Fire, Ice, and Mountain Streams - A Bikepacking Adventure in the Gifford Pinchot

The Gifford Pinchot Wilderness has been on my bucket list of places to ride forever. This massive area that encompasses over 1.3 million acres and spans between Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams in southwestern Washington state offers countless options for gravel riding on forest service roads, dispersed backcountry camping, and exploring through caves, lava tubes, huckleberry fields, and rivers.

As my summer plans started to come together, I reached out to my friend Eliot who’s been a reliable bikepacking buddy for a few trips to see if he was interested in joining. I love planning trips with Eliot because he’s really good at it. He’s literally an Eagle Scout, and embodies so many characteristics I admire (and wish I had): super knowledgable in the outdoors, always prepared, and organized. His job was to plan the route, while I’d take care of food.

Hanging at camp with Eliot

We built our trip with a few goals in mind:

• Get out into the woods

• Spend 3 days riding, and 2 nights camping

• Have fun and stay alive

With these in mind, Eliot put together an incredible route that was built by combining two previously existing routes, The Fire and Ice Cave Loop from Bikepacking.com, and a route from Our Mother The Mountain. Clocking in at 91 miles with nearly 8,000 feet of climbing, this was definitely my most ambitious bikepacking trip, but turned out to be the most rewarding in terms of views, company, and fun.

My Bike Set Up

I rode my do-it-all Cannondale Topstone 4, equipped with a back rack and panniers. I was definitely underbiked for the single-track portion of Day 2, but was otherwise quite happy with my choice of ride. The route is a nice combination of gravel roads, beautiful pavement, and single track, but nothing was ever too technical.

This is the same bike I recently rode both Unbound Gravel 100 and The Oregon Gran Fondo, proving it’s a truly capable bike. It’s currently got the Shimano mechanical 2x12 GRX Groupset on there, with GRX brakes and wheels, and it performed beautifully. There were a few times where I could have used some additional climbing gears, but I’m not too proud to push my bike up a hill when it gets too steep.

For this trip, I ran 700x42 IRC Boken Double Cross tires, set up tubules at 40 psi (both front and rear.) No notes on tires, although Eliot ran 2.2” tires and also seemed to be quite happy, especially on the single track.

My biggest challenge with this bicycle is the size of it. It’s tiny, which doesn’t provide much space for either luggage or water carrying. To solve this, I simply packed in Ortleib panniers and mounted water bottle cages to my front fork. I also carried a hydration pack from Osprey. Fully loaded I was able to carry 2.5 liters of water, which was sufficient with periodic refills from mountainside streams (filtered of course.)

My bike setup

Food, Route Highlights, and More

As mentioned earlier, I was responsible for the food planning portion of the trip. If you know me, you know that I hate even the idea of being hungry, so I majorly overpacked on food. As I was unloading my pannier at camp the first night, Eliot summed it up well: “I packed to survive on this trip. Marley packed to be happy on this trip.” And it’s true - we ate good and were never hungry.

Our meals were:

Breakfasts - Oatmeal with peanut butter, chia seeds & mini chocolate chips, Dried Mango

Lunches - Tortilla wraps with chickpeas, tuna, dried bell pepper, and tortillas with salami & cheese

Dinner - Homemade pasta with veggie sauce & Dehydrated meals

Snacks - Everything including candy, fresh fruit, beef jerky, cookies, and more!

Importantly, we packed and shared a Sawyer squeeze water filter to ensure we had clean safe water to drink for the entire trip. Eliot rode with this at all times, which came in handy during our 11 mile climb on Day 2 where we ran out of water mid-way up the climb and were able to refill from a stream on the side of the road. As you can see in the photo below, Eliot 3-D printed the interface between the Nalgene and the actual filter, which proved to work beautifully. I keep telling him to sell his inventions - but he doesn’t listen to me.

We broke the route up into three days, covering 31, 40, and 20 miles on each day respectively. Day 1 started out with a banger of a climb, gaining nearly 1500 feet of elevation in under 10 miles. Though daunting, we took it slow and made it to the ridge line, which we followed for most of the rest of the day. We were rewarded throughout the day with massive views of Mount Adams interspersed with huge, old growth forests. The route passes through a huge huckleberry field, however, we were up there too early in the season to take advantage of any roadside snacks.

We set up camp for the trip at the Falls Creek Horse Camp, a nice little camp group with a pit toilet, picnic tables, and a stream for water access.

Day 2 was a loop, starting and ending at our campsite, which meant we could ride unloaded! Eliot loaded up his handlebar bag with our lunches and snacks and off we went. The route for Day 2 started with a nearly 20 mile descent, the first 11 of which were on single track. Technically labeled a “blue” for intermediate, the trail was super fun and a bit rowdy in places. Had I of been on a mountain bike, I could’ve ridden the entire thing, as there were no drops over 1 foot and no large obstructions. Because I was on a gravel bike, I did end up walking a couple of sections, however, nothing to complain about.

If you do this route, I highly recommend following the direction we traveled, as otherwise you would have some massive single track climbing, which is definitely not my favorite. After the dirt section, we descended for a few more miles, before starting the long climb back up. I was dreading the final climb all day, which would see us gaining over 2500 feet of elevation in less than 20 miles.

Forever climbing

The climb started out gradual, but we were baking in the hot sun. With temperatures hovering in the mid-90s and most of the climb fully exposed on asphalt, it became a game of seeking out the shade to rest, conserving water, and going at a slow but steady pace. After nearly 4 hours of climbing (with lots of resting in there), we made it back to camp, where Eliot rewarded himself with a dip in the creek, and I took a nap in the hammock.

Day 3 was a 20 mile ride back to the car, with just a few hills. Had it been hotter, we would’ve jumped in Goose Lake, however, we took it as a chance to eat some snacks, chat with some fishermen, and enjoy a few last minutes in the forest.

One of the coolest things about this route was the caves, lava flows, and natural bridges. We took lots of time to explore each one we came across. Even though it was super majestic, photos just don’t do it justice.

Reflections and Closing Thoughts

Throughout the trip, I had a constant narrative going through my head - I am so lucky to get to do this. From having a flexible schedule, to a capable body, to a prepared friend to go with, all the stars aligned for this trip. I owe a massive thank you to Eliot, who really took on the brunt of the planning and routing, water filtering, and carried our tent. I was basically just there for entertainment purposes, and think I did an ok job of it.

I am so excited to get back out to that area and explore further.

Summer 2025 - Dispatches from a Life on the Road

I don’t know if anyone still reads this blog. If you do, hello. Thanks for being here, and apologies for neglecting this space for so long. The extended absence isn’t intentional, rest assured, as I have written a ton of blog posts over the past few years. They just live and die in my head, without ever making it to the page.

Somewhere in the past few years as I’ve transitioned from a full-time corporate career to an independent, self-supported content creator/non-profit entrepreneur, my free time and desire to write for personal content evaporated. I’m hoping to change that however, and this is my first go at it, with an update on my life and travels.

For the third summer in a row, I’ve embarked on a multi-week road trip to the West Coast. My primary reason is simply to get out of Arkansas during the summer. It is oppressively humid and hot, and I frankly don’t want to be there. With this goal to get out of the south for most of July and August, I’ve crafted a summer full of work opportunities, rides, and fun adventures throughout Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

This year, I’m using my mom’s house in Spokane as a base-camp, returning between adventures to do laundry, give my dog some kisses (I’m lucky to have my mom watch her all summer), and regroup. That’s where I’m at currently, prepping for my next round of travel.

My hope is to do more micro-blogging about my specific adventures that can serve as a resource, and inspirational guide for others. Up first in that series will be a bikepacking trip recap for a trip I did last week in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Thanks for coming along for this journey over the years. I hope you enjoy the new format, and let’s hope I can keep it going!

Checking out Devil’s Tower in Wyoming during my cross-country drive!

MidSouth Gravel 2024 Recap

Better late than never for an @midsouthgravel recap post, right?

Photo by Gretchen Powers

Going into the weekend, I was determined to do the 100 mile distance. I've been riding a lot more this year and wanted to beat my time from last year, plus I loved the B-road section and couldn't wait to do it again.

As event day approached, however, I got realistic with myself and decided to do the 58 mile.

A couple of factors played into this: I've been struggling with energy management thanks to some new psychiatric medications, I had a very full schedule of events at MidSouth prior to the ride itself (including giving the keynote at the rider's meeting), and @allbodiesonbikes was throwing the DFL Finish Line party, and I kind of needed to be there for it.

Riding the 58 mile was definitely the right choice - and led to an incredibly fun day on the bike, complete with two trips down the @ombraz slip & slide, a picnic at mile 40, and zero mechanicals! I was clearly on the party pace train, enjoying the absolutely perfect weather and companionship on course.

I averaged 10.1 mph for the ride, which is pretty typical for me, hitting a max speed of 31.6 mph. While my ride took 8 1/2 hours, only 5:48 of that was moving time. I never felt like I was wasting time with my stops, however, soaking in all the good vibes at the aid stations, selfies with new friends, and a well-deserved picnic/stretch break.

Event weekends are a marathon for me, with the hardest work coming in the days leading up to the ride. The actual ride for me is my time - to relax, to be in my own head, and to reflect on how far we've come as an organization. I cherish those hours on the course, a chance to test my mental and physical strength, and honestly, to recharge for all the work that is still to be done.

I am so grateful for the @allbodiesonbikes family who came out to MidSouth and were instrumental in running the expo booth and the amazing vibes at the DFL party. Thank you to @unlearnpavement for trusting me to give the keynote speech at the Rider Meeting. Thank you to @ridewithgps for partnering on the DFL party and sharing a booth all weekend.

And thank you to all my partners and sponsors who continue to support me in this work of building an inclusive cycling community:

@ridecannondale for the Topstone bike that has carried me across thousands of gravel miles

@rideshimano for robust components

@lazersportna for keeping my brain safe

@shredly for the cutest apparel around

@ridewithgps for navigation and stoke

@twistedspokecbd for the best chamois cream and energy chews

and so many more brands that support my work!