2022/07/20 Segment 1 Waterton Canyon to South Platte River

Photo album

Another night of poor sleep later, for me, and a forgettable breakfast, our plan was to finish prep, return van, start pedaling. I had these King Cage Manything cages I meant to install, but due to my lack of preparation, we hadn't installed them yet. The install in involved putting electrical tape on my Fox suspension fork's legs, three wraps each, so that three special King USB hose clamps could be clamped on with worm gears tightened with traditional flat-head screws, and the cages bolted onto the studs on the USB mounts with 8mm nylock nuts. I didn't have the tools to install them, hadn't installed them. Mark agreed to help me find a place nearby that did. I went to an O'Reilly Auto Parts shop, talked to a young guy named George. George was helpful. When he realized what I needed - tools to install this once, right then - he leant me the tools, and I did the install in the parking lot. I am indebted to George.

King Cage Manything cages, USB mounts

Bags are Salsa Anything dry bags

Mark returned the minivan at a Hertz, we packed the bikes in the parking lot. Critically, I should point out that this was the first time of the entire trip that I'd had my bike packed, like it would be for the Colorado Trail. Some of the things I'd practiced on the Mt. Tamalpais ride, much I had not. I was figuring things out in this parking lot, immediately before we started pedaling to segment one, that I should have figured out weeks or months before. The bike was overstuffed, there didn't seem to be room for everything, it was heavy, tippy and didn't turn well. I was grumpy and hot. The sun was blazing. Mark was in a better mood than me. We finished packing, with nowhere to leave anything behind, and began pedaling. It was 10:30AM, Wednesday, 2022/07/20.

Fuel, water filter and Platypus bladder combo, cheese and meat for lunch and gummy bears for fuel and cheer

blue dry bag full of coffee, Jetboil Sol Ti stove, grey dry bag full of tools and spares, red dry bag full of toiletries, green dry bag with guide book, blue dry bag full of clothes, some of the foam blocks from my front Ortlieb bag, a small front light and rear blinkie, roll-on sunblock and lip balm, Camelbak 14er hydration pack, Bedrock sandals

Tarptent Moment DW tent, Ortlieb front bag

Front, packed

Mark, ready to go

Navigation started

I had recently switched to a new handlebar computer. My wife got me a Hammerhead Karoo 2 for Christmas. It was neat, basically an android phone chipset, operating system as the basis for a bike computer. It seemed targeted at roadies who train, not bikepackers, but I had loaded Devon Balet's gpx file on it, and I was able to sort of navigate with it, but it didn't guide me to the start, or I didn't know how to make it guide me. The computer wasn't super intuitive, and it didn't come with great instructions, and I hadn't spent the time to learn it. Mark seemed to know where he was going, so I let him lead. It was hot and sunny, my bike was heavy, and Mark was going faster than I wanted to go. I let him get far ahead of me, still within visual distance, so I could see where he was going, but I didn't need to go so hard, so early, in such hot weather. We were headed to Waterton Canyon on bike paths. Mark got lost, riding on the wrong side of the Chatfield Reservoir, but we corrected. We got to the Waterton Canyon trailhead of segment 1 at 11:54AM.

Waterton Canyon trailhead sign, for the Colorado Trail

We rode to the segment one trailhead at Waterton Canyon on bike paths. We got rained on, saw bighorn sheep, and began the hard push up a rocky segment one to its summit, then bombed down a hot, dry descent to the South Platte River. Met Jackson, a young guy who planned to hike to Durango in 20 days. We arrived circa 4PM, too late to continue, with storm clouds gathering and not much water on segment two. Segment one was a reminder of how hard the Colorado Trail could be; not much pedaling on the climb.