I’m pretty dialed in on equipment after my local bikepack adventure, so when my friend July suggested doing a bike tour up to the Kinetic Grand Championship, I jumped on the opportunity, even though I didn’t have time to do the whole ride.
(KGC is a glorious event I’ve participated in a number of times. I’m realizing I’ve never written anything up about it, an omission I should probably address).
July had to change their start date in order to finish graduating from their masters’ program (congrats, and Go Bears!), so it turned out we’d only be able to ride together on day 1. Still, any excuse to ride bikes. We’d start with taking the SMART train up to Santa Rosa, then I’d peel off in Cloverdale and camp at the hike-in site at Lake Sonoma while July and their crew headed up north. Then I’d cross over Sonoma Valley to The Geysers, where I was planning to wild camp on BLM land on the ridge. After that I’d head south through Alexander Valley to Napa, where I’d meet Nancy for yurt camping at Bothe-Napa State Park. (Highly recommended for those who enjoy sleeping in the woods but not sleeping on the ground).
Unlike my last trip, this time the weather was predicted to be warm and dry, which allowed me to jettison my tent’s rain fly and other rain gear. I had to add a 1.5L Dasani bottle; I’d be camping without access to water on night 2, and it would be hot.
I didn’t weigh the rig this time but it was probably under 30 pounds of gear, not including water.