Bikepacking Trails of the Kenai Peninsula

   When Lisa and I were planning our Alaska trip, one of the must do’s on our list was to check out the bikepacking routes on the Kenai Peninsula, specifically Resurrection Pass, Russian Lakes Trail, and Johnson Pass. While the trailheads for these routes are easily accessible, the trails go deep into the Chugach National Forest and combined, they form 83 miles of awesome wilderness singletrack riding. We linked these trails up with some bikerafting and beachpacking, but to ride them as a loop, park at the north trailhead for the Johnson Pass Trail, at mile 64 of the Seward Highway and at the end of the bike path descending south from Turnagain Pass. From here you can ride counterclockwise, heading south on the Johnson Pass Trail, or ride 25 highway miles to Hope and the start of the Resurrection Pass Trail, which is the option we chose.

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Bikerafting Alaska’s Portage Pass

We didn’t originally plan on riding over Portage Pass to Whittier – why would we? At two miles long, the Portage Pass Trail is shorter than the paddle across Portage Lake to get to it. The original plan was to spend a few hours packrafting to Portage Glacier, but then camping was mentioned. Well, if we’re bringing camping gear, we may as well haul everything, and if we’re hauling everything, we may as well ride to Whittier. Besides, it will make for a great gear – and partnership shake down.

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D.I.Y. – Bottom Bracket Sleeve Modification

Warning: Bike Geek Post! Most cyclists have a certain bike part they tend to destroy. OK, some, like Scott Pauker, seem to destroy most everything, but for me it’s bottom brackets. This post isn’t meant to start a which BB is better debate, we’re all at the mercy of the manufacturers and their latest “standards”. For touring I’ve settled on the external bearing standard, because it’s currently the most widely used and easiest to replace. Also, unlike square taper bottom brackets, one size fits most, with the right adapters.

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