Team Hillbilly Attempts the Tour of Idaho (2018)

A rundown of what happened . . . 

It had been my plan to do a blog post about each day on the Tour of Idaho but I felt like it was important that I get my words written down sooner than later. As a result, this post is a day-by-day recount of Team Hillbilly’s (Jeff Stoess & Kent Anness) attempt at the Tour of Idaho in late-August of 2018. Things we going very well up until Day 7 when the weather and bike issues caused our effort to be cut short. We still rode over 1,300 miles of primarily trails and dirt roads and the experience was unforgettable to say the least. Jeff and I will remember these 7 day for years to come.

The narrative below just scratches the surface but should give you a good idea of what we experienced. I’ve certainly left out a great amount of detail and I suspect there are folks that I failed to acknowledge. Enjoy!

Day 1 – Acclimation

After many months of preparation we were standing near the Utah line with Martin, the primary organizer of this “thing they call the Tour of Idaho” getting ready to depart on Day 1. It all came down to this moment as we passed through a cattle gate and onto a barely lit landscape just outside of Malad City, Idaho. Onward!

Day 1 was a blast other than the dust. We decided very early on that keeping some distance between us would be necessary if our bikes and lungs were to survive. This strategy served us well throughout our attempt. The climbs on Day 1 aren’t especially challenging but they are long. I mean 2,000′ plus on a single climb. Up, up, up! A wide variety of riding conditions makes for a good intro to riding out west.

We made it to the flagpole at a reasonable hour and were welcomed with the “Legend of Daniel Boone” playing in the background. A few moments later we were being interviewed by Martin while wearing coon-skin caps and drinking Ale-8-one’s . . . well Jeff had one, but I didn’t. He certainly made us feel welcome!

We took the second day off in Pocatello as recommended, gathered up supplemental challenge points, and had Jeff’s blown fork seal fixed. I’m glad we decided to take a break as Day 2 is brutally long and it crosses the desert just east of Crater’s of the Moon.

Day 2 – The Grind

We experienced significant weather and elevation extremes on Day 2 of the Tour. Our morning started in pouring rain at 5:15am (yes, in the dark), climaxed with hail, sleet, and snow, and then warmed up with dry air just south of the desert at American Falls.

The views from the ridges just south of American Falls were wonderful. We were starting to warm up and the promise of a good lunch kept us on the go. The sandwiches at the shop in town were great and other supplies were plentiful. A couple folks inquired about our effort and where we were headed.

I’d worried for weeks about the heat of the desert on Day 2 but it was hardly 80 that day and on top of that it was cloudy. This may have been bad karma . . . we’d pay dearly a few days later for this good fortune.

The last four hours of Day 2 are just terrible. No words can explain the god forsaken terrain and how Martin created such an evil route across that totally worthless landscape. Like Jimmy said, “I love riding motorcycles but maybe not that much . . .” This is how I felt about Day 2. I think we spent over 13 hours in the saddle that day and covered over 280 miles.

Day 3 – Singletrack!

Unfortunately, I only slept about 3 hours that night. I can’t really explain why but it certainly didn’t help me on Day 3. Once again, we started out with our headlights  in the ON position when leaving Arco for Smiley Creek. It was cold that morning and we crept along trying to stay warm. Mountain passes, stupendous views, our first awesome singletrack, and a changing landscape were the treats of the day.

By early afternoon we were riding on the backside of Smiley Creek. I’d ridden this area a couple times over the years and looked forward to seeing it all again. We had a hold up due to me temporarily losing my Klim Traverse Jacket but otherwise we just rode a steady pace and had a great time.

The day ended with Jeff looking at his watch and realizing that the pumps at Smiley Creek might close before we got there. He went into race mode with about 30 minutes to go and sprinted to the pumps. I didn’t realize what he’d done until about 15 minutes later and then I noticed the time as well. I was going 73mph down the pavement just before Smiley Creek lodge trying to get there before our only option for gas closed. Jeff was standing there, but come to find out they were to be open another hour! That just meant that we got to eat a few minutes earlier than expected.

Dos Rangers were hanging out at Smiley Creek and joined us for dinner. Also, Jeff found a phone lying in the desert on Day 2. Crazy enough, it was James’s phone. Its really a small world folks. I had trouble eating dinner that evening and once again I slept less than 3 hours. Argh. Not good.

Day 4 – Great Views Shrouded in Smoke

On Day 4 we had to skirt around a fire early in the morning. The smell of smoke was in the air and the horizon was smoky too. Not the best for viewing the landscape. The well-maintained Boulder Creek trails were fun and the jaunt up to Railroad Ridge was so much faster than doing it in a truck! I love that place up there but the lack of wildflowers was a bit of bummer. Jeff did see a big bear on the way down though. He said they were both shocked at the sight of each other.

Lunch at the Old Sawmill Station was great and it gave me a chance to hydrate well for the rest of the day. Make sure to get one of their breakfast burritos . . . it was really good and filling. What a great day!

From there, we climbed up and over Cinnabar and down Five Mile to old Custer Motorway for a bit. The route took us out Eleven Mile and then over some Forest Service roads and quad trails up to Ramshorn Peak. That’s a cool place for sure. We got into Challis early and stocked up at the grocery store. Dinner was good and just around the corner from our rooms.

Day 5 – Transfer Day

As Martin stated, Day 5 became a de facto transfer day with a major re-route around the Rabbit Foot Fire. The view from Twin Peaks Lookout was breathtaking and the Darling Creek singletrack trail was fun to ride. What a morning!

The middle of Day 5 was centered around getting into and out of Salmon, Idaho on the pavement. Yuck.  Some nice mountain fire roads rounded out the day on our ascent down to the Salmon River. From there we rode through Shoup and eastward over to North Fork for the evening. The scenery was great but the whole re-route meant we’d missed some nice singletrack and damaged our tires on the pavement.

The development down at North Fork is very nice. The store, the grill, and the gas pumps are well-situated there on the river. The rooms are super nice and the food was wonderful. You even get a muffin and a yogurt with your overnight stay. Kim and I will be going there next year for sure.
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Day 6 – The Forest Changes

We quietly rolled out of North Fork at about 6:15 . . . it was really dark and our helmet lights and headlights were working overtime. The first challenge point was easily accessible via some fire roads and from there we made our way to some very nice singletrack that runs along the Montana/Idaho border. . . it is aptly named the Divide Trail.

A light rain began to fall as we finished up the last few miles of the Divide Trail. By the time we reached the Nez Perce Pass the precipitation was steady and the temperature was dropping. My gloves were wet but my core body temperature was just fine as we made our way to the Magruder Corridor through the Frank Church Wilderness. Martin’s description of it being the longest, most dangerous dirt road in the US is right on target. The number of blind turns is staggering. I’m sure the terrain is beautiful, but on that day it was all shrouded in fog and clouds . . . damp and cold.

After what seemed like an eternity we finally made it to Elk City. The temperature was dropping and the clouds ahead looked ominous. The locals were talking about snow at the higher elevations. We picked up a couple rain suits to go over our gear, got some good food, and headed out on some FS roads with an aim of getting to Lowell within the next 2-3 hours.

Our run into Lowell was not smooth or straightforward. We’d worked on a re-route the day before knowing that a road had been closed on the regular route. Little did we know that we’d also taken a dead end trail where Roger and Randy had ended their second tour attempt just a few days prior to our arrival. The rain had just set in when we realized that we were going the wrong way. We quickly regrouped and found our way onto the correct roadway that led down to the Selway River. After a few miles of pavement we made it into Lowell with our saturated gear.

We got checked into our rooms, took a shower, and went to the diner for a warm meal. I got the open-faced roast beef sandwich with potatoes and gravy. It really hit the spot and warmed me up nicely. The weather forecast wasn’t looking good for that evening or tomorrow and our gear was wet. The nice folks at the Wilderness Inn let us use their clothes dryer and the hair dryers in the rooms worked well on drying out our boots. We were ready for another day in the saddle.

Day 7 – The Beginning of the End

It was still dark outside when I grabbed my new rain suit that I got in Elk City the day before. The pants were tight over my Dakar riding pants but the jacket worked really well from a fit perspective. The forecast was terrible. Rain, rain, and more rain was on the agenda. I’d layered up for the day with a merino wool base layer, a fleece layer under my Dakar Pro jersey, my Klim GoreTex Traverse Jacket and the rain jacket over that. My merino wool KUIU socks were warm and dry and my Klim Dakar pants were covered with the lower half of my rain suit. It was unfortunate, but all this comfort diminished quickly as we rode off into the rain soaked forest.

The landscape had started to change late in the afternoon of Day 6. We were at lower elevations and the Lodgepole and Ponderosa Pines of central Idaho were no longer present. Western Hemlock and Western Cedar were mixed with spruce and fir and a healthy dose of thick brush and undergrowth. Ferns that were shoulder high lined the trail and moss was thick on the ground, trees, and rocks. We were now in a more temperate forest which is something I’d looked forward to for many months.

My Klim Windstopper gloves which had worked wonderfully on the cold but dry mornings were now saturated and heavy. My hands became increasingly cold as we gained elevation. We were stopping about every 15 minutes or so to warm up our hands. No one should make fun of grip heaters on a dirt bike. Jeff’s setup was insuring that the palms of his hands were warm on the controls. Good call on his part. The heavy brush along the trails and the tight fit of the rain pants contributed to their early demise. A couple tears plus a split crotch area meant they were useless within an hour.

It was mid-morning when we reached the Fish Butte trail. My hands were numb, each boot felt like it had a half-gallon of water in it, and my legs were soaked. The temperature was around 40 degrees and it was only going to get colder as we gained elevation. Realizing how many miles were left and taking into account my condition, I decided to stop and find my way back to pavement and then to Lochsa. Jeff and I discussed my decision and he wanted to ford onward. He proceeded on the route and I back tracked to the gravel and then down to the pavement near where we’d started that morning.

I was done. Deciding to quit was very difficult, but I knew that for me, it was the right thing to do. Hypothermia is not something you want to mess with and the conditions were ideal for its onset. Much of the next few hours was spent stewing over my decision and wondering how Jeff was doing out there in the forest. Did I do the right thing? Did he do the right thing?

I then had to ride 70 miles of pavement to Lochsa where Jeff would end up that evening. It rained on and off the whole way which didn’t help my body temperature. After topping the bike off with gas I was told by the folks in the store to go into the Lodge and warm up. It took a good 36+ hours for my chills to subside.

What I didn’t know was what Jeff was going through. A couple hours after us splitting up he turned off his bike to work on the final Ant Hill switchback. He used a stick to dig out a trench in the wet soil but when he tried to start his bike, nothing happened. The ignition switch was saturated and he was stuck in the forest about 8 miles from the nearest road. He first hit the pre-programmed “Help” button on his SPOT and then later the SOS when conditions worsened on his hike out.

The lady at front desk at the Lochsa Lodge brought the phone over to me and it was Randy. I hadn’t had internet or cell service so I wasn’t aware of what had happened to Jeff until that moment. Several folks were working together to monitor the situation and get the help that was needed. His SPOT didn’t have two-way communications so they figured he’d fallen off of Ant Hill but they could see he was moving. That was a positive sign.

At least four hours after that, I get a call from Jeff. He’s just hiked 8 miles in riding boots and was wet and cold. An Idaho Fish & Game officer was bringing him to the Lodge. He got there in time for a shower, quick dinner, and some dry clothes. A nice lady took us into Lolo for the evening as the Lodge was booked and we were not prepared to camp out in the rain. The generosity and sincere concern shown by the staff at the Lochsa Lodge was outstanding.

I’m not going into detail, but it took us 13+ hours two days later to retrieve Jeff’s bike. That’s a whole other story in itself!

The Aftermath

Dealing with the cold temperatures wouldn’t have been a problem. Handling the rain when it is above 60 degrees wouldn’t have been an issue either, but the combination of wet and cold did me in. The same wet conditions are what led to the failure of Jeff’s ignition switch. Luck just wasn’t with us that day . . . maybe it was a payback for having comfortable weather in the desert on Day 2. Who knows. Regardless, our failure was not due to lack of effort, poor planning, navigation issues, or physical exhaustion.

In the end, my bike did great, my gear held up, physically I did very well, but mentally it was very difficult. I can’t put my finger on one particular thing but it certainly was a lot to deal with on a daily basis. It was good though, a true challenge in many ways.

First and foremost, I must thank Kim for putting up with me and this whole ordeal. She’s been super supportive and understanding since I decided to take this on back in 2017. I’m a very lucky man.

Jeff and I talked about this a lot and when it comes right down to it, we don’t know many people that possess all the qualities necessary to even attempt the Tour of Idaho. It is more than just a long motorcycle ride. It’s an adventure that requires the use of a motorcycle. Jeff was the best partner anyone could ask for on an adventure of this sort. Spending those 7 days with him confirmed this time and time again.

I know lots of folks were cheering us on but Randy and Roger were really rooting for us and monitoring our progress. Thanks for looking over us guys! (By the way, this is all Randy’s fault . . . )

And finally, thanks to Martin and all of the other folks that chip in to make sure the Tour is a reality. They are truly giving individuals and their generosity is greatly appreciated.

Stay tuned as I’ll posting about what worked and what didn’t.

Jeff’s Tour of Idaho Video Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp6-QbRLhwFtmXxlCCx7DLwIKkpmPWXOs

Kent’s Tour of Idaho Video Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWrtcO7NHFhSio56r-_LjBAOJKYCgEs_4

See you on the trail!