More info from a veteran

This just in from the other person I know who did this trip:

That is about the same time of year that Melissa and I did the trip last year.  I'm sure she has passed on some wisdom, but here are a couple of tidbits that might help.

 Did you have trouble getting your car shuttle? I can't remember who we used, but get that arranged.

There are no bike shops or any kind of services along the route, so plan well with tools and replacement and spare parts, such as tubes and tires, chain links, cables, rack bolts, etc.

There is no cell phone service, except as noted on the route sheets.  It could be several hours or several days before a car comes along the road, and if you follow the single track routes I doubt you will see anyone at all.

There is NO ground water available except as noted in the route sheet.  We carried about 3 liters per day each, which seemed to be enough.

Try to get an early start the first few days, as the afternoon electrical storms can be dramatic and there really is no cover.  Also, the first roads could be really messy if there is heavy rain.

Telluride is over 8000 feet, and the first cabin is at 11,000+.  The dirt road is very steep and we were unable to ride much of  the last few miles because we couldn't breathe!  A day or two to acclimate at higher altitude would be very helpful.

The route sheet is pretty good, but there are places where it is off by several miles on turns.  We had a GPS track to follow also and that was very helpful, especially in finding the hidden turnoffs to the cabins at the end of the day.

There was plenty of food in the cabins, and things to pack for lunch and snacks for the following day.  The sleeping bags aren't super warm, but the cabins are nice are cozy so it was okay, with long johns on the first couple of nights.

 

 

 

On 2015-05-28 04:50, bike-monkey@comcast.net wrote:

From: Dave 

Back in January when I placed the deposit on the trip I asked San Juan Huts about the prospect of thundershowers.  At that time I was told that our trip dates "should" be before the season.  But SJHs also qualified this by saying that nothing is certain.  So I plan on bringing rain jacket and pants.  Keep in mind too that the Bible does say/suggest that we check the weather conditions before we hit the trail to determine what our needs may be.  So you should at least bring rain gear along before we hit the trail.

 

Onto other things...beer...I've got everyone down for beer with exception of myself.  I'll contact SJHs and see how to proceed (the email they sent me earlier was only a draft).  Will get back to you after I hear from them.

 

More other things...a thought occurred to me about riding while lugging gear on our bikes...strongly suggest you know the appropriate air pressures for your suspension fork and, if equipped, rear shock for loaded w/ gear and unloaded riding scenarios.  Speaking of shocks and air pressures, I always carry a mtn bike shock pump with duct tape wrapped around it, and plan to do so on our trip (Jan asked earlier about tools we're bringing along).

 

---

From: "Michael Sojka" <msojka@aol.com>
To: "jan moss@quidnunc.net" <janmoss@quidnunc.net>
Cc: "Michael Sojka" <msojka@aol.com>, "Dave Omoto" <bike-monkey@comcast.net>, "Michael Williams" <tmwilly@gmail.com>, "Sarah Tisdale" <sarah.s.tisdale@gmail.com>, "mike.sojka.sjhtoh" <mike.sojka.sjhtoh@blogger.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2015 7:54:37 PM
Subject: Re: Thunder Storms!!

 

 

From: Mike Sojka

One of the reasons we picked these dates is that mid-July is supposed to be before the monsoon season. Of course, nothing is guaranteed regarding weather but in general we are not supposed to have rain. That said, we should heed her list because those are all reasonable items to carry. I will definitely bring a rain jacket but have not decided on rain pants yet. I will have three water bottle cages on my bike plus a hydration pack.  

 

 

http://sanjuanh2h.blogspot.com/