Bikepacking - Shafer Butte


bikepacking

Earlier this week I decided to do another solo bike overnight on Shafer Butte. The best day based on other stuff I had going on was Thursday, which, coincidentally, was forecasted to be a good night to see the northern lights. Unfortunately that forecast changed and the lights weren’t viewable on Thursday, but I still had a nice night up on the mountain.

The mini-adventure was a little different this time not only because I rode my hardtail mountain bike, but also because I went up a different route. Instead of going up the pavement on Bogus Basin Road, which is my normal route, I went up the steeper and more rugged (i.e., gravel/dirt) Boise Ridge Road. I had ridden only about 5 miles of Boise Ridge Road prior to this trip so I wasn’t sure what the upper areas were like. I don’t know if it’s that I’m not in the best shape or that it’s just a steep road, but I was struggling a lot on the ride up.

I left around 11:30am because I wasn’t sure how long it would take me and, more importantly, I wanted to get up into a higher elevation before it got really hot. It was still pretty hot on the lower section, which was steep enough in a few sections to require me to hike-a-bike. I think the heat and the grade blew me up a bit and I ended up struggling most of the way up. There were a few pitches on the upper section that were really steep and, again, I had to hike-a-bike. But, the upper section was really nice as it was mostly in the trees and, consequently, was a lot cooler.

bikepacking_shafer_butte_01 Boise Ridge Road

bikepacking_shafer_butte_02 Boise Ridge Road (tree line)

Aside from kicking my ass a bit, the ride up was nice and uneventful. Around mile 20 the gravel road intersected the “Around the Mountain” singletrack trail so I hopped on that for the last five miles or so. Overall A.T.M. is a pretty easy trail so I didn’t have too many issues with the loaded bike, but compared to a naked bike I could definitely tell the difference in both handling and climbing. I just took it easy and plodded along, thinking about the dinner I was going to maul once I got to camp.

bikepacking_shafer_butte_03 Around the Mountain MTB trail

bikepacking_shafer_butte_04 View from Around the Mountain

After nearly five hours of riding I made it to the Shafer Butte Campground. It was way busier than two weeks ago, but I was able to snag the same site, which is nicely tucked away from some of the other sites.

There’s kind of a hidden spring behind one of the camp sites so I was able to rinse off a little and filter some amazingly cold water. I got a new water filter a few days ago and am happy to report it worked really well. I’m always a bit “water anxious” so having a solid filter – especially when you’re limited on how much water you can carry – is key.

bikepacking_shafer_butte_05 New water filter

bikepacking_shafer_butte_06 Camp

bikepacking_shafer_butte_07 Sunset

After setting up my tent, etc. I had dinner and just kind of hung out, enjoying the cool evening and the beautiful sunset. I got up early in the morning, packed up camp, had some coffee and a granola bar and headed for home. The ride home was only 1 hour and 26 minutes (compared to 4 hours and 45 minutes going up the mountain).

bikepacking_shafer_butte_08 Ride

Another awesome little trip. A bit grueling for me on the way up, but I like the challenge and is one of the reasons why I like bikepacking. I mean, I could easily drive up and spend the night on the mountain. But the challenge and reward of riding up, along with the richer travel experience afforded by slow travel, is really why I do this stuff.

So what’s next? I’m not sure, but will hopefully be planning something soon.

Ride stats

  • Total bike weight (bike + gear): 54.4 pounds
  • Ride up: 24.51 miles, 4 hrs 45 mins, 5732 feet climbed
  • Ride down: 24.46 miles, 1 hr 26 mins, 691 feet climbed