2015 Bikepackers Top Stories

Similar to our Top 12 Bikepacking Videos Of 2015, written stories are a big motivator for getting out on a bikepacking trip. Stories about the hardest day or someones first bikepacking trip will give you a perspective. The Fat Pursuit and Tour Divide stories share another side of bikepacking. Bikerafting in Scotland or being the first to traverse Vermont share the exploration side of things. Each story has been written by the community, and to inspire the community. Whether it’s the creative text, the photos or a combination of both, the previous published stories below will be sure to stoke your bikepacking fire.

A Day On The Smoke And Fire 400

Allowing common sense to deliver a dope-slap to my pride, I dutifully dismounted my bike at what was an especially nasty bit of trail. As I struggled to maintain my balance while pushing my laden bike across the unstable and unpredictable surface, I glanced at the hapless rider I was overtaking on my left, and was surprised to notice that it was none other than Rebecca Rusch. – Michael J. Devitt

Bikepacking The Spine Of Vermonts Green Mountains

A blast from a 5 hour energy, and I was awake, climbing, pushing a bit, but mostly riding, loving life. I still don’t know why, but there were fireworks in seemingly every direction that night, and I let my mind wander into imagining that they were celebrating my ride arriving at Silver Lake, my proposed first night camp spot. – Calvin Decker

Bikerafting Scotlands Rough Bounds

It had been very easy to get excited about the idea from the comfort of home – to imagine graceful amphibious travel over land and water, quickly piling everything in to the boat when needed and having a jolly old time afloat – but those presumptions were quickly being washed away by the relentless rain. –Huw Oliver

Dirt, Dust and Detours

We would never claim to have found the ultimate way of touring. Others have been before us, others will be after us, all in their own way. Where there is a bike, the experiences follow suit. It does not depend on how well equipped the bike in question is, how long the road, how well trodden the path. What we find is shaped mostly by who we are and what we are looking for. For us, this meant looking for detours. – Mario Angst

Fat Pursuit Racers Perspective

I knew the most difficult part of the race was ahead dubbed “the ridge.” Steep grades, soft snow, and fatigue all contributed to my lowest moment of the race. I remember asking some snowmobilers if I was anywhere near the top of the climb – one of them shook his head sideways and grinned. – Neil Beltchenko

Fall Bikepacking in the Snowy Adirondacks

I started to wonder about that bear, and as the light fell I rang my bell every couple of minutes. Getting tired from all the schwacking and feeling quite alone in the dark, nearing the darkest reaches of cold and tired type 2 fun, I pulled my phone out and played some music through the speaker. – Mike Beganyi

Oregon Outback – Grin And Grit

John Watson used more expletives than ever thought gramatically possible in describing the slow, soft, loose, rough, and large-rocked gravel roads between Shaniko and the route’s end at the Columbia River. If the roads’ surface doesn’t get you, the ENDLESS hills will. The. Climbs. Never. Stop. – Josh Spice

A Modern Day Pearl Pass Clunker Tour

The story goes that a group of motorcycle rides from Aspen once rumbled into town bragging over beers at the Grubsteak Saloon, and flirting with the local girls, claiming to have made the impossible feat of traversing Pearl Pass. The local boys of Crested Butte were not going to let themselves be out done, but lacking in the resources of the affluent Aspenites, they decided to ride their townie bikes over the pass to drink their beer and flirt with their women. – Jon Rizzo

Learning Geology By Bike

We ended the course by pushing our bikes up to Star Pass, feeling small but elated among the showy peaks, and then descending the Brush Creek moto trail, a 12-mile descent that left everyone grinning giddily as we loaded our bikes back into the trailer for the last time. There seemed to be a common sense of immense accomplishment, gratitude, and excitement for what could come next, and that’s a pretty darn good way to end any group endeavor. – Kurt Refsnider

Popping My Bikepacking Cherry

This trip showed me a new way to explore unseen land, made me a stronger rider and provided me with an escape from reality with enough time to collect my thoughts but not too much time to rework my entire future like I would have probably done on a less exciting (grueling) lengthy ride. – Jilian Politz

Spring White Rim Trip

We did the typical Colorado thing and escaped to the desert for a 3 day 2 night White Rim trip two weeks ago. We were some of the first bikers to ride after some significant rain swept through the area. A famous climb on the east end of the route, Shafer Trail Road was even closed just prior to our departure. – Neil Beltchenko

The Hardest Day

I was two hours and 10 miles into the day, and only had 1.5 liters of water left. The gravity of the situation hit me somewhere in the upper gut region.  I was thirsty, but began limiting my water intake.  The map indicated no water for another 20 miles… and it was a cattle tank at that. – Amanda DelCore

Tour Divide Stories: Day 8-14

Everyone is bound to have a few miscues and hick-ups on a ride this long, I had some and I paid for them. My knee started to hurt on Bannack Road, the heat in Idaho, my fall in the Great Basin, my swollen feet in Summit County, my lack of planning and dehydration outside of Del Norte, and missing the pizza in Abiquiu – but oversleeping, that’s just inexcusable. – Neil Beltchenko

Queens Ransom

The day was getting long and we were hoping to make it to the Jacob’s Crosscut trail before sunset as it follows the contouring foothills of the Superstitions. As luck would have it, Chris snapped a chain and while we got him all fixed up darkness was upon us. – John Schilling