Ride Summary

Distance: 14mi / 22 km
Climbing: 2349 feet / 715 meters
Descending: minimal
Difficulty: hard but somewhat short
Link to workout in Strava

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I ended up splitting up what I was planning to do in one day: a rather large climb over a fairly short distance, into two days (today and tomorrow), thanks to intel from folks I'd met so far. Sure am glad I did because I was pretty spent after "just" this portion - which essentially was "turn left, go uphill in the rain for the rest of the day". I also celebrated a rare thankful moment for a mapping error - one of my bigger fears! This snafu had inserted a bonus out and back on the steepest part of the climb into the GPS route. Once I realized the bike computer was telling me to turn around and redo a chunk of the climb, I declined to turn around. So - today's ride was really short, but also/still one of the biggest climbs I've ever done in a single push, certainly while loaded! Nonetheless, tomorrow's ride is 20 miles longer, and has 1000 more feet of climbing than today, so I'll be getting a good workout despite these tired legs. The next day is 35ish miles and 2500ish feet of climbing. I imagine I will be very ready for a rest day after those rides, and that town of Princeton I'll be coming into is the biggest settlement around for several days in each direction, so it's a good place to take it. But first, I have to get there through the wilderness - there is almost no settlement along this route!

at one point I rested on this neon green very spongy shoulder-boulder

Today I'm camping at an RV park that has warm showers and a hot tub I've already taken advantage of once and shall again before bed. But, they also have active bear presence, so I was glad I geared up in Hope, mounting the bear spray and the bear bell on the bike. Tonight I'll leave my food locked in a bear locker away from the tent and sleep with none of it. It's fairly blustery, but pretty, and I'm tucked back in the only few trees around - yet the highway is only a few hundred yards away so I am hearing traffic whenever it passes, which is not constant, but is frequent (foreshadowing: this was the case with the vast majority of the campgrounds I stayed at along the way). Not sure what it'll be like overnight, probably a bit less? Anyway I've got earplugs...

After settling into camp and warming up in a hot tub, I made it over to the Tashme Museum as recommended by my host night before last, and was glad I did. This site - literally where the RV park is now - was an internment camp for Japanese Canadians during WW2, and the museum demonstrated and talked about the life in the camp, which was a grave injustice much like the American versions of these camps, including outright theft of all property of the displaced people by the government despite prior promises that it would be returned soon. Still, much like the adventure park I described yesterday, the people of the town made the most of their lot and built a strong cooperative culture despite the trauma of displacement and thorough, loud, systemic racism, and fortunately this type of camp lasted for only a few years unlike the residential school system for brainwashing natives which lasted for over a century.

It was interesting to read in the museum that Canada has (had?) a Minister of Anti-Racism. Sure wish America was trying as hard, but I can't see that happening in the near future in our political morass.

Today I started the best path to weight reduction for my gear: eating the 20+ pounds of food I have along! pb&j for lunch, dehydrated meal for dinner and breakfast, and similar plans for the next couple days. I haven't found any gear I don't want, and seem to keep adding more on - I picked up a (very lightweight) book from the bookshop yesterday (local history) and will finish it up tonight and leave it behind for someone else. But otherwise should start seeing minor net reductions in weight as I eat more of the food I brought - which may last me all the way until I meet Lori in almost 4 weeks. (spoiler: it nearly did!)

I already have a warmshowers host lined up in Princeton for the first night I'll be there, though it's just camping in their yard (with use of their shower, wifi, and laundry). I may get a hotel for the second day/night depending on how the weather is and how the town's public spaces are - I'm hoping for more than just a coffee shop to hang out and blog in, but maybe they'll have a library that's cozy and the weather will get a bit warmer. That is likely to be the next time you hear from me - on Monday - since I am more certain that there is no cell service/network at my next stop. But maybe I'll be surprised again :)

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