Steamboat to Del Norte, CO. Still on the trail as the weather lifts.
by nicholasgault
After the conditions I experienced from Rawlins (WY) to Brush Mountain (CO) (see previous post) I thought my Divide tour was over and that I’d have to detour via Utah and Arizona. Although I’m sure this would have been a superb alternative I had my mind set on completing this specific mountain bike route and I was on a bit of a low as I pulled into Steamboat Springs. I had made the difficult decision of skipping 50 miles of the route due to lack of sufficient winter gear; I decided it wasn’t worth losing a toe over. Also the route would have possibly destroyed the mechanics of my bicycle.
Tracey and Tony very kindly put me up and looked after me in Steamboat; helping me decide on my next move. After speaking with Assam from Orange Peel bike shop (highly recommended, absolutely superb service) my spirits lifted. His invaluable insight into the local conditions suggested that continuing on the route could be possible and the recent snowfall would be hard packed; slippery but doable. So I set about adding further winter clothing to my kit: emergency bivy, waterproof / neoprene overboots, thick woollen socks, full winter mittens (“the warmest in your shop please”). I would need to cope with temperatures well below freezing at downhill speeds of 30 to 40 mph and any possible future storms.
Another addition to my armoury is the SPOT GPS tracker that updates my location every 10 minutes when I’m on the trail. I can be followed here: Tracker. If you’re ever considering such a device I would highly recommend Track Leaders; Matthew Lee has provided a fantastic service and is very knowledgeable.
So I set off from Steamboat fully prepared, making use of a new weather window. It was set to be sunny for the next week or so and I planned to get through Colorado as quickly as possible to avoid any enforced detours. The last few days have been spent getting from Steamboat to Del Norte and it seems southern Colorado was not hit by the snow storms in the same way as the north; I’ve pushed myself fairly hard but it’s been immensely rewarding as I’ve passed through places I thought I’d only ever see in my dreams.
Hi Nick, Link didn’t work for me (though I have the website saved under my favourites, and it works from there). Looks like you have the weather on yourside for the next few days. I look at your co-ordinates on each check in that your transponder sends, your lattitude (currently 37 deg north) ticking down slowly but surely. Keep going. It is phenomenal what you have already achieved, be in no doubt. Tom Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2012 23:18:49 +0000 To: tomgault@hotmail.com
I was in such a rush I didn’t check my post properly; I’ve updated the link now so it should work. An alternate site: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0SFl5NxJyqrVIrH7pqGNnJQqmPskCtqTN
Cheers for the encouragement!
Hi Nick looks like it has been a bit chilly! The link tracking link didn’t work for me but I will try again. Been very much enjoying your blog – great photos and commentary. Hope you have enough winter gear now!
It works now! Current speed 0.2mph – must be a very steep bit!
Zoomed out from the GPS map and its phenomenal how far you’ve already travelled from starting out at Prudhoe Bay. What’s the total mileage that you’ve covered from Day 1 now??
Love the tracker Nick – really interesting seeing where you are – hope the weather holds off and you can get through it all – amazing you have pushed down so far despite the cold etc. (think you have to cut and paste the tracker url rather than click on it)
Ha ha yeah I was probably having lunch at that moment.
not sure if the speed thing is that accurate since it calculates the straight distance between the two transmissions rather than the exact route I’m following. (I think). Would have been awesome if you’d made it out here… so good…
Yes it does look amazing and shame not to have made it out – I am enjoying it vicariously instead!
Nick — you’re bloody nuts! I fell off my bike after about 100 meters when it snowed last year. No mountains involved.
Keep it up though. You have me hooked.
Best,
James
Cheers James! Yeah, snow isn’t ideal.