What am I doing?!

This is crazy, ridiculous and likely the most foolish thing I have ever done.

I am 48 years old, a married father of two great kids, I am nowhere near the best shape of my life, and yet I am about to embark on an adventure that offers no prizes, no publicity, no fanfare, yet promises to rob me of my sleep, my sanity and likely my dignity.

I am so excited.

One year ago, I had never even heard of the term, 'bikepacking'. If you would have told me it was possible to race a mountain bike over hundreds of miles, unsupported, I would have laughed and given you a million reasons why that was not even possible, much less worthy of discussing. I was blissfully ignorant of the activity that has become nothing short of an obsession for me over the past 11 months. Yes, I need professional help.

Although it was happening in my own backyard, I knew nothing of the inaugural Smoke and Fire 400 (SnF) bikepacking race when it began in the Hyde Park section of Boise's North End, just a few blocks from my house. When my neighbor told me that our mutual friend, Andy Stauffer, was racing his bike over 400 miles and was planning on making it to Galena Lodge (175 miles or so) before sleeping on the first night, I was incredulous. He sent me the Trackleaders link, and I was hooked. I don't even want to estimate the number of hours I spent 'spot-stalking' over the next two and a half days, but suffice to say, by day 2 of the race, I knew the names and bios of the front half of the field and could describe the action thus far to anyone who cared to listen. There weren't many takers.

And now, 11 months later, I find myself preparing for my own attempt at this crazy, ridiculous and foolish undertaking.

One of the many siren calls of bikepacking is the gear---oh man, the gear. Some people have described bikepacking as, 'running away from home as an adult", and in some ways I agree. The only problem with that mental picture is that when I ran away from home as a kid (mostly just to the woods that bordered our property in rural Oregon) I took the clothes on my back and maybe a small daypack worth of what I deemed essentials. If bikepacking is the modern-day equivalent, the spontaneity of the moment has been lost--totally and completely.

Kit Selection

Not wanting to jump into an expensive undertaking with unproven equipment, I chose Revelate Designs' bags to carry my gear. They are trail and time-tested, no frills, but reliable--just the sort of foundation I want to build my efforts on: No surprises. My college roommate just happens to be the world-wide brand manager for the cycling clothing company Castelli, so with few exceptions my kit is solidly from that little company in northern Italy. Knowing the attention Steve pays to details, I am sure I will not have to worry about my clothing not performing well during SnF 2015.

This is the clothing I will be carrying, unless the weather changes dramatically between now and the morning of September 9th. The only missing piece is a light-weight down coat that got left out of the picture.

Castelli arm and leg warmers, Wind Stopper long sleeved undershirt, skullcap, 'Head Thingy' hat/neckwarmer, Estremo gloves, Goccia due Wind Stopper pants, Gabba 2 Wind Stopper jersey, Sella rain jacket, Stormsocks

My sleeping system previously included a Eureka! 1-man tent that worked terrific on an outing to Prairie, Idaho in February where I awoke to 6 inches of freshly fallen snow, but for SnF I chose to shed a pound and use REI's Minimalist Bivy Sack, along with a Marmot Atom 850-fill bag and a Nemo Ora sleeping pad. The entire kit weighs less than 3.5 pounds.

Being a complete novice, when I comes to lighting systems I relied on the capable hands of Jim at Bike Touring News, in Boise.  Because I did not want to carry too many batteries to keep my iPhone and iPod humming along, Jim recommended the Luxos U iQ2, by Busch and Muller, along with a SON 28 hub. The system is sleek, dependable and the light beam varies its intensity and angle with changes in rolling speed--cool! Plus, it has a USB charge port to keep my electronics happy. Score!

It's not about the...Bike

Not being the strongest rider in the world, or even on my street, I decided that I would need to shed as much bike weight as possible if this was going to be anything close to an enjoyable experience. The gang at World Cycle in Boise, steered me to the Scott 930, which I absolutely love. It rides well, is light and quiet and is just a blast to cover the foothills in. I swapped out the Fox fork in favor of a Niner RDO to shed a couple more pounds. I also added ergo grips/bar ends after enduring a numb right thumb for 3 weeks after my first over-nighter.

The Hardest Part

The physical challenge of the SnF 400 is by far the biggest I have ever subjected myself to, yet I know that that will not be the greatest obstacle to finishing this event. As I have heard many people say, "Bikes and gear don't win bikepacking races, attitude does", and although the only award I am likely to get at next month's event is the Lanterne Rouge, I think the emphasis on an unshakable positive attitude even in the face of adversity is what will get be back to Hyde Park sometime before my first patient shows up on Monday morning. Thanks for reading.

Stay tuned. More to come.