My gear
I rode my Giant TCX2 with it's wide 35mm tires, outfitted with a rear rack and two homemade pannier bags. I also carried a small tent and a Thermorest sleep pad, In one bag I had a few clothes; underwear and socks and shirts. I took a poncho, which doubled as the groundcloth for the tent, and a light windbreaker (I can get very cold very fast) and toiletries, and firstaid kit. In the other bag was my spare tire, tubes and food. I had a lot of "bike fuel" snacks, but only carried two real meals for dinner each night. Flat bread, Vienna sausage, and a premixed packet of tuna salad. I wasn't cooking and would have no campfires. Lunch would be had while passing through towns. Each bag also carried a 32oz bottle of water, to supplement the two smaller water bottles on the bike. My bags, tent, and pad weighed 25 lbs minus water, almost 33lbs with the water. I skipped the sleeping bag, instead just taking an old sheet.
The first days ride would head out towards Rockmart and Cedartown GA and across the border into Alabama and the Talledega National Forest, near the Pinhoti hiking trail, (about 40 miles), where I would camp for the night. The second day I would continue west to Jacksonville Alabama, where I would have lunch and rest around noon. From there I would head out east behind Duggar Mountain along Co Rd 55 through the Talledega National Forest and camp again in the wilderness. (another 40 miles) The third day I would take Co Rd 49 north to it's intersection with the Chief Ladiga Trail near Borden Springs Alabama and head east back down the Silver Comet to Coot's lake where I started. (about 50 miles)
What worked, what didn't.
Most of my gear worked great, I'm not sure how the tent would handle rain. I wouldn't take a windbreaker next time, unless it was colder. I really overpacked on Clif bars, snacks and Gatorade mix packets. but otherwise food was not an issue. I would carry even less and just rely on buying in town each day. I would take some kind of packable pillow, since sleeping with my head on wadded up clothes was not comfortable, but the thermorest pad is super comfy. Taking the quart Gatorade bottles to carry water in each bag was a lifesaver. I had just enough water to get to my campsites each evening, and then back to civilization in the mornings.
The plan changed... After almost an hour of climbing my way up a road across the mountains, with really crazy drivers, and threatening clouds overhead. I turned back, towards Jacksonville and the safety of the trail. I just didn't think I was ready for hills that big. I probably was, but I didn't know and I sure didn't feel it, and so I just gave up. I will have to face this struggle again a few days later, while on a slightly different adventure. At this point, I have to ride back the way I came that morning, and find a camping site for the night. I did not have ONE map with all the information in a single place. The first day I rode past where I would need to camp, and had to ride back about 7 miles. And the second day I was probably only a mile short of finishing the hard climb outside of Jacksonville, when I turned around. Again I rode past the camping spot, but pressed on to a trail side camp on the far side of Cedartown. I would also liked to have had maps of the area around my route, as I might have gotten off the trail at a few points had I known towns were within ten miles or so.
The bike rode great, considering I was using a cyclocross bike for loaded touring. No flats. Loved the big fat round tires. I had put a kickstand on it, but the load was not balanced well, and it wanted to fall over, so usually I would just lean it against something. A double legged kickstand would be a wise investment for bike camping. I also learned early on that with a load on the bike, I had to unclip and put down both feet, every time I stopped. I could see where a front rack and handle bar bag could balance the weight better on the bike, and make it more convenient to get to maps, snacks, camera, and what not.
The Results
I had a great trip, that proved I can do this, and that I want to camp by bike. So, I am now beginning to plan my next bike camping tour. It may be a "door to door" trip , leaving from my house, with no driving at all, since I spent more on gas (and way too long driving) than the entire rest of the trip. I'm looking at maps and starting to think about Charleston, and maybe the Francis Marion National Forest. Who's in?
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