Bikepacking: Tub Lake and humankind's (2nd) greatest invention.

Tub Lake is a small lake in the CNNF that I ride by quite a bit on the way to Delta.  I decided to go bikepacking there this week.

See my Youtube video of the trip:

Or read on for some deep thoughts on rum and bug netting:

This shirt reminds me of something my grandpa would wear.  Just to do him proud I got it at the thrift store too.  

A few trees (mostly maples and birches) are already starting to turn.  Fall comes early to northern Wisconsin.

During the summer Indian Pipe (this plant) has a head that droops down.  Later in the summer things straighten out 

Tub Lake

Home for the night

Instant mashed potatoes: it's what's for dinner

My kitchen for the evening

Making hot chocolate

Sitting enjoying my hot chocolate I took this selfie.  It looks as if I just noticed a dump truck bearing down on me and I've gone deer-in-the-headlights.

It's only logical that on a bikepacking trip you'd want to limit your weight.  Well, when at home I knew I would want a little rum in my hot chocolate.  But in order to have just a little I had to bring a container for the rum and the only metal container (carrying alcohol in plastic freaks me out a bit) container I had was a water bottle that was much bigger than necessary.  And a few years back I made a nifty mug out of an old metal water bottle - so I might as well bring that too.  Technically I could have had my chocolate out of my pot but that would take all the joy out of sitting in the woods sipping on a hot beverage.  So anyway I poured a couple of ounces of rum into the bottle looked at how much space was left.  My thought process went something like this:  I'm already going to the trouble of carrying the weight and bulk of this bottle - what's a few more ounces of rum?  It'd be silly not to put a little more in.  So I did.  In camp after supper had been eaten and I was making the hot chocolate I put in about as much rum as I thought I'd want.  I used half of what I had.  My thought process went something like this: I carried this all this way, and if I don't use it (or dump on the ground) I'll just have to carry it home.  I don't want to waste it and I don't want to carry it home.  It'd be silly to pour it anywhere but into my mug.   So that's what I did - and though I was worried that not putting it into my mug would be silly it was only after I drank all the rum that things got a bit silly.

I've been using a Steripen to sterilize my water.  It does a good job and I don't really have any complaints...it works by zapping all the nasties in the water with a UV light, but it doesn't filter it.  So if the water source tastes bad it doesn't really do anything about the taste - even though it may be safe to drink.  You probably already guessed why I am bringing this up - the water in Tub Lake tasted pretty gross.

The view from my bed in the morning.  (BTW a good photographer knows to focus on what's important.  We tend not to think about it much but bug netting is truly a marvel.  How many times have campers fled to their tents when they hear the intensifying thrum of mosquitos at dusk?  Now imagine you couldn't escape - or at least that if you did have a place to go it had to be solid material with no windows or ventilation.  How did people live without bug netting?  Forget cars and space travel, bug netting is humankind's greatest invention...next to the bicycle of course.  Actually the auto focus of my camera just focused on the bug netting when I rather it focused on the trees.  But bug netting really is amazing stuff)

In the morning I decided the walk around the lake.  In a couple of spots I noticed where trees had grown up around a stump, then the stump rotted away...

...and one where the stump was in the process of rotting away

This is a pretty decent opportunity to tell you the gear that kept me comfortable throughout the harrowing 57 degree, clear night.  Handlebars: the maroon bag (peeking out from behind my helmet) had my underquilt it it.  On the top side of my handlebars (a little camouflaged against the garage door) is my Crazy Creek chair.  I use (and love) Surly Moloko Bars and in addition to being extraordinary comfortable (because of the 34* sweep) they are great for strapping on stuff.  It's kinda hiding in the picture but on the right side of my front wheel is a Salsa Anything Cage with my tarp strapped to it.  Top tube bag/Gas tank: camera and few camera accessories, Leatherman Squirt Multitool, bike multitool.  Frame bag (still going strong even though I made it [and it was the first one I ever made] almost 15 years ago): various stuff such as bike pump, snacks, tripod, map, bug spray, bear spray (I haven't used it at all since I got it 5 years ago, I dunno if it even still works and, to be honest, I'm more scared of bugs) SPOT, sheath knife, folding saw, chain lube, shit kit) The brown bag under my down tube is a homemade job holding a 32 oz. nalgene.  The small yellow bag under my seat is a spare tube.  I also have a small black bag that rides under my seat containing tool (tire irons, a few extra links of chain, patch kit).  On my rack: blue bag - hammock, purple bag - top quilt, grey panniers (there's also one of the far side exactly the same that you can't see) general camping stuff (food, rum, first aid kit, Steripen, pot/stove/fuel, bear bag, solar light.  On the ground is my waist pack primarily containing clothes but also my headlamp and wallet.

Pine Lake Bikepacking

Pete parked in our driveway and we worked on getting ready to bikepack up to Pine Lake.  Pine Lake is a little lake in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest maybe 13 miles from our place.  While we were getting ready a cloudburst let loose.  It was a mostly clear day and no rain had been predicted.  We just stayed under the porch and continued getting ready.  After a bit we had everything on our bikes and were ready to take off - thankfully the rain had quit and things were sunny again.

About 5 minutes down the trail it started to rain again.  So we hunkered underneath a pavilion for a few minutes - and then kept riding under blue skies.

Both of us were riding Surly Krampugs.  Both of us also hate wearing too much on your back.  Pete had a small camera bag on his back (he'd taken it off during this picture) and I was wearing this kind of oversized waist pack thing.

Another cloudburst rolls to the south of us.  Thankfully it missed us because 1) from here on out we had no more shelters to hide under and 2) I had gone like a moron and not put any of my gear in dry bags.

The ~400 foot climb in the CNNF starts

Nearing our campsite at Pine Lake

Home for the night.  

Post-sunset light on Pine Lake 

I set up just off of the clearing where Pete had set up his tent

A time lapse of taking down my hammock and putting all of my gear on the bike.

Unfortunately we didn't get to see the maker of the tracks.  This is bear hunting country (which, I gotta say, I have mixed feeling about especially because they use dogs) and that means that the vast majority of bears around here are terrified of humans - the few I've seen I've mostly come upon and surprised them (if they knew I was there they would have made themselves scarce before I could see them) and have all but turned themselves inside out to put distance between us.   I admit that I kinda like bears being scared of me.

The last several miles were on the Tri-County Corridor.