Diary of Scott Morris

We were overdue for a big ride or two. High time for a bikepack. Psyches aching for some adventure. Knees still aching, but good enough.

So we took the map down to the Animas River, and started waving our fingers at it. It was almost too easy to come up with a loop that was …. [Continue reading]

We’ve landed in Durango for the summer! I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be. It feels like… paradise.

Unfortunately both Eszter and I are currently sidelined with hurt knees, but nevertheless, we are in Durango, which is more than enough reason to be excited (and grateful). Grumpy knees will heal, and we’ll be back …. [Continue reading]

After scratching twice from the AZT and briefly considering a third attempt, my business in Arizona was done. May is still a good month in Tucson, but, it’s on the warm/dry/dusty/pollen side, and the northlands begin to call me. This year more than ever before!

I can’t imagine why…

So I packed up …. [Continue reading]

Riding with Lee this weekend, we were talking about (surprise) the Arizona Trail. I told him that I thought the trip we did together in 2005 was the trip I am the most proud of. It had such a great feel to it. There was so little information back then — about the …. [Continue reading]

Camp Tucson v1 is in the books.

12 or 13 riders showed up for the first ‘warmup’ day — a Tucson classic of Redington -> Chiva 4×4 roads -> AZT -> Milagrosa. Adam, Max and Aaron destroyed the Redington climb, right out of the gate. I caught back on due to not having …. [Continue reading]

Convalescence was the name of the game, back in Anchorage, especially for Eszter and even for me. Mine may have been a pleasure tour, but it was still a big week of riding, by any standard. I’ll call it ‘base training’, just because the hours on the bike were there, and just because …. [Continue reading]

It was a big project to get here. Clown bike locked and loaded. Desert rat skin thickened. Desert ‘weakness’ exorcised. Desert mind with enough confidence to make the leap from impossible to possible.

Confidence was not as high as it could have been. My camera, SPOT and GPS were gone from my …. [Continue reading]

I knew, back in December, that this was going to happen.

I bought a ticket to Alaska. I have a fat bike. I have some semblance of confidence, riding and camping off it. And I’m going to Alaska with it.

Alaska, in February. The place most opposite to my usual February state of Arizona. One …. [Continue reading]

I’ve been talking about emulating Lynda’s most excellent Camp Lynda for a while now. The time has finally come to showcase Tucson’s trails, get some crackheads together, and see what fun ensues. The timing and routes are designed to be good prep for the AZT and AZTR. Two loops use big pieces of the race …. [Continue reading]

Mister Mike usually makes a winter trip down to AZ, with the aim to put as much tire to chunk as possible. This year the plan morphed a little, from back-to-back big bike days to, well, a few things a bit more adventurous. I drove up to Camp Verde late Monday night and found the …. [Continue reading]