Death March Spawns Zombie Ride
Zombie time
What is this death march and how will it spawn a zombie ride you ask? Great question. It’s tentatively planned to start Aug 9 at 7am from Granite Canyon trailhead, planned for near a full moon, weather dependent.
I have been pondering doing this for some time, well after I have already backpacked the Teton Crest Trail. I always thought it would be interesting to do this in a straight-through, 24-hour hike. Then, to make it more interesting, I wanted to bike back from String Lake to the starting point at Granite Canyon Trailhead.
If you hike for 24 hours straight, it’s a death march. If you ride your bike after that to return to your vehicle, you’re riding like a zombie. Hence the Death March Spawns Zombie Ride. The best part is you don’t have to dress up like a zombie. After hiking 45 miles, you’ll look and feel like one without the fancy makeup to ride another 17 miles.
Mount Moran
I’m figuring out how to get a graphic and sticker made to present to any and all participants of this hike and ride. This is only for the hard core and it needs something to commemorate it. If there’s an artist who can do this, I’m interested. I have the design idea, I just need it drawn up. To earn this sticker you must complete the hike AND the ride. If you leave the group, you have to be able to prove you did it. Maybe a photo with the daily, your face, your phone with the date/time, and the three passes plus trail head signs.
Updates here – Still on as of 8-AUG-2014. Weather looks acceptable, 30% chance of rain. Let’s do this.
The gritty details
This is a self-contained hike. You MUST be prepared to hike overnight and alone. If you plan to stop and camp, you need a permit. This is not for the faint of heart. My plan is to hike straight through, so no permit needed.
Paintbrush divide in a storm
We will start at Granite Canyon, hike up to Marion Lake, go over Fox Creek pass, follow Death Canyon Shelf, cross Alaska basin, go over Hurricane Pass, down into Cascade Canyon, back up to Lake Solitude, over Paintbrush Divide, down Paintbrush Canyon to String Lake. From there, we will pick up our bikes and ride through the park, along the Moose-Wilson road to Granite Canyon trailhead, completing the circuit unsupported and without resupply.
If you’ve never seen this sign, don’t come
As a fitness test, you should be able to climb the Snow King boot trail (no switchbacks) in less than an hour with a light pack on, then hike right back down it. And then be able to do it again, back to back. There’s nothing to prepare you for a 24-30 hours of continuous travel if you’ve never done one.
The trick to this is travel light. I’ll have a day pack with the below gear in it. That’s it. I use light hiker boots, ala Merrell Moab Ventilators, and all synthetic/wool clothing. There are still snow patches on the passes, be prepared to deal with them.
Bring your own gear
You must bring your own:
- bear spray
- water treatment (I carry 1.5L and make water as I go, it’s much lighter)
- first aid, emergency supplies, blister treatment, anti-inflammatories
- headlamp (primary and backup)
- food
- bike with chain for locking up at String Lake (mountain bike recommended)
- bike helmet
- bad weather gear (rain jacket, pants, etc)
- camera (for proof of presence)
- snow gear for self and boots
- GTNP trail map, compass, GPS
Death March Zombie flyer
We’re out for a good but tough time. If you want to see what you’re made of, this is a great way to find out. I skied to the South Pole alone, hiked 100 miles across Greenland’s tundra solo. I’ve done a Grand Canyon Rim-Rim-Rim in 24 hours (49 miles), the Symmes Creek to Onion Valley plus bike back in 28 hours, and more blah blah blah. And each time it was awesome.
You’ll love this one!
