Epic fat bike adventures in Gros Morne

Three days, two nights andone gorgeous photo to mark the occasion.

• Fat bike: Once you cycle fat, you don't go back
• Fat biking: The future is fat, hopefully

One of the most iconiclandscapes used to advertise Newfoundland and Labradoris a shot of Gros Morne National Park, overlooking Western Brook Pond.

Even if you've never seen it in person, you probably feel like you have it's so widely used.

That's exactly what Malcolm Simpson and Darren McDonald had in mind one March weekendwhen they ventured out on an epicfatbikeride.

A planned adventure

The two bikerstook their oversized, massive tires to the snowy backcountry, cycling on snowmobile trails to the Long Range Mountains.

The St. John's cyclists started the journey from Taylor's Brook, which is just outside of Hampden, on March 26.

The first day was the hardest. They startedout close to sea level, and pedaled 40 kilometres through soft, sugary snow conditions. Thatcan make even the easiest ride difficult.

Not to mention the steady incline they were traveling all day.

After seven and a half hours of tiresome riding, the duo reached their destination for that day and set upcamp at approximately 1200 feet.

They pitched their tents at Matty's Pond and slept a very cold night under the stars with temperatures about -18 C.

Oddly enough, the cold temperaturewasn'tbad news. It meant the duo had ideal riding conditions the next day. The cold paved way for trails that were crisp and snow packed perfect forfatbikes.

Simpson and McDonald knew the conditions were going to be near perfect; theywoke up early enough to take advantage before the sun could warm up the temperatures and start melting the snow.

With idealconditions under their massive tires, the two conquered their goal and made it to the breathtaking view overlooking a snow covered Western Brook Pond.

Simpson said it was a day to remember.

"The skies were blue," he said."There wasn't a breath of wind andit was just mind-blowing that day".

The money shot

The two stood with theirfatbikesoverhead and celebrated the spectacular view with a picture, taken by a passingsnowmobiler. The smiles in the picture tell it all and will continue to do so for years to come.

After the victory dance, the two rode back to camp and spent the night basking in glory.

The skies were blue. There wasn't a breath of wind. And it was just mind-blowing that day.- Malcolm Simpson

The temperatures weren't quite as cold that night. They capped offa balmy -15 C.

On Monday, the two rode back out to where they started. This time the 40 kilometre ride only took four hours, thanks to the downward slope.

Winter Camping

Not only did the two carry themselves on thefatbikes, they also had camping supplies with them strategically mounted on thebikes.

Both riders carried a sleeping bag and pad, tent, change of clothes, stove and food to fuel three days of tiresome exploring.

It's no surprise that they were able to pack so concisely, Simpson and McDonald are no strangers to backcountry adventures of any kind including winter camping.

Despite being experienced, Simpson admits that there's challenges that come with winter camping.

"The cold, things are slower, your water freezes". But, he says there's also an upside to winter camping.

"There's no bugs in the winter" he said while laughing.

How to top that next year?

Simpson said he has plenty of ideas to make next year's ride just as epic. Though he admits getting thatweather againcould be hardest part.

He also said that Gros Morne is a gem forfatbikeadventures during the winter because the park allows snowmobiles which pave the way for some of the most scenic exploring in the province.

"People need to realize we have something very unique here. I think if people start trying to capture that market -- people will start paying attention."

The adventures continued all week for Simpson and McDonald. They spent the rest of the week doing day trips around Gros Morne while staying in Rocky Harbour.

If you want to read more about their adventures you can visit Simpson's blog.