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journal-082Hi! My name is Bill Wagner and I live with my dog in rural NC. I hope to pedal my Mountain Bike from Banff, AB Canada to the US/Mexican border at Antelope Wells, NM in an effort to raise money and awareness for the MIMA Foundation.  MIMA is a small, grassroots non-profit that is involved in a variety of humanitarian projects in both Africa and South America.  I'm a Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and have worked extensively with their Surgical Program and can personally vouch for the necessity and quality of their work.  Each year MIMA screens hundreds of poor and remote villagers who need surgical procedures but have no means to pay.  If it weren't for MIMA, thousands of children and adults would be denied basic surgeries merely on the basis of access to health care.  Not a single member of MIMA receives any monetary compensation and EVERY volunteer has to generate the funds necessary to travel with the group each year.

Please join me in my adventure along The Continental Divide by opening your heart and your wallet for a great cause. The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is the longest off-road bike route in the world. It is over 2700 miles long, has over 200,000 feet of elevation gain (equivalent to summiting Mount Everest from sea-level 7 times) and crosses the Continental Divide 30 times. Take a moment to explore the site if you'd like and I look forward to seeing or hearing from each of you! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I'm sure I'll need them.

NO SPONSORS: Please know that I had to personally buy the bike, gear, maps, airline flights, etc for this fundraiser.  ALL the money goes to MIMA.

Blessings,

Bill

Day 10 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Bill Wagner   
Saturday, 10 July 2010 15:55

Day 10--58 miles 

Yep, get near that 60 mile mark and I seriously lose all strength.  It's as if the body literally a stops working.  OK, enough about the painful obvious. 

Good God it was a hot day!!  Throughout the day I remind myself that it could, in fact, be worse, much worse.  At times, it does little good!  I'll take the heat over freezing, rain, soaked, no food and a bike looking more like mud pie.  It could always be worse.  I loaded up the sunblock this am and I still got little bolsters on my hands.  They're really not that bad but I believe that is the definition of sun poisoning?  My arms and legs are pretty red too but no blisters on them.  See, there's always something to celebrate! 

For the record, bike and body are astoundingly holding up.  The abuse to both is much more than I anticipated but we're moving right along together, pedal-pedal and pant-pant. I'm still managing to find the energy at night to stretch which is likely helping my butt and back. 

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Today had an 1800 foot climb over five miles and it felt endless.  Many times today I was semi-delirious and thinking I might be lost as the map mileage didn't seem to jive with my degree of fatigue but I was always on route, even if I was CERTAIN that creek should've been BY NOW!  And drink I did, a lot and then a lot more, knowing the dangers of dehydration...and still, peed one time all day, and dark and concentrated to boot.  I guess all that fluid simply went out in sweat and breath, kind of amazing that the kidneys ended up seeing very little of all that creek water.  And I was SO VERY thankful for the frequent water sources, truly kept me alive. 

Today defined how hard this thing can be.  At about 25 miles I was really concerned about my heat and thought I should stop, find some shade, chug, chug, chug, and take a snooze even if Possible.  I found shade, along the dirt road, before I even got out the Cliff bar I was covered in flies and misquotes.  I got out the DEET and it seemed to not even phase them.  Swat, swat,swat and I just got back on the bike.  Three hours later found a bridge over a stream and for some reason they didn't know I was there? 

Log trucks spew a lot of dirt, but at least I never ( almost) got hit! 

Tonight I got another "stealth spot" along some creek and should be in Seeley Lake tomorrow night.  And planned well for a Saturday am mail drop pick-up.

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Day 9 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Bill Wagner   
Saturday, 10 July 2010 15:47

Day 9

62 miles

Last nights sunset over Upper Whitefish Lake was lovely.  I built a fire and it was a markedly chilly night for July, even at 4500 feet I was surprised to be truly "bundled up" in my bag.  It doesn't get truly dark until after 2200 which makes sleeping a bit difficult, but not as difficult as random, continuos explosions and firecrackers gong off at the next site over.  Good God folks grow up, obey the signs and have some consideration.  The echo off the lake was almost deafening against the silence.  Then again, maybe it kept the bears away?!

The descent into the town off Whitefish was a blast, seemingly endless.  I spent 2-3 hours in town pigging out, catching up on emails and bills and returning calls.  Libraries are a Godsend to the biking gypsy.  And this WiFi thing makes all this that much easier and amazing.

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Today's riding was a lot on pavement which was fine.  It was getting pretty hot and I think there'll be a lot more of that to come, and much hotter, as I head south.  I was noticing some blisters on the tops of my hands as I was washing up in the creek tonight so I better keep the covered with the gloves or put on the sunblock that I have.  My legs and arms are pretty brown/ red too.   I'm good about my nose, ears and face but not the rest of me.

Today's mileage seems like my window.  If I get close to 60 miles my legs just really Stop doing much.  The smallest climb gets to be very fatiguing quickly.  there are no listed camping options where I'm at tonight but, as always it seems, I found a couple riding on the street and asked about nearby camping.  My odometer was reading 59 and I was really about out of any energy.  So tonight I'm at some stream, 1/4 mile from the road, near Echo Lake.  It help's so much to talk to locals!  I'm covered in DEET and still getting eaten up so "I'm a gonna quit"!

Today also had me riding on fresh tar for a mile...don't recommend it!  I also find it utterly amazing (and great) that I have not had a single flat yet.  And really, no mechanical problems besides some regular tightening of things.

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Day 8 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Bill Wagner   
Wednesday, 07 July 2010 20:07

Day 8--49 miles 

As I type this at Upper Whitefish Lake I am being swarmed with misquitos.  this may be a short entry!! 

Today was great despite a major re-route I had to take since the road leading up to Whitefish Divide was being paved.  Darn!!  I had read the descent off of that was a blast!  But Angels surfaced and I was well taken care of.  As I was literally in the middle of the road being told by the Forest Service guy of the road closure another guy Tom or Tom I think, of iRide Adventures near Eureka, came riding up, as if, out of the vapors.  He proceeded to escort me back to his business a little way down the road and give me a free Forest Service map and the directions of a way to get to this Lake where I'm now back on the route.  Whew, that was a mouthful!  I'm being taken care of everywhere I go it seems.  The magic is truly the best part of these trips.  Now where was I... 

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So the re-route Tom (?) gave was perfect.  great scenery, off the major road, a nice way to meander back on route.  there was a pretty hefty climb to get up here to this lake at 4500 feet but the view from my tent is worth it! 

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The morning started out with me heading back to the PO to get that blessed mail drop!  The woman behind the counter was pleasant and warned me:  "You'd better get alot of water for your ride today as the weather is calling for a real hot one.  It's supposed to hit 80". Yes, I'm on Northern Montana.  I'll take today's blue skies and moderate heat any day of my life, riding or not.  It was a gorgeous day to be in the woods on a bike.  No fiasco with my winter gloves today!! 

Times up, skeeters win!

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