Five of us women, ranging in age from 47 to 68 started the route. Four of us rode 320+ miles with over 30,000 feet of elevation gain over 7+ days, from 10:30am on July 12th to about 1:30pm on July 19th (Bethany made the wise choice to cut the route at Wallace. She still had to do the final climbs from the Trail of the Couer d’ Alenes). There were a minimum of two big climbs every day, and often several small climbs. The descents were glorious, except when they weren’t (which, fortunately, wasn’t too often).
We all agreed this was the most difficult bikepacking trip we had done! Things that made it difficult (besides the shear amount of climbing) were the heat, and at times the navigation (particularly “The Maze” and the bushwhacking sections). I am thankful for my Garmin 840. Without it, there would have been several wrong turns. There were also the mosquitos, no-see-ums, biting flies, and yellow jackets that added to the fun. The near constant hum in the air was nearly as bad as the cicadas when I did the Trans Am.
While it was a challenging route, it was also amazingly beautiful. The sense of accomplishment upon rolling back into Couer d’ Alene was undeniable. It was definitely Type 2 fun (that kind of fun where, while you are doing it, it’s not exactly fun, but when you look back, it was fun). Favorite moments were the climb along Fishhook Creek…a beautiful shaded gorge, complete with a rock tunnel, and the views in the Grandmother Wilderness (but not the road surface…that was brutal). The climb and descent of Moon Pass was fun, even if it was quite dusty whenever a vehicle went by.
We took full advantage of various restaurants. The burgers at Drifters Bar and Grill in Emida were the best ever! Also, never underestimate the power of a gas station hot dog (G&G Riverstop and the convenience store in Avery…here’s looking at you)! Second breakfast at Timber Lodge in St. Maries was also delicious. The hospitality of Jim at the cafe in Clarkia (and the BLTs) won’t be forgotten. We did not roll through a single town without getting some sort of food and drink, even going off-route to the Valley Mart for ice cream and snacks.
Camping was mostly plentiful, but sometimes a challenge. The Trail of the Couer d’ Alenes section, specifically. We did find a campground near the Valley Mart off-route about 3 miles (way to go Ginny!). That was our only paid camping, but well worth it because they had showers.
All the people we encountered along the route were very nice. They were curious as to what and why a bunch of women would be riding bikes in such difficult terrain. We sometimes wondered too.
If you are thinking of doing this route, we would recommend allowing at least 8, maybe even 9, days. Better yet, don’t have a deadline. Go until you want to stop for the day. Climbing fitness makes it more fun. Decent water carrying capacity makes for peace of mind. A bike with fatter tires isn’t overkill, as well as front suspension. It is of utmost importance to have reliable tools for navigation, and experience using them. Some source of SOS device (such as a Garmin InReach) is not a bad idea either.
Having great friends to do this adventure with is, as they say, priceless! Thank you to my adventure buddies, Jana, Stephanie, Ginny, and Bethany for all the laughter, conversation, and willingness to work hard, and get very very sweaty and dirty (we stink in solidarity)! Finally, thanks to Eric Deady for creating this route (although sometimes we wondered what were you thinking)!
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