Bikepacking - Temple Mountain

Bikepacking - I'm just getting my toes in the water, but I'm loving the experience.

There's something about the desert of central and southern Utah that calls to me. It's the scenery, the solitude, the vast open night sky and general feeling of fascination with the place. Last Fall I mapped out a 40ish mile route in the San Rafael Swell and made plans that fell through because of bad weather. I made plans again this Spring which also fell through because of bad weather. A window of opportunity presented itself in late May and I decided to jump on it. The weather in northern Utah was going to be bad, but the weather in the Swell was supposed to be perfect - mid 70's, clear sky, slight breeze. I quickly packed late Thursday night in anticipation of leaving right after work on Friday. Work, being as it is this time of year, threw a wrench in my plans and I wasn't able to leave Friday after all. I almost gave up on the idea - it just didn't seem meant to be. I awoke to a cold rainy Saturday morning; the desert crowding out all other thoughts. I checked the weather forecast and it looked to be colder with a chance of rain for Saturday night...but only 20 percent. I added a warmer sleeping bag and waterproof jacket to my gear, then set out for the trailhead.

I wasn't exactly sure how easy or difficult the route would be, nor how scenic or bland it would be - The Swell offers both. I mapped out an intended course with a couple optional additions/subtractions depending on time and conditions. I gave one copy to a friend and left another on the dash of my car with notes about what I was doing and when I expected to be back.

The road was well graded and easy peddling, but I rode slowly and stopped frequently. No need to rush through such beauty. Blue sky with fluffy white clouds. A light refreshing breeze. Mild temperatures. Beautiful scenery everywhere. Life was feeling pretty good.

The graded road ended and the OHV trail began. The peddling became more difficult - soft ground, rocks, steps, etc. I had to start focusing a bit more on what was in front of me and less on soaking up the surroundings. 

Then came the gentle but steady climb up a soft gravel wash. I was happy to have my super fat tires. Overkill and extra weight for a graded road. Perfect for a gravel wash.

The scenery was fading and so was the daylight. It was getting time to start looking for a place to camp. The gentle breeze was turning into a steady, less then gentle, wind and the white fluffy clouds were being replaced by darker ones. There were decent rain storms a couple hours north and the wind and clouds had me thinking I might meet that 20 percent chance of rain. I was still riding up the gravel wash. Better keep peddling. 

About 6 miles later the route turned out of the wash and started heading up. I was no longer concerned about setting up camp in a flash flood zone, but the wind was steady now and there was no shelter to be found. I had plenty of gear to keep me warm, but spending the night exposed to the wind didn't sound all that fun. Especially if it started raining too. Better keep peddling. 

There was a general increase of greenery, but still no shelter from the wind. The idea of NOT camping entered my mind for the first time. 'Maybe I'll find a good place to camp yet, but maybe I'll just ride through and not stop until back at my car'.

There were a few small trees/large bushes but they didn't offer any real wind block. I stopped at the intersection with another well graded road, my final leg was 20 miles along this road. I was getting a bit grumpy and discouraged by the bland scenery and declining weather. I noticed some movement to my right and turned to look. I don't know what I was really expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't a herd of wild horses! I counted 15. All staring at me! My mood changed instantly. A herd of wild horses! I'd never seen that before. Bland scenery and bad weather what? Everything was beautiful and good and amazing again. Mostly.

I started down the graded road peddling faster now. I didn't really like the looks of the weather. The idea of not camping won even though it was supposed to be a bikepacking trip, which inherently means camping. Time to crank out 20 miles and get back to my car. I was parked at a campground, I could camp there.

I spent the rest of the ride in my endurance zone: pedal, drink, eat, sing (usually just in my mind...sometimes aloud if no ones around and I'm really bored). Around 10pm I rolled up to my car. Happy and feeling really well. The wind was still blowing and the sky was now totally full of clouds - no stars to be seen. Falling asleep under a sky of clouds just doesn't have the same draw as a sky of stars. I packed up and drove home.

Not exactly how I'd envisioned things going. Better in some ways, more lame in others i.e. not actually camping. But it was a great experience and has me excited for more trips!