As we went to sleep at the end of Day 01, the last thing we saw before it got really dark were phalanxes of heavy metal magazine clouds descending with the last light of the sun. We’re talking End-of-Days clouds. And since these End-of-Days clouds were playing timpani drums to a hail, snow, hail, sleet, hail, freezing rain, snow, hail, snow free solo taking place directly over our campsite, you would be justified in labeling what was happening as a portentous atmospheric event. To put it another way: if you told me that the weather god in this zone had hired the same special effects team that did the end of the movie Ghostbusters, the team that made the top of the building look like it was mix of red and black explosions with bits of electric shrapnel flying off in every direction, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

Leading up to the trip the forecast looked dismal, downright depressing, just rows of crying clouds lined up over our travel dates. We knew what was coming, and what’s funny is for the first time in our Dead Reckoning lives we actually expected it. We squirreled gear away all over our bikes, extra gloves and socks stuffed into any empty nook, any spare cranny. We have learned that being cold and wet sucks, but being cold and wet without the prospect of getting warm and dry sucks so much more—at least 100 times more. So the group’s expectation for the following day was pretty low, low like the Christmas morning after your dad lost his job.

And then we woke up to the sun shining. We woke up to glorious snow-covered peaks and vibrant high alpine glacial valleys. We woke to our food being right where we left it, no bear surprise, no torrential rain, no deep blanketing of snow. We woke to exactly the opposite of what we expected.The power of positive thinking is a crock—long live the willing acceptance of the inevitable. Today was to be a pastoral highlight reel of the finest order.

You want to know how much of a dream-cum-reality day today was? As we were nearing the top of Iron Pass, Erik looked to a vast snow field high in the mountains to our right and said, “Hey Daniel, you should take a picture of that, and then when we get home we can photoshop us into the picture doing Powder 8 turns on our Fat Bikes.” Then we laughed, because that idea was absurd, and that’s how jokes work, they make you laugh. Thirty minutes later we were at the top of Iron Pass staring down a fresh, not too steep, not too treacherous couloir–let’s call this a Golden Retriever couloir–eyeing our lines for the Fat Bike Powder 8 World Championships. I mean COME ON. Erik could have said, “Hey Daniel, take a picture of Macho Man Randy Savage flying a rocket-powered jet ski alongside Pablo Picasso on a giant red flying toothbrush,” and there is no doubt in my mind that the Macho Man himself would have ridden his high-flying jet ski down from Wrestler Heaven, meeting Picasso on his way from Insane Art Man Heaven on Dali’s toothbrush, there is NO DOUBT that it would have happened. That’s how good the day was. Other really nice stuff happened too, but the pictures and the captions do a great job of explaining that.


So you think you've cracked the camp shoe problem. You've tried them all: slides, crocs, Bolivian house slippers, Tevas, etc. Each has a flaw: too much velcro, not enough stability, being Crocs, too in-home residential specific. And then you find Lunas, and Lunas have it all: no velcro to get snagged, gobs of stability, not Crocs, and they're made for the outdoors. This is something to get really excited about, and I know you are, you are really excited. But then again you haven't tried these babies on, in-situ. You get yourself out to the middle of Canada and your feet are numb from being cold and wet. You put on socks, maybe you put on two layers of socks. One thing about feet is that when they're numb, they don't un-numb immediately. So you have numb feet in two pairs of socks and you jam them into your Lunas. But Lunas require ninja socks, the split toe jobs, and your socks are not ninja. So your numb toes, your double socks, and your sandals have to make a compromise, and what they compromise on is comfort. And you thought this camp shoe solution was a shoe-in. The search continues.

Gear Tanning Time.

Why so sad?


The road wasn't a river of dog s^*t, but it had that consistency. And when a road has the consistency of a river of dog s^*t you try really hard to stay out of it.


Us: "Hey, this water looks neat, let's drink it."
The water: "Hey, I just floated through 300 yards of mining chemicals and mineral extraction refuse."


Kyle: "Hey Erik, how does your water taste?"
Erik: "Hmm, like a computer fire."


Sometimes you just have to trick it, ya know?

The Alpine Tundra Zone has a cool, short growing season. Mixed with high elevation, its rocky geography limits plant growth.


Just a couple pals in a glacial meadow below a snow-capped peak. Contact holler@yonderjournal.com for our full catalog of inspirational posters, cards, and computer desktop options.

The 2015 Fat Bike Powder 8 World Championships was off the chain!

A breathtaking view of a grizzly bear picnic ground. Speaking of which, has anyone seen The Running Man?

“Hey Boo Boo, let’s go get us a pic-a-nic basket.”

Daniel wanted to camp here, where we are standing, because at this time, on this day, in this spot, the light was UN-REAL. Like someone put a golden filter in the sky, and turns out the image value for any picture in this light goes up a hundredfold. A Buick becomes a Corvette. A squash becomes an apple. A Wednesday becomes a Friday. So yeah, it was good, but the rest of us wanted to get over there, that spot where we are pointing at because on the map it showed a little camp icon. When we got there it was dark, and so was Daniel's disposition.

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About Dead Reckoning
In order to evolve into the thinking, building, producing, consuming, ordering, planning, texting creatures we are today, sometimes we needed to pioneer a mountain. Complex culture depends on the exchange of everything, exchange depends on established connections, established connections depend on travel and movement, but there are always barriers. Mountains being one of the most impressive and iconic of the barrier class. They are fearsome and hazardous, and to tempt their transit can invite dire consequences, but as humans it is in our nature to cross mountains, we are driven to push boundaries, make discoveries, know the unknowable. We’re a risky lot, but any pioneer will tell you there is always something good on the other side of a mountain.

In 2015, Yonder Journal investigated, documented and published the possibilities of Over - Mountain exploration. We call this project Dead Reckoning. We applied the technologies and methodologies of adventure cycling, bike-packing, and ultra-lightweight-touring to multi-day-style expeditions with a focus on crossing mountains using a variety of both ancient and modern trade routes.

For complete coverage of this and other Dead Reckoning adventures visit www.YonderJournal.com.

Yonder Journal's Dead Reckoning is made possible by Specialized.
Major support provided by SRAM, ClifBar, and Mission Workshop.
Additional support provided by Porcelain Rocket, Outlier, Snow Peak, Oakley, Stumptown Coffee, Mountain Hardwear, Salewa, Poler, Causwell, and Mountain House.

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MENTIONS: @TyaxAir / @YonderJournal / @Specialized / @SramMedia / @CLIF / @oakley

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