Future plans

Hamilton, Montana. Monday, June 3, 2024

Heavy rain and a wind advisory once again compelled me to take a down day, just as well since I really need to firm up my plans over the next few weeks.

Jane and I refer to this plan dismissively as the “parking lots tour”—biking to the trailheads of the major Rocky Mountain peaks I’ve climbed, thereby closing the loop between the sea and the summits. Trouble is, they don’t line up very well, not on a flat map and certainly not considering all the intervening topography. After struggling with this Gordian knot, I finally came up with this as the most straightforward plan.

Hardly straightforward— over 1,700 miles and 88,000 feet of climbing, just to get to Denver. It will need further tweaking and revising, but at least it gives me a template.

The first step is to get to Borah Peak trailhead in Idaho, almost due south of here, all on US 93. I know, it seemed crazy to me also to swing into Montana just to go back to Idaho, but that’s how the mountain ridges work. I was happy this afforded me the chance to see Missoula.

So with stops at Sula, Salmon, and Challis, and three more steep climbs, I should get there in about four days. I checked in at a local bike shop, one of the guys has ridden 93 the whole way, and says it’s doable, although the shoulders are sub optimal.

Let’s see if this flies.

©️ Scott Luria