Deet (which I did several days).

Hood River is a great town!  I could spend some real time there.

As promised, if you scroll part way down this write-up you can find the logistical details of my experience on the southern portion.  Cheers!
https://www.benedicto.co/heather-rose/]
[url]https://www.benedicto.co/heather-rose/[/url]

Yes, part (but not all) of the challenge was that parts of the track are hand drawn.  I was recording my track each day and have shared them all with the organizers. I would rather not put them all out publicly, but if you ever need a specific section I am happy to share that and discuss its pitfalls and strengths.  I did not try to ride a few of the earlier sections, due to fatigue from the previous miles of exploration and bushwacking, so I do not have info on every bit of the Fremont portion.

I stayed on trail for the first 35 or 40 miles and some of it was reasonable riding (very beginning) and then some romping through the forest.  At the 395 I bailed on the hwy to Paisley, but apparently the on-trail climb from 395 was the part they cleared this year, so you should go check it out!  I took the listed alt from Paisley to Summer Lake HS and up the forest road to Currier Sp/Winter Rim, the 12 miles after the spring go clean, but you have to follow the line (on the ground, not the track) VERY carefully. After that (from Fremont FS Cabin) it seemed like hell, so after a couple miles I backtracked and took dirt roads down to Silver Lake, from that point on I was fairly true to the track, but all the way to the end you want to make on the ground common sense decisions and not just follow the lone on the gps unit.

I'm working on a couple interviews with folks involved with the trail and as soon as those are done I will try and link them here, but you will likely see them on the OTT FB page first.  The organizers are hard at work on this and by next summer I am sure some of these things will be much improved!  The scenery and remoteness of the southern portion is fabulous!

I completed the route (with adjustments) a couple weeks ago and it is a great route, but the trail itself and the accuracy of the track need a lot of work before it is "race ready".  My impression/guess is that it may be ready for a group start (nonrace) next summer and then ready for prime time the following year, but the organizers are working on it and know what's what!  Right now so much of the surrounding land is on fire

I'm aiming for the short version this fall!

Go Kait!  Go Alexis! Whoot!

Nice Adam!  Given your luck this year, I am pretty sure the fire is your fault, so it is only fitting...

Gorgeous!! I am going to do my best to make it happen. I better go put in some miles this afternoon.

Yes, that part and it is even fun for mediocre riders like me now (not that I support what was done).

I'll likely be in AZ playing the last week of March (Spring Break).

And Baja.... Life....

Hey Erin, You know the bottom half of Romero is much more ride-able now after that (illegal) work was done on  it (hint, hint - might be nice...).  And if you hold it on one of the April weekends I will try and have my butt in shape for it this year, but I am likely out for the March dates. Thanks for all your work!

Following... Operation Get My Butt Back in Shape started this week.

Erin - Give me a shout out if you want some company on scouting rides in Jan or Feb.

If you like to avoid traditional holidays as much as I do and are interested in joining me for a week or two on the Baja Divide (start in SD, bus back from a major city) send me a PM! I am currently out of shape, but overall am a focused rider that likes to be productive (keep moving) during the limited daylight hours and have lots of bikepacking experience.  Exact start date and length is flexible, but ideally I would like to head out a day or two before Christmas.

https://bajadivide.com/

Hikeabike is going to make fun of me, because I always say I do not give a damn about my "time", but I think I actually beat 9 full days by 40 seconds!!!   I am counting the time it took me to get from the Waterton Trailhead Sign to the Junction Creek Trailhead Sign.   

Point #5 received at: 01:43:47 PM (MDT) 07/21/16

Point #672 received at: 01:43:07 PM (MDT) 07/30/16

haha! It feels good, doesn't it   Great work out there!