Bikepacking suggestions

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    • #98489

      I’m looking to do a 2-3 day bike-packing trip sometime in the next two months. I’m going to try to stay within a 4 hour drive of Atlanta but I might drive really fast if need be. 😃 I’ve basically already ridden all of the Pinhoti so that’s not super appealing to me right now. Leaning towards Augusta, GA area and Pisgah, NC area for big loop rides that combine several trails.

      Currently thinking about hitting up some sort of ~75 mile loop near Augusta since it’s a closer drive but I’m worried about heat and water availability during the summer. Valid concerns? I’ve already ridden all of FATS and Bartram but the rest of the stuff out there would be new to me. Saw a bigish loop on the CRSA website called the "Dark Star" that sounded pretty cool and could probably have mileage easily added to it if need be. Any suggestions?

      Pisgah would also be super fun and much cooler during the summer. I know water would also be no problem given all the creeks and streams. But, the trails out there can be nasty at times and I’m wondering if I’d be kicking myself for bringing along the extra 10 pounds of gear and food weight. From what I have read, the trails out there allow for a lot less mileage per day than most. Pretty much any of the trails in the Pisgah N.F. would be fun. Saw a "ride" on the Pisgah Area Sorba website thats 35 miles and looks like a good starting point for an overnighter in this area. Suggestions?

      Looks like I’ve already convinced a few Singletracks members to go along for the ride so if anyone else is interested, let me know and I’ll fill you in on the details once we hammer them out.

    • #98490

      The Dark Star loop is the same as the Sumter Metric Century and loops together Modoc, Turkey Creek, Wine Creek and Lick Forks (Horne Creek) It is about half singletrack and the other half mixed with forest service roads and paved. All the singletrack go by water (or through) just filter it. If you do this I would park at Lick Forks campground and pay for the parking. More secure in my opinion. I think it is about 64 miles from what I remember from the SMC race.

      Another option in the CSRA is to connect FATS with the Thurman Epic as a round trip possible. The connection between the two (not on CSRA site) is crossing Woodlawn near Tower loop and taking a forest service road 659b to "Lost Wilderness" take it out to route 28, follow north about 3 miles to Luke’s Ferry (left) take that to almost the end (gate) take a sharp right on an old dirt road. This takes you to the bottom of the dam on SC side, cross dam to the beginning of Thurman Epic. The Thurman Epic is Bartram, Keg Creek and Mistletoe. The Lake will provide water and a cooling option. This would be an out and back option.
      http://www.sorbacsra.org/Trails/Connect … ndEpic.htm

    • #98491

      What’re your thoughts on the weather for riding at the beginning of June? Too hot? Doable? Better off waiting until Fall? Also, are both routes mainly through wooded areas with tree cover? If I’m going to hit up Augusta in the Summer I’d at least like to have some shade to hide under.

      BTW, thanks for the info and opinions.

    • #98492

      I attempted the Thurman Epic last June. Got half way before the heat (got home at noon to 98 degrees) made me bail. dgaddis had a blog about it a few months back. June will be in the 90’s The singletrack is all in the shade and Bartram and Keg can have lake breezes. If it gets to hot you can stop and cool off in the lake.

      The Dark Star has more open road sections that will warm up faster. also the idea of stopping and cooling off is not as great.

    • #98493

      I’d be VERY interested in joining you on ths ride! I’ve been meaning to go bikepacking for a while, did a shake down run last year (read about it here), really want to do a proper ride now.

      How many miles per day are you thinking? We could link part of the Dark Star loop to the Thurmond Epic route for around 100 miles total, and that’s one way. I could arrange for a shuttle to/from the start if we needed it, or we could modify the route to end up back at our car.

      The earlier in June the better, it will get hot before long.

    • #98494
      "GoldenGoose" wrote

      What’re your thoughts on the weather for riding at the beginning of June? Too hot? Doable? Better off waiting until Fall? Also, are both routes mainly through wooded areas with tree cover? If I’m going to hit up Augusta in the Summer I’d at least like to have some shade to hide under.

      BTW, thanks for the info and opinions.

      I think it will be too hot/humid to sleep at night (at least for me). In about 1996, I got dropped off at the Northern most spot of the Long Cane Ranger District. The idea was to ride to the Southern most point in 3 days. Did it over Memorial Day weekend. We camped the first night, but the second night ended about 20ish miles from my house (by car). We drove to my house and slept there.

      We didn’t "bike pack" though. We just had our day riding stuff with us, and had our gals meet us at the first camp, and then dropped a car at the second camp. So we had the option to drive to A/C…and did.

      We did the mission and that ride became the Long Cane Massacre Ride in 1999. I now live on the USFS gravel road that is about a mile above the southern most point on the district. Had no idea when I rode past the last house on the left that I’d live there in the coming years. It was about 140 miles to complete the ride.

      Heat/humidity in June…..I’d be looking at Pisgah. You are correct about the miles in Pisgah.

      Edit to add: An option would be to do the ride here, but plan to be in HKSP for your overnight. And stay in a A/C room there.

    • #98495

      I have a Hennessy hammock that I was planning to sleep in at night and a 15 degree bag liner that I planned to use instead of a full sleeping bag if it was hot. I haven’t used the Hennessy in hot weather yet so I might find out that I will still be uncomfortable. The stop over in a hotel room isn’t a bad idea, but it kinda kills the challenge that a real bike-packing trip entails. I think I’d probably just hit Pisgah if it came down to knowing ahead of time that I should to stay in a hotel for the night. I’m shooting for the weekend of June 11th and 12th but the weekend before may actually be better if my girl pitches a fit about me leaving home two days after her birthday. I have to assume that its going to be pretty hot down there by then no matter which of those two weeks I pick.

      Dgaddis, would you still be interested during those dates? Does location matter to you?

      Anyone with suggestions on a Pisgah route would also be appreciated. The one I linked has 8k ft of climbing and seems like it would be doable over two days. I’m wondering if the route itself is fun though. Ive heard some of the trails out there are miserable unless you catch them in the right direction.

    • #98496

      You guys are hard core. My after ride regimen includes beer, subway, a shower and bed (a real bed) 😆

      Actually, a group of us out here are planning to bike the Kokopelli trail next year so we’ll be bikepacking it then.

    • #98497

      I use Motel 6 for all my backpacking. I love a hot shower. 😄 Later,

    • #98498

      that is a really technical ride. Pilot Rock ain’t no joke and is one of the most technical trails in Pisgah. I don’t know about that route and a bikepacking load.

      I looked here and found this http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index. … 940.0.html

    • #98499

      I can’t go the weekend of the 11th, got a wedding to go to. I can go the weekend before tho.

      I have no interest in going to Pisgah…id just be pushing my bike half the time lol

    • #98500

      Sounds like a fun time! I would love to get into bikepacking too, but I don’t have much in the way of lightweight camping gear. All of the backpacking I have done has been with borrowed gear.

      If you guys go, be sure to write about it!

    • #98501

      Looks like we’re going to try hit up 90+ miles (roughly 55 will be singletrack) in two days in Augusta during June 4th-5th. I hope my legs and butt can handle it. If the weather holds out it’d be a minor miracle in itself. I’d do it sooner if I wasn’t booked for the next 2 weeks already. I’m goin to try out a Pisgah trip later in the summer so keep those suggestions coming.

    • #98502

      What route?

    • #98503

      Mistletoe to Lick Fork.

      Wanna go seenvic???

    • #98504

      I can’t make that.

      1. Riding the LCHT on June 4.
      2. Turkey and Wine gonna be a mess, webs, nettle, itchy vegetation in general.
      3. I hope you guys get a weather repeat of this past weekend. But it may be hot and humid well into the evening….and I don’t sleep good like that.
      4. I got too much happening with my house for sale, 3 kids and trail building company I run on the side of my regular job.

      But it really comes down to #1 mainly. And #4.

      I could suffer thru 2 and 3 and smile the whole time.

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