Light Pack Backpacking

The Monster is Growing...

2012-01-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

As if the TNGA (my personal nemesis) wasn't long enough, someone decided to tack on another 300 miles to connect it to Pisgah. Yeah, that's 622 miles with 90,000 ft of climbing. That's like riding to the top of Mt. Everest from sea level 3.1 times if you're keeping score. Here's a link to the route.

I'd go ahead and ride it this month and post a trip report but I'm still recovering from this spinal surgery. Yeah... ;)

Timex Ironman Watch Band Hack

2012-01-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

I wear a Timex Ironman watch most of the time that I'm not at work. In general, I love the watch. Its useful for managing the amount of time you spend on a task, timing cooking meals on the trail, distance estimation, alarms, and, and, and...

Not good - Making Flippy Floppy

The bands that Timex decided to use on their newer watches aren't very popular with me, however. I can no longer use those velcro straps (The Band) and getting a replacement band requires that you buy Timex brand gear. Its particularly annoying when the failure point is something as simple as the band keeper. Because I'm a salty, stubborn old bastard I spend my valuable time trying to fix it instead of giving in as a victim of their design for failure revenue strategy.

Nicht Gut - Der Gorilla klappen rund

My first repair was a crude replacement made out of Gorilla Tape. As an aside, if you're not familiar with this tape, you should be. Its the Chuck Norris of duct tape. This replacement only gets a 4 out of 10 because it holds the band in place at first but it slides around eventually letting the band flop around.

O-rings are for champions

The next (and current) solution holds much more promise and doesn't look quite so ghetto. I had a perfectly sized o-ring in my gear closet that pops right on, holds the band in place and so far stays in place. Score? 11 of 10! If this doesn't work, I think I'll ask one of my less evolved cycling buddies that ride skinny tires to donate a section of inner tube.

So, this is what you get when I have copious amounts of spare time from spinal surgery combined with extreme sleep deprivation & over-powered pain meds. Do you have any other clever ideas?

Simple Trekking Pole Monopod

2012-01-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple solution for mounting your camera on your hiking pole to use it as a monopod while you're out on the trail. A video is more appropriate than a step by step photo session for this one.

Apologies for looking rough in the video. I just had spinal surgery to fuze my C6 & C7 vertebrae. You all know I love custom titanium but this surgery was probably a little over the top just to get a plate and four screws in my spine.

Anyway, enjoy and please leave comments if you have alternate ideas or potential improvements to this one!

I updated the video to be directly embedded from YouTube for (smart) people that don't install Flash. Please let me know if it still doesn't work.

Snow Peak Carry On Chopsticks

2011-12-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

New Gear!

My wife gave me a set of Snow Peak's chopsticks for Christmas this year. They're expensive, redundant, unnecessary and aren't a candidate for multi-use gear. With all of that said, I love them!

Photo courtesy of snowpeak.com

I've always liked them but never picked a pair up because they're expensive ($29) and as I mentioned above, you really don't need them. Since I have some and there are a few interesting details I thought I'd write up a quick post.

Completely Unnecessary

First things first... these are absolutely a luxury item. Other than being small and lightweight they're just about the opposite of what I like about UL gear. Regardless, I'm looking forward to my first mug of ramen with them in the woods.

Simple

1. Remove the cap. It's a brass plug held in by a press fit o-ring. Simple!

2. Remove the wooden tips.

3. Thread the tip on the base & replace the brass caps.

4. Enjoy your meal.

Elegant

The materials are a nice match. The grip is stainless steel with a bead blasted matte finish. The tip is Japanese White Ash. Snow Peak made a deal with Japanese baseball teams to recycle their broken bats into new chopsticks. Nice touch! The threaded joint and rear cap are both made of brass.

The design shows off Snow Peak's typical refined simplicity. The design geometry, material selection and finish are all understated and show that the designer understood that less can truly be more. The chopsticks are well balanced whether you use them with a high or low grip.

Quality

Fit and finish are fantastic. It's that simple.

This is not the post you are looking for...

2011-12-05T15:50:00.001-08:00

New Product Tease

2011-12-01T15:35:00.001-08:00

The dog couldn't be more wrong on this one... long live the FedEx guy! More details will be coming soon but until then here's a little teaser.

The Hiking in Finland Advent Calendar

2011-11-29T17:25:00.001-08:00

Hendrik over at Hiking In Finland (a fine UL oriented blog) is doing a great holiday giveaway. I'll be taking a shot so prepare yourself! :D

Well done, Hendrik!

From Hiking In Finland:

The Hiking in Finland Advent Calendar

Over the next 24 days you will be able to win each day a piece of kit. From pullovers over backpacks to climbing gear, each day one post with a sweet piece of kit goes online, and will be raffled off to a lucky Hiking in Finland reader. There will be some rules and tasks, though:

1. You only can win once. This adds a bit of a gamble to the whole calendar, and makes you take risks with when & where you post your comment. Of course if you don't win one day, you still can try your luck the next day!
2. Generally you only need to comment to participate, but on some occasions there might be additional stuff you need to do to qualify.
3. It is open to everyone. As in from Afghanistan to Zambia, I send prices everywhere. And as I pay the postage out of my pocket, don't expect priority & signed shipping for huge items.
4. If you win, and I don't hear from you by the next day via Email, you lose and it goes to the second in line.
5. Posts go online in the morning at six, and entering closes at noon - Finnish time. I then will annex the post with the winner (+ 2nd and 3rd places) to keep updates to a minimum.
6. You can't bribe me or anyone involved to win. You use the item(s) on your own responsibility. Use common sense.

That's it, really. The Advent Calendar starts on Thursday, the 1st of December. Become a Follower, subscribe to the RSS feed, follow on Facebook, Google Plus or Twitter to stay up-to-date and don't miss it!

Fall Singletrack

2011-11-27T14:00:00.001-08:00

Life and work has been a little crazy the past few weeks. Its nice to get back out on the trail and find your center. I was lucky enough to ride yesterday and today. I do love bikes.

Make sure you remember what's important to you ... and take time to get out even if its just for an hour or two.

Who are you calling lazy?!

2011-10-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

Combine a newborn, scorching hot weather and a pinch of laziness and you get a really stagnant blog. Yow!

After last week's beach adventure, I finally have something to write about. We typically spend a week on the Isle of Palms every year to pretend that we still live in Charleston. Normally its much earlier in the summer (and oppressively hot) but we opted for the end of September this year. WIN!!! The temperature was in the mid 80s, the water was warm and the beaches were empty. Paradise.

Tropical Storm Ophelia was hanging out in the middle of the Atlantic when we got there so there was actually moderately clean and rideable surf for the first half of the week.

My board... surfing is simplicity

This wave was easily 4x larger than this just before Jenny took the photo

I took the long boat as well... plans included a paddle up to Caper's Island but that never materialized.

More 8ft monster waves... don't try this at home, kids

Throw in some Aussie rules frisbee and you're doing it right

We found this blue crab in a tidal pool... Kate was certain that it was going to eat us

All in all, it was a good week but nothing beats a sweet bike & singletrack

Credit where credit is due

2011-08-13T03:20:00.000-07:00

I saw this product pop up as one of Topeak's new features recently. I think I deserve at least a free tool set! :D Are you (still) listening, Topeak?

Topeak's Rocket Ratchet Line

The set I put together back in 2010 & blogged Sept. 2010

http://lightpack.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-little-things-multi-tool.html

Since then, I've upgraded the ratchet, added an 8mm bit and I've ridden hundreds more miles with it.

What do you carry in your day pack?

2011-08-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hendrik Morkel wrote an interesting post on his blog about the essential items in your pack. If you don't follow Hendrik's blog I recommend it highly. My approach to gear organization & packing has changed recently so I thought it might be fun and possibly interesting to write a follow-up post to Hendrik's original question.

If you asked me 2 years ago what was in my day pack I would have chuckled. I typically pulled my gear together just prior to the trip. The process wasn't a particularly efficient solution but it worked for me. Occasionally, I'd find myself with too much gear or worse than that I'd forget something. Ultimately, day hikes are just not that critical so it was never really a problem. Now that we have a 2 year old and a 2 month old around the house, I have significantly less free time. I've noticed that this keeps me from getting ready for my longer trips until the dead last minute which can be a little stressful. I'm an analytical guy so after noticing that getting ready for trips was beginning to be no fun I changed the process. The biggest improvement? Keeping my base gear in a pack and ready to go. Simple & effective. So now the big question... What's in there, Don?

I keep the day pack loaded with the essentials to get through an unintended overnight.That strategy is more of an outcome of having the core prepared for packing for bigger trips but its a nice benefit. In short, there's minimal shelter, limited food, water treatment, first aid, fire starting capabilities and a few personal conveniences.

This is what I carry - revel in the brilliance

Food - In this case, ramen with the spice pack replaced by miso, a block of dark chocolate, a pack of instant grits and some Starbucks instant coffee.
Wet Wipes - Becoming a dad has taught me the wonders of these.
Cook kit - My go-to kit is the Trapper mug paired with a Caldera Cone system (more detail on that below) & a few ounces of Heet fuel.
Utensils - Ti spoon & free chopsticks because its just not proper to eat ramen with a spoon. ;) They're resting on a neoprene sunglasses case I use to protect my phone when its in the pack.
Shelter - MLD tarp packs small and light. Perfect shelter from unexpected rain showers.
Essentials - Mini compass, mini whistle & eLite headlamp.
Stakes - To stake things.
Water treatment - Aquamira Frontier Pro & rolled up 1L Platypus.
Miscellaneous - MSR towel & 50ft of reflective line stored in my rock bag.
First Aid - more detail on that below.
Miscellaneous conveniences - more detail on that below

So first a little detail on the cook kit. I've spent a LOT of time over the past few years testing gear in the lab (read: kitchen) and out in the field. Jenny has discovered me on more than a few occasions to find me with alcohol stoves, fans, thermometers and spreadhseets taking over the kitchen. I used to default to my Snowpeak canister stove but I prefer my Trail Designs Caldera Cone system paired with the Trapper mug now. Its small, light, quiet & efficient. Who could ask for more? I keep a few ounces of Heet (yellow bottle) in an old contact solution bottle. (reduce, re-use, recycle, right?)

Trail Designs Caldera Cone & Trapper mug

My first aid kit is pretty simple and I assembled it myself. I keep it in a snack sized ziplock bag. Most commercially available systems are expensive and seem to have either too much or too little. Example: blister treatment. Most of the items in the photo are self explanatory. Let me know if you are interested in a little more detail.

I keep a few conveniences / essentials in a Granite Gear silnyl envelope. From left to right: firestarter packets, Rite In The Rain notebook, pencil (because pens always seem to dry up), mirror, suntan lotion & Dr. Bronners in mini-droppers, the greatest knife on earth & toothbrush / toothpaste.

Most important of all is to remember that there's no right or wrong answer. I had a lot of help putting the photos for this post together from Kate. When I asked her what her essential gear list looked like I got a radically different answer (see photo below). Ultimately, its all about priorities and experience.

So now the question is... What do you carry in your pack?

Kate and her essentials - Its a very princess themed pack but I'm still proud. She's chosing UL princesses at least!

Bear Bag System

2011-08-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

There are a few commercially available bear bag systems out there for mind boggling prices. Please don't pay $80 for a bear bag system. You can pull together a simple system for a fraction of the price.

I normally bring an 8L Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil dry bag, 50ft of reflective line, a rock bag and a small carabiner. I'll add a LokSak bag if I really feel the need to hide the food odor. Typically I'm only trying to keep my food dry and out of reach of racoons and other curious critters. You should be able to pull this together for about $40 at full retail. You can easily cut the price down even further by using a simple stuff sack already in your closet and run of the mill rope. Reflective rope and a fully waterproof bag are both nice but not necessary.

The 8L bag keeps my meals organized in my pack as well. Its larger than I need for food storage but I like to throw my mug, toothbrush, towel, etc in there when I call it a night. The less inviting I make my camp site the better. Keeping the aromatic pieces of gear that invite the critters in for a closer look out of reach just makes sense.

My rock bag was lovingly sewn my my mom who is my inspiration for all of my MYOG projects. Its a nice element to have when you're out in the woods. Every time I use my bag to huck a rock over a limb I smile because I know that my mom made this for me. By the way, my rocks go over the limb perfectly the first time - EVERY time.

I keep the rope packed in the rock bag so its contained and easy to find. Having 50ft of line for bagging food is overkill but I frequently use a length of the line for this or that while out on the trail - usually to help someone else that is less prepared. I really like the line that Lawson has over on LawsonEquipment.com. Remember, support the cottage guys when you can. REI is great but nothing beats doing business with a guy that is actually out in the woods doing the same thing as you. Good stuff.

Bridgestone Poster

2011-08-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

One of the things I really enjoy about mountain biking and backpacking is the community. I've made friends all over the world simply because of a shared passion for getting out and enjoying what the wilderness offers. One of those friends sent me this image earlier today so I thought I'd share it... proper. (Thanks, Dave - you get it)

TNGA Double Fail

2011-07-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday's ride made it abundantly clear that my body isn't much in the mood for riding the TNGA this year. I knocked off a meager 22 miles at Harbison and came home with my tail between my legs. It isn't fitness... my body just shuts down. So far the brightest minds in the local medical community can only confirm that I have solid lung volume (~6L) and that I'm devilishly handsome. My lawyers forced me to say that it is possible that one of those statements is embellished. I've been testing an Albuterol inhaler but it turns out that its really no help. Bummed... big time bummed. This must be what its like to wake up and realize that you're Lindsey Lohan. Wait... not that bad.

Failure = Success

2011-07-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

I took a solo bikepacking trip this past Saturday night. It was a short local trip that covered 30 miles start to finish. To make a long story short, I pulled the plug around midnight for a few reasons. The interesting part is the amount of feedback I've gotten from friends and family implying that the trip was some sort of failure. I've given that reaction a lot of thought and here's why I think they're wrong:

I had lots of fun. It was probably more fun than if I had hung out and left in the morning.
I learned a few things about an unusual situation in the relatively safe local environment. I'll bail on a trip somewhere else without a doubt and I'll be better equipped next time around.
Just like my rule for riding: If you don't crash now and then you're not riding hard enough, you're not getting better and you're not growing. Similarly, if you don't push your gear list to the point of determining that a certain piece of gear won't work you will never know where limits are.
Did I mention that I had fun?

Headed out... bike lanes in Lexington. Nice.

My favorite spring board bridge... the return trip in the pitch black of night was fun. This bridge deflects 8-10 inches as you cross. Every time I go over I'm braced for it to let go and drop me in the canal.

A little off trail exploring on the way there... I'd pay for that on the way back out with an under-powered head lamp.

The gear... it doesn't take much.

Home Sweet Home

A table for one... ramen & miso is a favorite of mine lately.

I just can't stop staring at my bike... Molly was made for this.

I keep coming back to the MSR HyperFlow filter for a reason.

I decided to call it a night around 9:30pm. I planned on staying up and out later but the bugs were driving me batty. I quickly learned that my bivy (even with the large mesh window around my head) was WAY too hot for a July night in South Carolina. Even with my quilt kicked to the bottom of the bivy I was baking alive. I zipped out and took a nap on top of the bivy for an hour or two. I eventually woke up to the familiar crunch, crunch, crunch of a campsite visitor. I flipped on my headlamp to find a fox about 10 yards from the edge of the tarp. Clapping, yelling and even throwing sticks didn't get him any further than 30 yards away at any given moment. OK, that's it I thought... I'm going home.

Packing up was easy but I was worried about visibility on the ride back. After some brainstorming I was able to hook my Kelty Triptease from my bear bag kit onto the back of my Camelbak to make me visible to cars coming up on me from behind. If you've pointed your headlamp at Triptease at night you know that its unnaturally reflective. I ended up choosing to take my Petzl E-Lite headlamp in favor of my Zebra mainly due to to the fact that its lighter and more comfortable. Unfortunately, its a notch below functional for effective off trail pathfinding and the following bike ride home in the middle of the night. It got me by and that's all it was designed for but I spent 15 miles of riding on the way home thinking of how much better the Zebra would be.

I took a break on the ride home at a side of the road bait shop. The break was more to take in the night than to take a rest. Good times.

So what did I learn?

Save the bivy for cool weather.
Bring a decent head lamp. The e-Lite is only good around camp, honestly.
Think about heading off trail and what that means if you have to get out in an odd situation. I'd do the same thing again but it worked out because I was lucky, not because I gave it good thought.
Keep pushing. This was a good trip. How do I know? I'm smiling while I write this.

New Balance Minimus Shoes <=>

2011-07-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I always had to show mom & dad how fast I could run when I got new shoes. As I got older, it was a little tougher to find shoes that caused the same excitement. I have picky feet so fit is VERY important and I'm not very tolerant of breaking shoes in. I've always preferred trail runners over traditional hiking boots. I pack light and I hike with trekking poles so there's really no need for bomber boots in my opinion. Trail runners are more comfortable, lighter, dry faster if you poke your foot in the river and they're generally cooler.

I've been keeping an eye on the barefoot running fad for awhile now. The Vibram Five-Finger shoes are in every outfitter I visit. Most of the large running shoe companies have some variant of a barefoot running / free running shoe. Unfortunately, most of them have been relatively uninteresting to me until recently.

I was excited about the looks of the Merrell Trail Glove ... until I tried them on. The fit was just odd with a very tight midsole & enough room in the toe box that I wouldn't need a bivy anymore. That's only a slight exaggeration. If your feet fit in these shoes I'm not saying you're weird - I'm just saying you have weird feet.

Ultimately, I tried on the New Balance Minimus and liked the fit. They have a minimal sole without being moccasins, the construction appears to be durable and well thought out and best of all... they're actually comfortable.

So, what's the best test for your maiden voyage with new minimalist shoes? The rockiest, sandiest place on the AT - the Grayson Highlands, of course! This was my first experience hiking in the area. I know from mountain biking that trails in the Virginia mountains are famous for their rock. These trails took it to an extreme, though.

Caution - shoe & foot torture zone ahead!

I was honestly surprised. The trail left my feet a little fatigued at the end of the day but it wasn't significantly worse than when I hike in my favorite Brooks Adrenalines. The grip and stability was fantastic and water shedding was better than anything I've worn. The combination of the Minimus shoes and my rusty, trusty WrightSock CoolMesh II socks made for the fastest drying footwear I've ever had on the trail. I have a knack for stuffing my foot in water where ever I find it so its a feature that doesn't go unappreciated.

My feet are still dry here. Just give me a few seconds... I'll have a wet foot in no time.

I've been wearing them around town as well with similar results and I'm looking forward to my next hike on normal trails! Recommended!

Gossamer Gear Ceramic Coated Stakes

2011-06-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

I tested a lot of new gear on my latest hike in the Grayson Highlands. One of my favorite gear additions is my new set of Ti V-stakes in ceramic hi-viz yellow from Gossamer. Its really simple when you're looking at stakes:

1. Light & durable
2. Good hold & able to work in various soil conditions
3. Easy to find in ground cover / hard to loose

Bright, light & durable finish (no batteries required for day-glow finish)

Prior to this stake set, I used a pair of MSR Groundhog stakes to stake out the tarp ridgelines, four MSR Needle stakes for the four tarp corners and four generic Ti J-hooks to stake out my bug tent inner when I use it. This system has worked fine for a few years. I already had the yellow ceramic coating on them prior to Gossamer's commercial offering. My only real complaint is that the Groundhogs pack a little on the bulky side since they are y-stakes.

Ti V-stake taking on the Grayson Highlands concrete meadows

The V-stakes did very well in rock hard soil of the highlands and loamy soft soil that I found in the grassy meadow our second night out. The coating is day-glow bright - you would have to go out of your way to loose them. The ceramic coating is holding fast even with the hard, abrasive soil the first night out. The same coating on my previous stake set looks fantastic. It's significantly more durable and easier to see than typical hi-viz coatings.

Conclusion: GREAT STUFF!

Grayson Highlands Trip

2011-06-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Dad & I took a trip to the Grayson Highlands for a three day, two night walk. We started at the state park just over the Virginia line and planned a 25 mile loop. Our past several trips have been mileage intense so this walk was designed to take it easy. We were celebrating my dad's 70th & Father's Day so there was no need to pop off big miles.

The Highlands are famous for the ponies but the views are spectacular as well and are a great change of pace from the dense growth typical of the lower elevations of the Appalachians.

Great views constantly along the AT connector, AT & Crest Trail


Wildflowers everywhere

A rocky outlook at the AT - Crest Trail connection

More wildflowers

We walked out to the AT then to the Crest trail after an eventual (& unintended) detour on Spring Trail. We planned short miles and the walking was relatively easy so the extra miles weren't a big deal. Dad almost managed to become close friends with this guy. He was non-poisonous but it still gets your attention at that second you almost step on a snake.

The trails in the area aren't marked that well so we eventually found our way to the Crest Trail and our first night's camp after 10 miles or so. I learned that I'm not a big fan of walking trails that are dual purpose horse trails. The flies, pies and lack of sleep had me ready to sit down and relax.

It wasn't long before we were greeted by the famous ponies. They were fun to watch and VERY curious thanks to all those before us that gave them snacks. We had to politely invite them to find another camp several times.

Prancing along... this is my meadow!

The ponies were certain that dad had pony snacks in his bag

Home Sweet Home

What we didn't expect to see came over the rise next - free range long horn cattle. There were a dozen or so of them. They were as curious as the ponies - just much larger and with lots more horn! They were determined that they were going to bed down right on top of us so we had to herd them back down the hill several times. Cows are stubborn but calm.

We woke up early the next day, took care of breakfast and hit the trail in hopes of missing possible storms. The walk from our camp to Wise Shelter on the AT was very short (~5-7 miles). After getting there it was exactly as expected - a little dirty, lots of flies and almost as many people. We decided to find a more comfortable camp site. After a short search we found a great spot in hardy grass under a tree. There were still a lot of flies but the pesky hikers were nowhere to be found.

My MLD Grace Solo & Caldera / Trapper combo

Dad prefers the Shires Tarptent Contrail

It didn't take long at all before a localized thunderstorm rolled in. It was a monster with HEAVY rain and reported 60mph gusts. One of the nice things about having a tarp is that you can invite a buddy to hang out in a pop up storm like this one so dad and I just hung out. One of the bad things about a tarp is that you're directly on the ground when heavy storms dump water so fast it runs across the top. It wasn't long before there was a 1cm deep flow running under the tarp. It wasn't a big deal but it was good for a chuckle with two 6ft 180lb guys huddled under a Grace Solo. As soon as there was a break in the storm we took all of our gear (except shelters) to the Wise Shelter to find 7 other people and a dog there. Eventually, it filtered down to us and four other people. With strong winds still in the area and having never actually used an AT shelter we decided to call it a night there. Honestly, I can't recommend it. Noisy people + stone hard floor + someone deciding that solar powered outdoor lights attached to their pack should burn all night (yes that actually happened) = a bad night's sleep. The best part? The lady who carried the lights was truly puzzled on how to lighten her load and make it to 10 miles per day for the next 21 days. This is absolutely no insult to her - just proof that UL walking needs more exposure! As a side note I was able to make it through this whole trip with no perceived need for three entire solar powered yard light systems. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing. ;)

The next day we walked out from Wise Shelter back to the park via the AT. Again, it was a pretty short day. We were out early since hard floors make for early mornings.

Smiling because we ALMOST missed this connector with rain threatening

We did run into some NORMAL wildlife on this trip

There isn't a trail in the area that isn't littered with stones

We were back to the trail head by 8am (I told you it was an early start) and the 4 hour drive home went quickly. All things said, it was a great trip. I did a lot of new gear testing on this trip so keep a watch for those reports later this week.

Taking Perry for a spin

2011-06-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

I took Perry out for a ride today. What a fun bike to ride... this is what drop bars should have always been. I'm searching for a track tha takes me down gravel roads and power lines here in Lexington. So far I've had a lot of fun searching but I can't claim success. What did I find today? Swamped out trail immediately after a hard right hand turn at the bottom of a fun downhill. I was hub deep before I stopped.

I walked about 150 yards in the muck with Perry on my shoulder and was reminded that I haven't drilled drain holes in my Bonty shoes. That's now on my task list since I spent the rest of the ride with a gallon of water in each shoe.

I finally found civilization and just got some (boring) road miles in. By the way, you may want to track down a Garmin Vista HCx if you don't have a GPS that you like. Garmin 'upgraded' the line so you should be able to find one on sale. The Vista HCx is great as a trip computer, navigator and post ride analysis tool.

This how a drop bar bike should look after a good ride. A little muddy and smiling from ear to ear.

Just in case you were wondering, this is where NOT to go.

Long weekend ahead

2011-06-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

A quick teaser of things to come...

Coated stakes are in and they look GREAT. Thanks Grant & RD!!

Prototype work on modular gear volume expansion for GoLite's Ion

Another view

The Hardest Bicycle Race In The World

2011-06-11T04:45:00.000-07:00

If you missed it, the 2011 Tour Divide kicked off Friday morning. The TD is a 2,700 mile race from Banff, Canada to the US-Mexico border in New Mexico. The route has over 200,000 feet of accumulated elevation gain. That's the equivalent to summiting Mount Everest from sea-level 7 times! The riders cover the route completely unsupported. If you want to know more about the race check out 'Ride The Divide' ... its a fantastic documentary covering several riders as they struggle through the course (available on Netflix). This year's race features a record number of bikepacking racers so it should be an interesting year to watch. You can see up to date progress at TrackLeaders.com. Good luck to all of the riders!

Chris Plesko (current TD singlespeed record holder) - 2,700 miles in 19 days!

I'm still alive...

2011-06-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

So, its been awhile since my last post. My son was born about 3 weeks ago so that makes a convenient excuse. Let's stick with that one. There are some cool things in the works, thought.

I got some new titanium v-stakes from GossamerGear.com. I'm sending them off for the obligatory yellow ceramic coating tomorrow. I should have them back in time for the 3 day adventure in the Mt. Rogers area later this month. They're pretty sexy even without the ceramic, though...

I also have a set of Avid BB7 brakes that are ceramic coated in a tungsten color that I'll do a post on ground up assembly soon. They're going to look SWEET on Molly. Stay tuned...

37 Miles With Just Me & Molly (my Black Sheep)

2011-04-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing special here - it was just a good day and I thought I'd share. The weather jammed up my plans to take a 2 night hike with dad in the Foothills earlier in the week so I've been a little bummed. Saturday made up for it, though. I was able to pop off 37 miles of asphalt, single track & jeep trail and I had lunch on the trail while I was at it. Good stuff.

Grind grind grind... it never takes long to remember why I hate road riding.

Happy Meal (ramen noodles made with my Caldera Cone)

Miles and miles of gravel jeep trail... alone as it should be

Take time to smell the ~~flowers~~ dandelions

Lazy bike... wanted to lay around and frolic in the flowers all day

The Boilerwerks Backcountry Boiler

2011-04-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

I recently had the chance to test Devin Montgomery's Backcountry Boiler. His new system is the first truly backpacking worthy boiler on the market. Boilers like this are an interesting alternative to traditional backpacking stoves because you don't carry fuel with you. Boilers burn small twigs so in most circumstances the next campsite will have the all the fuel you need.

The Boilerwerk's Backcountry Boiler

The boiler comes with the fire bowl, the boiler, a neoprene insulation sleeve, a silicone stopper and a stuff sack. The entire system weighs 9.7oz (277g) on my scales and is only roughly twice the size of a SnowPeak 600 mug.

Fire bowl, boiler & stopper

Size compared to a SnowPeak 600 mug

So how does it work? Water in the boiler is heated by a small fire in the base of the unit. The heat is transferred to the water via the conical chimney (see illustration below). After getting a fire started, you place the boiler on top and feed the fire through the chimney as needed until you reach a boil. I was able to bring 2 cups of 50F (ish) water to a rolling boil in about 6.5 minutes. The Boilerwerks website states that a skilled operator can get a boil in under 5 minutes.

Anatomy of a Boiler. Courtesy of Devin Montgomery 2010.

The design and construction quality of the Backcountry Boiler are very good and far better than you'd expect on a first production run. It includes thoughtful features like hard coat anodization for increased durability. Devin even chose to laser mark his logo and a safety warning on top of the boiler. Nice touch.

A view of the inner surface of the boiler

Laser marking on top of the boiler

Naturally, burning wood creates a coating of creosote on the surfaces exposed to fire. With the boiler's design none of this is on exposed surfaces meaning its unlikely that you'll get the mess on your hands and other gear. It does carry a heavy woodsmoke smell after use so I'd want to carry the boiler on the outside of my pack to prevent soaking my gear (bag, quilt, tent, spare clothes) with that campfire smell.

Fire bowl after a good scouring

The neoprene sleeve does a good job of insulating your hands from the heat of the boiling water. I expected it to offer very limited hold time based on the thin neoprene that Devin used (approximately 2mm). This turned out not to be an issue at all, fortunately. Pouring the boiling water into a typical boil in a bag meal pouch was a learning process for me. If you commit to the pour you won't have problems. Pouring slowly was a little problematic as the water tended to run down the side of the boiler making the process a bit messy.

As mentioned earlier, this is well thought out gear. It works as advertised and will last a lifetime. Getting water to a boil is dead simple and it uses fuel that is typically very easy to find. Devin should have a second round of boilers available soon. You can keep track of his progress on Facebook or Twitter. BackpackingLight.com will let you know when stock is available to ship if you sign up for the notice.

Remember, support cottage gear manufacturers!

Caldera Cone Packing

2011-04-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

I stumbled onto a nice gear revelation while packing for a recent trip. You can fit a LOT of cooking kit into the Caldera Caddy if you're using a small mug. Photo evidence:

Everything packed together

Cone in with Evernew EA355 mug on top

Mug & lid, stove, fuel, cone, measuring cup

Stove & cone - very efficient cook system

Adventures to come...

2011-04-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

I'm already looking forward to taking Friday off to take a two night walk in the woods with dad this weekend. I'll apologize in advance to everyone at work for being distracted.

More kayak fun planned this year...

Whitewater Falls

Thompson River

SC Foothills Vista

Revelate Designs Frame Bag!

2011-04-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

The best part of this post first - Support cottage gear companies whenever you can. If you work with people that are active in the market they're serving, you'll get infinitely better product & support compared to people that don't.

This week has been a tough one for me. Over the weekend I managed to separate one of my ribs in a silly accident playing with Kate. I picked up a nasty stomach virus that wiped me out Monday & Tuesday. Apparently I didn't pay my dues with the stomach virus so I followed that up with strep throat. That put me at 102F fever and general man flu conditions for the remainder of the week. I'm sitting upright now but still feel bad. With all of that said, I'm upbeat because my new frame bag showed up in the mail today!

After breaking my Lynskey frame, I had to sell my last frame bag. They're custom to the frame itself so when the frame is gone the bag is useless unless you get a very similarly designed bike. As soon as I had the Black Sheep in hand, I contacted Eric at Revelate Designs (formerly Epic Designs - thanks for being evil, Specialized) to get one made for this frame. The workmanship and design of my first pack was great and this one is even better. Eric has added a few new features that are worth mentioning - but first the pack on the bike!

The pack fits the frame perfectly. The main storage compartment on my new bag is divided into two sections by a velcro wall. Each compartment has a separate waterproof zipper that is protected by a zipper flap on Revelate's new bags (great addition for gritty & rainy rides). The separate compartments allow me to keep fuel and other gear separate or open the storage up into one large compartment for more flexibility. The double top tube design of the Black Sheep significantly reduces my storage volume so this bag tapers larger as you move down and forward.

There is a full length map pocket on the left side of the bag. My last bag's pocket only went down half way or so. That keeps the maps from going square to the bottom but it limits what you can store in there (particularly gears). I don't mind digging a little so I asked for a full length pocket. The velcro pull tabs were left a little long for me to tailor them to suit my needs. I may lop them off completely and add grosgrain pull tabs. I'll ponder that for awhile before doing anything drastic. (clever ideas are welcome)

The velcro tabs have a new tapered gusset to take up the stress from the tension in the bag. This bag also has ultra-rugged material on the sides of the pack where it meets the frame. This is where the worst abrasion is because of dirt accumulation and the constant rattling associated with me picking horrible lines on the trail. I'm not sure that this is a new feature for Eric's bags but its an upgrade over my last frame bag and I'm a big fan.

Eric has added bright yellow liner to the inside of the pack for visibility when digging around for your whatzit. Admittedly, its minor but it shows that the guy that's making the gear really uses the gear and is very close to the community that uses his gear. If you take anything at all from this post make it this - Support cottage gear companies whenever you can. If you work with people that are active in the market they're serving you'll get infinitely better product & support compared to people that don't.

Ultralight & Low Volume shelter

2011-03-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've been working on putting together a practical low volume shelter kit for my bikepacking adventures. My hiking kit is a Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo tarp coupled with their Serenity net tent. This system offers a great balance of weight, flexibility and weather protection. Unfortunately, it requires that I pack the shelter on the handlebars when I'm out on the bike due to volume. This post shows the system I'll be trying in 2011 - a MLD SoloPro tarp & MLD Superlight bivy. Everything is a trade off so I'm giving up a little comfort for low pack volume.

Tarp: Mountain Laurel Designs Cuben SoloPro - 5-1/8oz (146g) with guylines
The tarp is a minimalistic design. Its a cuben fiber tarp cut long and narrow with a bonded ridgeline for 100% water tight protection. Due to its narrow design, a hard rain could get under the tarp and onto my bag. That where the Superlight bivy comes in.

Bivy: Mountain Laurel Designs Superlight Bivy - 7-7/8oz (225g)
The bivy is the larger size that MLD makes with the full mesh hood to minimize condensation in our typically humid weather. The Momentum fabric top is a water resistant breathable fabric that will keep any rain coming under the tarp from wetting out my down quilt. It also has a foot box made out of Epic fabric to help with condensation.

Poles: DAC 8.84mm OD Poles - 3-1/8oz (88g)
On hiking trips I use my trekking poles as the tarp supports. Obviously I won't have those on my bikepacking trips so I salvaged some DAC poles from an old tent. I selected different sections to adjust the length to work well with the tarp. I like to pitch the tarp low and wide for weather protection and to keep the support poles short, light and stiff. The rear pole is only two sections (23in) and the front pole is three sections (36in).

Tarp & bivy set up with Thermarest PL3

Front view of the tarp - set up low and wide

Plenty of weather protection with the bivy & tarp

Bivy alone with PL3 for size reference

Yellow ceramic coated stakes are great - very easily spotted in leaves

Low volume even without being packed efficiently

NAHBS 2011 - Austin, TX

2011-02-25T17:26:00.001-08:00

My work travel gave me a chance to hit NAHBS (North American Handbuilt Bike Show) in Austin, TX today. The show was amazing! I took lots of photos with the phone, talked to a lot of friends that I've made over the years and met a few more. Click on this text for a link to all of the photos on Flickr.

A few choice shots are here on the blog.

If this one fit in my suitcase I might be sleeping in the back yard when I make it home. It might be worth it.

Kent Eriksen had this bike in his booth. This is set up like the owner rides it! Look where that seat lines up on my body. I'm 6'1" for reference... this cat is 6'10". I'd need a ladder...

Black Cat. Simple & sexy.

Six Eleven bikes is out of my birthplace (Roanoke). Gorgeous bikes (4 in the booth) and a great people too. This guy is going to catch fire when he gets a little exposure.

Everyone knows I'm partial to Black Sheep bicycles. The 36er was here. James wouldn't allow me to do 36er wheelies at the show. Bah.

This one is going to race the Tour Divide this year. Sweet bike. Just sweet. I don't need those integrated bars... don't need them... don't need them.

I did a little shopping for Kate. I think this one is perfect. No need for those cable stops, though. She's a singlespeed fanatic like her Da.

The show had some silly bikes here as well. I typically ride with a little more drop than this. ;)

Engin has a LONG lead time but their bikes are definitely sleek.

Proper recharge at Jo's in downtown Austin. Veggie chili, potato salad & locally brewed heffeweissen.

Best of all? I get to fly home to see my girls tomorrow. I scheduled a 5:45am flight so I'd miss as little of Saturday with them as possible. See you soon!!!

Having fun...

2011-02-14T17:41:00.001-08:00

I took the Peregrine out for a ride Sunday. A little road, a little power line track, a little disappearing farm trail, then a little ride through the woods with no trail. This is the kind of fun you're supposed to be having outside. I smiled a lot...

Finally, I came to this tunnel. Fun ride through with 4 in of water in the bottom. Its a lot longer than the photo I took with my phone makes it look. Veeerrrryyy dark in the middle.

I forgot how much I love Stan's... flats can be part of the adventure but they don't have to be.

Ready to rock! I figured my luck was running a little low... no need to buy a lottery ticket. Plus your odds of survival in a back country convenience store in lycra is slim.

Q: How many flats can you have in 20 miles?
A: At least two.

Salsa has this part right!

Trail Designs Caldera Cone Stove Systems

2011-02-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

Two great quotes:

"Simplify, simplify." – Henry David Thoreau

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I think Thoreau could have gotten away with just one 'simplify', honestly. Maybe that's a better conversation over a few good pints.

Surprisingly enough, UL backpacking isn't limited to cutting your gear list to the bare minimum and buying the lightest gear you can find. One of the revelations over the years has been that weight isn't everything. After you get your kit under 15lbs for backpacking, further reductions are nice but not revolutionary. Below this threshold bulk, comfort & convenience quickly become as important as raw weight in making gear decisions. Bulk is particularly important on bikepacking trips.

Along those lines, I've been tweaking my cook system lately to find the best combination of size, feature and weight for UL trips. Last season I used the BackpackingLight.com 475ml Trapper Mug with a two piece Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri ULC cone. This is as bare bones as it gets, honestly. There are no handles, no lid and the volume is barely enough for typical 'boil in a bag' meal. The mug, silicone band, cone & stove weigh 4.0oz (116g). I eventually decided that the lack of handles was a little more spartan than the weight and simplification justified.

Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri ULC System & Trapper Mug
Complete System Assembled

Enter the Evernew 355 mug. It includes silicone insulated handles and a snap on sipper mug. The weight penalty over the handle-less Trapper Mug is only 1/2oz (17g). The handles will eliminate the burned fingers getting the mug out of the cone and the sipper lid make the best part of waking up in the wild (drinking good coffee) better. The whole system weighs 4-1/4oz (119g) so the weight difference between the two systems is practically a wash. I did modify the preheat flange on the 12-10 stove so that it would fit into the mug when packing.

BPL Trapper's Mug & Evernew 400ml mug with sipper lid
Evermew mug & Caldera Cone

If you care to trim down your 12-10 to fit inside of a smaller mug here's how I did it:

1. Flatten the lip on the pre-heat flange. Take your time and be neat. Needle nosed pliers were prefect.

2. Trim the flange to size. My Wiss snips were perfect for this job. I followed the markings from the previous draw to form the lip.

3. Form a new lip. Again, take your time and don't be a pig. I had a cheap square nose plier that was perfect for the job.

4. Admire your work.

Home Brewed Components Chain Ring &

2011-01-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

I've rambled on in earlier posts about the quality of Homebrewed Components chain rings (ISAR on MTBR forums). Yesterday, the friendly postman delivered a spiderless 32t ring from Homebrewed that is designed to play nicely with my Middleburn cranks.

Unfortunately, there's almost no information out there on the Middleburn XBB cranks - especially regarding running the XBBs as single speed cranks. The UNO rings that typically ship with the Middleburn square taper or ISIS cranks have an offset. They don't offer the XBB cranks in single speed so you have to wonder if something weird was going on. Middleburn doesn't exactly flood you with technical information so I was on my own.

Dan (ISAR) at HBC was really helpful and after a few measurements on the cranks we were pretty sure we had it dialed. It turns out we did and the conversion is easy. I'll post a quick step by step so the next guy doesn't have to re-invent the wheel. Apologies for the low-rent photos. Dim light + phone camera = ghetto blog posts.

Here's where you're starting... bone stock. Bone stock is no good, right? Right!

Next, you'll remove the drive side arm. Just as a friendly note, the non drive arm is not removable. Yes, the bolt on that side is just there to mock you. You can remove the axial play in your cranks with the threaded lock ring just inside the non drive arm. I digress... back to pimping your ride. Remove the drive side arm with an 8mm hex key. The self extracting bolts are a little on the soft side so use good tools and take your time.

You should see something that looks like this. The lock nut holds the spider on the drive arm assembly.
You'll want a Shimano TL-UN96 tool to remove the lock ring. I got it from my favorite local shop for $20 (Harrell's Bicycle World). Support your local bike shop, please.

After removing the lock ring and spider assembly you should have something like this.

The spider assembly weighs 117g using a 41g 33t chainring. This isn't a weight weenie build but its nice to know your before and after. The HBC ring and spacer weighs 90g.

Next up, put the new toys on. Put the spacer ring on the spline first (1.2mm thick). This is needed to compensate for the offset Middleburn designs into their system. HBC makes the ring and the spacer separately so you can flip the ring after its worn. You can't do that with Middleburn's rings since the offset is integrated into the chain ring.

The chain ring goes on next. You can align it with the crank arm a few ways. I prefer splitting the radial arms in the ring with the crank arm. There isn't a wrong answer so do what makes you smile. The chain ring surface should be a touch higher than the face of the spline on the drive side arm. If its not, something is wrong and you won't get the chainring tight.

Tighten the lock ring back down.
Reinstall the cranks & set your chain tension. Wheelie time!
One of the things I love about the Black Sheep is their HACS system for adjusting chain tension. (HACS stands for horizontally adjustable chain stays) The chain stays telescope in and out and are locked down with a single set screw on either side. To adjust the tension I loosen them so they're hand tight, push down on the seat to set the chain tension, then tighten the set screws. Dead simple & reliable. I've had EBB & sliding dropout systems in the past. Black Sheep's HACS system is superior to both.

Here's the money shot...

Mike Curiak's IditaTour - Part III

2011-01-21T09:40:00.000-08:00

Part III of Curiak's 1,100 mile unsupported ride in Alaska. Calling it a 'ride' doesn't do it justice, honestly.

IditaTour: Part three. from lacemine29 on Vimeo.

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T07:04:00.001-08:00

SNOW DAY!

It's a little tough to convince anyone in South Carolina that global warming is actually happening. We got a 6 inch snow last year and today is our second 3-4 inch snow this year. Kate is going to think we actually live in a state with seasons. I got the Black Sheep out in the white stuff of course.

Snow wheelies!

I just can't stop!

Forgive all the snow pix... we don't get this everyday.

Black Sheep taking a break

Here's one from the blooper reel...

We took time go go on a walk around the neighborhood... COLD!

Good times!

Exploring with Foster

Foster LOVES snow frisbee...

Snow face Foz

Fun, fun, fun!!!

IditaTour - Mike Curiak Part II

2011-01-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

This is Part II of Curiak's video series on his IditaTour. Watch in HD and fullscreen.

A Proper Start To 2011

2011-01-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

I decided that the long ride at FATS on Thursday wasn't enough abuse so I drove out to Harbison for another 21 miles. Its a new year... the miles I did last year don't count, right?!

There were 1,005 New Years resolution-ers out there. Most of them walking or running but there were some bikers as well. Its good to see people out and enjoying the outdoors. Hopefully they stick with it!

A nice break out by the Broad River before playing around in the rock garden.

The obligatory barn shot...

21 miles. I still hate Lost Creek Trail.

I decided to fool around with the iPhone camera a little bit. There's a reason GoPro cameras exist.

Harbison Ride - Jan 1 2011 from Don Meredith on Vimeo.

IditaTour - Mike Curiak

2010-12-31T05:35:00.000-08:00

If you're ever in doubt that Mike Curiak is a pioneer in distance riding with an unstoppable internal engine watch this video. He rode 1,100 miles along the Iditarod Trail completely self supported. I recommend watching it in HD full-screen.

IditaTour: Part one. from lacemine29 on Vimeo.

FATS Ride

2010-12-31T04:49:00.000-08:00

I drove down to FATS in Augusta for a ride yesterday. I managed 27 miles of riding on some of the best trail in the area. There were several limbo trees on the trail. I slowed down for the first few but they all seemed to be at a height that was easy enough to slide under with minimal effort. Later in the day, I skimmed under one of them at about 15mph. At the last second it was obvious that this one was a little lower than the others. Even with extra effort on the duck & lean I nicked the back of my helmet and Camelbak. Yow...

Taking a break

Lots of trail armor. FATS is the model for proper trail maintenance.

I took a break to cook some lunch at the trailhead (Ramen followed by grits). I forgot my spoon so I made some chopsticks out of a downed limb. The guy from Atlanta I was talking to while eating had a tough time understanding how I could eat food with sticks.

There are tons of dwarf palmetto palms growing in the FATS area. In one steep creek bed there were hundreds of them. I would have loved to see them in the snow earlier this week.

Happy... tired. I came home and went into a coma. My legs are concrete today.

Mountain Bike Gear For Sale

2010-12-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

If you know of anyone looking for good deals on mountain bike gear, please forward them my way. I have lots of gear I'd like to pass on to someone who can put it to proper use!

Contact me for question and/or offers at: donmeredith74@gmail.com

More photos at http://mygearforsale.blogspot.com

DT Swiss 1540 Wheelset $375

Click Photo To Enlarge

Ritchey WCS 120mm stem $50

Click Photo To Enlarge

Thursday Passion

2010-12-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

It was cold but fun today. I thought there would be more people on the trail but I only saw four on bikes.

Beautiful blue skies - the silver lining to the cold front.

Taking a break at the rock garden. I only dabbed once... managed to keep my momentum. Win.

Midlands Area IMBA/SORBA Chapter Formation

2010-12-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

Several people from the local rider base have come together to coordinate the formation of a local IMBA / SORBA chapter. The benefits of a local chapter include:

Development of local trail systems
Promotion of mountain biking awareness in the area
Increases ridership in the local community
Serves as a group for the local rider base meet new people
Coordination of group rides
Making riding fun for everyone!

To create a new chapter we need 50 members registered with IMBA in the area. You can go to http://www.imba.com/join - When it asks for a local chapter affiliation - choose "I don't have a local chapter. When you join, please send me a quick email to let me know so we can make sure that your membership is counted as part of the 50 in the area.

It's Christmas!

2010-12-11T18:04:00.001-08:00

Ok, not quite but the fun has started. I got to take the new bike out to the trails for the first time today. GREAT ride but I need more training to keep up with her.

I got to ride a lap with a very old friend Kurt from the Clemson Cycling Club days. He was in town with his son who did a great day out on the trails. Good times.

We also worked on our angel tree gift this afternoon. Its not quite like putting a Black Sheep together but its fun anyway. If you've never given gifts to a needy family you really should give it a shot. I can honestly say that its my favorite part of the Christmas season. This year I had the pleasure of putting the bike together with Kate. She's a good mechanic for a 2 year old!

Black Sheep FINISHED!

2010-12-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

I figured out the puzzle of getting the Middleburns to play nice with the new Black Sheep and finished her up this evening. I still have some parts swapping to do but I was able to take a full speed ride around the (cold) neighborhood. RAD!

Baa Baa Black Sheep!

2010-12-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

We're making progress... here's an updated shot. I still need to get the cranks sorted out and dial the brakes in but VERY close.

So, the klunker inspired Black Sheep is finally here. Its a beautiful bike. I'm headed over to build her up at a friend's house later this afternoon. Itching to take her for a ride..

Cobbled together for a preview

Internally routed rear brake line

Jen Green head badge

James etched SIMPLIFY on the downtube... more subtle than my usual decal

Top tube & tank tube combo is just... sexy

Things to come

2010-11-28T07:31:00.000-08:00

I've said it before - its the details. I picked up these beauties from a buddy yesterday for the upcoming Black Sheep build. Proper.

Black Sheep Bikes

2010-11-21T14:01:00.001-08:00

I took a trip out to Denver & Ft. Collins with the family this weekend. We were able to make it to the Black Sheep HQ & visit good friends. GREAT weekend. Here are photos of the new bike on the jig.

Vintage Style Cruiser

2010-10-02T04:50:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a new project bike that's based on a pre-war cruiser. The frame and fork will be something similar to this hot rod that Mike Curiak had built up by James at Black Sheep Bikes.

The idea is to stay faithful to the design of the pre-war cruisers like the Elgin Oriole (circa 1936) in the photo below but with updated handling and features. The bike will keep the single point bent top tube and tank tube and the truss fork that will carry over the single point bend theme. I'll be using disc brakes, modern bottom bracket and headset. Sexy.

RD at Shawnee Trail is working with me to get some cranks together that are faithful to the spirit of the bike. There are two things to decide - the cranks to start with and the style of the chainring. Opinions?

Crank option #1: Recycled Shimano 970 series cranks coated by RD. Ignore the gold chainring bolts - I'd go with silver or black, of course. The 970s have nice angular lines that mesh well with the frame style and gear changes would be easier than the next set (chainring versus spiderless ring).

Crank option #2: Shimano 952 series cranks. These lend themselves better to a spiderless chainring like you'd expect to see on a vintage cruiser. Gear changes would be harder but a 33t ring would cover pretty much everything I ride with a small range of cogs.

If I go with the 952s with a chainring I might be able to get Jesse at HomeBrewed to cut a custom chainring for less than the cost of a kidney on the black market. Ignorning all of the complications involved, which of these warms your hearts? Does the standard HomeBrewed ring (on the 952s above) come close enough?

(Thanks to the Chainwheel Tattoo Project in Portland, Oregon for taking the time to catalog all of the vintage chainrings.)

Williams (circa 1950's)

Cyclo Rosa (circa 1930's)

Specialties TA (circa 1950's)

Fonlupt (circa 1930's)

Its The Little Things - Shawnee Trail Bike & Performance Coating

2010-09-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

The backpacking, bikepacking & mountain biking community is filled with good people. One of the people I've had the pleasure of meeting in the mountain biking community is RD Dale (crazy8 on mtbr.com) from Shawnee Trail Bike & Performance Coating. I can't say enough about RD as a person and his products & services are top notch. We met when I started searching for a unique crank set for my new single speed build. I'm currently riding a set of XTR960 cranks that RD modified for single speed riding and love them. My set is polished only but you can see on RD's website that there are a lot of ceramic coating options available. In my opinion, these cranks dead sexy after getting the Shimano branding off of them. Another nice benefit is that the cranks are recycled (pun intended) from the crowd that needs the latest and greatest Shimano gear and leave behind perfectly good cranks for the landfill. You can see in the photo below I don't baby my drivetrain. Its there to push me up, down, over or through what I want. If it breaks, that's weakness leaving my kit. ;)

I also run gears that were cut by Homebrewed Components and then coated by RD at Shawnee. These gears are single speed specific, light without sacrificing durability and just as important as all of that, they're made by a cottage industry builder. I'm particularly impressed with my two-piece cog. It has an aluminum base (coated in green to fit with my Irish motif) with a titanium ring rivited to the base. Lightweight and endlessly durable. The photo below is of the gear after roughly 500 miles of nasty trail. Impressive.

Last, but not least, I asked RD if he'd help me out with my tent stakes. You'll find several brands of UL stakes on the market with orange paint on the top to help with visibility. The paint is needed because its easy to lose the small ti UL stakes in the leaves. Unfortunately for me, my mild red-green color blindness dulls the contrast of orange paint in leaves and pine straw. I had RD coat the stakes in yellow and its a HUGE difference. Its unlikely I'll ever mistakenly misplace one of these babies... they practically glow in the dark!

Its The Little Things - Multi-tool Simplification

2010-09-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Multi-tools offered in the cycling industry are trash. Its a rule like gravity or that the guy that you're riding with for the first time will tell you he used to ride semi-pro only AFTER making you break your lungs trying to keep up with him. (I still enjoyed the ride, Kelly) To add insult to injury, they're also expensive. I recently cobbled together an upgrade to my Crank Brothers Multi-17 so I thought I'd share...

The Crank Brothers tool weighs in at 6 1/8 oz (172g). This widget includes 6 hex keys, 2 Torx bits, a flat bladed screwdriver and a chain tool that has features that look like spoke wrenches and box end wrenches included. The tools in general are low end junk. The chain tool in particular stands out to me. It is clearly designed by some sadist that hates cyclists and takes delight in destroying their gear. The chain tool itself is almost impossible to use since its semi-permanently attached to the multi-tool. You feel like you are working without the benefit of thumbs when you try to repair a busted chain on the trail. Just to add a little sizzle to the whole thing, the designer also threw in spoke ~~mangler~~ wrenches that are expertly toleranced to guarantee rounding out your nipples. There are also two box end openings to destroy various nuts on your bike if you're still not quite on the verge of having an aneurysm on the trail. So, in summary, bike multi-tools are:

Heavy.
They're cheaply made.
They include things you don't need.
They feel the need to add features like the spoke wrench & box end wrench openings that are so poorly made they only serve to destroy your gear.
The ergonomics are so bad you can hardly use things like the chain tool.
They rust ... immediately.

I replaced them with a simple, reversible ratchet driver, specific bits that I need for my particular gear & a Park chain tool. The ratchet, and the five bits (5mm hex, 4mm hex, 2.5mm hex, T10 & T25) weigh 2 3/8 oz (67g). I got the ratchet in the photo from my contacts in the Taiwan / China sourcing work that I do with my job. If your job doesn't require that you take the 1,000 hour flight (coach) to Asia, Amazon carries a few like this for cheap. I'm using Apex brand bits because I can get them easily from work and they're really good stuff. If you go this route, do yourself the favor of contacting an industrial supply house and get high quality tools. Nothing sucks more than cheap tools. Add a Park Tool CT5 chain tool and you have all of the same functionality, significantly higher quality tools, better ergonomics & less weight.

Go ride!

TNGA Fail

2010-09-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

The plan included me being on the trail and roughly 20% done with the TNGA. Instead I made the hard call early on Day 1 to drop out to minimize the aggravation factor of being picked up somewhere in North Georgia. It was crystal clear that my single-speed climbing kung-fu was weak in comparison to the gravel climbing I had in front of me. I failed. I didn't properly prepare. As I write this it looks like 5 of us have dropped out completely in the first full day. Its a tough ride. I did learn a few things, however:

Don't be lazy. I didn't train enough. I could have forced myself through a night or two before being completely wiped out but none of it would have been fun. Obviously, an adventure on this scale will be a physical challenge but if you're not ready for it physically, the beating takes all of the fun out of it. I wasn't ready.
I no longer consider the claimed 56,000 ft of climbing to be some sort of GSP glitch. This course means business and its particularly grueling in the first section. If you're planning on riding this one next year do intervals & climb the steepest trails you can find... a lot.
Don't rely on the other singlespeed riders to show up. In other words, plan to ride alone. Ultimately, 36 signed up and 18 people started.Everyone had gears and disappeared not long after the first few climbs. The GPS track provided by Dave Muse was solid but you still manage to make wrong turns here and there. Have a stupid proof way of processing the cue sheets on the run.
Have a more comprehensive plan. Carrying 5d of food seemed like a good idea. I didn't have to worry about where I stop. I was 100% self-sufficient. Unfortunately, the associated weight only compounded the fact that I wasn't ready to climb that much on a SS (or a geared bike more than likely).
Stan's sealant is magic. On the way out the TNGA decided to give me a little kick in the pants and cut my rear tire. I stopped the air with my finger which gave the sealant a moment to set up in the hole. Its solid... zero leak. Magic!

With all of that said, I still had a great ride on Saturday. The downhills on the way out confirmed that the climbing on the way in was brutal. On one section in particular I started from the top at a dead standstill. By the time I reached the bottom I topped 30mph without any pedaling. That's steep! The weather was perfect - sunny, cool, a little bit of a breeze.

The guys organizing the race did a really nice job getting everyone organized. You can keep up with this year's race at http://trackleaders.com/tnga . You can also get interesting updates at: http://mtbcast.com.

Shakedown Ride

2010-08-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

I've decided to jump into the deep end and enter a long distance event. I could do a 100 miler to start but that's not quite my style. Instead, I signed up for the inaugural Trans-North Georgia Adventure to see if I have what it takes to do long distance single speed racing. Its 350 miles of off-road riding from the SC-GA border to the GA-AL border. Most of it is in the Chattahoochee National Forest so it highlights long remote stretches and 56,000 feet of climbing. Joy! Its also self-supported so those sponsored weenies don't have a Subaru behind them supplying fresh GU every 2 miles. There's a map of the trip here.

This weekend was one of my last chances to do a shakedown ride to see what works and what doesn't. The weather was... challenging.

Me smiling... before the endless rain.

Quick stop at a convenience store to do some contact maintenance. I was able to resist the 99c Colt 45.

I rode the ~15 miles from the house to the campsite. I was only able to get about 2 miles down the road before the rain set in. Obviously I was soaked to the bone when I got to camp. I had about 30 minutes of grace to get everything set up before the rains started again. It didn't stop raining again until about 5am. Fortunately, my camping gear is dialed in so I was able to stay dry all night long.

MLD Grace Duo - my haven from the SC monsoons

Cooking dinner in relative comfort - the tarp does nothing for 88F & 100% humidity at 9pm

So, what's next? LOTS of training so my legs don't secede halfway into the ride. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted on how to track my progress during the race via SPOT updates on TrackLeaders.com

The Shortest Bikepacking Trip on Record

2010-05-31T09:29:00.001-07:00

I planned on doing a local bikepacking trip but the weather had other plans for me. The radar has looked something like this for the past couple of days.

I did pack everything so here's the gear:

A - Frame bag and gas tank from Epic Designs.
B - Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo Tarp
C - Thermarest ProLite 3 short sleeping pad
C#2 (should have been D) - Thermarest pillow
E - SealLine 10 liter dry sack. Already has Marmot Hydrogen sleeping bag & Mountain Laurel Designs Serenity net tent stuffed in it. I also had shorts and a capilene silk weight t-shirt in the dry bag.
F - Silnylon bag for dinner and breakfast.
G - Vintage Camelbak MULE bag & bladder.
H - Snowpeak 600... switch between this and BackpackingLight Trapper's Mug depending on the trip.
I - Fuel canister and Snowpeak TiMax stove
J - Snowpeak french press - luxury coffee on bike and kayak trips!
K - First Aid Kit
L - MSR towel, mirror, three small droppers with Bronners, sunblock & eye drops.
M - Old DAC tent poles re-purposed to serve as tarp poles.
N - Tent stakes (2 MSR Groundhogs, 4 MSR needle stakes, 4 Ti J-hooks)
O - Granite Gear zip up envelope that I keep all the miscellaneous small stuff in. Brunton Wind, Gerber LST knife, small aluminum whistle, Petzl e-Lite.
P - Simple tool kit: pump, chain break, ratcheting driver with a few different insert bits.
Q - MYOG Bear bag & line.
R - MYOG reflectix cozy for meals
S - Paper & pencil (pens always seem to fail)
T - Wet Ones
U - MSR HyperFlow water filter

Here's everything packed on the bike:

Its a tight fit getting everything packed using the Camelbak. You can see that I had to strap the sleeping pad and pillow to the back of the backpack which would be a real problem in the rain. There's also a little too much volume close to the seatpost with the dry bag. My leg hits the bag as I'm pedaling. This wouldn't be a problem on short trips but I can imagine it would be annoying on longer trips. I could solve all these problems by getting a seat bag from Epic Designs or by using a proper backpack like my modified GoLite Ion or MLD Burn.

Total weight for the setup ended up being around 8lbs on the bike and 7lbs in the Camelbak with 1L of water.

Summer!

2010-05-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

I just took a few minutes to ride around the neighborhood. Rode a slow pace, playing around with wheelies, slow carving turns... went down to the creek down the hill... enjoyed the weed garden in an empty lot. Its a nice day out. You don't have to look too hard to find a little happy if you keep your eyes open.

Extra Gravity vs Me (classic man vs nature... nature wins)

2010-05-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

My sweet wife gave me enough free time this weekend to get two rides in. Both rides were on my local trail, Harbison State Forest.

Yesterday's ride was a little over 13 miles with two new friends that were both riding SS 29ers. I went out with the intention of spinning 15 to 20 miles at a relaxed pace. Unfortunately, these guys lived up to the expectation of guys that have been riding forever and were very competitive. I blew up about 10-11 miles in and had to limp home. I tried to convince myself that was OK since one of the other guys dropped out 3-4 miles before that. Moral of the story: there's always someone faster.

Today's ride was on target for a more relaxed pace across just over 15 miles. For those familiar with Harbison, I left out clockwise, did Lost Creek counter-clockwise, rode the outer loop to Spider Woman, then back home via Bent Creek.

What I didn't plan for was the extra gravity that kept pulling to the ground. About 5 miles in I lost the front wheel on a mild downhill and managed to do what I call an around the bars... sort of like an over the bars without all of the glory. My foot decided the front wheel was a little heavy so it took the opportunity to remove two spokes. I enjoyed listening to the remaining spokes complain the rest of the ride. I was just waiting for them to organize a revolt, taco the wheel and take out their frustrations on my front teeth via a rock / root.

Here's a shot of the missing spokes... fortunately my hot rod new wheels are due here Friday of this week. Joy.

There's only one crash per ride, right? There's a rule. I'm sure I've read it somewhere. Not true... Spider Woman felt like I was getting a little cocky lately. Afterall, its been months since she cracked my helmet and left me goofy. Today's dry conditions resulted in a front wheel wash out and a modified elbow and hip. Just for reference, this is not the preferred line:

All in all it was a good ride. I was able to get in decent miles and feel good even though the humidity was somewhere in the range of 118%. Next up, birthday dinner with Jenny and the in-laws. BBQ chicken is on the menu so I can't wait!

Cutting Your Own Steerer (or cheating your LBS out of $45)

2010-04-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick post on how to cut your steerer tube yourself on your bike. Its not hard at all if you have basic tools and you are even modestly mechanically minded.

I recommend leaving your steerer tube long when you're setting up a new bike. This allows you to try different bar positions by swapping spacers around. It also makes it easier to sell your fork if you decide its not playing nice with your new frame. Here's a photo of my bike with an extra inch or so of steerer. I know... it looks odd. I'm used to being mocked so bring your best! When you're convinced that everything is dialed in its time to commit and size the steerer properly.

Next up, remove the headset cap and extra spacers:

Then, mark the steerer tube at the top of your stem. Press that sharpie in there hard to get to the corner and a nice straight line.

Now its time to remove your stem.

Now calm down... put down the power saw. Its not time to cut yet. You'll want 2-3mm of gap between the top of the stem and the top of the steerer tube. This is the part where you find out how much German heritage you have. If you get out your digital calipers you're more than 50% German (no matter what grandma says). Otherwise, you're just a slob like most of us. I scored a line with the cutter in the image below to give you an idea of what a proper cut looks like.

Make sure you check to see if your star nut is above or below the cut line. If its above press it down lower but don't go crazy. You don't want it too deep after you make your cut.

Ok, psycho its time... get to the cutting. Some people use a hacksaw with tape as a guide. I prefer using a pipe cutter because it gives a perfectly square line. You can also use the Park saw guide if you're going to be doing a lot of this. If you're using a pipe cutter be patient. Take several spins, tighten a little, several spins... you get the idea.

You'll hear a tink sound when the upper section separates. Its a glorious sound if you measured properly. If you didn't please contact my lawyer.

You can see I look like a seasoned pro with the star nut just in the right place. Would I lose any credibility if I admitted that I was lucky? Now its time to set the star nut to the proper depth. I recommend using a Park tool for this. Its cheap and it makes sure you don't press the star nut in crooked or damage the threads. Use a hammer and tap lightly. If you go nuts you run the risk of mucking up your headset.

Next you'll want to remove the slight burr that your pipe cutter left at the edge of the steerer tube. If you don't remove it you'll probably have trouble getting the stem and spacers on and off and it tips your buddies off that you do piggy work. File lightly and leave a nice chamfer all the way around. Keep the filings out of your headset. Bearings and metal shavings have a long standing feud so it never ends well when they hang out together.

Here's a shot of the steerer after being expertly filed. Its a little known secret that Moots used my filing as inspiration for their buttery smooth welds. Now you know.

The rest is easy! Make sure your fork is fully flush with the headset in the lower crown and put your stem back on. Don't tighten it yet. Add your stem cap and tighten it.

Next line up your bars with your tire and re-tighten your stem. If you have a Ritchey stem don't be ham fisted... there's a torque spec there for a reason.

Stand back and admire your work. Oh wait, I missed a step!!! Go post on the Weight Weenies forum that you saved 7/8 oz by re-sizing your steerer tube and wait to see if they figure out you're mocking them.

Blinglespeed madness

2010-04-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Remember a few months back when I posted the ten phases of singlespeeding? It got a little worse today. My new sexy, green Chris King singlespeed hubs showed up. It took a lot of phone work to find them since King has apparently decided to cut way back on inventory so lead time is 4 weeks. I'll be glad when this lean fad is over... yeah, I said it. Tomorrow the hubs are on their way to Mike Curiak to build into some XC & bike-packing wonder wheels.

Here's a quick update on my progress into singlespeed-dom. (updates in bold blue)

The Ten Phases of Singlespeeding

1. Build your first singlespeed -- inspired by others riding SS, you either convert an old bike or buy an entry level SS to get the flavor.. Ride it, ***** about how hard it is getting up the hills, think about where to ride next. Lather, rinse and repeat...Raleigh XXIX... check.

2. Upgrade madness -- the weight weenie / blinglespeed side takes over and you suddenly develop a need to upgrade. A combination of an empty bank account, an upset significant other or a weight weenie part failure ensues. You have parts shipped to work, so the wife won't see the bike parts you ordered. You start looking for ideas (like the MTBR SS forum) to further your obsession of the perfect SS. (note to Jenny: I didn't have any parts shipped to work)... Raleigh XXIX with lots of Ritchey WCS... check.

3. Gear ratios - your brain becomes obsessed with determining the optimum gear ratio for the upcoming race or given terrain. You temporarily lose focus on just riding and being one with your bike. Your library of forks, chain rings and cogs/cassettes starts to rival the selection at Supergo or Webcyclery.

I do not have an application on my laptop that calculates gear ratio, gain ratio, gear inches and development. I do not know in great detail the differences between these values because I read the ramblings of the late and great Sheldon Brown. OK, so I do... what of it?!

4. Realization - the entry level SS no longer is good enough. You convince yourself you need a better bike -- custom, SS specific, whatever.. Lynskey Ridgeline... check.

5. Purism - you realize that you're almost exclusively riding your SS. Your other bikes are collecting dust. Under your breath, you sometimes mock others riding gears and work your butt off to one-up them. You use your SS as a tool to brag or as an excuse / handicap (I geared too stiff for the course...) Start hating RockShox and Shimano just on principle, and start thinking rigid forks and DH tires are the better setup.

Check, check, check, check. Just for the record, I've always held a strong contempt for Shimano and still wish Suntour XC MicroDrive would make its proper return.

6. Laziness - you go out and upgrade to a "proper" SS. Now that you it, the upgrade and gear ratio obsessions are fulfilled. You get lazy, and start trashing your bike without taking care of it. You forget about checking tire pressures, chain tension, broken teeth and don't even consider about the consequences. A wonderful delusion, until the bike leaves you stranded 5 miles from your car, and your cell phone has no signal deep in the woods... Wha?! Never. Heresy!

7. Heresy - ride your SS so much, that when you ride your geared bike, you miss your SS. You take it one step further and actually sell off the geared bike(s) that you previously couldn't live without. Wha?! Ride a geared bike. Disgusting. Illogical. NEVER.

8. Fight club - start putting beer in your water bottles, grow some unusual facial hair (for the men), dress like a freak, and acquire the attitude that you don't give a **** about racing or beating the gearies. Riding a pink colored bike frame or wearing orange socks with your Birkenstocks to a bar after the ride doesn't even click to you as being strange. Jenny would probably tell you that most of this is nothing new.

9 (optional) Scorching - as if SS'ing isn't fringe enough, start thinking http://www.63xc.com is an interesting alternative. Give it a go, maybe even get hooked. No fixie for me yet. This is an optional step.

10. Approach martyrdom - actually leave the clique by riding so much that few buddies can keep up with you. You become one with your bike. You simultaneously learn a level of humbleness and let your results speak for themselves. I am riding alone a lot lately. I'm still grounded enough to realize that I'm only a legend in my mind. Did I tell you about the time I won a downhill on a fully rigid bike? I digress...

Palmetto Trail to Foothills Trail & Back Again

2010-04-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

I took a 3-day weekend to meet up with dad so we could explore possible connector loops between the Jocassee Gorges section of the Palmetto Trail and the Foothills Trail. We've done these trail sections before but the first time around we chose to hike out all the way to highway 178 then up to the FHT. That loop requires 4 miles or so of asphalt which can ruin the experience so we dedicated this trip to finding a more suitable connector. The plan:

1. Hike the Palmetto Trail to the 9 mile marker and camp there.
2. Scout an off trail route to the FHT or decide to test a few sections of double track that seem to head in the right direction.
3. Camp overnight on the FHT.
4. Come home.

Plans change - that's the beautiful thing about hiking. The point is to enjoy yourself so you adjust your schedule to suit. My last several trip posts have been gear focused and bordering on geeky. This one will focus on adventure and the beauty of being out there.

Here's our route on the map.

Day 1 is highlighted in yellow and is just a little over 9 miles (I forgot to start the track on my GPS at the very beginning of the walk).

Here's day 2 highlighted in yellow. We walked a little over 10 miles with the first mile or so being in very rough off-trail conditions. It was technically impassable with very dense laurel but we're tough (read stubborn) so we pushed our way through. I wouldn't recommend this route to anyone.

The woods were full of spring green and fresh blooms:

We started bright and early on Saturday morning with the choice of bush-whacking our way to the FHT or walking jeep trail. That's a no brainer, right? Adventure!

This is not a trail...

If there's no trail only a moron would go the steep way, right? What did you call me?

Getting better... now where's that trail?

There's that white blaze. I knew where I was the whole time. You doubted me?

We got to camp around 10:30 am which was much earlier than expected. We had a choice to make - hang out around camp for several hours or explore another connector back to the Palmetto Trail and head home. Explore, of course!

The new track took us down a solid rock ridge line for about a mile. Its a great hike down but it would be a steady and steep walk up.

There are beautiful vistas off of both sides of the ridge line.

Sometimes you forget the fun in the simple things.

Like peanut butter & jelly ~~sandwiches~~ burritos.

And the things you almost step on...

And waterfalls...

And good company...

Spring Green

2010-04-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

DO NOT BUY LYNSKEY. My frame was an absolute noodle with rear end tire rub, squeaking, popping, dropped chains and general no-funnery. I spent a year bickering with several representatives at Lynskey (including the arrogant David Lynskey) only to be told that I needed to tighten my seat post clamp, lubricate my slider every 3 rides (what?!), etc. Ultimately the frame broke both in the sliders (hairline crack) and failed massively at the headtube-downtube junction. The original fix was going to be a replaced downtube but after lots of argument they finally sent a replacement frame. I sold the replacement frame without assembling it on Craigslist. I received an email soon after posting the frame for sale telling me that they were shocked that I was selling it without riding it and if they had known I was just going to sell it they wouldn't have offered a replacement frame. These guys are the friendliest people you'll ever meet when you're buying a new frame but it turns bad fast when things aren't going well. For those of you around bikes awhile this sounds a lot like the BS surrounding Litespeed under Lynskey's watch prior to the brand being sold off. Do youself a favor and give your hard earned money to people that actually ride and know how to design and support bikes. As always, you may have a wonderful experience unlike me but why take the chance?

==========================================
First things first: Happy Easter!

Spring brings green, new beginnings and most importantly the warm weather I'm built for. I got a ride in yesterday and enjoyed much drier trails than we've had for the past few months. Unfortunately, the pollen is really bad this year. It kicked off a fun little asthma attack that I occasionally suffer from when I'm working hard. Here's a shot of the pollen on our front walk:

I'm in the process of building up some SWEET new 29er wheels for the Lynskey. They'll be green king hubs (SS of course) laced to Stan's 355 rims. Dave of Dave's Speeddream Wheels is doing all kinds of spoke voodoo that I didn't completely understand even though I've been geeking on bikes for nearly 30 years now. This winter has been tough on me with flats so I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to being free of tubes and pinch flats. I went with green for a few reasons - you don't see too many green bikes and when I was having beers with Martha Stewart she pointed out that it ties in with the Lynskey shamrock theme. As a side note, don't play drinking games with Martha. She developed quite a tolerance drinking homemade prison vodka.

While I'm waiting on Dave to build up the wheels I probably went a little overboard:

I also have a slick new cog that I picked up from RD at Shawnee recently. Its an ISAR Ti/Al two piece cog with the aluminum coated in green ceramic and a clear coat over the Ti gear ring. In case you weren't aware, its really bad karma to cover up Ti goodness with colors. Seriously bad. Don't do it.

Here's the 18t stainless King cog I'm replacing:

With some 19t sexy:

My frame bags from Epic Designs also came in late last week. They fit perfectly and Eric's workmanship is second to none. I'll document some trips in the next couple of weeks and let you know how the whole system works out.

Sloppy Spring Weather

2010-03-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

Schizo SC Weather

2010-02-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

I was able to make it out to Harbison for a 10 mile ride on the outer loop. The trails aren't quite as bad as they were back around mid-December but its still a bog in places.

Higher up on the ridgelines the trails are dry and fast. Too bad I'm not... all in time.

The Lynskey is mocking me... ready?

Lynskey goodness. Its too bad they eliminated the shamrock cutouts for 2010.

Just eight days ago we were playing in this. You have to love South Carolina.

Snow Biking in South Carolina!

2010-02-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

It isn't every day (or every decade) that you get to do a little riding in the snow here in South Carolina. Jenny did the math yesterday - we've recorded the same amount of accumulation in our lifetime in South Carolina as Washington DC did in the last few days of snowmageddon. Needless to say, when we get 8 inches of powder on the ground its a big deal... and a LOT OF FUN.

Foster & I had to go out and test out the conditions late Friday night of course. We only have a light cover in these photos but we ended up getting somewhere around 8 inches of snow.

Kate didn't get to go out and play in the snow Friday night. It was cold, a little windy and the snow was wet. Kate protested and ultimately compromised by playing with some inside snow.

We've always known that Foster wasn't much of a water dog but who knew he would be so into playing in the snow. He absolutely LOVES it. There's only one thing better than frisbee... SNOW FRISBEE!

You might not expect a girl raised in the south to be an expert on all things snow related... Jenny will surprise you, though. I asked her to give me some lessons on proper snow angel making.

Step 1. Find a nice patch of pristine snow.

Step 2. Pick the right spot. You know its a good one when it makes you smile.

Step 3. Lay back flat (not face down, please).

Step 4. Swish your arms and legs around.

Step 5. Appreciate the quality of your work.

My form isn't as good but its not bad for a rookie.

And riding... don't forget there was some quality fooling around to do. I'm only on 2.4"s but I still had a blast. As Kate would say, "GO GO GO!"

Trip Planning, Gear Lust & Bad Ideas

2010-01-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

Wow! Its been a long time since my last post. I've been using the weather as an excuse to be lazy so far this off-season. In my defense, its been unseasonably cold and worse than that, WET. I feel guilty riding the local trails lately because its very muddy out there. In the meantime, what's an outdoor addict supposed to do? Answer: research, plan & lust over gear...

Here's where I've been spending my off-time lately:

Research & Planning:
Backpacking Light - BPL is a fantastic resource for gear, technique and gear swap. If you think a 3lb tent is pretty light you need this website.
Bikepacking.net - This is a great resource for getting your kit tuned to explore on your bike. I'm using it to plan my record breaking on the Tour Divide. ;)
Andrew Skurka - Somewhere between research/planning & passion. Andrew's adventures are exciting and creative. He does a fantastic job of posting journals to the web. If you're feeling lazy, watch one of Skurka's videos. You'll be ready to head out for that long hike this evening.
29 Inches - Guitar Ted's site is a great resource for the latest gear for 29ers. Big wheel bikes are becoming more mainstream every day but they're still not quite the norm. Websites like 29 Inches helps keep you up to date on the latest goodies.

Gear Lust:
Epic Designs - Eric's bags are on the top of my gear lust list. Sweet frame bags for your next epic bike adventure.
Mountain Laurel Designs - I currently use a MLD tarp / mesh tent combo and pack. Ron's gear isn't cheap and it doesn't come fast but its the best - hands down. I've reviewed some of Ron's gear in earlier posts.
Shawnee Trail Bikes - I ride RDs cranks on my singlespeed. He either re-purposes your XTR cranks or will sell you some from his stock. They're modified to serve as single speed cranks and his ceramic coating is BOMB PROOF. RD is also working with ISAR to offer sexy chain rings and cogs with the same bomber ceramic coating. I'm currently riding an ISAR chainring from RD and have a few cogs on the way. You can also catch him on Facebook here. I posted pics of RDs cranks on my bike in earlier posts. Sexy stuff!
Caldera Cones - Really simple and efficient alcohol stoves that integrate a wind screen and pot support in one UL package. You know how I feel about simple. I'm currently using the UL version that fits inside of my SnowPeak 700 pot.

Bad ideas:
The Clemson Freeride Club is hosting their 5th annual downhill race at the end of February. In my college days I entered the Clemson DH race here (different course) on a rigid geared 26" bike. I was even protested! I overheard that there's no way I got down the mountain that fast on a rigid bike. Sometimes stupid overcomes good. I'm seriously considering entering this year's race on my rigid singlespeed just to be a grouchy old goat. The odds are high that I'll do something that would be a lot of fun to watch (if you're not me). If you're in the area you should show up and support the Clemson club and root for me (to eat it). Even better maybe you should loan me your helmet cam so the world can see the carnage in first person HD glory.

Backcountry Coffee

2009-11-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

As a self-diagnosed coffee addict I've tried a lot of different methods to get my fix in the backcountry. Hopefully summarizing my experiences will help you avoid a few mornings of bad brew and speed your path to coffee nirvana.

Instant coffees:

I've tried a few different instant coffees. They're lightweight, easy to adjust strength, simple to use and usually inexpensive. Sounds wonderful and perfectly suited for backpacking, right? Wait until you taste it. Its hot and easy... but its not coffee.

Rating:

Coffee bags (commercial):

Until recently Folgers singles coffee bags were my go to solution for hiking. Similar to instant coffee, this is a lightweight option that can be scaled up or down for strength and the bags are relatively inexpensive. I typically use two bags for a 12oz cup of coffee. The quality is so-so but its far superior to standard instant coffee products.

Rating:

Home made coffee bags:

At home I only drink coffee from a local roastery - Cashua Coffee. I've tried a few different methods of making the equivalent of the Folgers bags except with GOOD coffee inside. Theoretically this is the perfect solution, right? Great coffee, inexpensive and MYOG to boot? Perfection. Unfortunately, I never made good cup using this method. I'm sure there's a perfect combination of grind, fabric or paper and amount of coffee in the pouch but I couldn't find it. I was successful in making OK coffee using this method but not the great coffee I'm in search of.

Rating:

Pressed coffee:

This is my method of choice at home. I have a press at work, a few presses at home, a cup with a press built into it for road trips... you get the idea. I'm addicted to pressed coffee. My sweet wife gave me the Snowpeak coffee press a few years ago and I love it. The only weakness of this system is that it only serves one function and its lighter than most presses but its still not UL. Still, I take it on some trips where I can afford the volume and know I'll have time to enjoy my coffee in the morning. Its hard to beat this.

Rating:

Starbucks VIA

On my last trip I took a few pouches of Starbuck's new VIA instant coffee. I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical prior to trying this one even after reading a few positive reviews on the internet. I've had more than one horrible cup of coffee due to experiments with instant coffee gone wrong. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by the VIA Colombian blend. It even creates a crema that you would expect from freshly brewed. The only drawback to this the price at about $1 per 8oz cup.

Rating:

Next experiment?

I've read that the Jetboil Coffee Press will work with the Snowpeak 700 mug . This could be the coffee holy grail - light at 0.8oz, low pack volume AND fantastic coffee.

Rating: TBD...

Table Rock to Eastatoe Gorge

2009-11-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a two night hike from Table Rock State Park to Eastatoe Gorge via the Foothills Trail. This was a group hike coordinated by the SC State Parks program. We were blessed with great views and fantastic weather the entire weekend. The temperature never dipped below 45 F and the skies were clear all three days.

We started out at Table Rock State Park around 9AM Friday morning. We only planned to hike 9 miles each day so I was looking forward to taking time to enjoy the views and relaxing in camp both evenings.

Most of the leaves were gone but several of the large white oaks still were showing a lot of color.

Great vistas from just below Pinnacle mountain.

(After the video buffers click on the slider to make the movie play)

The first night we camped at the Cantrell Homestead. There are still remnants of the old dry stack chimney at this site and there's plenty of room to spread out. Water is only a few hundred feet down the trail making this a great way-point on the FHT. Here's a photo of my MLD Grace Duo Tarp and Serenity bug tent.

One of the unique things at the Cantrell site are the stone recliners around the fire ring. They're a great way to cook dinner, enjoy good company and warm up by the fire.

We camped the second night at the Eastatoe Creek Gorge which is about a 9 mile hike from the Cantrell site. The Eastatoe Creek runs right by the camping area.

Just down from the main camping area is an impressive narrows. You lose the sense of scale in this video unfortunately. The narrows drop around 40ft in a 20 yard run that is never more than a few feet wide. Powerful!

(After the video buffers click on the slider to make the movie play)

More great fall color along the FHT.

Two Wheels One Gear

2009-10-16T19:24:00.001-07:00

Singlespeeding... I just can't quit jabbering about it. Jenny tries not to roll her eyes when I enthusiastically tell her about the beautiful simplicity of it. To help you understand the transformation a little better you can read this post on the MTBR.com forums. If you want the condensed version, here it is (I wish I could take credit for creating this!):

The Ten Phases of Singlespeeding

1. Build your first singlespeed -- inspired by others riding SS, you either convert an old bike or buy an entry level SS to get the flavor.. Ride it, ***** about how hard it is getting up the hills, think about where to ride next. Lather, rinse and repeat...

2. Upgrade madness -- the weight weenie / blinglespeed side takes over and you suddenly develop a need to upgrade. A combination of an empty bank account, an upset significant other or a weight weenie part failure ensues. You have parts shipped to work, so the wife won't see the bike parts you ordered. You start looking for ideas (like the MTBR SS forum) to further your obsession of the perfect SS. (note to Jenny: I didn't have any parts shipped to work)

3. Gear ratios - your brain becomes obsessed with determining the optimum gear ratio for the upcoming race or given terrain. You temporarily lose focus on just riding and being one with your bike. Your library of forks, chain rings and cogs/cassettes starts to rival the selection at Supergo or Webcyclery.

4. Realization - the entry level SS no longer is good enough. You convince yourself you need a better bike -- custom, SS specific, whatever..

5. Purism - you realize that you're almost exclusively riding your SS. Your other bikes are collecting dust. Under your breath, you sometimes mock others riding gears and work your butt off to one-up them. You use your SS as a tool to brag or as an excuse / handicap (I geared too stiff for the course...) Start hating RockShox and Shimano just on principle, and start thinking rigid forks and DH tires are the better setup.

6. Laziness - you go out and upgrade to a "proper" SS. Now that you it, the upgrade and gear ratio obsessions are fulfilled. You get lazy, and start trashing your bike without taking care of it. You forget about checking tire pressures, chain tension, broken teeth and don't even consider about the consequences. A wonderful delusion, until the bike leaves you stranded 5 miles from your car, and your cell phone has no signal deep in the woods...

7. Heresy - ride your SS so much, that when you ride your geared bike, you miss your SS. You take it one step further and actually sell off the geared bike(s) that you previously couldn't live without.

8. Fight club - start putting beer in your water bottles, grow some unusual facial hair (for the men), dress like a freak, and acquire the attitude that you don't give a **** about racing or beating the gearies. Riding a pink colored bike frame or wearing orange socks with your Birkenstocks to a bar after the ride doesn't even click to you as being strange.

9 (optional) Scorching - as if SS'ing isn't fringe enough, start thinking http://www.63xc.com is an interesting alternative. Give it a go, maybe even get hooked.

10. Approach martyrdom - actually leave the clique by riding so much that few buddies can keep up with you. You become one with your bike. You simultaneously learn a level of humbleness and let your results speak for themselves.

Because I'm a weak man I accelerated from stage 1 to 7 quickly. Most friends would argue that I teetered on the edge of stage 8 (fight club anti-social insanity) prior to singlespeeding. I argue that I'm quite stable but free thinking. I'm sure Tyler Durden would have a similar pitch. Leave me alone. Seriously, before I have to punch someone in the ear.

I digress... the point of this post is to share my new-found passion. Bikepacking (read closely - BIKE packing). I know, I know... I love cycling and backpacking so the combination should have been as obvious as peanut butter and chocolate. It just wasn't, though. It wasn't until I fell in love with singlespeeding. Better put until I became a singlespeeder. The thought of keeping all of the geary bits, springy parts and countless other complicated whatzits working properly plays counter to the simplicity that I gravitate towards. Its was fun to get out and ride but spending days out in the wilds with that sort of bike just didn't seem to fit. Enter the rigid singlespeed beauty. Seriously... sexy, fast, simple. Behold...

Now I can't wait to strap my gear on the bike and get out there. Farther, faster, easier and simply. Interested? Check out the friendliest bunch of people you'll ever meet over at bikepacking.net. There are tons of archived threads to get you up to speed and any questions that aren't easily answered by the history will be answered in short order if you post. I'll be posting gear experiments and trip reports soon. Let's go bikepacking!!

Montana Adventure

2009-10-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

Where do I start? Its been a busy few days. Jenny & I took off for Montana this past Friday after work. Our flight out of Memphis was delayed so we missed the flight from Minneapolis to Helena. Delta was good enough to spring for food and a hotel. Unfortunately, its one of the worst hotels I've stayed in that still bears a brand name. Just in case you're looking for a hotel near the Mall of America, do yourself a favor and avoid the Ramada.

We adjusted our flight schedule to fly right into Missoula, MT since we lost a little time with the flight delays. Missoula is a great little town. We rumbled through a farmer's / craft market downtown and browsed a few stores.

Jenny in downtown Missoula

One thing that really stands out in Montana is the lack of chains. Some of them are there but they're usually on the edge of town and they haven't choked out the locally owned stores.

Jenny & Me Enjoying a cool morning in Hamilton

That evening we drove to see our friends in Hamilton, MT. Dayln and Lisa live there and were nice enough to take the bulk of their Sunday to entertain us. After grabbing a great brunch we floated the Bitterroot River.

Lisa, Jenny & Me enjoying a break on the Bitterroot

Looking downstream

Westslope Cutthroat trout - the Montana state fish

Me and Jenny in front of the Skalkaho Falls.

We drove to Helena, MT the next day (Monday). The drive from Missoula to Helena was very interesting with lots of great views. We rented bikes after arriving and rode around town to enjoy the architecture in the downtown area. Helena was one of the richest towns in the US during the local gold rush. The homes there resulting from the gold boom are gorgeous. Apparently deer are everywhere in Montana - including downtown Helena.

Tuesday was my last day in Montana. I intended to ride Helena Rim Trail... I was only partially successful. I managed to get lost on the multitude of trails outside of town. The bad news is that I never completed the HRT. The good news is that I still had a blast.

The trails look landscaped!

Big Sky

I think this is part of the trail that wasn't officially bike trail... who knows... who cares

More Montana Single Track

Lynskey Ridgeline

2009-09-23T05:18:00.001-07:00

DO NOT BUY LYNSKEY. My frame was an absolute noodle with rear end tire rub, squeaking, popping, dropped chains and general no-funnery. I spent a year bickering with several representatives at Lynskey (including the arrogant David Lynskey) only to be told that I needed to tighten my seat post clamp, lubricate my slider every 3 rides (what?!), etc. Ultimately the frame broke both in the sliders (hairline crack) and failed massively at the headtube-downtube junction. The original fix was going to be a replaced downtube but after lots of argument they finally sent a replacement frame. I sold the replacement frame without assembling it on Craigslist. I received an email soon after posting the frame for sale telling me that they were shocked that I was selling it without riding it and if they had known I was just going to sell it they wouldn't have offered a replacement frame. These guys are the friendliest people you'll ever meet when you're buying a new frame but it turns bad fast when things aren't going well. For those of you around bikes awhile this sounds a lot like the BS surrounding Litespeed under Lynskey's watch prior to the brand being sold off. Do youself a favor and give your hard earned money to people that actually ride and know how to design and support bikes. As always, you may have a wonderful experience unlike me but why take the chance?
=======================================

So, its been a LONG time since my last post. I haven't been out hiking because of the heat of the summer. I have been doing a lot of mountain biking locally. I've read about the 29" wheel single speed movement for awhile now and finally decided to give it a try. My local bike shop, Harrell's Bicycle World , had a 2008 Raleigh XXIX that they were willing to give me a little break on so I bought it. First of all, I can't say enough good things about Raleigh's XXIX single speed. There's a great review of it here: Dirt Rag's Raleigh XXIX Review I've been riding this bike two to three times a week on our local trail system in the Harbison State Forest since I brought it home. I like the simplicity of the ride so much my high end Moot's RigorMootis sat idle all summer. Its not that I don't like the Moots - the larger wheels and single speed make the ride smoother, quieter, and in some cases even faster. Here's a photo of the XXIX.

After a few months of riding and some soul searching I decided to build up a nice single speed 29'er. What I finally settled on was ultimately the best of the Moots and the Raleigh XXIX. The frame is a Lynskey Ridgeline with single speed slider drop outs. Lynskey created LiteSpeed which was ultimately absorbed by American Bicycle Group. When big brother took over I assume he went off to do his own thing and eventually started Lynskey Performance.

I built the Ridgeline up as a rigid single speed - simple. Titanium is famous for being smooth and compliant like a steel frame while remaining stiff and lightweight. The tubes on the Ridgeline are heavily shaped allowing maximum stiffness with minimum material. As a result, the 19" frame (size L) only weighs 3.4lbs. Another advantage with titanium is its corrosion resistance. No paint is required and as a result there are no scratches or scuffs to fuss over. The rigid fork offers precise handling and less mechanical bits to maintain or break. Obviously, no suspension also means feeling all of the bumps and vibration associated with trail riding. To take the edge off there there are carbon fiber bits here and there (fork, bars, seatpost). Add in hydraulic disc brakes and some gorgeous single speed cranks and Ti chainring from Shawnee and you have a sexy ride for sure. Part of what helped me settle on the Lynskey was this series of reviews at 29 Inches: Twenty Nine Inches Ridgeline Review This is the intro review. You can follow the links at the end of each section for the next segment of Guitar Ted's review. I've only ridden the Lynskey around the neighborhood so far. If the weather cooperates today I'll have it on the trails as soon as humanly possible after work. I can already tell that the handling is significantly faster than the XXIX so I'll have to keep on my toes on the fast and technical sections. I've also noticed that the rear triangle is a lot stiffer so I should have more efficient power transfer. We'll see how much harsher the ride is as a result of the stiffened rear end.

Here she is... sexxxy!

The obligatory 'SIMPLIFY' theme (also lasered on the grips - thanks ODI)

Super sweet single speed cranks modified from XTR M960 cranks & Ti ring from Shawnee

Foster approves... FAST!

Eastatoe Gorge Backpacking

2009-07-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend's hike was intentionally selected as a simple, short hike. Dad & I wanted to take a break from the longer mile trips that we've been planning lately so we could relax and enjoy some leisure time in the woods. We settled on the last spur trail on the FHT that we hadn't seen yet. Eastatoe Creek Trail is a spur trail on the Foothills Trail System. The trail is only 2.5 miles of easy hiking from the parking lot to camp (1.7 miles of pure trail). Trail access is located at the parking area of the Laurel Fork Creek trail head. This spur is marked with yellow blazes. There were more blue blazes than yellow but don't worry - you'll have to try hard to get lost on this hike. Here is the trail description from SCTrails.net:

This moderate, 1.7-mile path takes you into the 373-acre Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve, which is a wonder nestled within a pristine mountain gorge. The Eastatoe (pronounced “EAST-a-toee”) Creek Trail is relatively easy for most of the way, but drops precipitously down into the gorge for its last .5 mile (Of course, that means you’ll have to hike back up to return!). The forest teems with large beech and hemlocks as well as wildflowers such as partridgeberry and jack-in-the-pulpit. Switchbacks make the going a bit easier, and stairs are provided where the trail descends/ascends more steeply. Following a rain, footing can be difficult (at one point, the trail borders a 100-foot cliff). The rewards, however, come in Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve, which is home to a beautiful stream filled with naturally reproducing rainbow trout. Across the creek is a cliff with a small, attractive waterfall. Due to the unusual humidity in this area, three rare tropical ferns grow here that are not found anywhere else in North America. Yellow blazes on the Eastatoe Creek Trail are sometimes confusing, but the end of the trail is well marked with a triple blaze. Return the way you came.

I was able to test several pieces of new gear including my Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo, Serenity and my MYOG GoLite Ion. I'll be posting more on those topics very soon. If you can't wait, the short version is: if you are considering any product from MLD go get it now and if you're planning on using an Ion, pack light! The hike in took about an hour. There are plenty of camp sites and unlike most areas with easy access they were all clean and well maintained (read: not a mudhole with broken glass and rusted beef stew cans). After getting set up we napped through a 45 minute afternoon shower which seemed to send most of the mosquitoes packing. Since we had a lot of energy left over at camp we were able to do some bushwhacking to find the gorge and waterfalls on Eastatoe Creek. I'd definitely recommend this trip.

Eastatoe Creek Trail

My MYOG GoLite Ion and my new favorite trekking poles, Gossamer Gear LT4s

MLD Grace Duo In Action

(notice the generous dry patch left behind after a 45 minute afternoon shower)

A Small Falls on Eastatoe Creek

Eastatoe Creek

Looking up a 75ft Boulder Wall

Eastatoe Gorge

Another Waterfall Down The Gorge

Documenting my sacrafice of dry feet for a hike up the gorge for a great photo

Stinging Nettles - pesky little buggers

Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo & Serenity Review

2009-07-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo tarp in spectralite and a Serenity shelter. The pair weigh 16 ounces including all required tie outs. I'll use 4 titanium shepherd hook stakes for the Serenity, 4 to 6 MSR Needle stakes for the tarp sides depending on weather conditions and 2 MSR Groundhog stakes for either end of the tarp.

Here is a short video showing the setup and features of the gear. I intent to follow up with a field report after my first trip with this gear the weekend of July 12th. Stay tuned!

Backpacking Fork Mountain to Oconee State Park

2009-05-18T11:21:00.001-07:00

Dad & I took a group hike in the Upstate this weekend with the group from the South Carolina State Parks program. First things first: Thanks to Scott Stegenga for leading the trip. As always, he did a nice job of balancing the trip for the fast & light crowd and the bring the kitchen sink hikers.

The original plan was to start on the Fork Mountain spur of the FHT and hike to Oconee State Park over three days and two nights. This is a 30 mile hike that was planned to split evenly over the three days. The trail is well marked on these sections and the elevation changes aren't severe.

Here's dad near the trail head early on day one.

The mountain laurels were in full bloom this weekend. The white and pink laurel were both in full bloom.

A view down the Fork Mountain spur of the FHT.

A large portion of this hike follows the Chatooga River. The past few years the river levels have really been down as a result of the drought in the area. It was refreshing to see the river up significantly compared to recent years. We had a difficult time getting through the low water portion of the trail this time.

This poor guy was carrying 50 or 60 pounds of gear down the trail. I didn't think he'd make it past the first day but he did manage to (slowly) cover the entire hike. To make matters worse, his tent leaked badly the first night leaving all of his heavy gear soaked and even more of a burden to carry the next day.

The pines in our first camp were tremendous. I don't think this one ends...

Some flowers from the edge of camp.

My self portrait on a 60ft log bridge.

My Gossamer Gear The One tent. A 1lb single wall shelter.

Beautiful canopy along the way. I wasn't able to take many photos the next day due to rain (doesn't mix well with digital cameras). We ended up hiking 20 miles out to end the trip in 2 days instead of the planned 3. We were both tired and had sore feet but we were able to avoid the storms (see the radar below). That radar image was taken while we were driving home. Camp was approximately where the 'X' is... lots of storms were on the way. We definitely made the right call.

Palmetto Trail & Foothills Trail

2009-03-27T12:05:00.001-07:00

Dad and I finished a 30 mile hike over three days this past weekend. It was a little cool and I struggled through some athletically induced asthma but it was still a good trip. Photos are posted on our website at this link:

Hiking the Palmetto Trail & Foothills Trail.

Here are a few shots from the trip:

Deep Gap Backpacking Trip

2008-07-23T06:16:00.001-07:00

Dad & I hiked the Deep Gap Trail at Mt. Mitchell this past weekend (7-19 & 20, 2008). Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 ft. The Deep Gap Trail starts at Mt. Mitchell and tracks the ridge line of several 6,000ft peaks before reaching a grassy knoll named Commissary Ridge. The trail is steep and rugged and there was almost no water to filter but we were prepared and all ended well.

Dad & me on Mt. Craig.

A nice view of the Black Mountains (part of the Smokey Mountain Range).

Yours truly - the trail follows the ridgeline in the background.

Sections of the trail are STEEP.

Another great vista.

Wild irises at Commissary Ridge.

Sunrise at 6,000 ft.

Watch that last step...

Nice photo of a weathered tree and the Smokies in the background.

Me relaxing - almost done.

King of the hill!

Foothills Trail - Bad Creek Access to Oconee State Park

2008-05-11T15:24:00.001-07:00

Dad & I were back on the FHT this weekend. I took Friday off so we could squeeze in 30 miles between Bad Creek Access & Oconee State Park. This finishes the FHT for me - dad reminds me AFTER he finished the FHT. I'm only 34 so the way I see it he's had a lot more time to get it done. We had good weather for most of the trip. To avoid some severe thunderstorms Sunday morning we woke up at 11PM Saturday and hiked the remaining 8.3 miles out in the pitch dark. That's an interesting way to experience the trail - just be careful!

Trillium - these were in bloom all along the entire hike.

Whitewater River - this is where we had lunch on the first day

Nice view of the sky near the Whitewater River.

Steps - lots and lots of steps - then a few more.

Upper Whitewater Falls

View of Lake Jocassee from the Grassy Knob escarpment near the Upper Whitewater Falls.

Blaze azaleas on the trail near Round Mountain.

Foothills trail - close to Sloan Bridge (SC107).

Kings Mountain Falls

Small wildflowers by the side of the Chatooga River.

Dad & me at the Whitewater Falls overlook on the first day.

This is a photo of me finishing the FHT. 5-10-2008