We bikepacked 240 miles through MONTANA! (Great Divide Mountain Bike Route)

For the next 5 days, we're going to be bike packing 240 m across Montana, gaining about 17,000 ft in elevation as we ride through the mountains and pristine forests, along lakes, and stopping in small towns. All while carrying all of our gear and camping at night. Well, mostly. >> Tonight, we are staying in a jail. >> But we won't be doing it alone. Meet our friends Dan and Aaron. We met them for the first time back in 2020 when they showed us around their backyard in Montana and also taught us how to fly fish. And 5 years later, we're back for another adventure together. Dan will be joining us on this ride while Aaron will be helping shuttle us to and from the start and finish, plus providing us with some tasty treats. It's going to be an adventure full of highs. >> That was so much fun. >> And lows. I'm kind of at the point where I'm not even sure how I'm going to do all of this. And we can't think of a better way to explore more of this beautiful state. [Music] >> Bye. We're kicking off this bike packing adventure in Fortine, just 20 mi south of the Canadian border. And we'll be riding part of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route or GDMBBR, which runs 2,700 m from the Canadian Rockies to the Mexico border in New Mexico. However, we're just planning to tackle the 280 m section from Fortine to Lincoln. And today, our goal is to make it 55 mi to Upper Whitefish Lake. [Music] All right, we are on the trail. All the anticipation and buildup is finally here. Not going to lie, I am pretty nervous about this, which you may be thinking, shocker. She's always nervous about the big adventures. But we have only ever gone on one bike packing trip and it was 70 mi round trip. Just a one night trip. This trip is going to be so much longer with most days over 60 mi. So, it's probably going to be the most difficult thing we have ever done. My bike feels so heavy. >> I'm a tad nervous as well, but more just excitement and just excited to do something challenging. This adventure has been about 2 years in the making. We're finally making it happen. >> It's going to be fun. So, on our route today, we have two pretty big passes and we're about halfway up our first one now. And for my bike computer says it's about a 5 mile climb and it was about 1,200 ft >> overall. Yeah. >> I didn't know it was 12,200 ft. Oh boy. We've done a couple longer practice rides leading up to this, but our overall elevation for those 40 50 mile rides are usually like 1,000 ft. And we're doing 1,000 ft in 5 6 miles. It's a burner. >> I am strong. I am capable. I've got this. This is pretty tough. This last stretch, last quarter mile is a doozy. Super chunky. Super steep. Back tire keeps losing traction. [Music] Our [Music] route today skirts along the edge of Glacier National Park and we're just starting to get our first glimpses of some of its epic mountains. It's amazing out here. [Music] Between the amazing downhill and flat stretch we just had and seeing Glacier National Park, I'm basically high on life right now. This is incredible. [Music] We're about 33 miles in. So, we're slowly but surely getting there. And after a pretty long stretch without any water access, we were all very thirsty. So, we found this beautiful blue glacial river to take a quick pit stop at and filter some water and have some snacks because I'm pretty sure we have our second big climb coming up to get to camp. >> And the most important snack we have are scotcheroos, which are one of my favorite desserts. Aaron made us a ton of them for the trip, and I am so happy. They got a little melty, but that only makes them a little better. It's even better after biking 33 miles. So, we've gone a bit over 47 miles now, and this is the toughest thing we've ever done. Hlelujah. Oh, >> good job. So proud of you. >> Oh. Oh, >> that was painful. >> That was the hardest day of my entire life. [Music] Oh boy, what a day. We got up at 3:00, started biking at 10:45. >> 9:45. >> 9:45. And we didn't finish until 8. And to be honest, we thought we'd finish a lot earlier than that. The day started out, it started out great. I The excitement level was high. The ride was hard at first, but it was the scenery was great. We were just jazzed to be out there. The middle part of the day was my favorite part. It was so fun. The riding was amazing. And we got to see Glacier, which we didn't really know what to expect from the scenery on this ride, and that just completely blew us away. And then we stopped for snacks. And once we left the snack spot, things really just took a turn for me. Um, it was just nonstop steep the rest of the day. I thought we'd get a break. I thought we'd be more going more downhill. >> And it was just steep, steep, steep. I had to walk quite a bit. >> We both did. >> I almost cried five times. >> A lot of curse words. >> Yeah. Everything Everything hurts. Like my my body hurts. My I was not doing great emotionally or mentally. I was having a very very bad time. >> We were both like down in the dumps mentally. We were having a hard time. And usually on rides, it's my lower my bottom that's really hurting. But on this one, it was everything. Everything is sore right now. Hands, arms, back. >> I'm kind of at the point where I'm not even sure how I'm going to do all of this. >> You You She's giving herself a really hard time, but she did really good. It It This was really hard. I'm I'm proud of you. You like did a great job. >> Thanks. >> It was very hard. >> Thanks. >> You should be proud of yourself. We got here before dark. >> Well, >> the sun sets at 10:00, but >> but we made it before dark. >> This is what kept me going all day long. [Music] Good girl. Sleep [Music] tight. Don't let the grizzly bears bite. I got my my bear spray right next to my head if they even dare to try. [Music] pretty good this morning. I think some things are sore and some things are back to normal. The real test will be once I get on the bike though. [Music] Before we hop back onto the trail, we are making ourselves some element, which is a crucial item we packed for this bike packing trip. We are pushing our bodies really hard on this ride, harder than we ever have before and sweating a ton. And when you sweat, you lose electrolytes, primarily sodium. And if you do not replenish these electrolytes, you can suffer from headaches, muscle cramps, and fatigue, which can make being active and riding a bike and doing all the outdoor things way less fun. So, instead of only drinking just plain water while riding, we add in Element, which is an electrolyte drink mix with 1,00 milligrams of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium, and 60 milligs of magnesium without any sugar. And it's all in this small single serve packet, which is super easy to carry on all sorts of adventures, even when we're living off of our bike for 5 days. Element has a wide variety of flavors to choose from, including both fruity and chocolate, which have this perfect balance of sweet and salty. And to help you try a handful of them at once, Element is offering our viewers a free sample pack with any order, which now comes with two packets of each of their four most popular flavors: citrus salt, orange salt, watermelon salt, and raspberry salt. To get yours, head to drinklnt.com/k or scan the QR code on the screen. But now, it's time to get back on the bikes because we have 65 miles to our planned destination of Ferndale. And as we established yesterday, we move pretty slow. [Music] My body was feeling pretty good when I woke up and then when I sat on that bike it was like oh. Thankfully it is mostly a downhill ride today or at least the first part. [Music] We made it. Can you smell the coffee? >> Losting it your way. >> I need more than coffee right now. I need like a body transplant. >> One of the things we loved about Ragbr is that you get to stop in towns along the way and get a hot meal and treats. And along this route, we'll be going through various small towns. And this morning we made it to Whitefish. And our first order of business, coffee and some food. [Music] So Aaron stayed the night nearby so she can meet up with us this morning in Whitefish and just make sure we're doing okay. And she brought us a bag of all of our extra food that we did not have room for on the bikes yesterday. So, our next order of business is figuring out what of all of this we're going to take with us for the rest of our time and repacking it up. And also, a big perk of being in the town right now is that there are trash cans so we can dump our trash, which will be a huge help. [Music] >> Some place in here is where we'll end somewhere in the the uh the middle. And then the next day, we we would definitely be able to make it to sea league. >> Okay. I think I think we should get the booster. We also have a bit of change of plans. The next part of our route was going to take us through the Flathead Valley and we'd be biking on paved roads with a bunch of cars and that really just doesn't sound very fun. So Aaron is going to give us what we're calling a booster ride to Ferndale and from there we're going to ride as far as we can for the rest of the day. But before we start biking again, we have one more errand to run. Our campsite last night had a lot of mosquitoes and we decided to not bring bug spray which was not smart. So, we have to pick some up because I have a feeling tonight's site will also have a lot of mosquitoes. [Music] >> Bye, you guys. Woo! After about a 4-hour break, we are back on the bikes and we're starting off with a big challenge. We have a massive climb that's over 8 miles and over 1,800 ft of elevation gain. I took a little nap in the car, so I'm still kind of waking up from that. But our bodies did get a little refreshed after yesterday and we conquered those two clims. We're going to conquer this one, too. That was a doozy of a climb, but I will say my spirits are much, much, much higher today. With our new plan, we didn't really know where we'd end up today. So, we rode and rode until we couldn't anymore, hoping to find a spot to camp for the night. And things got a bit exciting along the way. >> We just saw our first bear of the trip. I was cruising downhill a little in front of everybody and coming around a curve. I heard something rustling in the in the forest on my right side. He was just 15 20 ft off the trail and heard him scurrying away and I started yelling at him and then he ran away. I was the only one that saw it, but it was definitely a black bear. Pretty scary, but pretty cool at the same time. We've just been stopped dead in our tracks. There's apparently a mama Grizz with some cubs just a little bit up the trail. Dan was a little bit ahead of us and he saw him. They didn't see him, so he came back to us and we're going to try to get by them as a group to hopefully kind of uh shoe them off the road safely. This is like my worst nightmare. Yeah, you don't want to see a mom and cubs. That's when things can get a little hairy. >> So, yeah, we'll get a little closer and then um about where I think I saw them, we'll start kind of airhoring a little bit and then we'll just wait and just see what happens. >> Okay. >> And then um we'll just go real slow. >> All right. >> Okay. >> It's those cubs that make me nervous. >> Yeah, >> cuz that mom can do anything. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Hey, that even scared me. I am so nervous right now. >> We all have bear spray on our bikes. >> How fast is your heart beating? [Applause] [Music] [Music] So, we had planned to find a spot to camp right along the route, and we had found the perfect spot right along a creek, which we need so we can fill up our water. But, it was so close to where we saw the grizzly bears, and I knew I would not sleep at all knowing they were lurking nearby. So, instead, we went about a mile off the route to the Cedar Creek campground. I think campground is kind of a generous term. It's basically just one site that has a fire ring, some pit toilets that are kind of tucked away and a lot of brush, so I'm not so sure I'll be making the trek out to them, and some stumps to sit on. And we are right along the creek, which is exactly what we needed. But before we set up our camp, we wanted to quickly show you how we've packed our bikes because this is our longest, mostly self-supported adventure we have ever been on, and we had a lot of stuff to bring. So on our handlebars, we both carry different items. On mine, I'm carrying our tent, which is the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 bike packing tent. I also have this little bag up here, which has one of our portable battery chargers, as well as a lot of our camera batteries. And then we both carry bear spray and a water bottle. And if you're wondering what this colorful little triangle is, it is a cool cloth, which I highly recommend for the ladies. It is this antimicrobial pea cloth. So, instead of using toilet paper, I use this, and it is amazing. It straps onto things. I love it. and we both carry a frame bag on our bike. And both of us carry our clothes in here. I have all of our cooking supplies as well as an extra jacket or two. And then Adam has all of our bike repair gear in his. And for bike packing, we both attach these racks to the back of our bikes. And on them, we have these SATA Summit bags which carry our sleeping quilts, our sleeping pads, our pillows, and an extra jacket. And on Adam's bag, we have this dry bag which is carrying all of our food and our scented items. And as you may notice, we do not have a bear can with us on this trip because we couldn't really figure out how to attach one. So instead, this is acting as our bear bag. And then Dan is going to hang it from a tree for us. And lastly, we both wear hit packs while we're riding. And in Adam's, we have the drone plus some extra camera batteries. And in mine, I kind of just have random little things like a flosser, sunscreen. My phone stays in here, my sunglasses sometimes goes in here. Just really anything that we might need to access quickly. We don't have to dig through everything else. Oh, and I forgot to mention, we also have a Garmin bike computer which we loaded the route onto. So that way we can see where we need to make turns. We can see how fast or in our case how slow we're going, plus the upcoming hills, which has been great to have that data, but also very daunting to know what's ahead. And then we also have our Garmin InReach Mini, which is our favorite just safety item to have on any outdoor adventure. On this you can text family and friends. So, we've been texting Aaron, we've been texting my mom, and there's an SOS button that you can press say something went really bad and we needed to get help. So, it just gives us a lot of peace of mind to have this with us anytime we are outdoors. [Music] [Applause] Now, for the part I've been looking forward to all day long. Woo! Woohoo! I'm also kind of dreading it at the same time getting in this water. I tried to get in the water last night at the campground and I went out there full expectation of getting totally in and I got out there and I got to my knees and I said, "No, can't do it. I'm going to get in at least waist deep tonight." Oh, [Applause] feels good and hurts at the same time. [Music] Today our goal is to get to Celely Lake if we can make it there. We'll have a much easier and much shorter final two days, which I am very much looking forward to. And there is something very delicious waiting for us when we get there. [Applause] [Music] The majority of our morning was spent riding through the trees with minimal views and some amazing downhill stretches, allowing us to focus more on getting in the miles and making lots of noise. >> This morning, we've seen quite a few piles of bear scat. We've been yelling a lot for the bears as we ride. It's kind of fun. It's not very often you get to just yell at the top of your lungs. And after 34 miles, we made it to the highway where once again we had a pivot in our route. We are just about at Holland Lake. And normally to get from Holland Lake to Celely Lake, you go through the national forest and on some single track, but we have decided to take the highway instead, which I know yesterday we said did not sound fun. And it still does not sound fun. But we just think we're going to be a lot quicker this way. So fingers crossed that all of the drivers are paying attention and see us and aren't distracted and it goes smoothly. [Music] Oh my gosh, we made it. We survived the highway. That was honestly kind of terrifying. Most cars did give us space. But even with space, when a car is whipping past you at 60 plus miles per hour, it is pretty scary. We're staying at the Tamarax Resort and apparently their tent sites are closed right now, but Aaron called ahead for us and begged them to just squeeze us in somewhere. So, I think we're going to camp somewhere on the lawn over here. So, we're going to set up camp and then we're going to head into town and absolutely feast. [Music] We are at the ice cream place in Cely Lake and I have been looking forward to this all day long. We got burgers, we got curly fries, we got mozzarella sticks, and we got huckleberry milkshakes. During the entire ride today, when I was feeling down, I would just whisper to myself, "Burger, huckleberry shake, curly fries," to motivate myself. And I really think at times I pedled harder because I knew that food was waiting for me. I'm so excited. >> That is so hitting the spot. >> Oh my gosh. And the best part, all of this was like $35, which means we can go get more. These curly fries are heaven. >> Oh my gosh. Mhm. >> Best meal I've ever had. [Music] >> It probably would have been cheaper to stay at a national forest campground tonight, but when we found out that this place had showers, we knew we had to stop here to get our first shower in days. We are covered in dirt, bug spray, sunscreen. We're completely disgusting. So, you do have to pay for the shower, but they offer free shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, plus towels, which is great because I did not have any of those things on the bike with me. Talk about feeling like a million bucks. I'm a new man. So clean. I don't stink anymore till tomorrow morning, I guess. [Music] We have a short and easier day today to Oando, which is around 30 mi. So, we got to sleep in, which was so nice. But before we hit the trail, we're stopping for some fuel. We got our caffeine and our carbs. [Music] So, what's pretty neat about this route is we've come across a few other cyclists along the way, but most of them have come from overseas. We've met some people from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and they were all doing the entire route, which is pretty cool. Another neat thing about this route is that there's a big race called the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race that started in early June. People go all the way from Bamp Canada to the US Mexico border in New Mexico. 2700 miles. It is a massive, massive journey. And actually this year a new record was set at just under 12 days, which is ridiculous. Just under 12 days to go 2,700 miles. These riders go so hard all day long and then they maybe take a nap for an hour or two and then get up and keep going. Oh man, it is so impressive. Not anything we're interested in doing at all, but man, just think about we're doing they do this in under a couple weeks, the whole thing. And we're doing not even the whole Montana section in 5 days. [Music] That was my favorite stretch of the entire trip. It was just miles of glorious downhill. I felt like I was flying. That was so much fun. We made it to Oando, which is the town we have been most excited to visit along this route. It is a super teenytiny, adorable western town with only a handful of buildings. But what makes it stand out is that they really cater to cyclists. They offer free tent camping on various lawns around town, have a porta potty, and have food storage lockers. Plus, for $5, you can stay in one of the unique structures that they offer, like a teepee or a wagon. But I think we got the best one of all because tonight we are staying in a jail. [Music] [Applause] [Music] So, this jail known as the Huskow was built in 1889 and is basically just this little wooden cabin. Over in this corner, they have a desk plus a lot of reading materials, which is a very nice touch. And then behind these bars is where we sleep. And these are our beds for the night. They're these hanging rope cotss that we will blow up our sleeping pads and just lay on them. And I am so excited. I don't know what to expect. It seems pretty sturdy for the most part. It also seems like it's going to be really dark in here, but they do have a lantern. We'll be having to supplement with our headlamps, I think. And one nice perk that I did not expect is that there are wall outlets here. I've yet to test if they work, but I'm assuming they do. And that is a very, very nice touch. This is so cool. I am so excited to stay in this. Out of all the structures, this is the one I wanted the most. The wagon was already taken, and I was so scared this one would be, too. But they have these little occupied signs that you put out front so people know if they're taken or not. And no one was in here, so it's ours. Never been so excited to go to jail. >> All right. >> Kind of scared the rope's going to pop the sleeping quilt. >> Ah, yeah. Right. Oh, yeah. This is actually really nice. >> Oh, this is actually really comfy. Kind of feels like we're in a hammock. >> Yeah. >> Oh, we're going to be so far away from each other. Last night you were basically laying on me. This is gonna be so nice. >> Oh man, >> this will be the best night of sleep of the trip. >> I'm mostly just excited to not have to set up the tent and tear it down in the morning. My little inmate. >> Yep. Seal mates. [Laughter] >> So, we got here a little bit before 2:30, which is our earliest finish of the trip. And Dan actually continued on to Lincoln to finish the route today. But we've learned that with this much elevation, 35 miles per day is kind of our limit. That gives us plenty of time to stop as much as we want and also to experience the towns and the sites along the way. So, for the rest of the day, we're going to wander around town, relax here at the jail, and feast on some local eats. [Music] Of course, we couldn't pass up some ice cream. [Music] We had a great rest of the day here in Oando. We met another cyclist named Paula who's actually cycled here from Seattle on a different route and it was just so inspiring to talk to her. And then we went to one of the only two restaurants in town and the only one open for dinner, Trixie, which is actually named after Trixie McCormack, who was a cowgirl and showwoman who bought the building in the 1960s for only a dollar and lived in it with her horse. It's a super neat local spot and we had some delicious burgers to fill us up before our final day of riding tomorrow. >> All right, enjoy your jail sentence. >> Good night. Good night, my jail mate. Love you. There's no one I'd rather be in jail with. >> Yeah, love you. >> How'd you sleep? >> Just about how you might expect to sleep in a jail. Not very good. >> This was our fourth night sleeping on these sleeping pads. And I think the combination of the sleeping pad plus the ropes. My back just needs a little bit more support. But I will say it stayed nice and warm in here. It's in the 40s outside, but it's a lot warmer in here. Overall, fun experience. But I am very much looking forward to our own bed tonight. [Music] We have 37 mi left to Lincoln with one final tough challenge before we get there. Climb up Huckleberry Pass. [Music] But before we got there, we went through rolling farmland illuminated by the morning light with beautiful homes, lots of cows, and a mountain backdrop which felt very Montana. [Music] Come on, legs. Power me up. Give me all you got. >> We are strong. We are capable. We've got this. Not much more. [Music] We made it to the top of the pass. And now we get to begin our descent into link Lincoln. I can't even think or talk right now. I am drained. Wow, what an adventure this has been. From an experience perspective, this route is everything we could have ever asked for. Incredible scenery. Stunning every single day. And then lots of little towns to stop in and get food, which is exactly how we like it. But it was completely out of our skill set. It pushed us in ways physically and mentally that I don't know if we've ever been pushed before. Between days one and two, I was very, very seriously considering stopping. But I'm just so proud of us for pushing through it and getting it done. We still have a little bit to go, but we are on the home stretch. Oh my gosh, we did it. >> So proud of you. Love you. >> I'm proud of you. Before we go, we want to give a huge thank you to Dan and Aaron for not only coordinating this ride, saving us from grizzlies and being patient with our very slow pace, but also for their incredible hospitality and for showing us around their backyard as we recovered from the ride, including somehow convincing us to hop on the bikes again just days later. We are so grateful that we said yes to an invite to Montana 5 years ago. This adventure would not have been the same without you. [Music]