I’m really happy I opted for the “long and hard” route from Warm Lake instead of the more direct and “just hard” route that would have taken me past Deadwood Reservoir and then Placerville and Bogus, etc. This definitely felt like more of a “trip” instead of just a ride home with an overnight involved.

It was definitely hard and my body was starting to crack a little on the last day. But, I’m proud with how I fared and feel like I did pretty well without any real focused training. To be able to ride 70-90 miles four days in a row on shitty roads in remote areas with big climbs, a heavy bike, and pretty rustic camping conditions is, I think, an accomplishment I can be proud of even if I didn’t break any speed records.

I have two main goals or motivations for trips like these. The first is to see some beautiful country and be out in nature for days on end. To rough it a bit and pare things back to the essentials: riding, eating, sleeping. The second is to push myself and get a bit out of my comfort zone and to, perhaps, manufacture a bit of adventure in the process.

No way around it, this stuff is hard (at least for me). But I guess that’s the point.

Here are the trip totals:

• Distance: 312 miles
• Climbing: 20,200 feet
• Highest point: 8714 feet (day 2); 8712 feet (day 3)

Day 4: Ice Springs Campground to home

I had set my alarm for five-something, but it was still pitch dark when I woke up and the moon was still out so I decided to sleep in a bit more. I got moving a little after 6:00 and made some coffee and oatmeal. I got packed up, filtered some water, and was rolling around 7:15.

I had ridden this exact section last year on the way home from my “Smoke and Fire in Paradise” trip to Atlanta and Trinity Lakes. So I knew what was ahead and honestly, wasn’t looking forward to it.

I made it to the Y Stop around 8:30 and I figured, correctly as it turned out, that they’d be closed. So no pick-me-ups there. I put on some Dinosaur Jr and did my best to get over the dusty climbs, making my way closer and closer to Boise. No doubt, there are some really scenic areas on this part of the route, but it’s open and hot and generally not my favorite place to be riding in August.

The last real challenge was the final little climb up to Bonneville Point, which is always a ball-breaker. I finally made it and decided to just ride the rocky singletrack to Lucky Peak rather than try to skirt around it on the Oregon Trail section like I did last year. Thankfully I made it without falling or getting bit by a rattlesnake. Ugh, that part is horrible.

I filled a couple bottles at the Lucky Peak park and braved the headwind on the greenbelt path next to the river and Highway 21. The greenbelt was closed, of course, by Marianne Williams park, just like it was a month or more ago. The detour sign was still there. And the follow-up detour signs to guide you through the labyrinth of paths toward downtown were also still not there. But I kind of knew how to do it so I felt my way through and ended up at Boise State. So it was autopilot after that.

I arrived at home right at 14:00, so I felt like I made pretty good time. I think it’s probably faster to go from Ice Springs to Boise than the other direction, but I haven’t really analyzed the difference. At any rate, I was pretty smoked and was happy to be home, but also sad my trip was over.

• Distance: 68.4 miles
• Climbing: 4308 feet
• Highest point: 5985 feet

Thankful for our public lands

South Fork Boise River

South Fork Boise River

I take this same pic every time I’m here and it never gets old

Day 3: Ketchum to Ice Springs Campground

I got up relatively early and went through my standard bikepacking breakfast/pack up routine. I stopped at the creek close to where I camped and topped off all my water stores before heading off to the queen climb of the trip, Dollar Hide. The ride from where I camped to the start of the climb was really pretty. The first part was shaded with trees and some cliffs then things opened up a bit more where most everything was burned. The elevation was high (7000+ feet for most of the climb) so that was taxing and I was going slow. But it was an enjoyable climb and I was kind of sad it was over.

Once you get over the top you get back into the trees. The downhill was steep and long, but not too precarious. You just have to really stay focused and pick your lines, etc. I could tell the temps were rising a lot was I was dropping down.

A guy on a horse who was herding cattle with a couple dogs yelled to me a couple miles after the bottom of the descent. He was wanting to know if I had seen any cattle on the descent. I told him I didn’t and we talked about moving cattle and wildlife for a few minutes before I kept moving. He mentioned that there were a lot of wolves in the area and indicated I should have a pistol on my hip at all times for protection. I know there are wolves in the area, but I’m not terribly afraid of them as I don’t think they are much of a threat to humans. I’m much more worried about humans, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and bears (in that order).

Shortly after talking to the cowboy I came across the hot springs area Heidi and I stopped at in 2018. I checked it out a bit – the water felt amazing! – but didn’t get in as it was already getting a bit warm and I didn’t want to overheat myself.

My mid-day target was the Smokey Bar; I was hoping they had some type of “real” food there I could have for lunch. I think I had about 10 miles to get there. The road was mostly downhill a percent or two, which was nice. The road surface was really sandy, though, and got progressively sandier the closer I got to the Smokey Bar.

I got a cold Coke and a Gatorade, but unfortunately wasn’t able to get any food since they only had packaged stuff and I had plenty of that. (Man, some fries would have been nice!!) I had a nice chat with the owner, whom I had seen talk on the PBS documentary about the SnF race. She confirmed that the road was open to Featherville and said it had been completed in 2020.

The section after Smokey Bar pretty much all the way to Featherville was probably the most scenic for the entire day. I think in 2018 I was so preoccupied with getting through the washed out sections safely that I didn’t really have an opportunity to appreciate how beautiful it was.

The route I had plotted had me skirt around Featherville on an ATV trail, which was kind of fun. I popped out on the highway and rode that to Pine where I stopped at the Pine Store for drinks (a spicy V8 and La Croix!) and some snacks. I calculated I had about 8-10 miles or so to Ice Springs, which is where I planned to camp. However, I was looking at the wrong spot on the map and it was more like 13+ miles. And there was a pretty significant climb along the way so that caught me by surprise. I was struggling in the late-afternoon heat and was barely able to turn the pedals on the steepest part of the climb. But I made it to the top and had a mile or two to go to the campground.

Unfortunately all the official spots at Ice Springs were occupied, but there is a large “overflow” area right next to it so I just found a suitable spot and set up camp. No table, again, so that sucked. But I had access to the creek, which was clear and cold. I filtered a bunch of water, made dinner, and tried to get some sleep. My plan was to get up as early as I could so I could beat the heat and get home at a reasonable time.

• Distance: 85.6 miles
• Climbing: 5394 feet
• Highest point: 8712 feet

Morning filter spot

Climbing up Dollar Hide

More climbing

Still climbing

Over the top and heading down

Cowboy

Worswick Hot Springs

The bikepacker-friendly Smokey Bar

Big Smokey Creek

South Fork Boise River

South Fork Boise River just north of Pine

Anderson Ranch Reservoir

Home for the night at Ice Springs Campground

Day 2: Stanley to Ketchum

It rained a bit during the night, but I don’t think it really amounted to much as my tent and bike were basically dry in the morning. I didn’t sleep great, but that’s pretty normal after a tough day of riding and then camping solo. I went through my normal morning routine and was riding a little after 7:00. I quickly hit a problem on FSR 682 about a mile from the campground. The road was underwater and there was a gate on the other side so even if I could get across the deep water section I’m not sure I could have gotten past the gate. I decided to turn around and just blast all the way into Stanley on Highway 21, avoiding the Nip and Tuck/Lower Stanley part altogether. That would have probably added an hour or two to my day and it was already going to be a long one. I was bummed to not be able to ride that, but I had to make some choices.

I think it was around 10 miles before I got to Stanley so it was a little farther than I had thought. It was really nice riding on the highway, though. Barely any cars that early in the morning, a decent shoulder, and mostly downhill so I made good time.

I got some snacks at the gas station and went to Pioneer Park to get on the Stanley-Redfish trail. There was a little bakery/cafe right near the park; had I known that I would have stopped there for some food (and coffee!) rather than at the gas station.

The airport is right where the trail starts and it was surprisingly busy. I think I saw seven planes land in the time it took me to find the trail and take a few pictures.

As for the trail itself, it was really nice – so much better than having to ride on the highway. It ended at Redfish Lake Road right by Chinook Bay Campground. I crossed that and got on Decker Flat Road, which was also a cool little road that paralleled the highway. It was steep and rocky in places, but better than the highway. The first 3/4 was wooded, but then it opened up a bit toward the end where I crossed the Salmon River and Highway 21 and got on Valley Road, which I had remembered vividly from when Heidi and I rode it in 2018. I think it was a brutal 12 miles to the Highway 75 crossing. Lots of ups and downs on an OK road. But wide open and getting hot. Not my favorite part of the day, for sure.

The route/Garmin was a little messed up the last two miles before the highway. I was supposed to hang a left, but the road wasn’t where my GPS was telling me it should be. I had to backtrack and take a different road/trail, but it ended up working out. If I do this again I need to revisit this area and make sure I know where I’m going.

I crossed the highway and started the climb up to Galena Summit. I think the official climb on my Garmin was around 4.8 miles and 1,300 feet of gain. While the climb wasn’t as brutal as I thought it was going to be, it was still tough. It topped out around 8,700 feet so you could definitely feel the elevation. In the interest of time/safety I rode the highway down rather than the Titus Lake singletrack. I got some much-needed water at Galena Lodge and rested for a couple minutes before hopping on the Harriman Trail. (I wish I would have gotten a big salad at the lodge and skipped the greasy Pad Thai I got in Ketchum.)

I rode the Harriman as far as I could then got on the highway and rode into Ketchum. The highway has a really wide shoulder so I felt really comfortable doing that. A few miles from town there’s a really nice paved path that takes you into town. I scouted out a Thai place and went there for some Pad Thai. It wasn’t that great, but I was so hungry that anything would have tasted good. I picked up a Gatorade at a gas station afterwards and made my way to Warm Springs Road, which was where I was going to try to find a place to camp.

There are quite a few dispersed spots on Warm Springs Road, but unfortunately most of them are geared towards vehicle camping. So, not great for tents. The farther you get from town the better the spots are. I think the place I ended up at was around five or six miles out of Ketchum. There was a creek nearby, but it was a bit of a walk, which wasn’t ideal, but was better than nothing. And the site was basically just a dirt spot with no table or anything so keeping stuff clean and organized was a little challenging. But I was able to get cleaned up pretty well in the creek and since I had already eaten I didn’t have to prepare any food. I got settled into my tent and tried to get a good night sleep, which of course didn’t really happen. hahaha

• Distance: 89.1 miles
• Climbing: 5200 feet
• Highest point: 8714 feet

Not motivated enough to cross that

Stanley airport

Decker Flat Road

Valley Road. Ugh.

More Valley Road

Climbing up to Galena Summit

Climbing up to Galena Summit

View over the top of Galena Summit

Harriman Trail

Dispersed camp spot outside Ketchum