"... start in Bella Coola, ride through the Chilcotins to the Fraser River or Churn Creek then gravel back roads to connect into the northwest part of the Buckshot loop..." 

Wouldn't that be amazing.

How to get in or out of Bella Coola?  The Sea Wolf, of course:https://www.bcferries.com/about/projects/port-hardy-bella-coola.html


By the way, food is highly overrated.

The proposed Oregensis Route (from southern Baja to the Canada border following the spine of the far west mountains) could tie in nicely with your south-north route through southern British Columbia if the border crossing was at Osoyoos. Following the KVR from Osoyoos to Penticton and then on to Chute Lake would be a cinch.  I'm not familiar with the east leg of your loop but it seems like a great combination of trails and roads for continuing north to Salmon Arm (one of my favorite names for a town).  Can a route then be imagined further north or northwest from Salmon Arm?  Perhaps Lennard's Buckshot Route would work. And then on to the Artic Ocean.

Don't tell Border Control about his route.  Looks like he turned off his Spot when he got to the border and realized he had a big problem.

The Western Rim trail was always on my list but I never got around to doing it.  I think it would be one of the best higher elevation rides in the area (snow until early July).  There is one short section that the Forest Service map shows as being in the wilderness (around Benjamin Spring) but that could be wrong because it also shows a double-track running through it.  All other sections of the trail that go through the wilderness have a double-track work-around.  You can start as far south as McGraw Lookout and follow double-track along the rim.  The double-track tends to be primitive throughout this general area.  Use satellite imagery to see if areas through old fires have trees across the route.  That area just north of Warnock Corral may be a grey area when it comes to wilderness.  In any case, enforcement is nearly non-existent.  You can go as far north as Lord Flat but don't try going further north down that trail to the Imnaha River!  Good way to die. Just backtrack and take the Hat Point Road down to Imnaha.

The route from the community of Imnaha, down the Imnaha River road, and then the last 6 miles down the Imnaha River trail is quite nice, except during the summer when it is hot as hell.  May is best.  You can extend this into a challenging loop back to Joseph (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13374778) but it is a wild adventure.  Highly recommended though.  The best I've done in the area.  Again, a May trip. (https://wordpress.com/post/obscurus11.wordpress.com/1226)

The only ways to access the Snake River on the Oregon side is the Imnaha River road (skip the Dug Bar option, it is not that interesting), Jim Creek (although I heard this trail has now disappeared), or Cache Creek.  I've never been down Cache Creek but I've heard it is interesting and passible.  Jim Creek and Cache Creek would be out and back routes.

I haven't heard of the Lake Fork Creek Trail -- what is it near?

The Wallowa River offers only paved and gravel roads through ranchland in the valley.  Upstream of Wallowa Lake is wilderness.  There is a route from Wallowa Lake along dirt roads southeastward to Salt Creek Summit and beyond that is quite pleasant.  More of July or August trip.  This can be combined with a circumnavigation of the Eagle Cap Wilderness if you really want to get crazy (I probably won't do it again).

Let me know if you want advice about any other options.

I'd be glad to direct you to the best spots in Wallowa County.  I now live in Hood River, the next best place for bikepacking.

I'm bumping this to the top in order to gauge interest in a Grand Depart for 2018.  Any event would be unofficial and just a small group of people out for some adventure against the clock, either in racing or touring mode.

The GPS track should be more accurate and refined for 2018.  Also, more of the trail will be cleared of logs and not require on-the-fly reroutes.  That was a big problem last year in the southern-most tier for the few riders who gave it a try.  Small modifications elsewhere should alsom ake it a more rideable route.  Nevertheless, it is not an easy ride and most mortals would probably be limited to an average daily distance of less than 100 miles.  The route is about 670 miles.  Think of a pace similar to the Arizona Trail.

Not everyone has the luxury to spend more than a week racing, including a day to get to the start and a day to get home after the race, so maybe it could be truncated to exclude the Fremont tier.  That would put the start in Chemult (south of Bend on Hwy 97) and lop off 200 miles.  Excluding both the Fremont and Willamette tiers would make for a 223-mile ride with a start at Waldo Lake, which is a bit in the middle of nowhere and lousy with mosquitoes until September.

Chemult is a four-hour drive from Hood River (the end of the route) and also four hours from Portland.  Chemalt is small with no public transportation or rental car services that are friendly for bicyclists.  I live in Hood River so could be a source for getting people shuttled to the start line and set up with transportation home.  The shuttle to the very beginning of the route near the California border is far removed from any public transportation.  A shuttle from Hood River would take 7 hours.

Here is a summary of what I know about the route. I've only ridden pieces of it:

The first 200 miles, starting just south of the California border, is called the Fremont Tier and is probably the most interesting to me.  It is rugged and challenging and some of the trails will have problems with downed trees. It goes up to 8000 feet so would probably require waiting until after the 4th of July for the snow to melt.  This is also a problem for certain sections throughout the route.  This year, with the nearly non-existent snowpack, snow may not be a problem at all.

Mosquitoes and wildfire play heavily into the timing of riding this route.  The  Fremont tier and the Hood tier (the most northern) have the least problem with mosquitoes, even in July.  For the other two tiers, Willamette and Deschutes, the mosquitoes can be absolutely unbearable.  Waiting until early September solves the mosquito problem but usually the wildfires have kicked in by then.  Much of the route was engulfed by fire and smoke by early September last year. 

The Willamette Tier (the next 150 miles) probably has the most challenging trail riding.  It drops down to Oakridge which is a great little town and a mountain bike mecca.  Lots of climbing north of Oakridge though.

The Deschutes Tier (130 miles) is the most civilized and may have many hikers or motos on certain stretches in July and August.  It does include some epic singletrack and includes good views of the high country.

The Hood Tier (the most northerly 190 miles) has its own challenges.  Much of the route is far removed from civilization.  Only Idahna (mile 40), Olallie Lake Resort (mile 71), and Parkdale (mile 162) offer reliable food re-supply.

So, the other thing to think about is when to schedule a start.  I was trying to avoid weeks when other high profile races in the west were taking place.  Of special interest to me was avoiding the first week in July when the BC Epic 1000 occurs and the Bones to Blue (starts August 19).  One option is a start on July 29 (this would at the same time as the Colorado Trail Race though) or August 5.  Bumping it down the road to September 16 is another possibility.

What are your thoughts?

I've ridden the piece north of Highway 140 along the breaks and can only imagine how difficult the other bushwhacking bits are.  Congratulations on adventuring through some rough terrain, spiked with a lot of uncertainty.  Seems like the trick is to get to Silver Lake intact.

Looking forward to reading more about your journey.  Cheers.

Hikeabike:  The GPS track available from the Timber Trail web site seems coarse and jagged when overlaid on detailed maps and imagery, especially in the southern sections.  It seems to be a digitized rather than a field-based GPS track.  Was that part of your navigational challenges? 

Did you compile a GPS track during your trip that you would like to share?  Also, a description of the sections of trail that have too many downed trees and require a detour would be handy.  I agree with you -- the fires are making a fall trip of this route unlikely.

In desperation I'm escaping this entrenched Washington winter and coming to Tucson for a week.  Any suggestions on where to rent a mountain bike in Tucson?  Just a XC type bike.

Once again, a defective Garmin GPS influences the outcome of a bike race.

Wednesday morning update from Nicholas:

"7:30 AM EST, Wednesday, June 22, 2016

The three leaders of the Trans Am Bike Race began the day in a familiar standing, with Steffen out front by about 50 miles, Lael in second, and Evan about 40 miles back.  Evan put a few miles on Lael in the night, taking one less hour of sleep and closing the gap for second place to 30 miles.  Steffen persisted with a short sleep on that night and was down for less than two hours.  All three riders were anxious not to lose ground, and all three riders were excited to try to gain some distance on the others, if possible.  Heavy thunderstorms arrived on Tuesday afternoon as Steffen, Lael, and Evan summited the Blue Ridge Parkway from Vesuvius to Afton. 

Continuing on to Charlottesville, it appeared that Steffen was either lost or looking for something.  He followed a unique route into town, the nature of the detour unknown considering the severe weather in the area.  It is now known that he had suffered a series of flats in the past few days.  From a brief video log on the TABR Facebook page, he verifies the flat tires yet indicates that he did not replenish his supply of spare tubes in Charlottesville, a bustling college town home to many bike shops.  Reports from race organizer Nathan Jones also suggest that Steffen was dealing with a failing GPS device, an internal issue more complex than a dead battery. 

Steffen continued out of town and kept pace into the evening.  He settled down by the side of the road just beyond the community of Beaverdam, south of Lake Anna.  He rested for about 2.5 hours and awoke at 2AM.

Lael continued out of Charlottesville several hours after Steffen, keeping pace into the night.  As he hit the ground to sleep, she continued pedaling, gaining on the leader.  Eventually, her tracker stopped for a period of about 45 minutes.  She called when she awoke to tell me that she had slept, was feeling good, and was gunning for Yorktown.  In concert with a shot of 5 Hour Energy, she was riding high into the night.

What happened next stunned all that were watching.  When Steffen awoke at 2AM, he began pedaling backward along the route.  He was riding right towards Lael!  She had closed the gap to 20 miles, and the two were now racing toward each other.  Eventually, the pink dot and the blue dot collided near the community of Bumpass, VA.  One can only imagine the brief conversation they had, and the heartbreak of learning that you have just lost a lead won over 4100 miles in a mid-night mishap.  Steffen righted his tires and rejoined the race to the east.  Both of their trackers transmitted intermittently during this period.  It took some time to see who would come out of this situation ahead.  Surely, Steffen has proven to be a much faster rider throughout the race.  But Lael recovers well and remains rested, at least as much as can be expected after a 250 miles day and a 45 hour nap.  This was her first night with very little sleep. 

Race organizer Nathan Jones reported seeing both riders together right around this time, but once the trackers transmitted, it was clear, Lael was in the lead.  As more regular tracking resumed from both devices, Lael maintained a narrow but consistent lead.  Steffen stopped briefly at one of the first junctions after their meeting, which indicated that he was indeed having issues with his GPS.  But he managed a series of turns along the route thereafter, so he had some means of navigation.

Evan stopped in Charlottesville for several hours, although it is difficult to determine his exact stopped time.  He rolled out of town around 3AM EST.

At the time of writing, just east of Richmond, VA, Lael leads with only 70 miles remaining to Yorktown, Steffen is 10 miles behind, and Evan is about 80 miles back from the leader.

It is too soon to speculate much about Steffen’s error, although a few things are known from a series of rambling video logs from Nathan Jones on the TABR Facebook page.  It is known that Steffen has suffered a series of flats and is riding without a spare tube to the finish.  His GPS has been failing him, likely requiring frequent restarts or other manual manipulation.  He is tired, as is expected.  He has been riding fast and far, and has tapered his sleep over the last few days.  It is an unfortunate error, much like Sarah Hammond’s deviation from the route in Montana.  It is a feeling that Lael knows well, as she deviated from the official track in the 2015 Tour Divide, following an older course.  Officially, she was disqualified from the race, although her time was considered valid.  As a result of this error, and the risk of GPS failure, she carries two Garmin eTrex 20 units, each loaded with maps and the race track.  She is not carrying maps. 

I will be at the finish line today as our three riders cross the line.  Over the past 17 days, we’ve come to know the way they sleep and the pace they ride, we often know what and where they eat and what kind of company they keep.  I look forward to welcoming Evan, Steffen, and Lael, along with Kai, Sarah, Benjamin, Janie, and anyone else that will arrive in the next few days.  A least for a minute, I don’t think Lael and I are going anywhere fast."

Will Mike try for the free breakfast at the Lost Miner's Cafe in Plataro?  Many have tried -- many have failed.

No wind assist across the Great Basin today:
"Breezy, with a south southwest wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph"
Ouch.

How about this?
http://www.bcepic1000.com/#!route-map/lvx6l

Tomorrow I'm heading up there to do a section of the route.  I like the idea of riding on mostly rail trails and not dealing with cars.  Best part? -- its Canada.

Yep.  Heading to Christina Lake for a few days this week to check out a portion of the route.  Finally, the rains have stopped!

One more day of cold and wet for Jack and then perhaps a break in the weather.  Impressive ride, Jack.

Nightjars.
https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_nightjars.php

Paul may want to consider going back to the Ranch and drinking coffee.

"Snow showers likely. Some thunder is also possible. Cloudy, with a high near 42. Windy, with a southwest wind around 31 mph, with gusts as high as 49 mph."

Jack is back!

I've always thought that stretch was the worst of the entire route.  The destruction to the landscape by the four-wheelers is shameful.  And dangerous too.  Surely, there is an alternative route that is better for mountain biking.  I'm glad you survived the attack by the four-wheeler.

Meanwhile, Jack Malher is nearly 80 miles into his half-bike ride.  Got to admire the guy getting through the chunky Canelos on a muni.  He probably has the advantage though on sections like Oracle Ridge -- hoist the muni on your back and start walking.