BIGHORN TRAIL RACE, SOLAR ECLIPSE EDITION, AUGUST 18 2017

[aarond]

Proposed start date of August 18, 2017 to take advantage of the solar eclipse.  Approximately 200 miles and 31,000 feet of climbing.

http://bighorntrailrace.blogspot.com/

[Gimmearaise]

Sounds tough!

[aarond]

Not so tough, at least compared to aztr and ctr!   Just wanted a strong disclaimer so people know what they are signing up for.

[the.hamtron]

Looks rowdy and awesome Aaron, especially coupled with the solar eclipse. Definitely gonna try hard hard to make it happen.

[aarond]

That would be great Paul.  Saw you signed up for the ctr, I won't be surprised to see you very, very near the front of the field!

[mikedeber]

Looks awesome, the eclipse would be quite the treat!  Wish my schedule had more time to allow for more bikepacking races...

[aarond]

Thanks Mike, definitely lots of type 1 fun.  Also plenty of type 2 fun, but not as much as ctr and aztr.  Hopefully no type 3 fun, though that is always a risk when bikepacking.  https://www.backcountry.com/explore/type-ii-fun

I will post a youtube/ gopro video of the (type 1) fun sections at the end of June.

Nice work on the aztr 750! IMO, it is so difficult that finishing it is a life changing experience.

[ec_duz_it]

Looks like really gorgeous course, nice work!  From what I am reading on the internet, there are no Grizzlies in this area?  Just black bears?     

[aarond]

That is generally true, but the big horns are not too far from the tetons...http://m.jhnewsandguide.com/news/environmental/grizzly-bears-making-homes-far-from-yellowstone/article_9bb5d3bd-cb4d-5004-a439-82ee30bb5959.html?mode=jqm

[ec_duz_it]

Interesting article. Curious, what do you do with your food at night?  I have used those extra thick zip lock bags (lopsack I think they are called) with 100% success before in CA and in CO, but that is only black bear country.  Do you think bear spray is a recommended piece of gear?   

[aarond]

I don't think bear spray is necessary.  I have seen a few black bears but they are always shy and run away.

[MikeC]

Care to take a whack at % of singletrack vs. doubletrack vs. gravel vs. pavement?

Also, easy to hitch back to the start?

[aarond]

55-60% st, the rest is mostly split between atv, dirt road and rough jeep road.  Only a few miles of pavement.  I think it would be easy to hitch back to start, it is a straight shot and I have always had good luck hitching with a bp rig.

[bfmiller]

Hi,
Looking forward to this.  I was also worried about bears and mountain lions (something that is not as big of a concern on the CTR).  Is there any estimates of how far it is between refueling spots? Are water sources generally available? I am guessing that since it is Wyoming that bailouts might be a little sparse? 

Thanks for the information,
Ben

[bfmiller]

Sorry, I forgot to ask if the trail is generally marked (like the CTR) or does it need more navigations skill?

Thank you, sorry for the clutter. 

[aarond]

Sorry, I forgot to ask if the trail is generally marked (like the CTR) or does it need more navigations skill?

Thank you, sorry for the clutter.  

About 95+% of the route is marked FS trails, tracks or roads.  However, the loop itself is not marked as a whole so a gps will be necessary.  Avanza maps/PDF maps has an app for the bighorn forest which will geolocate you.  I am pretty sure you can also load the gps track into this app for a backup.  You need both the north and south halves.  

[jakomait]

I'm keeping this on my radar if I decide to get back on a bike this summer...

[aarond]

Hi,
Looking forward to this.  I was also worried about bears and mountain lions (something that is not as big of a concern on the CTR).  Is there any estimates of how far it is between refueling spots? Are water sources generally available? I am guessing that since it is Wyoming that bailouts might be a little sparse?  

Thanks for the information,
Ben

I will put up a list of the refueling stops when I post the gpx track.  There are a couple of drier sections as well, which I will also post, but for the most part water won't be an issue as the big horns have a surprising amount of year round water.  Bailing out to a city could be tough in spots, but you can generally get to a road without it being a total death march, but like on a lot of courses, the best bail option is to keep moving forward.  Pending snow melt, still plan on having gpx and other info up by end of June.

[aarond]

I'm keeping this on my radar if I decide to get back on a bike this summer...

Shh, your speed might scare some people away.

[taprider]

anyone from BC or Washington want to car pool?
is there a good place to leave a car at the finish?
are there any resupply towns between start and finish?