Is there a top to this bloody climb

Our perfect campsite after a very tough day.

The campsite at Kremmling wasn’t too bad but gee the temperature dropped to 2 degrees this morning so it was a damn cold start to the day! Given our proximity to the town none of us could be bothered to fire up a cooker so once packed up we separately went off in to town to get breakfast. I found a servo selling hot coffee and breakfast pizza (with egg and bacon) so bought a few slices and devoured them pretty damn quick! Michael being Michael decided to head off before us, and as it turned out we only saw him once more the whole day….that’s life on the Divide. Jake and I headed out about 8:30, initially on road then about 4 miles in we turned off towards Radium, a hot spot for weekend river thrill seekers who throng there for the rafting on the Colorado River. Straight away we were on to the first climb, a stinker over 4 miles which really tested us. The gravel was relatively compact so getting some level of traction was possible. We slogged up this damn thing for over an hour before it flattened out and started to descend. We were treated to a glorious descent in to what we thought was Radium but alas…whilst the river could be seen, Radium was 7 more miles. Three of them uphill! The track was busy as its Saturday and Father’s Day weekend, so we knew the campsite was full. After what seemed an interminable amount of distance we got to the river head where it seemed half of Colorado was also. Crazy thing was there was no potable water and no coffee or food options….great opportunity for someone to make a killing! We caught up with Michael and all headed in to the water to cool off. It was bloody cold but so good on our weary legs. We had done 23 miles -that was all! We had some grub and filtered the river water to drink as we knew the next 7 miles were some of the most feared on the Divide- a 7 mile climb with gradients up to 18%. We all knew they’d be a ton of hike -a -biking! Micheal departed first with an agreement we’d meet at a campsite at the summit (there was more climbing after but the worse would be behind us!) Jake and I left at around 1ish knowing it’ll take at least two + hours. From the flat car park at the river side the trail just rears up from the first pedal stroke, straight in at 12%! The surface wasn’t too rocky but getting traction was crazy hard. Jake started walking straight away and I pedalled slowly until I couldn’t and had to walk. And so started the hardest hike-a-bike I’ve ever done. At times you couldn’t even push the bike as your footing would slip, followed by a loaded bike! It was crazy hot just to add to the challenge. On and on and on it went, with incredible vistas which could vaguely be seen through the sweat dripping in our eyes! Around mile 4 I was absolutely buggered and worryingly started to get some uncomfortable feelings related to my earlier stroke. I stopped for a while and took some emergency medicine I have to slow the heart. Jake found a stream close by and we wetted our clothes to cool down. We got going again, but I was not feeling at all well, but there was nothing to do but continue towards the campsite. After 2 and a half hours we got to the top (knowing full well there was still lots of climbing after the campsite) and we descended in to a valley where the camping was and a stream.

Our initial thoughts of the campsite was that it was very boggy, as all it was was a clearing next to a stream, no facilities and not much in the way of places to pitch a tent. As Jake was setting up his solar panel I dawdled across the other side of the road and noted a small track leading to a clearing next to the river -it was simply the most perfect spot, protected by trees, off the road, next to water 😊. We got a fire going, pitched up and boiled water for a coffee. It was a wonderful end to a pretty tough day. Michael had left a note to say he’d gone on -presumably unimpressed with the sparse and damp site we too had first seen….he clearly didn’t explore. Staring us in the face immediately we leave tomorrow is another stupidly tough climb, but for today we had found a small piece of paradise!

Whilst I’m acclimatising to the crazy climbing and stupidly hard trails, today scared me. I’m terrified of getting warning signs from the previous stroke, as my insurance here will not cover this pre existing condition-in fact it was impossible to get cover if I declared my prior condition- and this is one country you don’t wanna get sick in! Jake is a US citizen and like millions here he cannot afford health insurance so he’s equally hoping not to get sick! If I fell and broke a bone I’d be covered but anything heart/stroke related I’m stuffed! So we decided to just get to the next camp at Lynx Pass tomorrow, rest for the arvo out of the heat and then try cycle a bit more in the late afternoon before sun down.

Lynx Pass
After a really good sleep and a lie in by our standards we got a fire going and cooked up breakfast before packing up. It seems that pitching up takes 15 minutes but decamping takes an eternity with a persistent questioning of ‘how the bloody hell does all this go in these panniers!

Once completed I headed off ahead of Jake as I knew it was going to be a walk-fest for the first mile as the track reared northward at an alarming rate! Sure enough, it was every bit as nasty as it looked…not a good way to start a ride. I’d abandoned my cycling shoes for sandals as they were easier to walk in! Good day to take Bob for a walk! After 20 minutes I got to the ‘top’ ( we have formed the view that there is actually no ‘top’ on this Divide, just a series of false flats! Jake joined me and we pushed on ….in to more climbs which although shorter than yesterday made up for their shortness with obscene steepness. Try pushing a 50kg bike up a 24%….it ain’t easy! We were both struggling from the madness of yesterday but thankfully the profile today was significantly more pleasing to the eye with some discernible downhill interspersed with crappy climbs. I was starting to develop some knee and Achilles pain from the pushing 😥.

We knew it was only 18 miles to the campsite where Michael was. Eventually we got to a great stretch of downhill only to come speeding round a corner to a flooded road…a full blown stream across the road with some dude fishing in it! There was nothing else to do but take off shoes and socks and wade across the river! All good fun!

We got to the campsite around 12ish to reconnect with Michael. This is an active bear and moose territory, as well as possessive squirrels that seemed to take a dislike to anyone near their tree. It was also mossie infested so despite the heat we covered up for the afternoon and evening. By 6 we had all eaten and hung our food up for the night, so I knew I’d be bloody starving by 7….which I was!

We had spent the arvo chilling and chewing the cud about our plans. I’d booked a room for Jake and I in steamboat springs tomorrow -it was 37 miles away but with a good profile of downhill….will believe that when I see it! Mike wasn’t staying in Springs two nights and was heading off further north. Jake was scheduled to start heading south but had been invited by friends to stay in north west Wyoming, a bit off the trail but still accessible. I must admit to being very pleased that that option might materialise as I am no way gonna do the next section on my own. I think when I get to Montana I’ll feel confident to do the final state alone knowing Charlie is a days drive away if things get messy. The real issue of bears is something we chatted about – both Jake and Mike take the threat very seriously indeed -something I’m aware of but perhaps had not fully understood I do now!

I wrote the above post around 7pm before settling down for the night in the tent. Little did I realise what awaited! For tea this evening I had had a dehydrated trail meal (just add hot water). Around 9 I started to get bad tummy aches, loads of farting and then boom…..a dash to the drop toilet was urgently needed! And so it was all night, with the added bonus of projectile vomiting! I just managed to get my head out of the tent before one particularly nasty episode 🤢. I saw every hour last night amidst these nocturnal activities, all the time keeping a wary eye out for bears! A truly wretched night. We had agreed to get up at 04:45 to get on the trail by 6, with a 37 mile trek to Streamboat Springs. I couldn’t eat anything and any activity caused me to feel nauseous and fatigue.

To be continued!