Sky Islands Odyssey (East Loop) Bikepacking
December 2023

With a very slow start to the 2023-'24 ski season (is it nature compensating for over-delivering last season?), I decided to squeeze in one last shot of summer, one last shot of desert, one last shot of bikepacking.

I joined good friends Len Necefer and Vernan Lee in Tucson, Arizona before heading a little south, just a few miles from the Mexican border, to start our short and enjoyable loop of about 125 miles. From there, we completed a slightly modified version of a route published on bikepacking.com. While I typically enjoy creating my own routes, I’ve enjoyed the few routes I’ve done based on suggestions from this website. That is also true for this ride.

Wildlife was the highlight of this route. Sightings of a bobcat, deer, and hawks joined my first sightings of coatis and javalinas. At night, the lovely sound of coyotes awoke each of us in our tents.

On the first night, we stayed in a very cool small town named Patagonia, where Len surprised us with an arrangement, after riding (well, walking) some quite tough terrain. The next night we camped in a National Conservation area. The following night was spent in Len’s home after a delicious non-freeze-dried dinner.

Len is so knowledgeable about this area. His insight contributes so much to the experience. Vernan, likewise, has incredible stories from around the world and kept us very entertained. I had nothing to contribute. They were the perfect partners for this loop.

Now that I got that out of my system, it’s time to ski!

some photos (of me) are by Vernan Kee.