Day 11: Darby to Jackson, Mt

Distance: 75 miles

Elevation: +4709 / -2135

Temp: 52

We headed out of Darby when it was 41 degrees, so a bit chilly.

However, we warmed up climbing the Gibbons Pass, which took us above 7000 feet. It was beautiful, but, we were also riding uphill into a headwind for most of the day, so it was also grueling. The headwind easily added several hours to our ride time.

As often as possible, we formed a “train” to draft behind one another and break the wind. But cross winds are fickle, so it didn’t always do the trick.

Just before we arrived in Wisdom, MT, we encountered an asphalt laying zone that was an 1/8 of a mile long, and for which the traffic was halted and waiting for an escort to move past the work being done. We had to ride our bikes on the farthest side of the road possible to get by, and, even then, it felt very much akin to riding into Dante’s Inferno, or the gates of hell: a line of about 8 pavers belching smoke and tar, with flames shooting out beneath them. While taking a picture would have been great, there was no way to safely stop or really even capture the sound, smell, feel, and sight of this.

Once we got to Wisdom, we found a cute place for ice cream!

Then we trekked the last 18 miles to Jackson, where we would spend the night. Again, we were still riding into a headwind, and all of us were exhausted by the time we reached the Jackson Hotel and Bunkhouse. Looking across the Big Hole Valley to the Continental Divide was awe inspiring, since it let us see what we had accomplished ear in the day!

Beaver Slide for creating huge piles of hay

Golden eagle with white eaglet

Jackson! Elevation 6475 feet

The population grew by one last year, when a resident had a baby!

Highlights:

1 The temperature was above 40 degrees when we left Darby (predicted to be in low 30s, so this was big!)

2. Beautiful views of the mountains as we rode, and lots of lovely fresh snow to see.

3. Katherine’s son, Ethan, and his girlfriend, Ally, joined us at Gibbons Pass to ride, and shared macaroni and cheese bars that many of us enjoyed.

4. The Big Hole Valley was gorgeous.

5. Ice cream in Wisdom at the Hook and Horn

6. Talking with people about the areas we’re going through.

Lowlights:

1 Climbing into a headwind.

2. Almost being roasted alive by those paving trucks.

3. Fatigue after the wet and cold ride of the day before compounding the climbing and headwinds. Staying hydrated is key when it’s dry and windy!