The gnarliest gravel I’ve ever done on my gravel bike. And the longest 30 mile ride I’ve ever done. Overnight and into the morning, it was quite windy. The windchill was such that no one wanted to leave their tents in the morning and we ended up starting late. But by the time we did, it had warmed up to the point where we no longer needed any extra layers. Before we left, the next people to book the campsite had already showed up. The first part of Echo Canyon last night seemed chunky but today was much, much, worse. Fewer cars travel this section, really it’s just 4X4’s, so everything was chunkier and gnarlier. I don’t know if you can still call it gravel. It’s just straight rocks and rock gardens, and we had to climb 10 miles of it to get to the top. Because of our late start yesterday, we didn’t get as far up the canyon as we were supposed to so we were much further from the water drop too. I think we were about 20 miles from the water and Emily and I were nearly out. Luckily, some Jeeps were coming through and we asked the first if they had any water they could spare. The generously gave us a new 3 gallon jug, which honestly saved us. I don’t know how we would’ve made it without it. Just shy of the top, both of Sam’s quads cramped up very painfully. Once we got to the top, we were supposed to have a long descent and then flat miles to water. Easy! The problem was the trail was just as rocky and gnarly as on the way up. By the time I got to the bottom, my arms and upper body were so tired from all the bumps. I was really wishing I had brought my MTB. I just would’ve had to buy a lot of stuff to have setup for bikepacking. And the flat part of the route was also a mix of really chunky rocks and very sandy sections. My upper body was just too fried to deal with it. And once again, the sun had set before we made it to our campsite, which by default ended up being the spot where our water cache was. We would’ve loved to have camped earlier if we had water. I had my first dehydrated meal - Chicken Gumbo. I was so looking forward to it and it never occurred to me that it might be spicy. 🤦🏻‍♂️ It was also not salty enough. I tried powering through since I needed the food but I just couldn’t. I ended up trading with Emily and having her Risotto with Chicken. I wasn’t the only one to make poor choices. Pro tip - don’t get the Backpacker’s Pantry Green Curry. Sam’s mashed potatoes and gravy were pretty yummy. And also nice and salty. 📷 - Irene