Revisiting Marley's Favorite Rides - Bikepacking with Komorebi Cycling Team
Six years ago I went bikepacking with the Komorebi Cycling Team. My first time riding single track, a visit to the Olympic Hot Springs, and a weekend to never forget.
Starting out on the Adventure Trail. Oh how naive.
I still have dreams about the bikepacking trip I did with Komorebi Cycling Team in 2016. Before I knew what single track was, before I knew to fear a 2000’ climb in 10 miles, heck, before I knew you could get paid to do this work!
This was to date probably one of my hardest and yet most rewarding trips. Not only because I got to go with folks like Anna Brones and Meghan Sinnot (who have become good friends) but because I was introduced to a whole new world of bikepacking, pushing my limits, and body confidence.
Our route took us on nearly 27 miles of single track, which for the record, is doable but not recommended on a fully loaded gravel bike. We rode to the Olympic Hot Springs. We hiked with bikepacking gear. It was a dream.
I still think my original blog post from that trip is one of my best - you should also check out this video from Nutcase Helmets and write-up from Anna Brones for the full story.
Dispatches from the Baja Divide...Part 2
I’m currently waiting for the bus to La Paz from Todos Santos. I had a fitful night of sleep on the beach - the group showed up and I’m really not mad that I’m not riding with them. It really doesn’t seem like they’re having a good time - I’d much rather do things my way.
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January 11, 2022 - Todos Santos Bus Stop
Writers note: The below is directly from my journal that I wrote during the trip, with very little editing. Any commentary and additional info will be in italics. Re-reading this entry, it’s a little raw. My emotions were all over the place and that’s pretty evident when you read this. Please respect the fact that this is literally a journal entry that I’m choosing to share with the world.
Read Part 1 of the Dispatch here.
I’m currently waiting for the bus to La Paz from Todos Santos. I had a fitful night of sleep on the beach - the group showed up and I’m really not mad that I’m not riding with them. It really doesn’t seem like they’re having a good time - I’d much rather do things my way.
Slowly packing up camp after my friends had left. They had another 40 miles to go, so they were up and riding at 6am.
Watching the whales play in the ocean this morning and taking it nice slow.
I’m starting to think I might like bike touring more than bike packing. Give me the slow days and exploring by bike any day over crushing miles.
To give some context - to complete the 300 mile route in our allotted time, we needed to ride between 30-50 miles per day. During the planning phase, this seemed fine. In reality, it was absolutely not possible for my physical and mental level of preparedness.
Climbing up out of the beach in Todos Santos. I had already decided I’d be taking a bus to La Paz, so I dressed accordingly.
Mask use down here is wild - people wear them literally everywhere - even outside. I guess it makes sense with all the tourists and I have no clue the availability of vaccines.
I also need to get more $$ today - unexpectedly paying for a hotel and two bus rides ensured that 1500 pesos didn’t go very far.
Waiting for the bus in Todos Santos
My goals for today in La Paz are to find a hotel or hostel, unload my bike and just ride around. La Paz is known for whale sharks, so I would like to give that a try if possible. My hope is for this to be my last bus and then to ride the Eastern part of the loop. I need to relook at the route, but I think it’s doable.
Bike touring with cis-men I remember why I often don’t do it - there’s not a big community vibe and I get the feeling that these guys haven’t done a whole lot of touring with people of various speeds. I’m also remembering some feelings I had yesterday on the beach. There was a woman, about my age, maybe younger. She ran into the ocean in a tiny little bikini- watching her run back out, literally nothing on her body jiggled except for her ass.
I felt a super intense pang of jealousy - imagining what it would be like to be that carefree. Knowing that nobody was judging you but instead watching with awe and jealousy. Its one of those things where I doubt she even realizes her privilege in being able to do that.
Frog Lake Loop Bikepacking Trip Recap with Oregon Field Guide
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Last week I rode the Frog Lake Loop Trail near Mount Hood with Kailey Kornhauser and a film crew from Oregon Field Guide. This 40 mile route might be my new favorite weekend route - it’s a perfect length for a short adventure, has an excellent challenge:reward ratio, and is good for a solo trip or group trip. Basically everything I look for in a bikepacking trip!
The logistics of this trip were pretty funny to coordinate - we started chatting with the team at Oregon Public Broadcasting in April. They saw our All Bodies on Bikes film and really wanted to do a follow-up episode on us. We initially planned to ride the Lower Deschutes River Trail but got foiled by gusty winds a few times. After a summer of many emails and rescheduling due to weather and production schedules, we finally landed on a weekend that worked for all of us.
The Frog Lake Loop, as developed and mapped out by Molly Sugar (thanks Molly!!) is designed to be ridden in two days. With a total distance of 40ish miles, each day is relatively short, allowing lots of time for exploring the gorgeous scenery, taking in the views, or adding fun little hikes or spur routes.
The first day is a lot of descending and goes fast! We didn’t really get riding until 11am (after an interview and packing the bikes) and made it to camp by 6pm. This was with multiple stops to shoot and film portions of the trail repeatedly. My point is - the riding isn’t hard or strenuous, especially on Day 1. Mainly nice gravel roads, a little bit of singletrack, a short hike-a-bike section on the Pacific Crest Trail, and a fun descent on new asphalt.
One highlight of Day 1 is Little Crater Lake. This strange geological formation is a super deep, spring-fed lake that is crystal clear blue. It’s about a half-mile off of the PCT, so if you’re on that trail, I highly recommend a quick detour to see this beauty.
The route takes you around Timothy Lake, which has an abundance of both reservable and dispersed camping options. We stayed at a reserved spot, but if I was doing the route again on my own, I would choose to stay at one of the dispersed camping spots right along the lake. We passed by a number of these and they looked absolutely stunning. (Disclaimer: we were there on a Monday/Tuesday, and they were nearly all empty. I have no idea if they get full other times of the summer.)
Gourmet breakfast care of the Oregon Field Guide team. Thanks Todd!
My favorite part of the ride was suprisingly Day 2. Kailey had warned me that most of the day would be climbing and she wasn’t wrong. We spent the first half of the day riding some of the most gorgeous, loamy, single track I’ve been on, which quickly led into a 2 hour climb. But somehow through all this gravel riding and racing I’ve been doing this summer I’ve come to enjoy and appreciate climbing. I found myself actually enjoying really some long, tough climbs that I previously would’ve been cursing.
Bizarre, but I’ll take it.
Before I knew it the camera crew was cheering us on as we approached the final descent of the trip. As we rounded the final bend, a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood came into view. We celebrated at the shore of Frog Lake for a while, reflecting on our trip.
Honestly, there’s not much I would change! I think I finally learned how to pack appropriately for a bikepacking trip - I wore literally every single piece of clothing I took, I ate nearly all my food, and didn’t have too much excess stuff. I’m going to call it a win!
My bikepacking setup
Here are some details of what I took:
Bicycle: Velo Orange Piolet
Tires: SimWorks SuperYummy 26 x 2.22 set up tubeless
Bags:
Ortlieb Handlebar Bag with Accessory Pack
Camping Gear
Tent: Nemo Dragonfly Bikepacking Tent
Sleeping Bag: Nemo Forte Women’s 35 Degree Bag
Sleeping Pad: Nemo Flyer Insulated Pad - Regular Wide
All Loaded up and Ready to go!
Reflections on the Trip
It’s pretty amazing how far we’ve both come in a year - from our first trip together on the C2C trail to this trip. I’ve grown as an athlete, an ambassador, and as a businesswoman.
I think the industry has also grown a lot too. I’ll do a future post on this, but we’ve held over 10 All Bodies on Bikes events in less than a year, launched a website, and a community with over 5,000 strong.
I think it really hit home on this trip how big of an impact we’re having with the All Bodies on Bikes work. We ran into two different families on the trip who knew us - one at Little Crater Lake and another during a massive climb.
Meeting these families and hearing them talk about how they watched our film together as a family during lockdown with their 12 year old (and were now out bikepacking together) really hit home that ‘dang, our message is getting out there.’ So thank you all for your support, your encouragement, and I’ll be sure to link to the OPB segment when it’s released!
Land Acknowledgement
I’d like to acknowledge and thank the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and the Cascades Tribe for allowing us to recreate on their traditional lands.
How is Summer Half Over?
Summer 2020. Hard to believe it’s already almost August.
I’m leaving tomorrow for my first big bike trip of the season, which is definitely a bit strange for me. Normally by this point, I’ve got 3 or 4 camping trips under my belt, my packing routine is down pat and I’ve got a decent glove tan.
Thanks to COVID, I’ve been keeping it very local and not going on many big trips. Sure, I’ve gone on a couple of very close overnighters but most of my riding lately has been day rides in and around Seattle. And all of it has been with a face mask on.
Tomorrow I’m heading out for a bit of an adventure though! I’m teaming up with Kailey for a bikepacking trip from Corvallis, Oregon to the Oregon Coast. We’ll be joined by a film crew who will be helping us tell our story and share the joy we find in being fat women on bikes!
Shimano is providing the funding for the project, which means we got equipped with all new bike components, Pearl Izumi clothing, and Lazer helmets! I scored the sweetheart deal of the century and got a Velo Orange Piolet fork + frame, plus a bunch of rad Velo Orange components gifted to me as well, so I’ve got a brand new bike for this trip!!
For once I’m going to have a bike that is built for the intended trip I’m going on! Holy shit!
New Bike Day at Free Range Cycles!
Huge thanks to all those who came together to build up this bike, including my favorite local bike shop, Free Range Cycles in Seattle.
So, cool. More details to come on the trip, the film, and of course I’ll let you all know once it’s ready to be screened!
Until then, be safe, wear your masks and be safe!