Good Night 2021 Roundup: Our Favorite Campouts (Part 1)

Header image by Joshua Meissner (@joshm.de)

For the second year running, we were delighted to see bikepackers around the world take on our Good Night challenge to spend one last night sleeping under the stars between Christmas and New Year’s Day. We watched as folks pedaled out for a final local, self-supported overnighter overnighter of 2021 on several continents and shared photos and videos via the #GoodNight2021Campout hashtag on Instagram. Several of us on the team managed to take part and ride out for a trip of our own, too.

To wrap things up as we make our way into the new year, we’re looking back at an assortment of our favorite Good Night 2021 campouts, and you can find the first group of them below. Everyone who registered their campout and tagged photos was also entered to win one of six prize packages from Big Agnes, Rockgeist, and Ultradynamico, and we’ll be announcing our randomly selected winners early next week. Thanks to everyone who joined in on the fun by participating this year, we’ve loved following your campouts!

Tia Evans

location New South Wales, Australia instagram @framework.designs

With Melbourne arguably being the most locked-down city in the world since the beginning of the pandemic, adventures were few and far between in 2021. Being lucky enough to leave not only our city but our state to go on this trip was extremely therapeutic and much needed!

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My partner Joel (@joelyswagman) and I set out from Blue Waterholes campground on December 30th, decked out entirely in bags I’d made for us, to ride a 50-kilometre loop in Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales. On the way to our evening’s destination, we encountered a vast horizon, wildflowers, sizable river crossings, historic huts, and hundreds of brumbies (wild horses), which are undoubtedly majestic but unfortunately also detrimental to the environment.

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We reached Old Currango Homestead, which was built in 1873, after riding gravel roads, doubletrack, and a hiking trail or two. We set up our tent, cooked dinner on the porch, made a fire, and spent the evening watching the sunset over the plains, reflecting on our ride and the year that was.

The next day was a short ride to complete the loop, ending the day with a dip in the freezing, alpine, blue waters back where we began.

Joshua Meissner

location Berlin, Germany instagram @joshm.de

As it turns out, my friend Emilie loves a good challenge. The prospect of soggy forests and freezing temperatures had us second-guessing our plan to camp out at the end of the year, but when I mentioned that our overnighter coincided with the Good Night 2021 campout challenge, her eyes lit up with excitement and any doubts we had evaporated. Fortified with purpose, we pedaled out of Berlin on the gravel Autobahn through the misty pine forests, splashing through the slushy puddles like kids in rain boots.

Winter camping is all about being cozy. Upon reaching the dry shelter, we filled our space for the night with candlelight and the steam of our pasta dinner. Hot apple cider kept us warm into the night as we shared a slide show of our memories—inspiration and adversity, dreams and fears, friendship and conflict. This year contained multitudes. One by one, the candles flickered out, and we drifted off into sleep.

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I like the German phrase zwischen den Jahren, which acknowledges this short season between Christmas and New Year’s Eve as a common liminal space in which we might slow down and reflect together on what we are thankful for and what’s changed in and around us before being flung headlong into the next year. This year, we needed that pause more than ever.

Trevor Browne

location Montreal, Canada instagram @messkitmagazine

Last year, we participated in the Good Night 2020 campout in less than desirable conditions. We’d been caught in a winter storm that was accompanied by freezing rain and gusts of heavy winds, and I wasn’t a seasoned winter camper yet. This year, the weather was on our side, we had learned from our mistakes, and we were going to be prepared.

It was a balmy -6ºC (21ºF) in Montreal and the sun was shining when the four of us met up at the base of Mount Royal overlooking the downtown area. We already had a feeling that this year was going to be a bit more enjoyable. We weren’t embarking on an epic route. Rather, it was more of a leisurely jaunt through the city, a brief stint in the suburbs, then creeping out along the St. Lawrence River over an ice bridge known as L’estacade that wound down to a narrow spit of land jutting along the river for 15 kilometres called the La Petite Voie du fleuve.

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A few curious locals had asked where we were headed with our 29er bikes loaded with saws and axes and all draped in Gore-Tex and puffy jackets. We nodded towards the river, indicating just over yonder. After about an hour and a half of chatting and catching up, we made it to the south shore of the river just as the sun was about to set. Large cargo ships chugged by at a slow pace. Fishermen sat in shacks on the frozen water, searching for their night’s dinner. The trail diverged from the snow-crusted bike path down into snowy singletrack along the icy shore.

We arrived at the same camping spot as last year, complete with a panoramic view of the distant city bathed in a gloaming light. In place of last year’s shared small hatchet, we used sharpened folding saws that breezed through cutting enough firewood to keep us warm all night. Instead of boiling old noodles, we opted for creamy soup and homemade pasta eaten out of grandpa-sized thermoses to keep us fed. A few local brews kept our spirits up. Insulated (and dry!) pants and jackets kept us cozy instead of shivering the night away. This year, our sleeping setups were dialed in to avoid waking up in a frozen puddle; some of us in a bivvy and tarp and others in full-on tent palaces that kept us cozy.

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As the fire crackled and the stars twinkled, we shared stories of the year’s ups and downs, failures and successes, and of course bantered over the latest Canadiens’ hockey rumours. For just a night, we forgot about what the world was experiencing and revelled in our good luck at being prepared for such a beautiful winter’s eve. Bonne nuit, 2021.

Michael Montemayor

location Borrego Springs, California instagram @jaboni_

It’s funny how timing works out sometimes. The week before Christmas, I was eager to head out to Phoenix to ride the Black Canyon Trail. Because of other commitments, that plan fell apart rather quickly. However, things came together, and I packed up my car to head out to Anza Borrego on December 26 on a solo adventure to ride the Anza-Hapaha Loop overnighter. Because of this change in plans, I was stoked about participating in the Good Night 2021 Campout.

The route had a bit of everything, and I had a lot of fun on this trip while also being tested and challenged. Sustained climbing, deep sand, interesting hike-a-bike/climb-a-bike in a couple of sections, smooth-rolling passages intertwined in serene beauty, and changing landscapes combined to create quite the adventure. One of the best parts was not seeing another human for more than 24 hours. The aloneness, isolation, and appropriate feeling of vulnerability contributed to an experience I won’t forget. It was an absolute privilege to disconnect and fully immerse myself in this local yet remote adventure.

Things got real once I exited Fish Creek and pulled onto the pavement. I encountered the worst headwind I’ve ever experienced and I was pedaling back to my car. The final 13 miles took somewhere between three and four hours as I had to battle an epic headwind straight on. It’s an interesting and humbling experience when pushing your bike on pavement.

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Returning home, I uploaded a post to Instagram to share my adventure using the #goodnight2021campout hashtag. It was terrific to see fellow bikepackers across the globe sharing their various adventures. I have to say that this community is impressive, and there was a feeling of togetherness, even though we were all in different places. The next day, I took my wife, daughter, and dogs back out to Anza Borrego for a family hike. The wind barely blew at all.

Rustam Sherifzyanov

location Moscow, Russia instagram @afr_les

I typically spend my birthdays in the forest with my friends, and in 2021, this tradition coincided with the Good Night 2021 campout. In addition to that, my friends and I finally managed to finish building our laavu, or lean-to. So, we were determined to celebrate all of that with an overnighter in the woods. Not just any woods, but lovely the Meshchyora, where our laavu is. This place is special because it’s the nearest wild nature area to Moscow, and also because it’s beautiful coniferous forests and there are rideable unpaved roads with no traffic: sand roads in the hot season, snow roads during winter.

We gathered all of the bikepacking and bike touring crew, every person who has something to do with the laavu or who dared to camp all year round. The idea of gathering in one place at the end rather than doing a group ride from start to finish was simple: you could choose your own way to get there. Some rode bikes, some skied, and my wife and kids simply walked. There’s a lot of snow this winter, and everyone got knee-deep snow powder for the final six-kilometer stretch. Those of us with bikes rode 35 kilometers on quiet roads and trails in addition to the hike-a-bike at the end.

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We also camped in different ways. Some slept in the laavu with just sleeping pads and sleeping bags, and others dug into the snow to set up their tents. It snowed a bunch that night, but we managed to ride our fatbikes on tracks that we made the previous day.

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Some winter bike overnight wisdom, if I may: you don’t need as many clothes and gear for it as you imagine. It’s a bit more than you’d take for a hot season overnight, but not dramatically more. Mainly, you need a bulkier warmer sleeping bag and a nice pad (or maybe two).

Next year, I’d like to camp near a frozen lake or river so we can ice skate a bit. Thanks to all of my badass winter outdoor activity friends for that soulful birthday party!

Dominik Haja

location Athens, Georgia instagram @dr_dommy_tsunami

The goal of our Good Night 2021 campout was to relax. Our last few overnighters, which featured ambitious elevation changes, slogs through mud, and misread cue sheets, settled into an unfortunate pattern: find the campsite at dusk, fail to light a fire, eat by headlamp, and go straight to sleep – only to rush the next morning because we managed just a fraction of our planned mileage the day before.

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This time was going to be different. The Lake Russell Wilderness Management Area is less than an hour away, and I’ve done enough day rides there to know there are plenty of crisscrossing gravel roads to make into an easy loop. There was no plan, no route, no campsite we needed to reach. We were just going to go ride bikes and sleep in the woods.

And relax we did! We had plenty of time to stop along the lake after our descent into the National Forest to strip off the new base layers we both bought for this trip because December in Georgia means biking in T-shirts and shorts. Time to take a detour along the ridgeline, only to have to double back because the trail map is incorrect and the road ends. Time to watch some gravel racers fly by us as we slowly grind up a hill, our bikes weighed down, and to chat with them as we borrow snacks from their conveniently placed SAG stop. Time to stop and read the worn gravestones in a 100-year-old homesteaders’ cemetery and shake our fists at Mary Brown for planting kudzu on her property in 1890 because the sun shone too brightly on her porch.

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We had time to pitch our tents by a babbling stream and to pick them up and move them to a better campsite across the road an hour later. To climb, unencumbered by gear, to find the perfect spot to watch the sunset. To listen to the woodpeckers shrieking and pecking, hunting for their last meal of the day. To sit by the campfire for hours, passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth. To say Good Night to 2021 and to look forward to the new year ahead.

Josh Kato

location North Cascades Highway, Washington instagram @joshkatobike

My wife Valerie and I were pretty eager to say goodnight to 2021. After another year of pandemic-ridden hospital work, we were looking forward to one final farewell to this year that seemed somehow more stressful and overwhelming than 2020.

Our final overnighter of 2021 was also designed to be a shakedown for our newly built Ventana El Gran Jefe fat tandem with a sweet Wren suspension fork to smooth out whatever bumps we encounter in 2022. We’d been hastily prepping for Jay Petervary’s Fat Pursuit in January, and I built the tandem up less than three weeks before the start of the race.

The temperatures at our home in the Methow Valley of Washington State were falling solidly to -15ºF (-26ºC). We chose a route up the North Cascades Highway, which is closed to cars in winter due to snow and avalanche hazards.

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As we gained elevation on the pass, temps were dropping into the -26ºF (-32ºC) region. Not wanting to make our final bikepacking trip of 2021 too miserable, we descended back to a reasonable elevation where we found temps of -15ºF (-26ºC). We pitched our Nemo tent, built a small fire, and snuggled into our zip-together sleeping bags for a beautiful, cold, relaxing night under the stars.

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In the end, we had a beautiful bikepacking finale to 2021. Unfortunately, we were unable to get to Jay’s Fat Pursuit due to a record-setting winter storm in our area that made travel to the race impossible. However, we look forward to many, many more outings out our big, purple tandem in this new year.

Rob and Dawn Rae Knoth

location Bend, Oregon instagram @robknoth instagram @dawnraek

Our Good Night 2021 campout was the fitting bookend to a fantastic year of memorable adventures. As Christmas approached, a winter storm descended. Snow blanketed the ground in town, and the familiar trails leading into the national forest turned from tacky dirt into slick snow and ice. Temperatures dropped into the teens, and the three of us looked at each other with skepticism about plans for a campout. The idea of pushing our bikes from the garage to the backyard and setting up a tent was floated and almost agreed on. The forecast was for the storm to only strengthen from Christmas onward to the new year. Dawn Rae and I went for a walk in our neighborhood and realized if we were going to do this, we needed to decide and act. Returning home, we quickly made a plan and set about packing. Max did a quick test of his narrow tires on the snow and ice-covered street in front of our house to validate it wouldn’t be a total disaster. By early afternoon, we headed out.

We rode when we could, pushed and walked when we couldn’t. The sun poked through the darkening clouds and made the blowing snow into a magical shower of diamonds. We laughed and cursed at our madness and the fact that we were knowingly heading into a snowstorm to spend the night. We opted for a spot in the national forest ridiculously close to home, but still feeling like “a ride.” After some frustrating bike-pushing, we arrived. Cognizant of our experience with a collapsed tent a year ago on the Good Night 2020 campout, Dawn Rae chose a sheltered grove of trees for our site. The tent was erected, sleeping mats inflated, water boiled for drinks and dinner, and we settled into our home away from home.

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Winter camping is synonymous with “the great lie down.” A lot of tent time creates its own space for creativity and contemplation. A solar-powered light cube, some board games and Christmas presents to play with, and good books filled the tent with warmth and joy. One by one, we drifted off to sleep, listening to snow slough off the tent in the darkness.

The night passed without event, and after a finger-numbing repacking of camp on our bikes, we were off. Whoops of joy and laughter at the ridiculousness of what we were doing echoed through the early rays of the morning and the snow-covered landscape. We rolled into our driveway, beaming with accomplishment—as individuals and as a team.

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That campout also completed a year of family bikepacking at least once per month. That project was inspired by our Good Night 2020 trip and was filled with many lessons, good and bad times, and a stronger connection to the world around us and each other. But that’s another story for another time…

Stay tuned for the second part of our Good Night 2021 roundup on Monday, as well as an announcement of the winners of this year’s prize packages from Big Agnes, Rockgeist, and Ultradynamico!

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