Golden to Lake Louise, 85km: Goodbye British Columbia...Hello Alberta

The ride was relatively short today in comparison to the last few days of cycling. However, I decided to take the side trip which made it a 117km day.

Right when we got out of camp we were met with an 18km section of climbing to reach the Kicking Horse River Valley. The climbs were relatively steep but the view was by far worth the climb. I cannot stress enough how spectacular the views have been within the mountains. At one moment I was so high that I saw a cloud caught along the mountain side right at my level. Climbing was great in the morning as well because the sun was shining but it wasn't too hot yet.

Myself and a few other cyclists stopped in the town of Field for lunch. Field was a great little village with lots of character. To get to the village we cycled alongside the Kicking Horse River, which was amazing.

A few kilometers after Field was the Kicking Horse Pass. However, before I embarked on that climb I decided to go on a side trip to Takakkaw Falls with Mike, Erik, Rob, Gee and Larry. Bud warned us that the cycle to Takakkaw Falls contained steep sections; however, the view was worth the climb. He was not lying about steep sections. The 14 kilometers to get to Takakkaw Falls was a constant climb up, up and up. In addition, one section contained a switch back. Prior to the tour I had never come across a switch back. But I tell ya, they are not the most enjoyable to cycle up. On the last section I gave up because my legs were toast. However, as I mentioned before, it is difficult to unclip your feet from the pedals when your legs are tired. There was a rail along the switch back and so I decided to lean into the rail so that I could hold on and thus unclip my feet. It worked and so I walked the last bit of the switch back after which I hopped back on the bicycle to finish the ride to the falls. Getting to the falls by bike was an accomplishment in of itself. And the view was spectacular. Takakkaw Falls means “It is magnificent” in Cree. The falls are fed by Daly Glacier which in turn is fed by Waputik Icefield. The snow which falls onto the icefield becomes moving ice in the glacier which melts to create Takakkaw Falls. During the summer Takakkaw Falls is a plunging waterfall whereas during the autumn the stream of water billowing down from the mountain becomes increasingly less until winter in which it becomes all but a ribbon of ice. Myself and Mike walked up to the falls and the closer you got, the cooler the temperature became. The mist that touched my skin sent a chill through my body, it was awesome because it was so cold :)

 

The ride back to Route 1 was easy because of all the downhills. However, right when we reached Route 1 we had to go up the Kicking Horse Pass, which was a 7km steady climb. The sun had gotten warmer as the day progressed and so it was warm getting up that pass but I did it! :)

I climbed the pass with Erik and Rob. Mike, Gee, and Larry went ahead and so we lost sight of them after the climb. Following the climb we had the option of taking the old Highway 1A which would lead us to the old continental divide marker. At this spot you can see two streams heading in different directions, one flowing into the Pacific Ocean, the other into the Atlantic Ocean. The old highway would also take you to the famous Lake Louise. Rob, Erik and I headed to the old highway to see the continental divide and work our way to Lake Louise; however, the road was closed off due to Grizzly Bears. So we went back onto the new highway which was a bit of a bummer because I really wanted to see the continental divide and Lake Louise. I did however notice the change in directions of the streams while cycling along the new highway which was super neat.

We finally made it to Lake Louise Campground at around 6pm. Then it hit me, I am in Alberta, which means I just cycled across British Columbia! Holy jumpin’ junies! I cycled across a province! Only 9 more to go! :D

Rest Day: Golden

Today I took it easy, taking full advantage of the rest day to relax and also putter away at some tasks. One such task was to get a new tire. The reason I had gotten a flat the previous day was because there was a small slash in my tire which was likely caused by a rock. I did not have a spare tire on me while cycling but I did have a piece of cardboard. This is a great tip. If you get a small slash in your tire and you do not have a spare with you, you can stick a piece of cardboard between your tire and your inner tube to prevent the tube from going through the slash as you pump it up, thus preventing further flats. I only brought one spare tire with me on the tour. Bob assisted me in putting on my spare tire and since that one was now being used I decided to purchase another just in case I would get another slash in my tire later on during the tour.

I went with Bob and Irene to the bike shop in Golden to get a new tire. I also got one of Irene’s spare saddles put onto my bicycle. Since the group had become aware of my saddle problems, Irene in particular would ask how I was doing. While she was training for the tour she also experienced saddle problems. She brought along two other saddles with her so that if her current saddle was irritating her she could always switch it for another. She offered to lend me one of her saddles to try out and determine if there were any improvements. I took her up on her offer and I am so thankful I did. I rode with that saddle for the remainder of the tour. I still experienced some saddle discomfort, but that was inevitable because of the long distances we had to cycle each day. However, there was a significant improvement in comfort in comparison to my previous saddle. I am incredibly grateful of Irene’s generosity. Because I switched my saddle with hers the enjoyment of the tour increased immensely. Thoughts of quitting the tour had been swimming in my brain and these thoughts stemmed from my saddle discomfort. With the saddle switch I was able to complete the tour.

An additional highlight of the rest day in Golden was seeing big horned sheep. When cycling into Golden I saw signs to watch for big horned sheep. Upon seeing those signs I hoped that I would be able to see some and I did at the campsite :D I was looking at a mountain face behind us at the campsite and heard rock falling and saw dust in the air. Then I saw approximately half a dozen big horned sheep coming down the mountain, it was awesome! Unfortunately I could not take a picture because they were too far away for my camera but I thought it was fantastic that I caught a glimpse of them.

Next thing I knew the rest day had come to a close. Tomorrow would be the beginning of part 3 of Tour du Canada and the end of British Columbia.

Albert Canyon to Golden, 117km: Up Roger’s Pass and Through Time I Go

Albert Canyon to Golden was quite the day, but the next day was a day of rest, something I was definitely looking forward too :)

I was not having the greatest of mornings. When I awoke it was raining, which was unfortunate. And so I put on all my rain gear only to find out that right when I stepped out of my tent, the rain decided to stop and the sun decided to shine through. It was great the sun showed up, but I had to take off all the rain gear which was slightly annoying. Before I left camp my bungee cord, which held my rain gear on my back rack of my bicycle, got caught in my free wheel, so I had to pull that out which got my hands all nice and greasy. Bob helped me get it out though, which was really nice. Louise and Erik were also patiently waiting while I was trying to get my butt out of camp which was great of them. However, my frustrating start to the morning did not end there. Right when we finally got out of camp we were met with a climb. Before I even started the climb, however, my back tire went flat. At that point I was fed up. But I was lucky as a knight in shining armor came to my aid :D Just a few seconds after I discovered my back tire was flat, Danny cycled up. He stopped, asked what the problem was, and after I told him he set down his bike and fixed the flat. He did everything without me asking him to and I was really grateful he did that. Louise also came back to figure out why I suddenly was not cycling behind her, which I greatly appreciated. Once the flat was fixed Danny went off because he had galley duty that evening. Louise and I cycled up the climb together where we met Erik who had been patiently waiting for us. All those little acts of kindness that occurred that morning made me feel fortunate to be with a group of people who were generous and caring. It made me realize no one was to be left behind and that thought was comforting.

The remainder of the day went by smoothly with no rain, bungee cord issues or flats. Members of the group had suggested before we left camp to bring some extra layers because the top of Roger’s Pass and the descent could be chilly. We were lucky though because it actually turned out to be quite a warm day. Cycling up Roger’s Pass was a challenge but it was worthwhile because the view at the top was incredible. Accomplishing these climbs is exhilarating because of the knowledge that I just cycled up a mountain with my own two legs. We took a break at the summit, which was 1330m by the way, but only for a short while because we still had 83km to cycle. 

Louise preparing to go up Roger's Pass

Preparing to go up Roger's Pass

We made it to the summit! :D

At kilometer 61 I cycled through time as we changed our clocks to “Mountain Time” which required moving our clocks one hour ahead.

Throughout the remainder of the day since the summit there were several awesome descents. There was one downhill at 6% that lasted for at least a kilometer which was super fun. I was a slow poke going down the hill however so everyone was whizzing by. But I felt safe with my turtle pace :)

By the end of the day Louise, Erik and I were getting pretty tired and the sun was quite warm. But the town of Golden was on the horizon. Before we entered the town there was a line of mountains along the Colombia River which was neat to see. And then finally we were in Golden. What made the arrival even better was the following day was a rest day. And so when it was finally time to hit the bunk I ignored my alarm clock as tomorrow I could sleep in :)

Canoe to Albert Canyon, 131km

I awoke early, scrambling out of my tent to get to the truck in order to prepare breakfast. Preparation of breakfast was significantly easier than dinner, by far :) But our crew was the last out of camp because we were required to clean up the breakfast and lunch supplies. As such, myself, Louise, Fred and Erik were sweep. Sweep is a duty in which there is at least a pair of cyclists who bring up the rear in case something occurs to those ahead. Those on sweep can thus assist them, call for help, etc.

A few kilometres out of camp we were met with a nice downhill near Sicamouse. Right before the hill ended Erik got a flat and I almost rammed right into him as I was behind him on the downhill. Luckily I swerved to avoid him and safely made it down the hill and Erik was okay as well. Once Erik repaired his flat the 4 of us were off again.

Today was the day I had my first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. The Rockies are massive to say the least. I felt so small when they came into view, it was an incredible sight to take in. There are also streams that flow down the mountains and since they are glacially fed they are cold. Before you even see the stream, you know it is very close ahead because you cycle through a cold patch as a result of the coolness of the water. The water looks so fresh; when I saw pools of water along the side of the road it was so clear I felt an impulse to take a sip.

The 4 of us visited the place where the last spike was nailed in the trans-continental railroad, which has been deemed “A ribbon of steel from ocean to ocean” that “Symbolizes the unity of Canada.”

 

 

The Three Valley Gap was on route and so we stopped there to take a break and warm up as it was a slightly chilly day. The Three Valley Gap is a lovely attraction because there is a large red roofed building amongst the mountains. It felt like we came upon a treasure in the mountain valley. 

After our break we puttered our way to camp. We were all getting a bit tired because of the late night and early morning as a consequence of galley duty. We were relieved when we finally made it to Canyon Hot Spring Resort, our camp for the evening. The resort was beautiful, with mountains in our backyard. It was a great place to come to after a long day. Tomorrow would be another long day as we would be cycling through Roger’s Pass. A physical challenge to look forward too :)