You might want to chat with the people at Co-Motion about the trip, I suspect that they may know a lot about that trail and how most people set up their bikes for it. I assume you would be carrying a full camping load of gear (this is the touring forum), they might have some advice on the best way to carry that weight. And whether or not a suspension fork would work on your bike. Tires, other options, etc. I like 2.25 width tires for serious off road, but I have ridden a lot of trails carrying a full camping load with 2.0 width Schwalbe Dureme on the front and 2.0 width Schwalbe Extreme on the back.