Lemmon in a Fortnight

I'll be back home in Tucson in 2 weeks! So long Houston! However, I'll only have three days there before Kenya, so I want to make the most of it. And what better use of my time than climbing Lemmon again, all the way to the top. If this doesn't train me for those BC hills I don't know what will. I think I'll be doing this route many more times in the upcoming year.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/30517448

The first time I got up on will-power alone. Hopefully I'm a better cyclist now. I'll keep you posted how it goes!

Windy Point - Halfway Point @ 6600 ft!

Day 2: Climbing the Cascades (83)

Leaving Hope behind, this will be the first day in the mountains. The proposed route would see us hit 3 Cat-2's, along with a Cat-3, a 4 and a 5. This is likely to be one of the toughest days in the tour, as we'll be climbing a total of ~6200 ft (over a mile) in elevation. Sounds like fun!

We would hit the hills fast as well. A Cat-3 (3.4 mile; 3.7%) would be less than 2 miles outside Hope. A Cat-2 follows immediately after at Mile 6 (5.1 miles at 5.1%). This means that by mile 11 we'll would have already climbed 2100 ft.

Entering Manning Provincial Park at mile 21, Allison Pass, the biggest climb of the day, awaits us. The summit of this Cat-2 is 4400 ft (1300 m) high. From there however we descend until mile 58, where the final Cat-2 and 5 await us on the run into Princeton.

Not too many days would be harder than this one... in fact, just the one.

Hope, BC to Princeton, BC through Manning Provincial Park

Panoramic View of the Cascade Mountain Range inside Manning Park

Elevation Profile (Day 2)

Right, I'm off to enjoy Aberdeen!

Black vs. Grizzly... vs. Cyclist

On the back of a hiker being killed by a Grizzly in Yellowstone yesterday, I thought it would be prudent to put this information up.

http://www.wikihow.com/Escape-from-a-Bear

Important Points:

• Know your bear (Black vs. Grizzly). Colour isn't a good indication. However, Grizzly bears have a prominent shoulder hump, unlike the Black bear (see picture below).
• If the attack by the bear is in self-defence (we startled it), don't run. Slowly back away if possible (front still facing bear), or stand your ground. Avoid direct eye contact. Make yourself as big as possible.
• If the bear still attacks you, act dead after the first physical contact with Grizzly. It should leave you alone.
• Never do this for a Black. Stand and fight (they're smaller at least).
• Bear Spray works well apparently. Adding a case of that to the post 'The Crap We'll Need'

The article goes into a lot more detail, and was an excellent read.





Left: Black without shoulder hump. Right: Grizzly, with hump.

The Crap We'll Need

Here's just going to be a very basic run-down of the gear we'll need to carry with us. Obviously I'm going to forget something, probably important, so I'm sure this list will be edited. We can discuss the finer details of the gear closer to the time of purchase.

How to Carry Gear:

• Rear Rack with Panniers (>25 L for pair)
• Front Rack with Panniers (>25 L for pair)
• Handlebar Bag (if necessary; >6 L) 
• 4 water bottle cages
• Bungee Cords?

Axiom look like they have a good collection at http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/bags/

Camping:

• Tent or Hammock. Some hammocks don't have poles, and weigh as little as 3 lbs
• Sleeping Bag and Pad
• Torch / Flashlight
• $hit load of 'Off!' or any other bug repellent you can find
• Toiletries / Personal Items
• Edit: Bear Spray

Cooking:

• Gas Stove or firewood. Would prefer firewood...
• Matches / Lighter / Flint blocks
• Saucepan and Frying Pan
• Washing-Up stuff
• Water filter?
• Food. Probably going to be a lot of pasta + rice. Get daily.

Clothing:

• N/A. This is a fully naked trip..... Joking!!
• Regular Biking Gear: Clipless shoes, socks (x3), cycling shorts (x1-2), jersey, gloves, helmet, sunglasses.
• Wet weather gear: Rain Jacket (mine's fluorescent green; pictures later), rain trousers / pants. Should be fairly light. Even my thin rain jacket gets really hot inside...
• Regular shirts (x3), sweatshirt / jumper, shorts, jeans, shoes etc. For when off the bike.
• Towel

Repair:

• Patch Kit, Tyre Levers, Pump
• Spare Inner Tubes, additional tyre tread, spokes, brake cable.
• Chain tool, WD-40, Allen Keys, Screwdriver, Spoke Wrench. Basically, prepare for the worst.

Miscellaneous:

• Electronics: Camera, I-pod, phone, chargers? (during motel stays?). Book
• Route information and water bottles (>3 L)
• Cable Lock
• Crude Banter (even if I just do the trip alone)

A long list of items. I'm sure there's more. But as I said, we can discuss each of these points over the coming months...