2011 Tour Divide

[BigPoppa]

@russmcb - having problems loading to my Colorado.  I went to Topofusion and simplified to 10K points, but the file still won't work.  How did you split the track in BaseCamp?  I had all 8 ACA files loaded without any issues.  This one big track is giving my Garmin some problems.

Double click on the track where it is listed in the lower left hand corner of the main base camp screen.

It will open a window that lists all the points in the track.

Scroll down to the point that you want to split the track.

Click on the track.

Use the pull down menu and select 'split track'.

Ta dah!

[ONEPLUSONEEQUALSONE]

I must be really tired looking at this.  I don't see any pull down with "split track" in it. 

[russmcb]

@oneplusone:  You've probably already imported the gpx file into basecamp using File-->Import....  Once it's in there, double-click on the track which will bring up a modal window with detailed info on the track.  Hilight one row where you want to split the track, then click the "gear" icon in the lower left and choose, "split at selected point".  You probably didn't have a row hilighted.  That will create a second track for you split at the break point you selected.

Don't feel bad.  Garmin's user interface team consists of little more than a ground squirrel in a tree next to the Garmin building.

cheers,
russ

[ONEPLUSONEEQUALSONE]

we are close but my screen is a little different from yours. we can pick a point click but no "gear" to be found?

[russmcb]

No gear icon in the lower left?  I'm running Basecamp version 3.1.4.  Update your version??

On a different note:  I have a vague memory of a post where someone put up some NoBo Cues.  Can someone send me the link?  Gracias.

[ONEPLUSONEEQUALSONE]

just reloaded basecamp and it says version 3.1.3. when i check for update it says no updates? gonna try a different pc in the house. same deal 3.1.3 on both.

[BigPoppa]

The 'gear icon' is a Mac specific icon. I'm guessing the Pc equivalent would be highlighting the track and either left clicking or one of the pull down menus on the file bar (top of the screen).

Don't forget that you must modify the track export settings to automatically simplify and exported tracks to 500 points or you will end up with a bunch of mini truncated tracks.

[Slowerthensnot]

Rock creek this is at least 8 feet deep at the moment!!!!

Thanks Lane Nice for scouting!

[BigPoppa]

Mr. Nice, where is rock creek?

[Slowerthensnot]

Mr. Nice, where is rock creek?

on FS road 206 just after lynx pass and then after hwy 134 if your sobo

[russmcb]

For the SoBo'ers, is the first significant snow travel anticipated to be Platoro up over Indiana Pass?  Earlier?

[6thElement]

Ouch at the "creek".

Lots of groundwater runoff in that area as you get close to the CO River. If that's the only bad crossing it can easily be bypassed on hwy 134.

[6thElement]

For the SoBo'ers, is the first significant snow travel anticipated to be Platoro up over Indiana Pass?  Earlier?

Do you mean SOBO or NOBO?? You've got 2000miles of the stuff to navigate around before Platoro if you're leaving from Banff.

[Nathan Jones]

Looks like the two fernie racers are NoBo, I know one recently switched not sure about the other.  Makes me think the snow in between banff to elkford is FUBAR, which it appears to be from the projections.

Anyone have an estimate on how much snow we are going to have to go through before dropping from elk pass?  It looks as if we are in for a 30, 40, (60?) mile snow trek.  Does this sound like what we're in for to anyone else or am I just fearing the worst.  30, 40 miles is doable, but still mostly stupid.  Anything more and I just might consider starting in Roosville this year.

[wookieone]

Seriously, anyone have any idea how much snow, 30-40 miles is ridiculous without skiis. Even with no bike and snowshoes thats like 15-20 hours. Yikes, a bit of snow makes it interesting, but this is nuts. Crazy thing is right now there are big fires in AZ.
I am about to upload the detour GPX track, wondering is anyone going to try the snowy standard route? I mean if there is gonna be snow even on the reroutes it seems nuts to try the standard route.

Artist are you really going for the Flathead?

 This is just crazy,

Jefe

[robinb]

Anyone have an estimate on how much snow we are going to have to go through before dropping from elk pass?  It looks as if we are in for a 30, 40, (60?) mile snow trek.  Does this sound like what we're in for to anyone else or am I just fearing the worst.  30, 40 miles is doable, but still mostly stupid.  Anything more and I just might consider starting in Roosville this year.

from the reports i heard the snow has been plowed from the tombermory cabin (mi 70) to elkford.  there is still snow from the start of the elk pass trailhead (mi 62) to the cabin.  so worst case is 8 mi of snow - buts it's melting fast (22C here in Banff today).

[THE LONG RANGER]

Artist are you really going for the Flathead?

If it's safe, I'd like to try. Doing any of the main routes when there's alternatives means giving up GC chances.

All this talk of snow on this thread has created a vortex of fear:

Right from the start, there was constant talk of the horrors awaiting the Class of 2010. As I had already heard, the previous week had seen a foot of snow and plenty of rain at Mount Laguna, fifty miles from the border. Fuller Ridge, near Mount San Jacinto only 170 miles from Campo and normally bare this time of year, was socked in with snow and had nearly killed one early hiker. The Sierra, seven hundred miles away, were experiencing a cool spring after a late snow, and there would likely be tons of snow throughout hiking season. One of my neighbors at the campground showed me pictures of Fuller Ridge, where he'd been a week earlier (many people ride back from the trail to Kickoff in order to avoid crowds), and it looked like deep winter in the northeast. Rumors spread like wildfire, and I began to hear more people say they might skip sections of the trail and come back later when everything was clear.

Hiking Through Hyperbole: The Vortex of Fear - 3
I was always amazed at the abundance of wildflowers and other plants in an area that seemed so inhospitable to life.

Then there were the fire closures. When the crowd wasn't talking about the impassable snow, they were talking about the hundred-mile road walks due to the two major fires from 2009. The Forest Service had closed sections of the trail due to these fires, and no official reroute had been set by the PCTA, which meant hikers had to walk along hot, dusty roads for days. “I didn't come out here to walk on a road,” was the most common sentiment. “This is what a hundred-mile road walk looks like to me,” said one hiker, sticking his thumb out.

Several days later I heard the best advice for dealing with all these problems. While in the first trail town, Warner Springs, a day-hiker who had been at Fuller Ridge only a few days earlier reassured my hiking companions and me. “Forget about it,” he said in a big, boisterous voice. “Fuller Ridge is no problem. Yeah, there's snow, but you just deal with it when you get there. Don't worry about it before that. All these towns and the Kickoff are just a big vortex of fear. Everyone's sitting around and talking up the problems and scaring each other more and more. The best thing to do is plug your ears and get away from it.”

As nervous as the “vortex of fear” made me, I moved on and tried to focus on the immediate future.

We're doing the same thing as these thru hikers. BUT, the gurus of the route have also made detailed and substantial alternatives because of the conditions. They're doing that for a reason and guru is no random thru-hiker and we should all listen to what's being said. The action to make alternatives is 100% the correct one and I am really amazed and impressed at how this is all being handled. I'm sure lots of people have horror stories of less than ideal organizers.

So, I'd like to do Flathead. Hell, I'd LOVE to do it, but I'm very wary to convince others that they should, too. If it means trudging through snow, I'll bring snowshoes and take the day+ time penalty. Training for me has been a lot of snowshoeing in the mountains, lots of hiking high summits, some running AND lots of gym time (think upper body). I've also trudged through a snow-laden pass on the route. I'm in shape for the self-masochism. Sounds like a hell of a lot of type-2 fun, stinky wet feet or not.

If it means fording a dangerous river, perhaps ALONE, filled with swift, close to freezing water well - that's just too bad - not a risk I'm about to take. I'm looking for experiences, I'm not wanting to not take the alternatives to inflate my ego or anything. I'm "The Artist" - I'd probably prefer we all go into Antelope Wells together holding hands and singing a song, or something.

But we all have different goals and different reasons to do this race. We're all, basically amateurs at this and amateur means, "for the love of it"

 

[Nathan Jones]

from the reports i heard the snow has been plowed from the tombermory cabin (mi 70) to elkford.  there is still snow from the start of the elk pass trailhead (mi 62) to the cabin.  so worst case is 8 mi of snow - buts it's melting fast (22C here in Banff today).

SUPERTHANKS!  That is just the sort of info I was hoping to hear!

[Mathewsen]

It looks as if we are in for a 30, 40, (60?) mile snow trek.  Does this sound like what we're in for to anyone else or am I just fearing the worst.  30, 40 miles is doable, but still mostly stupid.  Anything more and I just might consider starting in Roosville this year.

You guys are hitting the panic button again.

The point of the detours is to give all who want it, a sneak route. And honestly, I would probably take them all myself, too, so that I could race head-to-head against the bulk of the other Tour riders. Anyone who goes for the full route this year will probably achieve legend status. The tools of choice would indeed be skis, not snowshoes.

Can I offer a sense of what is really on the ground on the main route? It changes everyday. Sadly, at least one of the reroutes will probably be uneccessary by the time challengers arrive there, but the pack mentality clamors for a final route 3 weeks out. That's the pitfall of the grand depart over the micro-management of an ITT.

For main-routers, I would say it's going to be not as bad as one might think in the valleys and worse than one might expect on the passes. Think big slides blocking the road in places, and perhaps slides still poised to come. Suitable only for a true mountain man. A real expedition; food for two days at a time. Possibly very rewarding, but certainly lonely, and, at times, nonsensical.

RobinB is correct that there will be 8 miles of rotten snow starting at mile 60 and running all the way to the Tobermory cabin on Elk Rd. The scenery is stunning in here. It is the quintessential GDMBR pass, on the knife edge of the Divide. Hopefully it will help people suffer better. After this segment, there is nothing until 5-6 miles on the Stryker road detour into Upper Whitefish Lake. After that, there could be a mile or so on Crane Mtn south of Ferndale but really nothing until Sand Mtn (FR42) in northern Colorado.

[wookieone]

I agree it is easy to psych oneself out and maybe we should all stay home and take it easy instead?!? Just kidding. But it does seem weird to have all this work done for this ITT! But this little ITT has turned out to be quite a draw, (there's still 74 sobo's) must make putting it on seem like more of a job! And that really isn't the point for this. Just makes me feel weird about it all. I mean should matt and all his scouts be doing all this work for Us? Should we all buck up and hike all the snow? Totally F up our lives and wait two weeks? If it were a perfect world we could all wait for no snow, no forest fires, mild weather and peak flowers. Not that I am planning on hiking any more snow than I have to and I am grateful for all the work done as I think it will make for a better race and less chaos. But I think it brings up good questions for future TD's and other "self-supported" "underground" races. How much "organization" do we as racers expect and how much should be provided? So much to ponder.......Jefe