Weekend Snapshot

Folks from around our global bikepacking community were out riding to commemorate the recent solstice weekend, and we selected picked three submissions from the Northern Hemisphere for today’s summery Weekend Snapshot. Enjoy a sampling of trips from Canada’s Prairie Provinces, colorful Colorado, and a quiet corner of Germany below. Plus, if you haven’t already, we hope you’ll consider sharing a scene from a recent ride using the short form at the bottom of this post.

Nederland, Colorado

By Ryan White

A dozen riders from the Front Range Overnighter Club took off from the famed Tin Shed bike shop in Nederland, Colorado, for a glorious afternoon of winding our way up into the mountains above the quirky mountain town toward the ghost town of Caribou. Our loop took us north of town via quiet back roads and brief sections of the Peak to Peak Highway before turning back toward town via increasingly chunky forest service road, climbing up to camp along Caribou Creek (utilizing research and route suggestions from the Boulder Weekend Loop). We set up camp and walked down the hill to the creek to soak in one of the longest days of the year and appreciate how lucky we are to live in such close proximity to beautiful and remote-feeling places. After a night chatting and getting to know each other, we woke up the next morning and took our coffee by the creek, soaking in our lack of cell service before heading back down to Nederland.

Alberta, Canada

By Guy Stuart

This double rainbow was captured at sunrise from our camp near the North Saskatchewan River. It was the last morning of a successful three-day trail scouting trip with friends on the summer solstice weekend. The early morning scattered clouds and showers combined with the fresh snow on the Rockies to frame the rainbows. The scent of the wolf willow bushes behind our tents added to this unforgettable scene.

Brandenburg, Germany

By Gregor Rahn

Last month, a friend and I grabbed our bikes to tour Josh Meissner’s Havel Wetland Wander. In terms of good luck, I happened to get a Monday off, so we could circumvent Berlin weekend crowds. We found a tranquil Brandenburg asleep on a sun-blazed Sunday, as if waiting for our sand-crushing tires. With my friend having raced the 200 kilometers from Dresden just the day before, we started at a slower pace than usual. It had been a long time since we spent so much time together by ourselves, so we comfortably chatted during the ride and night. The bivouac we stopped at after 120 kilometres was as empty as the land we toured, so we could happily dip naked into the river Havel. What a refreshing relief after a long day in the saddle. The next day was short-lived as we parted again in Brandenburg, him racing back to Dresden and me making my way to Berlin’s border town, Spandau (because Spandau ain’t Berlin).

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...

28

Inspiration

Time Travelers: Back to the Present Moment

73

Inspiration

Back to Basics on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

16

ROUTE

Havel Wetland Wander

2

Dispatch

A Special 100th Edition of Weekend Snapshot

23

Inspiration

In Admiration of Hazel and Margo (Lessons from the Trail)

81

ROUTE

Boulder Weekend Loop

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.