| Month | Activity |
|---|---|
| January | Off |
| February | Off |
| March | Off |
| April | 1-3 day trips <3 hours away by car |
| May | lower-elevations, southern, deserts |
| June | mid-elevations, tour divide (gdmbr) |
| July | alpine, northern routes |
| August | alpine, northern routes |
| September | lower-elevations, southern, deserts |
| October | lower-elevations, southern, deserts |
| November | Off |
| December | Off |
Having an annual cycle is one requirement for packing correctly. Do I need three-season, all-season, or no tent, for example. How many layers do I need to carry around with me? What affect will the temperature have on my battery usage?
Even though I’ve comfortably managed the Winter months in North Carolina, living outside in the Winter anywhere in the United States makes doing everything a lot more difficult. Something as simple as keeping my hands and computer warm enough to type and work get really hard. Plus, sitting on one place for a long time already makes blood circulation tough. Then there is the snow and ice issue. During the Winter months, everything has a layer of frost on it every morning, including all the tech gear. So far I haven’t lost any gear from it, but this really adds to the risk that I just won’t be able to work one morning. That’s not a conversation I want to have with my manager.
“Um, my computer died and I need a new one.”
“Sorry to hear it, what happened?”
“It froze while I was trying to use it outside in December.”
“Oh.” (Silently wonders why this tech guy would do something so stupid.) “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” (Makes a note to discuss “problem” later.)
In fact, it is very likely that HR has a hard-line requirement for remote employees to have a permanent desk at which they can work. I’d rather not discover that the hard way.
I remember having to wear a parka under my Halloween costume growing up in Utah. I always hated it. I can’t look like a bad ass Jedi master with a punch of puffy clothing under my robes.
Halloween is really the boundary between chilling and cold in most of the United States. Obviously, the geography plays a major role here. But, for practical purposes October 31st really works as the last day I want to be spending nights in my tent or car.
I have big things I need to do, like catch up on some work training, or get a bunch of dental work done, do my doctor checkups for Melanoma, and all the rest.
I can still do weekend trips at home. I can also just train indoors on Zwift.
I have watched so many Tour Divide videos and read so many travel blogs that it has become overwhelmingly clear that I don’t want to be anywhere near the highest GDMBR elevations in May or even June. In 2021 11 people were emergency evacuated. In 2024 the entire field was covered in a massive snow storm. Even with full gear living, let alone working, during that is pretty damn difficult, mostly because of the mud.
Still, I don’t intend on doing any serious off-road, remote touring anytime in June at all. I have to plug my rig into an electric socket every 24 hours, so that limits my possibilities significantly, but it’s still fun. If anything, I’ll do some car camping and slow car travel until July hits when I can park the car and transfer to the bike rig.