CTR 2013 Planning

[joeydurango]

I did in 2011 but I think next time I won't.  Depends somewhat on your pace - if you're camping for a good part of the night it may be a good idea.  If you're out for speed and you're only crashing out for a few hours at a time I'm not sure it's worth the hassle.  Besides, every time I woke up at the crack o' 3am to get started for the day I went after my bag with some trepidation... if something did manage to get to it I would be in trouble!  I'm that guy that has to eat every two hours or else...

[pro_out]

 From the net   "What are your odds of being killed by a bear? Incredibly low. So low that it's not something to worry about. What are the facts backing up that statement? Since interest, or perhaps morbid obsession, with fatal bear attacks is so high, Wikipedia actually gives a reasonably good idea of the recent numbers because people rush to list "another bear attack." According to Wikipedia, in the 2000's black bears killed 15 people in NORTH AMERICA (including Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.) Grizzlies killed 12 people during that same period, for a total of 27. For the 90's Wikipedia lists 23 fatal attacks. Dr. Stephen Herrero, a leading authority on human/bear conflicts, says 29 people were killed by bears in North America in the 1990s. In other words, less than three people are killed in North America by bears each year over the last 20 years. And that includes all the countless people in all of the most theoretically dangerous places: Yellowstone, Denali, BC, Alberta, the Yukon, Glacier.

To put things in perspective, about 2 3/4 MILLION people die each year of all causes in the U.S. and Canada. That's well over 7,000 people every day. Other causes are about ONE MILLION TIMES more likely to kill you than bears. So why are people scared of bears? Partly because every fatal bear attack gets huge news coverage. Partly because people are instinctively afraid of bears and the unknown and the unfamiliar"............     

 I fear 285 more than bears.

[Done]

I fear 285 more than bears.

Hell, yeah. In my experience, two-legged animals with wheels are a whole lot scarier than any of the other critters in Colorado. That said, I try not to sleep with my food. To keep mice out of my Kibbles, I usually hang my food bag in a tree. And to keep Mr. Bear from confusing me for said Kibbles, I usually try to keep everything edible 20-30 feet from where I'm sleeping. Bears are hunted in Colorado, so they're generally very shy. Especially in July/August, when they have lots of yummy natural things to eat.

[Mini Bear]

So, it sounds like a bit of mix. I'm not too worried about encountering bears; I've run up on my share of furry friends. I'm more worried about being halfway between Buena Vista and Silverton and waking up to no food. I've certainly heard a good few stories about bears making off with food on the CT. Since I'm planning on taking it easy(ish) and getting a decent(ish) nights sleep every night, allowing ample critter snooping time, I think the extra couple grams and time to hang a bag will slow me down a lot less than no food.

[Woodland]

I didn't hang my food - too tired and lazy each night to deal with it. Just put all my food in my backpack about 15 feet away from my bivy and tried to sleep - definitely not recommended backcountry technique! I woke up to a squirrel (I think) eagerly trying to get in there one night and yelled and threw sticks at it to make it go away!

[mikepro]

Kept food in backpack right next to bivy, under the bike.  I put a priority on keeping food dry, especially during 1st night's storm.  I hardly saw any wildlife out there.  Maybe better chance of seeing some had I ventured into the more remote half of the trail South of the Hwy 50.

[jackinmd]

I'm trying to plan my vacation request for doing the CTR in 2013. From the looks of it, in the past it has usually started around the last weekend in July. Anybody know if that will be the case again this year or when a start date will be released? This is a lot of days off for me to request so the earlier I can confirm it the better!

My apologies if this question has already been answered - I looked around for a while and didn't see anything.

Looking forward to the race and many, many thanks to all who have posted so much useful information on these forums!

[T.Ray]

I'm trying to plan my vacation request for doing the CTR in 2013. From the looks of it, in the past it has usually started around the last weekend in July. Anybody know if that will be the case again this year or when a start date will be released? This is a lot of days off for me to request so the earlier I can confirm it the better!

My apologies if this question has already been answered - I looked around for a while and didn't see anything.

Looking forward to the race and many, many thanks to all who have posted so much useful information on these forums!

climbingdreams.net is the CTR site.

[jackinmd]

climbingdreams.net is the CTR site.

...and for the past several weeks it has said "2013, date and time TBD". I was hoping to get some more info. Thanks!

[kozman]

That last statement makes no sense whatsoever.  Why would you ever do something and put doubt into your head that you would not be able to make it?  That's a defeatist attitude and I'm sure one of the big reasons people don't finish.  It never once crossed my mind that I would not finish the CTR on my first attempt.  I'm glad I did it.  No regrets.  I did it because it's there to do.

Ever try climbing mountains? Hard rock climbs? Frozen water falls?...the harder they are, the more I wanted to do them.  I don't doubt myself, and have seldom been called defeatest!  But I also don't believe in wasting time on something not worth doing.  If I wonder "can I do that", then it is something that I am going to do, just to push myself to that limit.  I am doing it precisely because it is hard, because so many people don't finish....keeps it real

[kozman]

Question on spots:  My training is going to be a lot of TNGA route in N. GA...most of it pretty remote.  I want to get a spot, as most of this will be solo.  What is the wisdom on spots?  they appear to have a lot of options and packages, but what do you really need to let someone know where you are?
Thanks
BTW....70* 7hr ride Sunday, to 35* ride tonight....N GA at its finest

[Done]

Question on spots:  My training is going to be a lot of TNGA route in N. GA...most of it pretty remote.  I want to get a spot, as most of this will be solo.  What is the wisdom on spots?  they appear to have a lot of options and packages, but what do you really need to let someone know where you are?
Thanks
BTW....70* 7hr ride Sunday, to 35* ride tonight....N GA at its finest

The basic Spot package doesn't include tracking, but you can push "OK" every so often to let people know where you are. The tracking package is what most CTR riders use, because it automatically sends location data every ten minutes.

[kozman]

so just the basic spot, no need for the fancy spot connect gizmo?  seems like if you are that far off the grid, cell phone battery life probably isn't that great.....

[Done]

I'm not a fan of the Spot Connect. While it's cool that it can send text messages from anywhere via satellite, you have to pair it to your smartphone to do so. But the real problem is that it can't send tracking messages without being activated by your phone. If your phone dies, you can't restart tracking mode. If it had the same buttons as a regular Spot, it would be pretty neat though!

Kozman, Spots don't use the phone to communicate with the outside world--they use satellites. While the phone is necessary to activate certain features of the Spot Connect, it's only acting as an interface.

[kozman]

Toby, that was my thinking too, less is sometimes more...

[kozman]

did my first ride with the spot...worked really well..no cell reception in the woods, so spot helped keep in touch.  went with basic model, with tracking, and was able to easily coordinate trip with friends.  Didn't count on starting at 20* in the mountains...little icy and cold but good trip

[kozman]

I want to throw some kudos to Greg Wheelwright in CO.  He made my bags (handlebar, gas tank, seat bag, and currently to work on frame bag)  Great guy to work with, and the bags are awesome.  I was really impressed with the construction and attention to detail.

[Stefan_G]

Direction and Start Time!

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,5106.0.html

[Johnny_mtb]

Anyone have a GPS track for the reverse direction? I cant seem to 'flip' mine in BaseCamp. Maybe I'll just stick with the Denver start since I haven't ridden the entire route.
Is the new start point in Durango now the official finish for the Denver starters?
John

Edit: I guess a track is a track and maybe it doesn't need to be flipped to follow it? I guess since I'm just using the track for reference. 
Looks like about 85 miles from the new start point in Durango to Silverton. Anyone ridden this way and can comment on how long it took them to get to Silverton?

[DanHickstein]

Hi Ace,

On the mac version of basecamp, you can Control-click on the track and hit "Invert Track"

The climb from Durango to Silverton is steep and rugged. Last year I started somewhere around 5:30 am and made it to near Bolam Pass by 8:30 pm, then went to bed since I was totally exhausted. The next morning I woke up before sunrise (maybe 5 am?) and arrived in Silverton at something like 10 am. So, I think that it took me about 20 hours of riding. 4 miles per hour seems kinda pathetic, but actually I think that's a reasonable pace to expect for rough singletrack with a loaded bike. For reference, the whole trail took me 7.5 days.

Hope this helps. Have fun!