Distance: 52.6 miles
Avg speed: 7.0 mph
Max speed: 23.2 mph
Ascent: 4043 ft
Saddle time: 07:32

Cold Drizzly Morning

It drizzled of and on throughout the night and finally let up around 7:00Am. It was extremely cold and I just wanted to stay in my bag but I knew better. I tore down camp and made my way to the common area to eat breakfast.

As I was walking in I met a couple (maybe in their late 50s) eating breakfast. They are from some remote island up north Alaska where the population is like 2000 people. She had been there for 30 years while he for 10. Interestingly, they met each other through an online dating app and are both from prior relationships. Not what I expected to hear. They are selling their tiny home and moving to Idaho sometime this year. They really enjoy the sustainable lifestyle but the cold winters can be tough so it is time to migrate south to their ‘Florida’ home. Their daughter is a ranger in training and will be meeting them this morning to go hiking. I can tell they are really excited to meet up with her as she has been gone most of the summer. Just then their daughter arrived earlier than expected. You could definitely see the joy in their eyes!

A few moments later the young couple from CA arrived so we all ahead some chit-chat. I was running a bit behind schedule so I finished up breakfast, said my goodbyes and hit the road.

Sable Pass

This is the first of five passes that I needed to get over. It was cold and gloves were still wet so it made for a rather miserable beginning. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves

Polychrome Pass

Polychrome wasn’t quite as long as sable pass but she had her fair share of 8 to 10% grades along the way. I felt physically and emotionally strong despite having cold hands. Somewhere along the road two tour buses stopped just ahead of me and they were gazing at a moose of to their right. I decided to pass to the left and just when I got to the front of the buses I saw a massive male moose just in the left shoulder in the brush. Probably 5 ft from the edge. He was shaking his head with these huge antlers (not sure the correct name) as he was trying to work his way through the brush and onto the street. I immediately peddled faster than I have ever pedaled to put some distance between us. Whew, that was exciting but closer than I liked!

At the summit there were several tour buses parked so people could take scenic photos. Many approached me for photos while others were cheering me on hoping I would make the summit (They had passed me earlier). It was all a little surreal actually. The tour bus driver walked over and said he liked my bike setup. He also gave me a quick lay of the land. Highway pass will be tough but the remaining 3 passes have more manageable grades… I hope he is right.

Highway Pass

Indeed, this pass was grueling. With tour buses to share the road with it can be white knuckle at times as the gravel in the edges was sloped and loose. One bad maneuver and you’d end up in the ditch. Not to mention, one really cannot safely cruise the downhill on any of these climbs due to the loose gravel and sand like mud. This of course is a bummer and will add to the overall time on the saddle.

Towards the beginning of the climb I noticed the bike was feeling slow and could hear the tires rubbing so I stopped to investigate. The front fender was clogged with road sand. I found some twigs along side of the road and began picking it out. I then figured it would be easier to remove the front panniers and remove the tire. Unfortunately, the pannier locking mechanisms were stuck from the mud and tiny pebbles so those weren’t coming off and I didn’t want to accidently break them so I continued removing with the stick. I was eventually able to get the front and rear wheels to move freely again which made a noticabl difference in drag. There was no way I would have made this climb without clearing that shit out! I pressed on and was very relieved to get over this pass as I knew the next two should be easier…

Stoney Pass

Surprisingly, this one was a rather small in distance and had switch backs with a nasty 7 to 8% grade for the duration. I was hoping it would be easier but I just kept in the granny gear and crept my way up. There was a small pullout with a tour van and as I slowly passed them and the woman said ‘Much Respect!’ Such a nice compliment… Now I have to motor all the way up without stopping otherwise she might take the comment back! 🙂

Thorofare Pass

I knew this pass was like 300 to 400 foot climb to the top. I was actually surprised when I reached it as it felt too easy. I thought for sure I would go around a bend and there would be more. But, my trip computer said I was there and so did the official signage!

Wonderlake Campground

I knew just after the 5 passes stood the Eielson visitor center. I wanted to take a break before doing the last 20 mostly downhill stretch to wonderlake.

I reached the visitor center and immediately saw Walt from igloo campground. I walk over and said hello and was like who are you? I jogged his memory and he then remembered. It was kind of funny actually. We exchange small talk and then I entered the center. I was really hoping for some coffee but unfortunately they don’t serve anything. They did have toilets and drinking fountain tho. So, I tooled around the interactive relief map, make a bathroom pitstop, filled up a water bottle and headed out. As I was rolling out I could hear Walt wishing me a safe journey. Very thoughtful.

I knocked out the next 8 miles before hitting a wall. I was feeling cold, and the constant up and downs were taking their toll. Not really physically but more mentally. I had really hoped this section would have been easier but it wasn’t. It was just a different kind of suck… The ‘I want this to end now’ kind of suck.

So I finally reach the entrance road to the campground. This road takes you 1 mile into the woods and drops the entire time at 8 to 9%. I immediately started doubting if I was ever going to be able to get out of here! Am I gonna need to plead to a outbound bus at the campground to haul my tired ass to igloo? Will I need to push my bike back up to the main road? I felt sick to my stomach actually. But then, up the road I see the two Czech guys Peter and Damon. They were both clapping and waving in jubilation that I made it! I stopped and they both gave me a celebratory fist pump followed by ‘did I see any wildlife?’ question. Haha. These poor guys really want to experience all the animals here in Alaska.

Camp

I wasn’t really sure where the camp sites were located as there wasn’t any clear markings when I meet two gentleman who were kind enough to lend a hand and point me in the right direction. I felt a little silly needing help but I was cold and mentally exhausted.

Most of the sites facing Denali mountain had already been claimed so I found a nice one on the interior. Easy to get the bike in, close to bathrooms and common area. I like it! I moved my food to the food storage shed and setup camp. I then changed into my cozy camp clothes (I love these prana Zion convertible pants) and headed off to make dinner.

I originally thought that I would eat two meals since I didn’t really have a proper lunch. However, I had a difficult time finishing just one due to my stomach feeling queasy. Then, during dinner the unthinkable happened.

The clouds covering up Denali’s peak disappeared and there she was in all of her glory! I ran out of the common area to snap some photos. Many of us were lined up to witness this. It was pretty amazing especially considering all the people I’ve spoken to who have come here and did not see the peak. That made my stomach feel a bit better and gave me a better outlook on climbing out of here on Monday. I’m one lucky dude to have witnessed this my first visit…

After gawking at Denali for a bit I figured it was only 7:45pm so I wrapped up dinner and went back to camp and decided to tend to my bike. She was in need of some TLC as she was coated in crud.

I began by knocking off at least a pound of mud from every crevasse could find. To help reduce the collection of mud I decided to move the fenders such that the distance between the tire and fender was greater. This should hopefully help reduce the amount that gets built up in there. And, it makes cleaning it out with a stick easier too should I need to do that down the road.

Around 9pm I started feeling hungry again so I made some coffee and enjoyed a slice of my shonu’s banana bread that she made especially for me! I made sure to save some for when I arrived at wonderlake so I can feel her here with me while I gaze at Mount Denali… Love you shons!

I lie in my sleeping bag at around 10:45pm reminiscing the days adventure. How it almost broke me but seeing Denali somehow made me realize I can make the climb out of here. I have what it takes to endure it and no matter how long it takes I will arrive at igloo… Ultimately, I can say with certainty, that today was an epic day that I shall never forget.