Monday, May 6, 2013

Cotton-Junction

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, which roughly translates to "get fall down drunk". Well, I've fallen down many times in my life, and crawling around on your hands and knees is not where I want to be right now. So I spent the weekend up north camping up with my clan away from the mexican cantinas. I was going to leave the bike behind for this trip, but at the last minute the Mamasonga told me to pack it up and I could ride out of camp early Sunday morning and she would pick me up along the way. This was great news, I get to ride, and I don't have to pack up the campsite on Sunday.

Logically I could do a big loop back to camp, or taking advantage of the travel, have the pit crew pick me up many miles south on the way back home. I decided to piece together a couple routes with the help of One Gear Ray and his library of GPX files.  The plan was to leave Cottonwood and travel up and over Mingus Mtn and descend into Cordes Junction on the Black Canyon Trail system.

56 miles
8  hours ride
8800' Total Ascent

As usual, you don't get a lot verbiage about the adventures.  The B.P.R. fans just want the pictures.  The story is told...

Cottonwood to Cordes Junction

Cotton Jct - 2013   - Profile

SS rig naked, with Mingus in background

Your mom's house...

3,000 plus calories for an 8 hour ride

Tuzigoot National Monument.  Aliens.

Cooling off in the Verde River


Mingus

It's this steep, just look at the background.  Pictures are proof.

Way up there!

Prehistoric crack house...or something

Locking up running water should be a crime.

Made it to the top...so I think...

...not the top yet

Would like spigots trail side on all my rides


finally made it up to tree line. Shade in the pines

Burnt Canyon Tank - recon water source for the CAZ500

Great!

Smokey

Russian Well



Russian Well

I couldn't find a spigot, which means it only filled this stock tank.  I didnt' investigate as there  was a steer in the corral.  I'll pet a beaver all day long, but I'm not going into an enclosed corral with a steer.
Singletrack...so I though.  Cattle demolished this section of the BCT.



Agua Fria.  Need to hit this section when it's running.  Crossing could be interesting.

Marker on the culvert on 69





Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Arizona Trail Race: 163.9... or something like that

What can I say? 

Phat dudes that weigh in at 225 lbs shouldn’t be riding SS machines in the Arizona desert. The ‘homemade’ insulation creates havoc in the extreme desert heat, the required calorie intake just isn’t possible when you roll... at the back of the pack. It’s just hard. And eating Cheetos burritos while watching The X-Files is way easier. Seriously, it is.

Skinny dudes, with Mohawks, that weigh in at 158lbs should think twice before riding SS machines in the Arizona desert. The mohawk creates tension in the bars... located on the route. It's bad to create tension in bars while trying to 'push' through 300 of the HOTTEST miles on planet EARTH. Seriously, it is. (Ok, I'm exaggerating.)

Just Joking, of course. 

Two Cool Pics:




--------------

The Mad Rhino and The Judd put down a noble attempt on the AZT300. At the Day 2 mark we were 1/2 through the course. Then during Day 3 the situation changed drastically. Two independent issues crushed the effort: The Judd broke the headset somewhere on the trail, by noon on Day 3 the fork was unstable, to say the least. AND for a number of reasons we dropped way behind schedule, we covered 18 miles in 6 hours. Not good. 
  • By the way. Everyone that hears of the headset failure says “Damn, I’ve never heard of a headset failing.” And The Judd is thinking “Dude, have you ever seen a 225 lbs phat dude mashing a SS during a bikepacking race? Yep, thought not!”
Anyway, the Arizona Trail isn’t going anywhere. And we will be back, either for the AZT300 v2014 or an ITT attempt or just an old fashioned party in the heat and dirt. 

As usual, the alternate reality at the Back of the Pack is presented below. It’s a bit wordy, like you care, as you are already bored with this s*^t. But this info is more like a ‘reminder’ of what not to do next time we head into the desert... Jim Morrison style.

The Video... cuz you really shouldn't care about the race info... just the KoRn Tunes:


AZT300 v2013 from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.

Craziest Jim Morrison like Hallucination:
At about the 9 mile mark The Judd missed the line on a wicked loose decent. Because The Judd Doesn’t wear a helmet during bikepacking adventures (that’s right, lecture me, please) The Judd dismounted the bike and walked it down the steep loose rocky segment. Three super freaks wanted to pass, so The Judd picked up the ‘sheep and moved to the side. Well, the BACK WHEEL fell off. That’s right, after 9 hard miles the back wheel fell off. The bolts backed out of the Hope Pro II hub. Seriously. So, with some help from Cjell Money (disqualify me now, please) The Judd ‘got’ the wheel back on and bolted down. THEN a few minutes later The Judd met up with Mad Rhino. Mad Rhino said ‘Dude, my quick release was disengaged and my rear wheel almost fell off’. Talk about the UNEXPLAINABLE. Ok, go ahead and try to explain that smart guy... smart girl. AND remember, we rode / hiked 9 hard miles before this happened.

The Trucker Hat, Why:
Because some wear seatbelts... and some don’t 
Because some text and drive... and some don’t
Because some wear patches & paid... and some don’t
Because some wear helmets... and I don’t. Dude.

Bikepacking isn’t Free, even though it is:
The conversation that started it all... the Back of the Pack dudes attempting the AZT300 v2013... 

The Judd: “Mad Rhino, sack up, bikepacking is free. Let’s do this thing.”

And then the Mad Rhino spends some ‘free’ cash on: A new helmet, a bar bag, a gps, new shoes, new rubber, and.... ? Yeah, bikepacking is free. Well, maybe for the next race.

Lessons Learned:
  • 32x20. Nope. It seemed like an acceptable gear, even though I roll 32x21 on the Colorado Trail. But it wasn’t. Smart Judd, really smart.
  • Gotta know when to take a time out. It’s hot out there. Take some breaks in the day - ride hard at night. Seriously.
  • Must have queue sheets AND the locations of the water sources. Because a location isn’t good enough when you are out of water and have no idea the distance to the source. Think about it.
  • If you can carry 180 oz of water... Figure out how to carry 250oz of water. Unless you are a super freak.
  • For phat dudes (The Judd) synthetic sunscreen ain’t as awesome as the skinny dudes (Mad Rhino) say it is. What’s synthetic sunscreen... I can’t say. I have principles and must refocus on those principals.
Biggest Blunders.
  • If you devise a food plan, to counter act the fact that all gas stations will be out of food, DON’T Tell any of your fellow competitors. BECAUSE then it becomes their food plan and you’ll once again be SCREWED!
  • If you have a brand new XC race tire on your bike, replace it. XC race tires will... create issues.
Quotes of the Adventure:
  • Mad Rhino: “The Judd, if you were wearing leg warmers you wouldn’t have such a brutal sunburn on your legs.
  • The Judd: “Mad Rhino, you are pushing the boundaries by wearing those leg warmers... in the desert. I have integrity, I have principals. But I won’t rat you out to the other Founding Fathers.”
  • Mad Rhino: “All I want is a hotdog”
  • The Judd: “All I want is a Pepsi
How do you know when Mad Rhino is in Race Mode, aka, Mad Rhino the Racer:
  • The dude reaches the top of the hill, put’s his head down and starts sprinting, seriously.
  • The dude powers the cranks through the turn, instead of coasting, like the rest of use.
  • The dude throws a power slide when he can’t power the cranks through the turn.
  • The dude tries to grind up the steepest of steep slopes... cuz he wants to show the Lt Col, The BPR Elder Statesman, that he too can roll a SS at a crank revolution of 1Hz.
The Single Speed Handicap, the somber reality:
It’s hard man, it’s really hard. The super freaks roll out with minimal gear. The non super freaks roll out with too much gear and thus hike more than desired. That’s just the way it is. Yep, it’s hard man. A word of advice for all non super freak SS bikepackers: Don’t listen to anything anyone says. Cuz it doesn’t apply to the SS pace, pain, suffering. It’s just different. And then there are misunderstandings. Like it’s an easy 20 miles... then the 20 miles takes 8 hours. Or... ‘It’ll take you 12 hours to get from Redington Pass to Oracle’.... then after 6 hours of pushing you are 18 miles into the 60 mile section. Or... ‘I can’t wait for nachos at Colossal Cave’... then you ride 4 miles out of the way to find that there ain’t any nachos at Colossal Cave. DAMN. 

Cjell Money, the toughest skinny dude to roll a Black Sheep... in the history of the WORLD:
If you haven’t met Cjell Money, then you haven’t met the super freak that defines super freak. I ran into this dude in the MIDDLE of nowhere during one of my treks on the Colorado Trail. Cjell was walking from Durango to Denver... With a day pack and PINK crocs. No joke, jokester. Then Cjell decided to crush the Tour Divide on his Black Sheep Snow Salamander 2 speed in 17 days, I think. (Maybe it was 14 days. Maybe it was 20 days. Who Cares. It was a wicked effort!) Check out his story.... The link




So, at the Back of the Pack we are taking applications for the next round of ‘racers’ that want to join the SS lifestyle of Ludacracy. Just a hint. Some get in, some don't. Some get free patches, some don’t. If you wanna know what resumes rise to the top... Check out Cjell Money. 

Is that some gross man love or what. 

Final Question / Final Thought:
How much is water is too much water... There ain’t such a thing as too much water when roll’n a SS on the Arizona Trail. 

The Track... at the Back of the Pack:

This data... ain't for you. It's for me. Because I live the data, I breath the data, I own the data... the data defines our Alternate Reality @ the back of the pack.


Some Pics:
Two Dudes... at the Back of the Pack

Two Dudes... Two Cogs

I want a Windmill

I wanna be a photographer... after a brew master

just a pic

just a hike-a-bike

just The Mad Rhino


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Arizona Trail Race: 300 Miles...

The Judd and Mad Rhino are headed to the Arizona Trail. For the AZT 300... that's 300 miles through the southern AZ desert, dude.

No, we aren't in it for the podium and massive payout. We're in it for a few laughs and gonna do what we do... and we do what we do in a never ending attempt to secure a BEER sponsorship for Back of the Pack Racing. (Hook us UP!) 

Check the map below for details. Check the links for more... details.




The Details:

Race Website:Topofusion

AZT Race Rules

Race Tracking: Trackleaders

BlueDot Tracking

Spot Tracking - (Does NOT work in Chrome)
The Judd, The Philosofizer - 

SPOT Tracking -(Does NOT work in Chrome)
The Mad Rhino

MTB Radio

MTB Podcast
http://mtbcast.com/site2/category/podcasts/

Why are we doing the bikepacking race / adventure stuff, seriously:
  • Because it's fun to wear the same clothes for 5 days.
  • Because it's fun to brush The Teeth only ONCE in 5 days.
  • Because it's fun to stink so bad that The Rattlesnakes RUN away.
  • Because it's fun to walk hours and hours and hours on blistered feet.
  • Because it's fun to be so hungry that you consider eating bugs and dirt.
  • Because it's fun to be so thirsty that you hallucinate... Jim Morrison style.
  • Because.... it's just fun.
So how are we tackling this bikepacking race / adventure. It's easy:
  • We ain't carrying much food.
  • We ain't carrying stoves
  • We ain't carrying blogging devices
  • We ain't carrying clothes
  • We ain't carrying any creature comforts... 
    • Well... The Judd always rolls with a pillow. No  joke, jokester
  • And we PLAN to carry enough water to survive. Cuz survival is key... at times.
And some final thoughts... because debate within the inner self is how The Judd rolls:
  • How many extra batteries to carry? Especially for the lights. Cuz at the back of the pack we are know AROUND THE WORLD for extreme night riding. (Seriously?)
  • How many bandaids to carry? Especially when we support the medical technique of bleeding the illness out, bleeding the demons out.
  • How much chaffage cream to carry? Especially when we don't train with chaffage cream... or the adult diaper... in The Judd's case.
  • And.... will we find Jim Morrison wandering through the desert? In our alternate hallucination based reality? If we do, we ain't gonna tell you.
The Machine... and not a Megalomaniacal Megamachine


and some tunes... to make you happy... yep, if you're happy I'm happy:

The Doors - Riders on the Storm




Sunday, April 14, 2013

the crew... wandering through the desert... back of the pack style


Why Wander through the Desert? Well, if you haven't experienced The Great Southwest then you're missing out. And as a middle aged dude, that grew up in Durango Colorado, I'm continually amazed at how LITTLE of The Great Southwest that I've actually experienced in my 1st 40 years. Maybe I'll quit my job and Wander a bit more. Maybe.

The Decision(s) to Wander through the Desert, this time:
Every now and then The Judd and and others head out into the wilderness to escape Big Brother, aka, The Corporation. The goal is to see America, as you can only see when removed from the grind of society and paved civilization. So this time The Crew was rounded out with a new set of characters. Most of the Ludacracy that 'evolved' over the long trip is withheld, because most of the time the memories must remain in the desert... waiting for us to return.

This specific trip was tied to a few events. That's right, there is always a strategy, in development, in that Organ commonly called The Judd's brain. And this time the strategy was driven by the upcoming Arizona Trail Race. So, in classic super endurance 'athlete' fashion, The Judd scheduled a final training session 2 weeks prior to the big 'race'. And no, this wasn't a training session for the legs. It was an adventure for the feet & body & mind. It was a desert based adventure full of heat and sand and crazy ascents and descents and camping and.... but more importantly is was a trip with friends into The Great Southwest. 

And that's it.


WHAT A VIEW... to wake up to



and then there is the 'standard' desert sunrise


The Location:
To use Hayduke terminology... we traveled two and a half six-packs from Albuquerque. That's all I'm saying. That's all I need to say.

The Crew:
  • The Judd, Doctor of Philosophy, aka, The Philosofizer, The Hustorian, The Founder
  • Seldom Shady, aka, Seldom Shady. And remember. Seldom Shady is... a Contributor
  • Prob-eee, aka, Mr Probe, The Probe
  • Belle, aka, Bear
* The true identities of most of those involved in The Wander are witheld by for reasons of secrecy and safety. That's just the way it is.



Lessons Learned:
  • If The Judd is reading The Book, it's hard to find the Little Ceasars Pizza in Shiprock.
  • If Seldom Shady is driving, without hands, texting, playing DJ AND signing along, looking for indian ruins and talking to The Judd, all at the same time... it's easy to find the Little Ceasars in Shiprock. Seriously.
  • The 'mandatory' 10 minute video, at the ranger station, is really 18 minutes of Idiocracy. Seriously.
  • If there are a million gnats and mosquitos hang'n near the creek, chances are that the millions of man / woman eating bugs will attack Seldom Shady and The Probe. The Judd roll'd out of the creek bed with one bite. No joke.
    • What could drive the bugs away from The Judd... Interesting. Maybe The Judd 'smells' too good to eat. Maybe The Judd's B.A.C. is not calibrated to the palate of the insects. It's a mystery.
  • If one fireball is good enough for the fire building task, then 4 fireballs are better. AND if Seldom Shady is empowered with the 'fire'. STAND BACK!
  • If you have a 50L pack and only use up 30L... then stuff it with 100oz of beer (4 La Cumbre IPAs, 2 Modus Hoperandi and one Marble IPA) and 4 small boxes of wine. You'll be happy you did. I think.
    • and don't forget to encourage Prob-eee to pack in his own booze. 
  • Freeze dried food - date 2005. It's ok. Shovel it into the garbage gut and wash it down with some IPA. NO PROBLEM!

The SHORT Conversation of the Trip:
  • Seldom Shady: I don't remember seeing that ruin, down there, last time I was here.
  • The Judd: Well, it's probably a 'new' ruin.

The Quote of the Trip:
  • Seldom Shady: If you reveal my true identity... I will DROP you.


The Word(s) of the Trip:
  • Declivity
  • Confluence
The Prob-a-tion:
Yep, Prob-eee being Prob-eee is entertaining, to say the least. So, I've created a new section called The Prob-a-tion. Because Prob-eee is and will always be on Probation... at the back of the pack.
  • When it rains, put on your rain gear and start walking through the soon to be mud. Cuz  chill'n in the cave with Seldom Shady and The Judd doesn't make much sense. It really doesn't.
  • When going on a 6+ hour set of day hikes, leave all your food back at base camp. Packing a bivy is smart, but food isn't really a requirement.
  • When Seldom Shady is cruise'n at 100mph, put The Fit on cruise too... but at 65mph.
* and as The Morale Chairman eloquently noted during the post adventure debrief... "What, does f'n Prob-eee think he is on an African Safari, or something."



The Pistachio War:
For some reason a full on Pistachio War started on Night 1 and ended on Night 4. And all the tough Pistachios where tossed towards (at?) The Judd. Why... because... "Any Nut, Judd will bust it"

and just because we can:
Don't be afraid to pull a Hayduke at 9:30 at night, in the middle of nowhere. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, maybe Seldom Shady will tell you about it. But probably not.

How do we Roll... when we Wander through The Desert:

Forever in Blue Jeans.... 

and as Seldom Shady routinely reminds us...  I am I said

And a Question to Ponder:
As The Judd prepares for the Arizona Trail 300 the question about water & survival in the desert is on The Mind. And the question is... How much water do you really need? Is the 'need' defined by The Want or The Need. Seriously.

And... ancient indian ruins are cool. But Dinosaur Tracks are WICKED COOL:
Where did The Crew go... where did The Crew wander? Who knows:




The Raid at Comb Ridge:

"Now you've it," Doc agreed. "We're not dealing with human beings. We're up against the megamachine. A megalomaniacal megamachine"

Yep... Megalomaniacal Megamachine. That's a new phrase we'll use and reuse... at the back of the pack.



Random Pics, just because:

The Judd... The Book... gotta stay educated

sunsets are cool... especially when traveling the backroads through The Navajo Nation

going into the canyon


water water everywhere, for now

how about a swim? sorry, instructional video says "NO SWIMMING"


just a panorama shot


this ain't the Prob-eee that WAS known around the world. 
That Prob-eee is (was?) a vegetarian.

no, we aren't texting in a canyon, we are manipulating photos... in a canyon

can you see the cliff dwelling? 



check out these cliff dwellings, see them?

The Judd taking a break, under a tree

many people have many names for The Judd
can you guess what The Probe's favorite name is... for The Judd



just a big boulder... just

cruise'n up a canyon



when you feet are hot, put them in 40 deg water. awesome!


nice bench, in the middle of nowhere

when in a tough spot... 
you better have friends that can get you out of tough spots. seriously

just 700 feet down... into the canyon
or 700 feet up... from the canyon

the end or the beginning or something



if you know anything about The Judd's theory of life
then you can guess what this petroglyph reveals... to The Judd


... ?...

a levitating Modus
it's normal... at the back of the pack

climbing up in the wind

that's a long way down
but no problem if you lived here many many years ago


uh, won't comment on this petroglyph


interesting... fun to theorize about this


wicked fingers


the walk down


chill'n deep in a cave

just a ruin, 1000 years old, or older

some local art

nothing like seeing something 1000+ years old. 

snow in April, awesome. not really


And if you made it this far, how about a thought from Edward Abbey himself:
from a 1984 interview with Mother Earth News. "I'm... something of an anarchist, because I learned long ago to distrust the government, and not only the government but all big institutions: big business, big military, big cities, big churches, big labor unions . . . any institution that grows so large that it's no longer under the control of its membership. My kind of anarchism is no more than democracy pushed as far as it can be pushed, government by the people, decentralized power in all its forms."