Our Biking Birthday Bash in the Whites: Sun, Wind, Cold, and Good Times

Post by Corrine

Finally, the top! 

After a long grunt of a bike ride – which included too much pushing – I was happy to have summited Cache Mountain Divide. 

But I stopped only long enough to take a couple of pictures. The brisk headwind and chilly temperatures didn’t make the pass an inviting place to stay. And the sun, which had been gloriously out the day before, was now hidden by the clouds. Ah well. 

The divide marked the halfway point of Eric and my recent bikepacking trip into the White Mountains National Recreation Area recently. It also marked the highest point of our hardest day. I was glad to be there, but I needed to keep moving. 

I quickly headed down the other side before I got too cold. But as I rode down the other side of the divide, the temperature dropped, and the headwind got stronger. That caused a lively inner dialog: 

“I should stop and put on another layer.” 

“But I’ll get colder doing that. Better to just keep riding.” 

“Once I get to the Ice Lakes it should be more protected and it should be warmer.” 

“It’s not, now I’m even colder and the headwind seems to be stronger.” 

“Just keep riding, you will warm up eventually.”

“I should stop and layer up or at least stop and take a photo.” 

“I'll get colder if I stop and, besides, my fingers are freezing. I don’t want to take them out of the pogies. I need to keep moving.”

“Your fingers aren’t freezing; they are just cold. You’ll be at the cabin soon enough. Quit being a wimp!”

I never did take any photos or put on more layers, but the trail finally entered the trees and changed directions. The headwind became a tailwind, and I started warming up. By that time, I was only a couple of miles away from Windy Gap cabin. I was warm and cruising through the woods on a good trail in a beautiful area. It wasn’t all type 2 fun! 

Windy Gap cabin - a welcome sight with wood on the deck

As I was approaching Windy Gap cabin, Eric was coming down the divide. He’s slower on the uphills and faster on the downs, so while we often ride apart, we are usually fairly close together. For us, part of enjoying a bikepacking trip together is allowing each person to ride their own pace.  

Birthdays on Bikes in the Whites

This was our second annual birthday adventure in the White Mountains. Eric and I have birthdays 10 days apart in March and adventuring in the Whites is a great way to celebrate. Last year Eric and I decided to do a 4-day, 3-night trip in the Whites between our birthdays. We had such a good time that we decided to do it again this year but with a different itinerary. 

From last year's birthday adventure in the White's

We opted for the 100-mile route used in the White Mountains 100 multi-sport endurance race. Except, we did it in 4 days instead of one. We’ve both done the race several times. Me on skis and bike. Eric on skis, bike, foot, and kicksled. So, we know the route well. But it was a nice change to tour it instead of race. 

This year we also invited our friend, Jill Homer. She had just finished biking to McGrath in the Iditarod Trail Invitational 350-mile multisport race. Her husband Beat (pronounced bay-ott) was doing the ITI to Nome on foot and was still on the trail. 

It didn’t take Jill long to decide that a trip in the Whites was better than sitting at home compulsively rechecking the tracker to see how Beat was doing and doom scrolling on social media in between. We had assumed Jill would bike with us, but we gave her the option to travel however she wanted. She decided that walking and dragging a sled would be a meditative way to spend a few days before reuniting with Beat. (Jill has walked the ITI to McGrath and she and Beat have done many multi-night “sled-dragging” trips in the Whites.) 

Jill in her happy place on the trail

Jill agreed to come when she calculated she had just enough time to do the 4-day trip with us before meeting Beat at the finish. As long as he wasn’t too fast! (Spoiler alert – Jill’s early morning flight got canceled. Beat finished as she was on the later flight!)

Beat Jegerlehner at the finish of his 6th successful ITI to Nome, March 22, 2022

But back to the trip. The weather looked to be quite good, although we knew better than to trust the forecast, so we packed accordingly with all our cold weather gear. That ended up being a good decision. The first day was sunny and warm with barely a breeze. But the next 2 days were colder with brisk 10-15 mph winds and the last night the temperature bottomed out at -30F. This trip reinforced my opinion that I would rather have -20F and calm conditions over +5F with winds.

Day 1: Sun Brings Shirtsleeve Temps

Day 1 we biked the 26 miles to Crowberry Cabin. Jill left about 2 hours before us since dragging a sled is quite a bit slower than biking. This became our pattern. Jill would leave a couple of hours earlier than us; we would pass her on the trail and then she would finish a couple of hours after us. We teased her that she walked so that she could arrive at a warm cabin with snow melted, firewood collected, and no cabin chores left to do. 

Catching up to Jill on the trail

The trail was a little soft to Crowberry but still good for biking. We saw several people out on the trails; mushers, snowmachiners, and skiers. When we got to the cabin, it was still warm from the previous occupants. The thermometer on the deck in bright sunshine read 65F. We set about doing cabin chores in just our long john shirts – no jackets needed. Besides normal camp chores, we also spent some time cleaning up the outhouse. Snow had drifted inside so I shoveled that out, and then Eric knocked down the growing poopsicle, which can be a hazard of winter outhouses. 

A dog team passes us

Crowberry Cabin sits in a beautiful  location

Cleaning the drifted snow out of the outhouse

By the time we were ready to sit down and make dinner, Jill showed up. After dinner we were entertained with a beautiful sunset over the mountains before the clouds moved in.

Day 2: Clouds, Wind, and a Grunt Over the Divide

Heading down towards Beaver Creek before the long climb up to the divide

Day 2 was our biggest day. 34 miles up over the Cache Mountain Divide. The day started mostly cloudy and got cloudier, keeping the temps cooler. It was our only day without bluebird skies. The trail was at first soft though bikeable, but it got softer the further up the divide we went. Eventually, we had to do a bit of pushing. 

Eric often takes longer on the uphills. He pushes more to rest his back and butt. After the first few miles we rode separately the rest of the day. I entertained waiting for him on top of the divide but not with that cold wind. 

Although we didn't ride together, we took the same photo at the top of Cache Divide

When I was just a couple of miles away from Windy Gap Cabin, I ran into an acquaintance, Becky, and her family. They had mushed and snowmachined in and were camped at the limestone outcroppings around Windy Gap. That was a fun chance meeting! 

I biked on to the cabin and Eric arrived about a half-hour later. He immediately went out to gather wood. Just when he got back, Becky and her daughter showed up at the cabin with a sled full of wood just in case we needed it. How nice! (They had brought a chainsaw on their trip.) We were happy to have it. With the temps hovering around 0F and a stiff wind, it was hard to keep the cabin warm. We finally had to close the shutters over the windows to help keep the heat in, but we still used a lot of firewood. 

Becky and her daughter Ellie bring us firewood!

Relaxing in the cabin.  Notice the shuttered windows to help keep the heat in

Day 3: Wind at Our Backs and the Sun Comes Back

Day 3 we were back to beautiful blue skies, but in the morning the wind was still blowing. Lucky for us it was mostly at our backs. We really felt it on the new reroute just south of Windy Gap Cabin. The reroute avoids several crossings of Fossil Creek (and potential overflow), but it climbs steeply into an exposed area. I love it, though. Yes, it’s a hike-a-bike up the hill, but the views are spectacular. And it’s better than endless overflow on the creek. Thanks, BLM for doing that.

Eric cresting the hill on the new reroute

This day was shorter due to less mileage and less elevation gain. We made good time to Borealis-LeFevre cabin, our home for the night. By the time we got there the wind had died down and the temperature had risen to 20F. We had most of the afternoon to relax, get more firewood, and just enjoy the day. 

Lots of windblown trail on day 3

Borealis-LeFevre cabin sits above Beaver Creek

Eric gathers firewood by pulling down dead trees

About 4 PM, I walked back down the trail looking for Jill and found her. I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to drag a sled, so she graciously let me drag her sled the last half mile including up the steep side trail to the cabin. It wasn’t too bad, but I would need to work on my core muscles to do that for miles on end! 

I get a chance to try sled dragging

Borealis-LeFevre Cabin sits on a hill just above Beaver Creek, which is notoriously cold. The temperature plummeted once the sun disappeared. We took bets on how cold it might be our last morning. I chose the coldest at 22F below zero, but even I was wrong. It was -30F when we got up. Brrr! But at least there was no wind and clear skies promised sunshine.

Early morning moon set

Brrr!  Luckily the sun warmed things up

Day 4: Chilly Start, Fast Trail, and More Sun

Jill took off before the sun warmed the area, but Eric and I waited a couple of hours until the temperature climbed to a balmy -15F before setting out. It was cold on Beaver Creek, but the long climb on the other side quickly caused us to shed layers. Although our legs were tired, we enjoyed our last day. The trail had firmed up overnight, so we were able to ride a little faster. And it was another beautiful sunny day. Less than 4 hours later we were back at our car, ready to head home after another fun few days in the White Mountains.

Eric warms up as he climbs out of Beaver Creek

Taking a break at the top of the Wickersham Wall

Now I’m already starting to think about next year. Should we spend a couple of nights at Windy Gap so we can snowshoe up to the limestone arch?  Should we do the big loop in the other direction?  Whatever we choose, it will certainly be a fun adventure and a great way to celebrate another year around the sun together!