July 24, 2024
Woss Lake Provincial Park to Telegraph Cove
The light tapping of rain on our rain flies was a constant presence throughout the night. Pleasant to fall asleep and wake up to, but not the most pleasant to ride in. The forecast called for between half to three quarters of an inch of rain between Woss Lake and Telegraph Cove, so we were prepared for a wet day ahead. We've been blessed with pristine weather this entire trip, so it's about time we get some classic Pacific Northwest weather to round out our Vancouver Island experience.
Donning my raincoat in the morning felt reminiscent of the three years I spent commuting by bike to class and work as a grad student in Bellingham. Still, once you warm up it's not that bad; at least that is what I was telling myself as I faced 40 soggy, gray miles of riding. While I was prepared with my fancy new Patagonia rain jacket, my dad had a plastic poncho akin to the one I used when bikepacking through Colombia. He was confident that his 2 dollar glorified trash bag could comfortably accomplish what my raincoat could do. We agreed to evaluate at the end of the day.
We got an early start from camp and biked two miles back to town, where we found a covered shelter at a local park under which we made breakfast. The rain picked up significantly while we were eating, but seemed to come and go in waves. After finishing up our meal, we packed our bikes and left in a lull.
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We opted to take the paved road out of town as opposed to the gravel alternate, mainly because we were already planning on takking a 30 mile gravel road later on that would take us past Bonanza and Ida Lake and on to Telegraph Cove. The first 13 miles were very wet but largely downhill, so we managed to stay relatively cool even while wearing our rain layers. Still, it was a soggy affair.
Around mile 12, the skies started to clear slightly, with the sun warm on our backs as it peeked between clouds. Optimistic about this unexpected change in weather, we removed our rain layers and turned into the long gravel road. The first section was a consistent uphill climb, which we completed by riding and hiking our bikes. As was the case over the past few days, there was considerable quantities of bear scat along the roadside, but no bears. After this trip I fully understand why the beloved children's character was called Winnie the Pooh, cause all these guys seem to do is poop all over the place.
The views as we ascended were astounding. The clouds all around us enveloped the mountainsides in wisps of fog that would blow away with the passing winds. These views continued as we made a detour to Bonanza Lake to stop and make lunch.
Bonanza Lake was astoundingly beautiful. The campground where we stopped was completely empty save for a lone trailer with no one around. We rode our bikes out to the beach on the south side of the lake, where we set up the stove and made a quick meal of rice and veggies. We enjoyed the view and the quiet as we ate. To the north we saw a passing rainstorm envelope the lake before disappearing into the hillsides. We had light scattered showers overhead, but nothing that warranted throwing on our rain layers again.
After finishing lunch, we repacked and continued on our way. The light was dappled as we climbed back from the campground to the main road, which really highlighted the greenery under the dense canopy of trees.
The riding was easy for the remainder of the day, and we managed to dodge all but the briefest of passing rainstorms. It was a relief to have a much drier day than we were expecting to have.
Our day had one more surprise in store before we descended into Telegraph Cove: our first bear sighting! It was a little guy, maybe around 150 pounds and skittish. He darted off into the brush but not before I snapped a picture. My dad and I high fived as we have been wanting to see one and have been genuinely surprised at the lack of wildlife on the gravel backroads we've been traversing.
After a speedy descent we made it to Telegraph Cove, a touristy though picturesque seaside town with a heavy logging and maritime presence. We stopped briefly at the town center before biking the one kilometer to the campground on the outskirts of town. I finally had the chance to shower and shave, and we also did a load of laundry at the camp laundromat. I came out of the washroom feeling like a renewed man. Unfortunately that sense of renewal was short-lived as I proceeded to get absolutely destroyed by mosquitoes and midges for the remainder of the night.
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 495 km (307 miles)
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