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It’s coming! June 22nd is rapidly approaching. Do you know where you’re going for the 2019 Swift Campout? Head to Swift Industries to see who is hosting a Summer Solstice Campout in your city. We’ll be in Bozeman with Alter Cycles and Sklar Bikes. We’ll be doing around 20 miles of dirt road climbing up to Mystic Lake to camp under the Big Sky!
Share your local ride details in the comments and check out some inspirational photos below!
Swift Campout returns this year, with communities all over the world preparing bicycle tours, s24o, bikepacking trips, and other activities intended to get you and your camping gear out on your bike and into the woods. Head to Swift Industries to see the details and how you can setup a Campout in your city! Don’t miss out on their killer merch too.
A Solstice Ballad for My Hometown
Words by Tenzin Namdol, photos by Ultra Romance and Thomas Hassler.
While the God-fearing Christians of the lower Connecticut River valley ended their day cleaning off their lawn care equipment, a small group of Wiccan-observing, season-worshipping heathens rolled their tires through the forested glades of the Nutmeg Country triangle in honor of the Swift Campout. We smell of essential oils and the crystals around my neck jingles at each pedal stroke. The leaves on the trees have matured from their Spring-emerged highlighter green to a darker, more robust hue, properly at the ready for the next summer storm. The back-to-back Nor’easters these trails have endured in recent months have left branches and huge fallen trees in the path as we head for the lean to’s in Cockaponsett State Forest- a mouthful, I know, especially paired with the Pattaconk Lake that nests inside. This area is full of names like that: Hammonasset Beach is a rock throw away from Benedict’s home, the Quinnipiac flows into New Haven harbor several miles away. Connecticut is a colonized spelling of the Native Algonquian, Quinnehtukqut, which translates to “place of the long river”.
Solo Swift Campout in the Tushar Mountains
Photos and words by Spencer Harding
Ok, so to start, I missed the actual date of the Swift Campout by a day. I was finishing up work in St George, Utah and after a week of playing adult daycare as a tour guide I was exhausted. Sitting in a Starbucks in Cedar City, I spied a small glacial lake about an hour north in the Fishlake National Forest that promised some relief from the 110+ heat. I had every intention of actually riding out Saturday night, but then I got lazy and slept for 13 hours instead. So now its noon on Sunday, still time for redemption right?
We wanted to do something very different for this year’s Swift Campout. For the last three years, we’ve been dragging people up the steepest fire roads in the Angeles Forest on their fully-loaded touring bikes, carrying gallons of water. With each year getting hotter and hotter, we wanted to find water for people to cool down in. At first, we thought the beach, but after looking into it, we discovered that we’d have better odds of winning the lottery than getting a camping spot for 30 plus people at the beach.
These bottle openers were made in Chico, California by Paul Component just for this year’s Swift Campout. And, you can get one for free if you buy $100 or more of Swift Campout merch (such as the custom Oveja Negra frame bags, Swift Campout Sidekick bags, and bottles seen below) using the code “paulcomp” at checkout. Grab yours at Swift Industries!
This weekend, the Swift Campout in Los Angeles will be heading to Glenn Camp in the Angeles National Forest. The group will be meeting at Golden Saddle Cyclery at 8:00am, this Saturday, June 23rd and riding straight to Highway 39, en route to camp. If you’d like to meet the camping caravan a little later, you can take the LA Transit Gold Line to the Azusa Station and pedal up to Highway 39, or even park your car at the West Fork Fishing Access Site parking lot and ride into camp. Some notes; if you have a water filter, bring it. While there is no spigot at camp, there is a stream you can filter. Also, bring some sort of shade device. There’s not much at camp, so even a sun hat will help keep you cool. There are trees at camp, so you could bring a tarp and some rope to make shade. Saturday’s high is 89º so be prepared for a long day in the sun.
Last but not least, be sure to tag your photos with #SwiftCampout while there and be sure, above all else, to have fun!
It’s never too late to plan for the Swift Campout! With groups hosting the event all over, there are plenty of options. Head to their site for some planning tips to ensure you have a good time! Check out our Related stories on the left for some inspiration.
Ladies and gents, boys and girls, all are welcome to the Swift Campout and guess what? It’s never too early to plan or sign up for this increasingly popular event. Simply go to the Swift Campout site to learn more! Remember, this is open to all and takes place Saturday, June 23rd. Check out our coverage of this great event on the Related sidebar.
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
From first time bicycle campers to experienced fully loaded singletrack riders, 30 people joined us for Swift Campout here in Vancouver. Swift Industries‘ global call to head out for a bicycle overnight on solstice weekend was a perfect opportunity for us to scope a camp spot and a route and put out an open invite.
After weeks of route planning, helping with camp setups, and hoping for good weather, the sun shone down Saturday morning and we set out en masse with spirits high. For a good number, it was their first time camping by bike, or their first time loading up without racks to ride singletrack to camp.
A quick ferry ride landed us on the Sunshine Coast just outside Vancouver and the group split up, one third to ride a challenging singletrack-heavy overland route and two thirds to ride the backroads, eat ice cream, and swim in the ocean. We converged on the camp spot in the evening and shared stories of our travels.
As expected, we met lots of great people, got to ride bikes and hang out on the roads and trails and beaches, cook and camp together, learn more about ourselves and each other. Thanks so much to the wonderful folks at Swift Industries for facilitating this global event!
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Follow Morgan and Stephanie on Instagram at Found in the Mountains, and if you find yourself in Vancouver, join them for #CoffeeOutsideYVR every Friday!
