Ten Below Zero / Winter Fat Tire Biking Around the Campfire / 2 A Day

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Pulled off the trail in the dark and Weez noticed the ghost rider right above us.

Riding a new trail system, Elm Creek. Very good trails, we were greeted with the local Coyote howling as we headed into the woods at sundown. Good ride this night on a twisty singletrack adventure. 

 The NightRider bike lights are awesome and brighten the night trails!

 Appropriate beer for the season, Winter is in full swing.

Monday Funday

 Set the alarm for 3:30am, laid there and had to think about this one... Get up, fix a quick breakfast and throw on my cold weather clothing. At the trailhead by 5:30am, the clock in my truck is 45 minutes ahead of time. The temp is correct at -10 degrees. This is exactly what I need to prepare for the conditions of Winter Fat Tire Bike Racing.

I manage Jeff Hall at the races, so to be able to deal with the conditions and function for extended periods of time is important. Sometimes it means up to 7 hours outside for the whole event. We had 2 races, one was -7 at the start and a 40 mile race was below 0 the whole day. Jeff won both of those races along with 4 other victories. I am involved because I love the adventure of extreme sports and winter fat tire biking is my go to winter adventure these days. That being said, in 11 days I am heading to Colorado for a backcountry snowshoe/snowboard trip. 4 days in a remote cabin in the mountains snowboarding...I like a challenge!  

 This is my challenge today, build a fire quickly as if I needed a survival fire. Good practice just in case one would need the heat to survive. One of the handy fire starters I carry in my pack is simply hand sanitizer gel. About a third of a small bottle will usually do the trick. Soon I have a nice warm fire to stand around.   

 Time to kick snow onto the fire and get on with my ride...the River trail is in very good mid-winter condition and the temps are about -10 degrees. The steam is hanging in the air over the open water sections of the river, beautiful morning to be out on the bike. Well worth the effort of getting out of bed early and seeing the sunrise. 

 Pulling off the trail and taking in the moment...

2 A Day Rides Today

 Enjoyed a hearty lunch and dropped one of my fat bikes off at my buddies shop @ Hollywood Cycles for a bit of professional care.

Then met Jeff back at the trailhead and went out for my second ride of the day. The temps had risen up to about 5 degrees, 15 degrees warmer then the morning ride. This was a more spirited ride with Jeff keeping me moving right along.

All in all a very good day on the LAMERE Bikes and about 8 hours out in the weather today, 2 good adventures.

Fat Tire On!!

Sundown on the Prairie

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The tree of the day. I can see where the trees in the "Wizard of Oz" came alive, the personality is out there for all to see. Makes one wonder what that sucker has been through in it's many years standing out in the middle of the prairie.

 Sometimes the adventure is just getting out into the countryside and strapping the snowshoes on and go cross country. The starkness of a late winter day is my favorite part of the day, going from daylight to night.   

My gloves seem to be giving thanks for the last rays of daylight. Ski poles make a good hanger for my gloves as I take a break for a shot of water and a energy bar.

This winter has been a good time for fire building and practicing a bit of winter survival in the extreme temps and conditions. A fire always creates a feeling of security and throws off the warmth that takes the edge off the sub zero temps.  

A twist to this adventure was that after my fire in the woods, I discovered that my lightweight blue jacket was missing. I had strapped it onto my backpack and hiked across the prairie, down off the bluffs and boonedocked through a swamp. So I had no choice but to backtrack on my snowshoe track and low and behold as I approached the bluffs, there it was. It worked out good to be hiking back on the trail that I had packed in earlier.

Got back to the truck in the dark and felt good to have experienced another winter evening...

Snowshoe On!!  

Old Time Minnesota Winter / Snow & Cold / -7 Degrees Tonight on the Pugsley Ride

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A Minnesota winter brunch. Wash it down with a Monster Zero and I'm ready to tackle the sub-zero temps comin' our way. The plan is a Pugsley MTB ride later today along the Minnesota River.

It sure is good having Sunday and Monday off all winter, I am making the most of the 2 days to have a couple adventures each week. In the month of January we have a backcountry snowshoe, snowboard trip into the mountains of Coloradohttp://www.huts.org/The_Huts/10th_mountain.html. The weekly snowboarding with Ski Patrol and a mountain bike ride day will enable me to be fit and ready for the trip.   

Starting out in the late afternoon daylight is nice to get into the ride. The temps are about 0 degrees when I leave the truck, I'm wondering if this is a good idea. It's cold.

I'm getting the clothing layers sorted out with the different temps. I need to be warm but not too warm, dry is good and I feel comfortable. The first 20 minutes are always tough on the fingers. My left hand was very cold, my pinky finger was numb, I started working it around in my glove and the feeling started coming back. When one leaves the warmth of the truck or house, your body has to adjust and get the circulation out to your extremities. It happens every time with extreme temperatures. Ya got to accept it, that's the way it is.    

 I've been wanting to practice my fire starting this winter and tonight was perfect for it. The temps are sub zero and I rode about 7 miles out to the middle of nowhere. took a couple breaks to adjust to the temps and adjust clothing. Plenty of dead wood along the river so I gathered a small amount and had at it. I had the fire going in just a few minutes. Hydrated up, had a protein bar and savored the solitude of the remote location along the river banks. Mission accomplished.

 Stopped on the narrow bridge and listened to the creek burbling below. The water is still running even at -7 degrees.

 This sign is at the top of a climb out of the river valley, took a short break, still 3 miles to the truck.

Stopped for one more break before the last 1.5 miles. My body has adjusted to the temps and I feel like I could ride all night. It's not a race, it's get back alive and feel the adventure...Ride On!!