GDMBR Day 39
Start: Informal roadside campsite in the shadow of the Wind River Mountain Range
Finish: Pinedale, Wyoming
Miles: 45.2 miles
Odometer: 1,575.3 miles
Ascent: 1,000 feet
Descent: 1,800 feet
Location: https://share.garmin.com/Judice
Highlights:
Today was another easy ride with beautiful views of the Wind River mountain range and a fox sighting. I crossed paths with Jesse, a bikepacker living in Jackson, WY who just left Jackson southbound on the GDMBR heading to Mexico. We instantly bonded because we have the same Salsa Fargo titanium bike frame. So we compared bikes, components, and gear. He is traveling very light attempting to ride 80 to 100 miles daily to get to Mexico in 3 weeks. He has aerobars mounted on his handlebars and gave me the idea that I should probably be using them as well. I have been having some numbness, tingling, and weakness in my hands and fingers since starting this adventure. The hand and wrist positions as well as the vibration from the riding causes some mild ulnar nerve neuropathy and maybe even carpal tunnel syndrome. He suggested I go to Fitzgerald’s Bicycles in Jackson and see if they could hook me up with the same aerobar set up.
A couple of days ago my bed-and-breakfast host, Wild Bill, asked me to look out for an “older” CDT hiker with the trail name of “Day”. I found her snacking at a gas station convenience store and introduced myself. We arranged to have dinner together in Pinedale, 13 miles down the road. She is 60 years old from Colorado and hiked the Appalachian Trail over 30 years ago. This is her first serious long-distance backpacking trip since then. She started down at the Mexican border and “flipped” up to Wyoming like many others. She has had some harsh conditions and very difficult miles on the trail and last night camped in very windy, fully exposed, tick-infested cow pasture. While neither of us has the advantages of a 20 year-old body, Day and I share a very determined attitude and positive outlook. And that makes all the difference on a challenging adventure. We dined together at the local smokehouse restaurant, drank a couple pints, talked gear, and swapped stories.
Back at the hotel I pulled all the bags off of my bike and brought the bike over to the carwash and gave her a thorough cleaning. I’m pretty sure some of the dirt that came off was from New Mexico.
In my hotel room I pulled every piece of clothing and gear out of every bag and laid it out on the floor. I started separating all redundant gear (Aquamira backup to my water filter) and everything that I have not used and is not absolutely essential (flip flops, extra water bottle, beloved tarp, extra clothing). I threw it all in a plastic garbage bag, went to the post office, and shipped it home. I even shipped my MSR Reactor stove and will be using my new stainless steel Vargo Bot pot for cooking and cold soaking. This necessitated going to the outdoor gear shop and buying a small, lightweight MSR PocketRocket stove that nests inside the Vargo. After the changes, my bike + gear = much lighter load. I’m excited about the changes.