Gold to Grand Loop - Day 1 - Whitney Pocket, Mud Wash, and Gold Butte Townsite

In early November, Kate and Dan let us know that they were going to be down in Arizona for Late-December/Early-January.  They wanted to head out on a bikepacking trip with us over MLK, Jr. Day Weekend.  Kate suggested Gold Butte National Monument based on its desert-enviros plus her experience rock climbing the Lime Kiln Canyon area there.  Her impressions were super-positive of the place and she wanted to go back and see more.  I had followed the events of Gold Butte National Monument for about a decade, ever since the Bundys had an armed standoff with BLM employees over illegal grazing in the area.  That, and my friend Lara from college now worked in the place with her husband for the BLM, and I had impressions from them that corroborated Kate's thoughts.  I started digging into research on bikepacking routes in Gold Butte.  Beyond a few day gravel rides, it seemed no established route was in the area.  I reached out to cyclists who had spent some time in Gold Butte, and they reported the lack of water as a driving reason for the lack of a serious overnight option...(Keep Reading)