Video - back-country mtn. bike camping

[Svend]

Gary sent me this link to a really great mtn. biking video.  Taking a back country camping trip on a mountain bike.  Very cool.

http://contour.com/stories/matt-hunter-lone-wolf?utm_source=Contour+Customer

All you mtn. bike riders:  enjoy!

[jim-ratliff]

Hmmm. Good video.  I was surprised that the trail seemed to be in pretty good shape.


Not sure about the idea of "wanting" to see grizzly bears (or black bears, for that matter) in the wild.
Although I have been within 40 feet of black bears in the wild, I stayed within 5 feet of my car door.

[midwif]

Very nice biking! Looks like a load of fun!
Back in the day would've wanted to do that.
Actually, I have done some things close to that ****, but not quite.

Does sleeping in a corn field in southern mexico count on a motorcycle trip?
We were too late to make it to the planned stop and had to get off the road. Big animals roaming on the unlit roads at night were too dangerous on motorcycle.


These days, not sure how I would sleep without my 3 pillows carefully arranged
to support my aging joints and pillow topped mattress smoothing out the angles between neck, back and hips.
This guy didn't even have a bedroll. He must be under 30!

If I could just have my 25 year old joints back (the ones on your body, NOT the kind you smoke)
I would be happy. 

[midwif]

Not sure about the idea of "wanting" to see grizzly bears (or black bears, for that matter) in the wild.
Although I have been within 40 feet of black bears in the wild, I stayed within 5 feet of my car door.

There was a black bear in the middle of the road about 100yds ahead last week, while road biking upstate.
I slowed, it stood for a moment and then turned and loped off into the woods.

I'm not too fond of seeing them too up close and personal either. Beautiful, but requiring respect.

[jim-ratliff]

Did you have your pepper spray with you??   


How fast can you ride? 
They can run max at about 35mph.  How fast can you ride with a bear chasing you and a 100 yd head start??

[midwif]

Not fast enough.

And you talked me out of the Bear Spray.
!

[jim-ratliff]

If a bear starts running at 30 mph towards Lynn, and Lynn's adrenaline kicks in and she starts riding away at 22 mph with a 100 yard headstart, how long does it take the bear to catch Lynn.

Hmmm.  This sounds like a algebra class word question -- finally I get to use my schoolin'.  If X is the speed of the bear, and Y is the speed of Lynn, and D is the distance Lynn rides, and D+100 is the distance the bear has to run, what is the value T where X times T is 100 yards greater than Y * T?

Answer:  Roughly 24 seconds.  WOW, I thought it would have taken longer than that.  Guess you were right Lynn, not fast enough.

Todd, can you and Living Proof check my math please.

[Svend]

Very nice biking! Looks like a load of fun!
Back in the day would've wanted to do that.
Actually, I have done some things close to that ****, but not quite.

Does sleeping in a corn field in southern mexico count on a motorcycle trip?
We were too late to make it to the planned stop and had to get off the road. Big animals roaming on the unlit roads at night were too dangerous on motorcycle.


These days, not sure how I would sleep without my 3 pillows carefully arranged
to support my aging joints and pillow topped mattress smoothing out the angles between neck, back and hips.
This guy didn't even have a bedroll. He must be under 30!

If I could just have my 25 year old joints back (the ones on your body, NOT the kind you smoke)
I would be happy. 

Same here -- if I were younger I would love to do something like that on a bike.  When we were in our 20's Terryl and I used to go camping with a canoe once or twice every year, out in the wilderness in western Canada.  We would go out for a week or just a long weekend, and where we lived at the time had ready access to really isolated places -- just drive a couple of hours and pick up a logging road into the bush, drop the canoe into a river, and paddle 'til we got to the lake where we wanted to camp.  The only sign of humanity was one or two bush planes flying overhead every day.  And the wildlife we saw was amazing -- wolves, bear, moose, coyotes, martens, bald eagles, owls at night....you name it.  I guess some would call it "hard core", but we didn't think twice about it.  Lots of people did it, and it was just common knowledge how to handle yourself in the wilderness, so we were comfortable there....bears and all.... 

To do something similar on a mtn. bike would be a really great way to see some amazing scenery.  Alas, those days are past.  Although, we are actually thinking of doing a mtn. biking vacation to the east coast of Canada next summer.  Kind of like the summer equivalent of a ski trip, but on our bikes.  Not sure of our destination yet, but there are some wonderful areas out there to explore.  No camping, but renting a cottage and using that as home base for a week or two would be just the thing.  Something to look forward to.....