August 12, 2021
Day 1: I may have bitten off more than I can chew
Nanaimo to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park
I am good at planning. I like nothing more than to look at maps. Paper, digital it does not matter. I can spend hours researching an area, looking for the best route, the best accommodations, a hidden gem. Best in our books usually means the most economical and the lesser known places. We would rather spend our money on quality gear than an expensive room or a lavish meal.
I'm also a big fan of lists. Lists can calm the nerves. First aid kit packed - tick! Cell phone chargers packed - tick! Ferry reservations made (so annoying) - tick! First 2 campgrounds booked - tick!
This was giving me a little bit of comfort, ticking and planning and organizing but honestly I was sick to my stomach over the thought of doing this trip. I was hopeful it would settle down once we got going.
The night before departure, we met up with Debbra and Gary in Nanaimo. We were graciously hosted by our friends John and Carol who permitted us to pitch our tents in their yard.
Rob and Gary spent the evening tweaking some equipment and after a great supper (thanks Carol) we crawled into our tents hoping for a restful sleep which unfortunately wasn't to be. You would think that spending so much time in Mexico, we would be immune to the sound of dogs barking all night long.
There was also the matter of the security light snapping on and off, on and off throughout the night. But honestly it was probably all the excitement keeping me awake. In the morning I was tired and nervous. I was beginning to have my doubts around my abilities to do a trip like this. Thank goodness for D's encouraging words, "We can do it! We can do it!"
We could not of asked for better weather. Blue skies and lots of sunshine. It was such a relief to be out of the smoke of the interior. I used Komoot to plan our route and it did not disappoint. A block away from Carol and John's we found the E&N trail which led us out of the city. I love rail trails. Easy gradients and the separation from busy traffic is wonderful.
We then followed the Parkway Trail which was beautiful but full of ups and downs. We were forced to push our loads a few times. Everyone but Gary that is. He would typically power ahead and then run back down to help whomever looked the most desperate. I tried to master that look.
The hills gave us grief but so did a nasty headwind. By now it was starting to heat up pretty good. I'm sure it was at this point that Rob was wishing I hadn't packed so much food into his panniers. We did not go hungry.
There was a fairly short stretch - maybe 5 km's on the Island Hwy. Although the shoulders were generous the roar of the constant vehicles passing by frayed the nerves.
We escaped onto quieter back roads but the hills soon appeared and so, more pushing, more looking desperate and many water breaks later we arrived at our destination - Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park and I was so relieved.
We had enough energy , barely, to set up camp, make dinner and lay around watching the bunnies and smacking at the biting ants. Thatcher ants have a very nasty bite and the park was full of them. They latch on and don't let go.
We all agreed that 8 o'clock was not too early to call it a night.
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