Tour Divide Basics

[Marshal]

GPS Track and the 2010 Great Divide Route

The GPS track follows the current map set ‘turn for turn’ with just a few minor variations. So far I have confirmed the following variations between the GPS Track and current Great Divide Map Set:

1) Ovando, 3.15 mile variation, the GPS track is truly off (short) here
2) NB vs SB on I 15 into (out of) Butte, not really a variation and same thing on several other wider roads but only on the divided highway is it really noticeable
3) Steamboat Springs Bike Path (Map follows bike path all the way through town, GPS track does not)
4) Entrance onto Silverthorne bike path (easy to see actual Map instructions to path vs GPS track with Google Earth)
5) In Frisco GPS turns left on 6th Ave, Map turns left on 5th Ave
6) Before Del Norte there is a‘45 deg’ intersection between road 41G and road 38A, GPS track follows a .9 mile “cutoff” that may or may not be 38A

Not discrepancies per say but there is also:
A) The new Canada Section (very easy to make a track that matches up with the current route sheet and 2009 blue dots bty)
B) Optional Cuba to Grants alternate
C) Optional El Malpias alternate

Did I miss anything??
Anyone aware of any other variations??

[ScottM]

Good finds Marshal.  #1 is due to a route change... as of last year I think.

I believe my track is also off on the south side of Butte.  Pretty sure we took the wrong road, because TD riders go "off course" there every year on the tracker.

#3 there was an art walk/sale on the bike path.  Could hardly walk a bike through the crowds.  Good thing we weren't racing. 

Others were just plain old confusion with reading the cues backwards, and the fact that we weren't racing and didn't need to follow the route down to the letter.

If you could fix these issues it would be great to make a new track available on my site (with credit to you) as well as use it in the tracker next year.  Including all the CA stuff that you've mapped.

Thanks.

[Pivvay]

I'm also up for helping make a new/correct track, esp wrt Canada. You're welcome to compare my CA track to the "drawn" one for public use.

[ScottM]

Chris, if you were recording a track that'd be great.  Fire it my way when you get a chance.  Did you get a track for the whole thing?

[phil_rad]

I'm a firm believer in bad weather. Have you ever heard of this thing called mud? ;-)

I've never experienced anything like you guys did last year on the Divide. We have a lot sand in our dirt here, so the mud is not too bad. I think I'm going to get a shot though this coming June/July somewhere between Banff and AW. I'll think of you when I'm pushing/carrying my bike. :-)

It's good for the skin...and the soul.  It will humble you...

I believe you 100% Joe!

[BobM]

Poor bastard it was six trucks.

After the first one I don't think it matters much.

[BobM]

Matthew has talked in the past (vaguely) about the dangers of the route and how caution must be thrown to the wind (to some extent) in order to race it.

Question to all veterans:  what are some of the day-to-day dangers other than bears?

Bob

[richNYC]

Question to all veterans:  what are some of the day-to-day dangers other than bears?

Your own mind messing with you...   j/k

[richNYC]

6) Before Del Norte there is a‘45 deg’ intersection between road 41G and road 38A, GPS track follows a .9 mile “cutoff” that may or may not be 38A


Did I miss anything??
Anyone aware of any other variations??

Dude, you are awesome... I pretty much did the same thing, spent some hours doing my own gps TD 2010 track from Scott's, my own and tourdivide.org sources (for Flathead valley). The #6 was the only one I missed;) Thanks for mentioning it;)

[Fettis]

Some aggressive dogs in NM. We had an impromptu sprint after being intercepted by some fast moving Doberman / rottweiler types in near Pueblo Pintado. Had been a long day but I still got the 12 sprocket turning pretty quick. Then you have to run the gauntlet of Valecitos. Seems every house has a pair of pit bulls.

A couple of us were buying bear spray in Banff. To save weight I went for the small can (designed for dogs rather than griz), not much bigger than a marker pen. The shopkeeper did say it had a range of 3m rather than the 9m of the big can.

Heading into Silver City I was bored and decided to test fire said dog spray. It emitted a feeble mist that was instantly dispersed by the wind a few inches from the nozzle. I laughed at the thought of squaring up to a charging bear armed with the placebo I'd carried for 2600m! I recommend you do a practice fire before heading into the Flathead.

[Pivvay]

If you're going to test fire bear spray, you might want to buy the "tester" bottle instead of testing the real thing. Just an idea. That stuff is nasty and a potential attractant once fired.

Biggest danger is not taking care of yourself. Problems that sneak up slowly like Hypothermia are dangerous, esp to those who are more "new" to the outdoors. Dogs are also an issue, not a major one but they help develop your sprint esp in Vallecitos and NM in general. Falling asleep at the wheel is an issue esp late in the game. I didn't use a rear flasher or anything, I listened for cars and would usually get the heck out of danger or shine my headlight (on the helmet) at them so they knew I was there. I tend to take the proactive approach that the cars don't give crap about hitting me so I will just stay out of their way. It seems to work on Divide like endeavors for me. The amount of time in "car danger" zones is generally pretty small. Make sure you can fix or ghetto rig your bike, know how to read a map to bail to the nearest town if it all goes to hell (broken frame, etc).

There are lots of things to go wrong but not very many to worry about. Being present will alleviate most issues and let you react quickly.

[Jilleo]

I carried my bear spray 2,700 miles and the closest I came to firing it off was at those damn dogs in Vallecitos. Ha ha!

In my opinion, bears are a concern but not necessarily a "danger" on the Divide. They're not urban bears, who have been habituated to human interaction, they're wilderness bears. By a large percentage they're more wary of you than you are of them. I saw at least 10 bears during the Divide- seven blackies and three grizzlies, and they all turned tail and ran fast in the other direction as soon as they saw me.

Maybe I've lived in Alaska too long - I see bears or signs of bears on nearly every hike I do during the summer, and I've never had anything close to a problem. But I believe bearanoia is a vastly overstated fear - sort of like being fearful of water because of man-eating sharks, knowing the the chances of being attacked by one are infinitesimally small. To me, the biggest dangers on the Divide are fatigue, lack of judgement, and of course - lightning. (I guess we all have our irrational fears.)

[Marshal]

Scott,

1st let me thank you for the original GPS track in the first place. The whole GPS technology is a bit amazing to me, Locations, Tracks, Spots, Leaderboards etc etc.  We even use the GPS clock in one of our pieces of test equipment at my work to check the phasing of HV transmission lines....just cool stuff imo

Anyway........

I believe my track is also off on the south side of Butte.  Pretty sure we took the wrong road, because TD riders go "off course" there every year on the tracker.

Humm, I rechecked the track south of Butte as best I can, from mile 204 to 245.  I can not find an “obvious” discrepancy between the GPS track and the map/ turn narratives, just the opposite in fact.  I can ‘sort of’ see an alternative or two to get up to Fleecer ridge, but we are talking 1- 2 hundred yard variations at most.  Of course even a hundred feet can be big deal at night.
Anyway I am curious if any of the racers who got lost south of Butte were actively using/following the GPS Track at the time???

If you could fix these issues it would be great to make a new track available on my site (with credit to you) as well as use it in the tracker next year.  Including all the CA stuff that you've mapped.

I sent you an email with attachments.

[afie]

Question to all veterans:  what are some of the day-to-day dangers other than bears?

Cows! Especially the young ones that are more easily scared, though any cow will get freaked by you and will run along the road and then make a move to both sides of the road at once. Definitely slow down and let them disperse.

After breaking my hand and three ribs in 2008 after being taken out by a dog, I now stop and deal with the dog/s before moving on. I had four come after me in '07 and worked out the best way of dealing with them is a squirt from the water bottle.

[elobeck]

As for tour divide dangers, and my experience last year, I would add a pesky little cyst named giardia to the list. It sounds ridiculous and trite,  it rendered me useless in about half a day. I felt great in the morning, and before I knew it I had a beast in my belly and by midday. I took the usual precautions when filtering water and was super careful and steri penned the hell out of anything I drank from an open water source. Ultimately the conclusion I came to as to how I got the bug was from water/mud/crud splashing onto my water bottle during the wet year that it was. There's a lot of cow shit out there. If I were to give it a go again, I think I would utilize water bottles with lids over the nipples (Blaine had some nice ones) and/or have a camelbak with a nipple/hose that can be stowed in a frame bag. I also would see a doctor before hand so I could get the requisite drugs to self medicate if need be. The Flagil that I took to get better kicked in after only one day. This would be sufficient to get out of a sticky situation if need be. Perhaps not a danger as obvious as bears, but worth considering...
I also heard giardi has an incubation period of about two weeks. I suppose if you can race the route in less than 14 days you're fine 

[Marshal]

Giardia?

Metronidazole  (trade name Flagyl ) seems to be the more common treatment in the US but tinidazole has the advantage of "single dose".
From the web----What’s the most effective treatment for giardiasis? A single 2-g dose of tinidazole is the best treatment.   

I will be discussing this with my Dr (as well as some emg antibiotics) but you can buy it on-line quite easily. One way or another I plan to have a dose in my kit.

[daveB]

I am not a doctor and not trying to post-diagnose anyone, but my understanding is that giardia takes about two weeks to get revved up.  I have some old Flagyl kicking around but probably won't bring it.  Sometimes literally, there's all sorts of shit in the water you're faced with drinking, and all manner of bacteria that might give your gut a sucker punch.  I try do two things right: 1) treat my water appropriately (AquaMira), and 2) use hand sanitizer (its possible to be outrageously filthy while keeping your hands clean).

Its also useful to have a good relationship with an understanding doctor.  There are a lot of different antibiotics out there, and especially with drug-resistance on the rise, its wise to seek out the right one.

[walkre73]

i wouldn't dare call it yet but usually el nino years are fast on course. andy, who told you snow was deep up top?
Matt , I was only Commenting on the early start date mentioned not the traditional start date . My bad for not clarifying .
a look at snow telemetry in the TD weather resources section will say otherwise. everyone's below 100%. Togwotee (buried the past two years through july) is hurting. here's the snowpack map: ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/support/water/westwide/snowpack/wy2010/snow1002.gif

@ Todd, the south looks full now but usually el nino years warm up early so just bring your kayak for a northbound run. Though, we'll all be gutted if you don't bring your talent to Banff. I guess if I were a Eureka resident I'd want to 'race homeward bound' too. That northbound record is just itching to be set hard.

[riverfever]

I've had Giardia twice now. The first time it came quickly in the middle of a week long backpacking trip. The second time there was a decent incubation period of about 2 weeks.

[TonyH]

I've had Giardia twice now. The first time it came quickly in the middle of a week long backpacking trip. The second time there was a decent incubation period of about 2 weeks.

I'm still deciding on water kind of purification system to use.  What were you using on the two instances you got Giardia?  I know nothing can really be 100% but if there is a common thread as to what doesn't work, I'd like to elimniate it from contention.