Biking High Adventure

Biking is another method of running a High Adventure.  It is considered "easier" than hiking and canoeing high adventures, but should be just as challenging as the others, just in a different way.

Styles of Biking High Adventure

• BikePacking

  • Light and ultralight backpacking on a bike

  • Focus is on the journey 

  • Routes are selected for the most enjoyable rides possible

  • Generally more focused on gravel and dirt road/trails

• Bike Touring

  • Generally more focused on road touring

  • More about the destination

    • Visit interesting places and sites

    • Use a bike to get there

  • Subsets of Bike Touring

    • Traditional Bike Touring

      • Long miles on loaded touring bike

      • Use low gears and stamina to move from point to point

      • Lots of planning to set up trip and pack properly 

    • S24Os

      • Sub–24-hour Overnights

        • Pronounced “Ess-Two-Four-Oh"

      • Shorter ride

      • Longer Camping

      • Back home the next morning

      • FAR less planning required for this type of trip

      • Pack everything you want

        • Go heavy if you like

        • If you forgot something, you'll be home tomorrow

    • Credit Card Touring

      • Carry minimal gear

      • Stay at hotels and eat at restaurants

      • Flexibility to change plan as you go

      • Too expensive for most of Scouting

• Supported Bike Adventures

  • Gear is transported by vehicle from destination to destination

  • Riders travel light

    • Don't have to carry camp gear on bike

    • Easier riding

    • More miles can be covered in a day

  • Many types of Adventures

    • Adventures can be from town to town

    • Adventures can travel to and through remote places

  • Various Versions

    • SAG Touring 

      • SAG = Support and Gear

      • Support vehicle follows riders and carries gear for them

    • Fully Supported

      • Vehicle transport of bikes and riders to and from sites

      • Accommodations managed by support team

      • Meals served or restaurant reservations set up by support team

      • SAG vehicle support

• Hub and Spoke

  • You stay at a central spot

    • Camp, hotel, cabin, gym

  • Adventures start and end at central spot

  • Variable impact on trip

    • Can enhance an Adventure

      • Make some incredible adventures possible

    • Can kill an Adventure

      • Can ruin a perfectly good journey 

  • All about location

    • All or most biking adventures may start and end at hub

    • All or some of adventures may require a support vehicles to transport you to and/or from adventures

    • Some locations just won't work well for Hub and Spoke

• Something Different

  • Sometimes the best adventure is something out of the ordinary

  • We can use different styles for different parts of the journey

  • We can try something that's never been done - it just has to be safe

Adventure Intensity

• Adventures are selected and planed by our High Adventure Team

  • Scout led

    • Scouts select where they want to go and what happens on their adventure

  • Adult guided

    • Adults keep Adventure Safe

  • Our Adventure will be as challenging as we make it

    • Challenge yourselves to see what you can do

Training

• Training will include rides between 25-50 miles

  • Some of us have already started training and reconning routes 

  • Plan to really start training in March

  • You are welcome to join us earlier 

  • Scouts are expected to rack up 300+ miles prior to High Adventure

• Plan to ride 30-50 miles per day while on High Adventure

• Plan to ride the same distance during training

  • High Adventure rides may be a little longer and challenging

Example Biking Adventures

• Idaho Coeur d'Alene Bike Century

  • Easy single day 100-mile ride

• San Juan Island Hopping

  • Island Hopping

• Olympic Discovery Challenge

  • Beauty of the Olympics and Coast

• Palouse to Cascades Cross Washington Adventure

  • Epic Adventure

• These and other adventures can be tailored by our High Adventure team

  •  High Adventur is meant to be the pinnacle of your Scouting Experience 

  • It's your adventure

    • Make it Fun

    • Make it Challenging

    • Make it Memorable

Biking Gear

• Having the right gear is vital for a successful High Adventure year

• We will talk about gear at a future meeting

• Before you rush out and buy a bike, wait to determine what adventure our High Adventure Crew votes on

  • The adventure determines the gear

  • You may need a road bike, you may need a mountain bike

• We talk about Bikes and Bike Gear in our Biking Gear Section

Adult Volunteers

• Biking High Adventure generally requires this Adult Support:

  • Riders

    • 3 Adult Riders

  • Drivers

    • Ideally 2 vehicles

  • Bike Mechanic

    • Usually one of the riders has this skill

    • If not, plan for:

      • Pre Adventure checkups on bikes

      • Carry an extra bike

      • Determine where bike shops are near High Adventure

    • If High Adventure is in a remote area without vehicle support

      • This may not be the a good High Adventure for you if you don't have someone with solid bike mechanic skills and tools

  • Cooks

    • May be cooking for Adults

    • May be cooking for Everyone at final gathering

  • Other Adult support

    • People to fill up water and wave at our Scouts as they ride off after refilling bottles

    • Second adults to hang out with drivers and keep them entertained 

Biking High Adventure Resources:

• Biking High Adventure 2025 - Intro - link to our slide show (requires log in)