“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”
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Standing on a bridge in Patapsco Valley State Park
in MD during our bikepacking trip |
Two weeks ago we went on our first bikepacking trip. It was a spontaneous decision inspired by our desire to get out of the concrete jungle we live in and into a more serene and green environment. We've always enjoyed camping and find that sleeping in the woods, even if just for one night, does something for the mind, body and soul like no other activity that we've tried. However, neither one of us had ever combined camping with biking before, and so this was our time to experiment! Furthermore, and perhaps more telling, is that we plan to do a two-week bikepacking trip this October, and we needed to see what we were getting ourselves into :)! I'm happy to report that it was a fantastic trip, though not without its ups and downs (literally and figuratively).
Here are a few things to consider as you plan your bikepacking trip:
- WHAT IS MY/OUR VISION FOR THIS TRIP?
Our priority was to leave our home on bikes and return on bikes. In other words, that we wouldn't need our car to get anywhere. The other big priority was to sleep in the woods. Then we also had a few other wishes, like seeing or exploring something new. We settled on riding through the Patapsco Valley State Park and downtown Ellicott City in Maryland.
- HOW MUCH MONEY DO I/WE WANT TO SPEND?
We actually didn't end up spending anything on this trip, mainly because we didn't buy any new gear (and didn't eat out during the trip like we had planned). In addition to wanting a simple, easy, and rejuvenating trip, we didn't want to spend too much money on it. This is one of the great things about bikepacking. Once you have a good bike and some basic gear (emergency kit, rack, basket, small backpacks, packable sleeping bag and tent) it's super cheap to go on short bikepacking trips.
- HOW MUCH TIME DO I/WE HAVE?
We only had the weekend for this trip, and other things to take care of during that time. So we wanted something that would rejuvenate us, but not take up the entire weekend.
- HOW FAR DO I/WE WANT TO BIKE?
The above points will narrow down your options, though there are other things to consider, like availability of safe routes, parks, and camping grounds near you. When my partner was researching routes he discovered that there weren't that many campground options for us within a reasonable biking distance (given our time constraints) that also provided us with safe roads to bike on and nice scenery along the way. We ended up riding 40 miles round trip. This was a good distance and not too hard for people like us who don't ride long distances on a regular basis. The one catch was elevation! Parts of our route were grueling for me, though my partner thought all of it was great! :) At times I felt like it was more of a workout than a leisurely bike ride that I was hoping for, but in the end it was SO worth it. Key takeaway: When your partner or someone else is planning the route, make sure you know what they have in store for you, so you can adjust or completely get rid of your expectations ahead of time.
Because we wanted to something easy and simple over a weekend, it didn't require too much gear. We did have to do some research ahead of time, figure out what we already had for gear, and finally, experiment putting the gear we had on our existing bikes. Once you have a good bike and some basic gear (emergency kit, rack, basket, small backpacks, packable sleeping bag and tent) it's super cheap to go on short bikepacking trips. Luckily, we had all of this basic gear already, so we didn't actually need to buy anything for this trip. However, for our two-week bikepacking trip we have bought some additional gear, but that will be part of a future post.
- WHAT DO I/WE WANT TO EAT AND DRINK?
If you want to keep things simple, plan ahead and see where you can stop to eat along your bike route. Make sure that the place will either have spacious outdoor seating or bike racks to store your bikes during your meal. You should also bring some light snacks with you, like granola or nuts and fruit that isn't too heavy or bulky. Obviously, water is essential, so plan to bring enough (rule of thumb: 3 liters or 1 gallon/person/day) or research places where you can refill during your trip.
We planned to get to Ellicott City (16 or so miles into the trip) just in time for dinner. I had been there many times before (by car) with friends and enjoyed delicious food. BEWARE however, that biking into Ellicott City on a weekend during dinner time is a NIGHTMARE and there aren't any bike racks in the downtown area to lock your bike to! As we arrived into the city, we realized pretty quickly that the traffic was horrendous and that the downtown area should really be a PEDESTRIAN-ONLY zone. It felt a lot like Georgetown in Washington, DC during rush hour or on a weekend; just plain noisy and super congested. Furthermore, there were no bike racks to lock our bikes to, no outdoor eating areas, and no take-out as far as we could tell. Therefore, we continued on our merry way toward the campground, with four apples we had brought from home. Our dinner: two apples. Our breakfast: two apples. Once we got home, we ate 2 pizzas :)!
- WHAT IS THE WEATHER GOING TO BE LIKE?
This might need to go to the top rather than the bottom of this list, since this is critical. We monitored the weather throughout the week and because we wanted to keep things simple, and it was a very short trip, we didn't really have to start packing until the day of when we planed to leave, so this wasn't too much of an issue for us. Plus, it's summer time, so the weather isn't really that much of an issue like it is in the winter.
Happy bikepacking adventures!
Modern Akhmatova
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