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| My Cutthroat over the Temperance River |
This a self-supported bikepacking event, meaning that you must ride with your camp gear, inluding your tent/bivy, sleeping bag & pad. Riders do not need to bring all their food for the 3 days or cooking kit; dinner is available in the towns where we camp and the race organizer provides a wonderful breakfast every morning of the event.
The course is an amazing route through the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, nearly all in the Superior National Forest!
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| the route: day 1 in read, day 2 in blue, and day 3 in green |
I raced The Wolf for the first time back in 2024 with my drop-bar Pugsley (link to the 2024 ride report). But 2026 was my first bikepacking race with my new Salsa Cutthroat (link to blog post on this bike build). I built up the Cutthroat during the summer 2025 with the goal of using it for rides like The Wolf, and this ride validated it was the right bike for me!
The Drive North and Night in Finland
The Wolf started early Friday morning in the small town of Finland, MN. My good friend and fellow gravel nut, Sean Mattner, picked me up at my place a little after 2:00 on Thursday afternoon for the 4-hour drive up to the Wildhurst Lodge outside Finland for the race check in and our place to camp for the night before the start. The long drive went quick as we enjoy catching up with each other and our crazy adventures as we traveled towards Finland. We needed a quick grab-and-go and Burrito Union Tequila Bar in Duluth was the perfect option for some good road food and fuel for the first day of The Wolf!
We rolled into the Wildhurst Lodge and Camp just a few minutes before Jeremy was closing event check in for the night. Jeremy Kershaw, race director and amazing human, got us set ready for the start the next morning. Next, Sean and I looked for a place to set up for a night's sleep. We were kinda lucky, we arrived late and were allowed to select any open campsite instead of the large group site with most racers. Sean planned to sleep in his van, and I found a private tent campsite for my tiny bivy.
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| My bivy set up for the night before the start |
After setting up camp, I walked up to the small bar and restaurant in the campground. I needed some drinking water, but it was getting late enough that I wanted to avoid beer, it messes with my sleep if I drink it too late (damn I'm old!) At the bar, I got to meet a few Wolf riders, including Luke Wendt who come from Columbus, Ohio for The Wolf!
The night was good, but I was slow to fall asleep with my mind was full of details for the coming days. I used a sleep mask and ear plugs to try to help me sleep; both ended up being more of a distraction than a help, so I put them over my head in the tiny storage space in the bivy. I was awake before the first light of the morning and was greeted by yips and howls. There was a debate amongst the riders if this was a group of coyotes or some young wolves. Either way, they were close to the campground and a cool way to start The Wolf!
As I packed up my camping gear in the morning, I found only one of those earplugs I took out in the night ... I was annoyed but finding the missing earplug wasn't worth much effort.
After packing up, racers needed to make the short trip from Wildhurst to the Finland Community Center for breakfast and the start of the race.
Day 1: Finland to Ely | 89 miles
The race organizers offered riders a simple breakfast with yogurt, granola, berries, pastries, and COFFEE! Following breakfast, Jeremy had a quick rider's meeting, before releasing the pack.
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| Morning coffee at the Finland Community Center |
Riding out of Finland is lovely, the road follows a section of the Baptism River. [Spoiler alert: this section of road didn't feel as lovely on the way back to Finland on Sunday!] These first 12 miles were fast in the cool of the morning with fresh legs. I wasn't pushing myself hard at all (staying in my zone 2) and was moving at 16 mph with a fully loaded bike on gravel roads! I knew this wasn't going to last, but a great way to start the day.
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| Early miles along the Baptism River |
Later in the morning, we had some relatively tame ATV trails and I got the best compliment, another rider said that I was descending the hills on the trail fast. I'm a very nervous descender, so this was a great validation that my Cutthroat was the right bike for me, giving me the confidence to descent with speed!
By mid-day, I was feeling some pain in my left foot, I was thinking it was a hot spot from the warmer socks I put on in the chilly morning. But fast forward to when I got to Ely and took my shoes off, I found that damned ear plug that was missing in the morning! My foot was tender the rest of the night, but happily, the next morning I'd forgotten about it hurting.
Going back to the morning racer's meeting, Jeremy let riders know that there was a route change, a gravel road was closed and we'd need to spend 7 additional miles on Hwy 1. This is a main highway in the region and doesn't have a shoulder. I've found this type road stressful for years. I was fortunate to connect with a small group of riders, including Luke & Tom (this year's sole fatbiker). There was a sense of safety in a group, plus we worked together to get these highway miles done fast.
Near the end of this long highway section, we found the day's aid station. I enjoyed the wolf wrap, which is peanut butter, bacon bits, and maple syrup wrapped in a tortilla ... SO GOOD! Plus a couple shots of ice cold Coke and I was good to push on to Ely.
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| The aid station with riders and bikes all over the place |
Late in the day, the route took us through Babbitt. Other than where we camped, this is the only town we rode through the whole weekend that offered C-stores. This is to point out that this is a very remote part of Minnesota, and this route is focused on the roads less traveled.
After Babbitt, there were more highway miles, but at least there was a good shoulder. In the late afternoon with temps rising near 90°F, this got to be a challenging end to the day with no shade along this highway.
I rode into Ely alone, a quick ride through the small town and down to the camping site at Semer's Beach Park on Shagawa Lake. And this beach offered the riders our post-ride clean-up ... in the lake! It was so cool and refreshing!
Dinner was on your own. Sean and I rode up to the Boathouse Brewpub & Restaurant along the main drag in Ely. We knew we found a good place based on the bikes leaning all around the place.
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| bike parking at the Boathouse Brewpub |
We enjoyed beers and dinner at the bar while watching the tail end of a World Cup match. And for my desert, I had their blueberry beer, with fresh berries in it... so it was healthy, right??
Back at the campground, I shuffled around for an hour or two, getting as much ready as possible for the next morning. I was in my bivy long before dark, dozing off to the sounds of kids playing in the water.
Day 2: Ely to Grand Marais 106 miles.
Early Saturday morning, after packing up my camping gear and getting dressed for the day, everyone gathered in a small event space at the beach for our breakfast of COFFEE, scrambled eggs, skillet potatoes, and lots of other fuel for the day ahead.
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| bikes loaded and ready to go at the start of day two |
The day started with a climb outta the beach and roughly 10 miles of mostly tame paved and gravel roads. Followed by 14 miles of the spiciest ATV trails. These ATV trails tested everyone's bags and packing to make sure everything was truly secure!
The miles after the ATV trail were long, but nothing terribly challenging. including some beautiful and inviting lakes with the heat rising. I didn't dip into these lakes ... kinda wish I did.
We found the one aid station at mile 54, I went for the fox wraps (pickle and humus wrapped in a tortilla), it sounded better on the hot day than the wolf wrap; plus a couple cold shots of Coke. With the long hot day, I was sure to top up my hydration too.
Just before mile 80, Jeremy set up a second aid station because of the heat in the forecast. This was more basic, mostly water for your bottles but also offered more cold Coke which was much appreciated.
It was odd, but I didn't suffer the temps in the mid-to-upper 90s. I hate to think it's the first time I've done this, but I don't remember when I last used a water bottle to douse myself to cool down. I had one bottle on the bike with plain water and as the temp rose I'd pour a little water in the vents of my helmet, down my back, and some on my arms and legs. The water wasn't cold, but still seemed to offer my body help with the high temps.
I caught Luke a few miles from the paved highway decent into Grand Marais. As we rode together, I shared that I was looking forward to the fast and easy miles on a paved highway. We were lightly pedaling or freewheeling for a few miles along the descent. Then there was the last mile, dropping to the camp ground on Lake Superior, the temp drop 20-30°F in last few blocks to the campground! And I still felt I needed for more cooling and waded out into the lake's fringed water, Lake Superior rarely gets above 50°F.
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| chillin' in Lake Superior |
We set up camp close to the lake and cleaned up from the day's long and dusty ride. Bonus, this campground offered showers!
After taking care of things at the camp, Sean and I walked to into Grand Marais for the classic Hungry Hippie Tacos for tacos and burritos. Another place that was clearly popular with racers, the restaurant was full of Wolf riders.
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| hard earned beer |
Next was a stop at Voyager Brewing Company. We all got a beer token at the finish for the day and that needed to be spent! After our hard earned beer, we slowly walked back to the campground. I did a little prep for the next morning. But I was so tired, I was sleeping before it was dark or quiet.
Day 3: Grand Marais to Finland 66 miles
To start the day, we were treated to another wonderful breakfast, this morning's main offering was breakfast burritos, and that really hit the spot for me! Next, Jeremy had a quick riders' meeting and got everyone started early in hopes of beating the worst of the heat in the forecast.
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| start of day 3 and ready to ride |
Starting day was a big challenge, the climb out of Grand Marais, I've done it a few times and it's never easy. You climb roughly over 1,000 ft in the first 8-9 miles. Starting at the campground, it's a steep ramp for a few blocks that will get you into your smallest gear and wishing for something smaller for your tired legs.
After that long climb, the route calms down, but the temps were climbing fast as we rode away from the cool of Lake Superior. Happily, the early miles included many shaded roads keeping the sun off of you and making the heat less oppressive.
The route including a lovely section on Honeymoon Trail, a twisty and rolling road that keeps you active, but not challenged, as you ride through a beautiful forest.
Those last miles back to Finland, the ones that were lovely on Friday morning along the Baptism River ... they were brutal on Sunday afternoon. 10-12 miles of strong headwinds on a wide gravel road with no shade on offer and lots of midday traffic that wasn't always kind about slowing down to keep the dust down or make it feel comfortable on the road. Then add the heat, I'm sure the temp was above 100°F.
Rolling into the finish back at the Finland Community Center, the was a great relief ... the finish line was under the picnic shelter, with SHADE! I was asked how it felt, and I said it felt like we rode through Satan's ass crack!
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| the end of day 3 [photo credit: Jeremy Kershaw] |
We had a cooler full of icy cold beverages in the shady picnic shelter, but better still was the garden hose to cool down and rinse off some of the gravel dust.
Sean and I took our time cooling off under the picnic shelter and recovering before going to his van that'd been in the blazing sun all weekend. Opening it up was like opening a blast furnace! After airing out the heat in the van, we packed in our bikes and gear for the drive back to the Twin Cities ... with another stop at Burrito Union Tequila Bar in Duluth for the road food.
Results
I finished 20th overall, with combined time of 19:28, of 39 riders finished, plus there were 10 riders that DNF'd. I was the 3rd fastest of 9 racers in my age group (55+), and was only seconds behind 2nd place (Luke); but the fastest 55+ rider was over 2 hours faster!
I was happy with these results, compared to 2024, when I was 34th of the 55 riders that started. Clearly the Cutthroat was a faster bike for me! (& I would hope that a light weight Cutthroat would be faster than my drop-bar Pugsley I used in 2024 😆)
Three days of long miles gives me a taste of what the pro riders are doing on something like the Tour de France ... I can tell you that I didn't have what it would take for a day 4 of The Wolf... at least in these hot conditions. My day-after-the-Wolf ride was a very slow ride to/from the grocery store that's less than a mile from home!
Thank you!
Jeremy Kershaw and Avesa Rockwell these two have created the most amazing events that are welcoming, inclusive, fun, and host events that as challenging as you want to make it! They are the best, gathering amazing volunteers, sponsors, and a cast of characters to ride these adventures.Volunteers all of the Heck events have the most dedicated and caring volunteers. They do the most important work, hosting the check points and riding sweep to be sure nobody is stranded in the wilderness. They bring joy and support to all the riders!
Sean Mattner we have been riding gravel together for 10-12 years, funny enough, there's a picture of us riding the Almanzo years ago when we didn't know each other yet, but were still in the same picture. Sean's a great friend on many levels, and I truly appreciate carpooling on the long trip to Northern Minnesota, and back, with somebody that is easy to talk with and makes the hours fly by!
Gear List
The Bike:
Salsa Cutthroat (link to full bike build)
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| my Cutthroat at the end of day 2 in Grand Marais |
Cedaero Salsa Cutthroat V2 Half Frame Pack
Revelate Handle Bar Harness
Revelate SPINELOCK™ 16L
Ortleib Fork-Pack
CamelBak Lobo 100 oz hydration pack
CageRocket toolbox, with my multi-tool, patch kits, and other field repair stuff, in the seat tube bottle rack
The Sleep System:
Black Diamond Bipod Bivy
1980's LL Bean down sleeping bag
NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated Air Sleeping Pad
Revelate SPINELOCK™ 16L
Ortleib Fork-Pack
CamelBak Lobo 100 oz hydration pack
CageRocket toolbox, with my multi-tool, patch kits, and other field repair stuff, in the seat tube bottle rack
The Sleep System:
Black Diamond Bipod Bivy
1980's LL Bean down sleeping bag
NEMO Quasar 3D Insulated Air Sleeping Pad
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| bivy set up at the Grand Marias campground |
Postscript | fires and heavy smoke
We got out of the North just before major wildfires broke out, making the air unbreathable and the sky looking like a hellscape. Riders were fortunate but also very thoughtful about the folks that live and make their livelihoods up north.
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