Bike-packing the S.O.S. Route

Late last week, Reilly rightfully observed we were well overdue for an overnight bike-packing trip. We decided that Tuesday/Wednesday would be prime. Some time over the weekend, however, Reilly suggested we leave Monday afternoon, once I’d honoured a couple of commitments. This would provide us one full day on the bikes, out in the desert, free of any obligations or substantial interactions with civilization.

At 2:20pm Monday afternoon, we waved goodbye to Crystal as we departed Desert Sports, heading north on South County Rd., eventually turning left onto Saltgrass Draw Rd for more meandering dirt roads pedalling uphill ever so gently. Beyond the Solitario Hunt Camp, the road T’s out where a guzzler resides; a rain catchment device intended to provide water for game. Out here, spent shotgun shells can often be found at roadside. There, we turned right, continuing the same route as my ill-fated overnight trip a couple of months ago. That dirt road traversed seemingly endless arroyos and washes, forcing us up and down, up and down, the climbs being short, steep and oftentimes, loose.

Two miles past the wash I had mistakenly ridden last November, we came to the Lefthand Shutup; the only passageway through the eastern side of the Solitario’s huge dinner-plate like peaks. While in theory water passes down and out this canyon, the vegetation indicated it had been a very long while since there’d been water of any significance passing over the gravel creek-bed.  Rather, it was two mountain-bikers who would slowly negotiate upstream over the gravel, rocks, boulders and even a 10′ tall rock wall/damn, constructed when Big Bend Ranch State Park was still a functioning cattle ranch, likely around 1930-1955.

We were told the Lefthand Shutup is the easiest of the three Shutups(there are also the Righthand and Lower Shutups) to hike. With bikes, however, there were several obstacles that demanded we either carry our bikes on a shoulder, or better still, throw our laden bikes onto our backs. We’d support them on our shoulders and our hydration packs with hands on both the saddle and handlebar. This manoeuvre is one we would employ a great deal the next day.

As the sun was getting very low and the temperature dropping(we’d gained about 2,000′), we exited the Shutup and took the dirt road down to Tres Pappalotes, where we filtered water and waved hello to a couple of confused-looking campers. “Bet you didn’t expect to see anyone out here,” Reilly commented with a laugh, “neither did we!” Turning around, we returned to the Solitario Bar and made camp.

Oh the Solitario Bar, thank you Chris Childs for your wonderful hospitality! With camp made and a fire lit, we enjoyed two of the four cans of local IPA I’d brought along. The bar being fairly well stocked, we then enjoyed a bottle of wine(Reilly took the empty with us the next day), hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps and the Oreo cookies Reilly had with him.

Tuesday morning we took our time getting started, on the bikes around 9:30am. Riding back past Tres Pappalotes, we filtered more water, then continued north along the Inner Loop, heading west from Burnt Camp Trailhead towards the Righthand Shutup, which Reilly had suggested to attempt to get through. Neither of us had ever been down there before but knew it would be more challenging that yesterday’s trek through the Lefthand Shutup. While we were prepared to turn around if it got too difficult, we discussed tying tubes and arm-warmers together if we needed to lower bikes down any of the waterfalls. It nearly got to that.

Within minutes, we were off the bikes, walking over the soft creek-bed with our bikes beside us, a luxury didn’t last long. With bikes on our backs we enjoyed greater stability than with the saddle hooked over one shoulder. And we needed it. The waterfalls got taller and steeper, evermore precarious. It got so that we actually had to balance the bikes on our shoulders so we could use our hands to negotiate several of the scariest waterfalls. If things were to have gone wrong here, it would have been really, really bad. But they didn’t, and after two hours, we finally exited the 2.2mile long Righthand Shutup.

After a bite to eat, we headed north along the Epic Loop to the Sauceda Ranger Station. There, we refilled water and chatted with Park Ranger David Dotter, another avid cyclist. David was happy to loan Reilly a file so he could fix the chainring tooth that was causing him repeated incidents of chain suck.

By 5:45pm and another stop to filter water, we made camp at the Fresno Mine. Enjoying the spectacular desert sunset, we drank the two other beers while our burritos warmed next to the fire. It was too long before we both called it a night and went to bed, I don’t even think we made it to 8pm.

Wednesday morning we stopped at the Barton Warnock Visitor Center to say hi to Amber as we rode home via the Lajitas trails. All told, we covered about 95 miles; 28 over four hours Monday, 44 over eight hours Tuesday and about 20 over 2.5 hours Wednesday.

Greater than the mileage, however, was the adventure it afforded us. We successfully made our way through both the Righthand and Lefthand Shutups, features of the Solitario neither of us had previously explored. Sure, it was tense on several occasions, climbing down 20′ rock walls with 60-70lb bikes balanced on our backs. But that’s what this is all about, that’s why we ride mountain bikes.

Moreover, that’s what living is really all about. Sure you can ride the beaten path but it’s the challenges of any great adventure that make it truly worth while. Be it on the bike or elsewhere in life, some times you just need to calculate the risks, trust your abilities, say to hell with it and push the limits of what can be done.

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