Bikepacking has been, for many years, a constant in my life, from the early stages with the Roosters, where I did my longest trips in Japan and Ukraine on a fixed-gear bike, to later on with gravel bikes and a bit more of an easy-pace, fun mindset. I always loved the simplicity of it and the capacity it has to put your mind in a flow state where only the basics matter.
In the last years, this activity was not in my agenda anymore. A surgery and its recovery, moving to Switzerland, and all the struggles that came with this change had put this very much on the side, as had my focus on paragliding and the lack of friends who would be keen to share this kind of adventure.
Since I met Alex, we have always dreamed about bikepacking together. Despite our differences in style and approach to it, we both like the same things about it. So this year, we put a small bikepacking trip on our goal list.
The summer faded out, autumn came, and this goal was still unticked on our list. After some discussion about it, a date in the calendar was set, and the research into where to go started. At first, we looked for a low-terrain route that could ensure some milder temperatures, but when I saw Sara Bukies's route through Graubünden and Italy, my eyes sparkled at the sight of it. I shared it with Alex straight away, and she got the same feeling.
We came up with a bunch of excuses not to go into such high terrain so late in the year, but we managed to trust in our skills and gear, put those excuses aside, and go for it. Worst-case scenario, we could always turn around.
The forecast the day before showed us a nice, stable window that boosted our motivation to the maximum, and we were very happy to jump into an adventure together.
Midday Sun
We started our trip in Scuol with the idea of doing two nights outside and three days in the saddle. We set up some doable stages, focusing more on the elevation than on the distance, and with A and B options for sleeping, depending on how we felt.
All this took a lot of pressure off reaching a certain point every day and gave us room to enjoy ourselves and follow a comfortable pace for both of us.
Our approach was to have everything we could need with us, so we were nicely covered for spending nights out wherever we wanted. This feeling of being fully independent is one of the things that attract us to bikepacking. You can still move at a decent speed, feel efficient, and have total independence from huts or hotels most of the time.
One of the things I enjoyed the most was going back to this mode of selecting everything you want to put in your bags. Everything should have a purpose, and because of the limitation in space, you really need to think about where and how you will need it and whether it is really a necessity.
That brought me, during the trip, to think about how the infinite number of possibilities we have nowadays steal a lot of time and space in our minds, and how sometimes, or better said, most of the time, simplifying or limiting your options makes your mind more prone to adapt, relax, and be more creative. Definitely a lesson I would like to implement more and more in my daily life.
Limited space and cold weather means that every item must be carefully selected
Back on the trip, the landscape was unfolding slowly but constantly in front of us. The autumn light and colours, plus being on the move, made my old Sony NEX-3 be constantly in my hands, capturing this trip.
The Lärche, a tree very present in the area, was glowing among all the deep green of the other conifer trees that surrounded it. A beautiful contrast that made the landscape even more magical.
Golden Glow
The Lärche, a tree very present in the area, was glowing among all the deep green of the other conifer trees that surrounded it. A beautiful contrast that made the landscape even more magical.
Both nights, we slept quite high, above 2,200 m in altitude, but thanks to the inversion brought by the stable weather, the nights were warmer than down in the valley, and we were gifted with the first rays of sun quite early in the morning. Having breakfasts in the sun after a cold night is for sure one of those amazing pleasures in life.
We rode past many different landscapes, from deep golden forests to high plateaus where rocks and grass were the protagonists. Despite the beauty of the places, the feeling of loneliness was quite present, and in many of the areas, we could only see a few hikers and mountain bikers around. While pedalling around, we were wondering if that would also be the feeling in summer.
We jumped from Switzerland to Italy and back to Switzerland, doing 80% of our journey on gravel paths and single trails that more than once put us on the limit of comfort with a fully loaded bike. Despite some tricky sections, the route felt like a constant discovery and was always amazing us.
Different landscapes and terrain during our trip
Definitely a trip to remember, and one of those that will win a place in our memories forever, not only for being our first trip together, but also because it reconnected us with a part of ourselves that we both love and enjoy. It reminded us that there is nothing better than a breakfast in the sun, than feeling warm when it’s cold, and that we prefer to enjoy the landscape more than thinking about performance. Bikepacking again put things into perspective in our lives and made us question what is really needed to live and feel fulfilled. It helps us step away from the routine, disconnect to reconnect, and learn more about who we are and what makes us unique and fragile.
Once more, I have to say thank you to cycling for all the learning it brings if you are open to it.
