The Campout Navigators: Our Mother The Mountain - Swift Industries
Swift Campout is the annual, global call to go bike-camping to celebrate the summer solstice. For the tenth year in a row, adventurers will pack camp gear on their bicycles and head out on June 22nd and 23rd, 2024 to kick off summer with a bike-overnight. Swift Campout is an ode to spending the longest day in the saddle and the shortest night under the stars. It is a celebration of the stellar community that rallies to share this stoke. To capture the magic of the event, we’ve called on Navigators around the world to guide their communities on a Swift Campout adventure.
We’re pleased to introduce you to OMTM, or Our Mother the Mountain (or Ron Lewis).
My name is Ron Lewis. I’m from Los Angeles by way of Washington DC, Seattle and ultimately Portland. I’ve been riding bikes for sport, fitness & pleasure since the early 00’s. I create and share adventure cycling routes under the name OMTM.CC. I traded in the music landscape where I toured + recorded in bands (the Fruit Bats + Shins) for the cycling community, where I found a lot of similarity and creative overlap, so in that sense, felt right at home.
What is campout to me? A great opportunity to get out into the woods, on bikes, with friends, old and new to bask in the wonder of human-powered transportation, inspiration, exploration, and celebration!
The OMTM Campout
Campout Destination: Green River Horse Camp off of NF26 on the north side of Mount St. Helens.
About the ride: We’re going to attempt & explore this route on the northeast side of Mt. St. Helens which starts and finishes at the Green River Horse Camp and traverses the entirety of the Strawberry Mountain area by singletrack. It is 33 miles but with 6000+ feet of elevation over remote, challenging backcountry terrain which our pal Ben Rainbow has graciously described as ‘adult spice-level.’
The Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45906436
Difficulty Level: Advanced: This is going to involve exploring an unknown stretch of remote backcountry singletrack. Expecting some hike-a-bike with plenty of technical difficulty.
Registration: this one’s invitation only folx!
