Captain Crunch Challenge – Biking Kenosha Pass to Georgia Pass with overnight camp en route

I recently decided not to go to New Zealand this fall and bicycle tour with some ski-town buddies wrapping up their winter down under.  With several upcoming technical conferences I could only make a 13 day trip, and with a roughly $2000 plane ticket and a long ass plane ride, it just wasn’t worth the drama.

But the bicycle touring thing (carrying all your camping supplies on your bike) has piqued my interest.  After returning from Africa (and covering 2,800 plus miles just by car), I have a desire to better explore my own country.  I have never been to Mt. Rushmore (I have actually never been to the state of South Dakota), for example.  Shouldn’t I check that out before New Zealand?

So last week I gave myself a challenge.  The Captain Crunch challenge.  Could I camp for a night using only stuff on my bike.  I channeled my inner Captain Crunch and did just that.

I drove about 90 minutes Southwest of my house to Kenosha Pass, parked, and took my Mountain Bike onto the Colorado Trail headed towards Breckenridge, CO.

At about 7PM I set up camp, cooked some Organic Pesto Tofu Pasta (freeze dried–also, FYI, I am trying out being a vegetarian) and some chocolate mousse cake (also freeze dried and more delicious), read my Kindle and went to bed after a warm and roaring camp fire.

A key to my success was a new backpacker style tent (The REI Quarter Dome T1), and waterproof compression sack.  I was able to carry everything I needed including a borrowed Backpacker style therm-a-rest, and a primus camp stove bungee corded to a rear bike rack, and in a backpack.  I carried all the water I needed and didn’t mess with a water purifying system this trip.  In case you are wondering what ” backpacker style” means, it just means small and light.  The tent was amazing, great to set up, and without the rainfly gave me a beautiful view of the stars.  The therm-a-rest was annoying, it only reached my knees, so made sleep kind of uncomfortable.  Three times I was woken by animals walking by my tent, probably deer but maybe elk.

The next morning I packed up camp, finished the bike up to the top of Georgia Pass, cooked and enjoyed breakfast, and then biked back down to my car.

I had proven I can bike and camp.  South Dakota here I come!

I need to upgrade to a water purifying system, and need more storage space for extra food (I borrowed some Panniers this week).  I also need a camping mirror and experience putting my contacts in.  I was unable to get my contacts in and was biking “blind” on day two.

Here are some pictures:

Trailhead where I parked

My backpackers tent about 50 yards off the Colorado Trail, on an animal trail

Where I cooked dinner, found this fire circle 30 yards off Colorado Trail by dumb luck

Self portrait

Bike and gear, mountain range near top of Georgia Pass

Top of Georgia Pass

Bike and gear by Colorado Trail Signpost

There should be more pictures above in a gallery display.

This will be my next splurge on camping gear, I tried it out at REI, it really does compress down to the size of a Nalgene bottle, it is remarkable!

Sorry for the radio silence last week, had two out of state visitors, one going and one coming, and then got mired in a “technical problem” you will probably hear about soon.  Some Africa pics are on the way.