Wow. Ben and I are sitting a Chinese restaurant in Elkford, British Columbia right now, taking advantage of the free wi-fi at lunch.
We slurped 25 miles through mud and rocky logging roads this morning, and met an older couple in a white pickup truck who told us stories about close encounters with bears. Ben and I have diligently been hanging our food every night high in the branches far from our tent, but we have to resist the urge to leave out a tomato-sauce encrusted can or two just to see a mama come explore our campsite. Don't worry, we aren't planning on doing this! Some interperative program I must have attended as a small child on a trip to Yosemite has ingrained me with the idea that feeding bears is bad. I can't do it, I can't leave food out at night even if Ben really wanted me to. That interperative program really did the trick, way to go Yosemite!
crazy rain last night= muddy trails today
Back on August 1st, we flew in to Calgary, Canada and took a 2 hour bus to Banff, where the Great Divide trail begins. We built our bikes at Soul Cycle and Ski in downtown Banff, and the shop guys were super nice. We asked them what we should do while we are in Banff, and they raised their eyebrows, looked at us, and in one silent stare it was made clear that Ben and I would not be riding the tour bus to Lake Louise with our selfie-sticks and plastic water bottles in tow. We spent one day in Banff. I begged Ben to ride the Gondola, which must have have been at least a 600 foot climb up a paved road. It was totally worth it. We stopped by the grocery store and I picked up some dehydrated foods and fresh produce while Ben watched the bikes.
The riding these first few days has felt like wrestling an angry mountain goat trying to dig a whole through my sternum. That is to say, it has been very hard. Climbing up Elk Pass yesterday was incredibly difficult, and I completely lost my normal enthusiasm. I felt drained and lifeless. When we started descending down the other side of the pass, at one point I pulled over and collapsed in fetal position on the side of the trail. I just couldn't go any longer. Ben pulled over and made me eat a bean and cheese burrito laced with Sambal Olek sauce (our favorite seasoning, eaten at nearly every meal). This made me feel immediately better, and we reflected on the fact that all we had eaten that day was one Poptart, coffee, and a 5-hour energy. Our nutrition has improved since.
This morning marked day 4 on the trail, and I finally feel like I am getting used to wielding a fully loaded mountain bike up rocky trails that I would difficulty hiking up. The Great Divide is a challenge, and sometimes Ben asks me how I'm doing and I rank how I'm feeling with my obscure 1-20 scale. "I'm feeling 6/20, but it is 18/20 beautiful out here so I guess I'm doing great!"
It's already 5pm, and we still have at least 20 miles to cover (which sounds like nothing on a road bike, but ohhh boyyy can 20 miles be long on the trail!) so more updates soon. It is beautiful out here. Probably more like 19, than 19 out of 20.
onward to Sparwood!