Alright my math is off by a few decimals but you guys probably understood.
Last Friday and Saturday two friends and I set off on a three day bikepacking-ish adventure. We left from my house in Maplewood and rode northwest across the city hitting up all the bike trails along the way. About 20 miles out from our first campsite one of my friend's bike got squirrely while his hands were off the bar and we crashed into a curb. His shifter broke and my front brake lever cracked. After some duct tape magic we were able to make it to the Sherburn National Forest albeit he only had one gear the rest of the ride.
The soil in this forest was sand. Sand everywhere. I have never seen a forest grown in sand but I guess that is why they call this forest "Sand Dunes", haha. I had to push my bike a few miles because I was riding 45mm slicks (I just sunk in!), my friend with the broken shifter had to push his bike too. But the third guy was rocking a fatbike and he rode to the campsite with a big smile on his face, haha.
Night temps were just above freezing but there was no rain or wind like the forecast predicted so I slept like a rock.
On day two we decided it was safest to avoid the elevation changes and head home since one of us only had one gear and the other (me!) only had one and a half brakes.
This trip was my first official planned adventure since my son was born 10 months ago. Wow do babies change things. I no longer get to say, "Hey Michelle, I am gonna head out on my bike tonight. I will call you when I know what day I will be home". Haha.
My child's presence in my life has completely changed the way I go camping. All I wanted to do on this adventure was eat good food, sit in a quiet forest, and sleep for 12 hours straight. So over the two months leading up to this trip I started sewing up my own hammock system during his naps. I built an 11x8 silnylon tarp, a full length UQ and a 3/4 length UQ out of 2.5oz climashield. The hammock is just a standard gathered end. All if it is OD green for stealth camping. WOW did I sleep *&%@ing amazing!!!
Over the past 5ish years that I have used a hammock I always used a sleeping pad instead of an UQ so I still prefered the comfort of a tent when camping with friends. But with my new UQ's and the large tarp I will never go back to a tent!
EDIT: Total ride time, 11 hours 53 minutes. Total distance, 140.9 miles.
Refreshing
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