Parting ways

After several days along the beautiful KVR I started heading north from Grand Forks on a meandering climb in sweltering 36° heart. Campsites are sparce up here so I'd emailed the only one in the area, and despite them being closed, they said I could stay - aren't they nice these Canadians?

The next day I started back on the trail but it had taken a definite turn for the worst. I bounced jarringly up the path for a few hundred metres, wincing at the battering Perry was taking with every half-buried boulder before coming to the conclusion that it wasn't going to get any better. I also knew that tomorrow's section of the trail was even more isolated and had a classification of 'expert mountain biker' according to the trail guide. We've been here before Perry and I, pretending to be a mountain biking duo, or even light gravel bike guys, just gets us in trouble. Disappointingly, and thinking of the pain that would be caused by killing Perry's rims/hub so close to the finish line, I decided I'd have to part ways with the KVR I'd so much enjoyed.

Begrudgingly I doubled back... negating all of yesterday's climbing and the crappy night's sleep I'd had due to the close proximity of the endlessly noisy highway 33.

And so, annoying I find myself back on the Trans Canada Highway, despite my complaints of it, however on the plus side, it is fast. I speed through, staying at more crappy campsites by the side of the highway, but having the discomfort numbed by the knowledge of being on the most optimum path. My mood had changed. The end was in sight. Vancouver was edging nearer, and yes, perhaps my wanderlust-ometer was flashing 'Low' - I just wanted to get there now.

...

So it is after a WS stay in Hope, and a few campsites along the way, I've reached the outskirts of my final destination, for one last night before peddling into Vancouver.

In what sounds a little overly dramatic for a guy on a bike: with truly mixed emotions of joy, triumph, sadness and a longing for loved ones, the next stop will be my last. Czytaj więcej