August 20, 2024
Day 2: Midnight Horses
Just after midnight I woke up to strange sounds. It sounded like metallic tinkling orsubdued wind chimes. It reminded me of stories where kids fall asleep and then wake up to see faerie folk come out to party, or perhaps something out of The Lord of the Rings. A few distinct hoof clops and a neigh confirmed that it was horses. I have no idea if they were wandering on their own or someone was leading them somewhere.
Day 2 stats:
Distance: 123km (231 cumulative)
Elevation: 1270m (2964 cumulative)
Start time: 7:15am
Finish time: 6:00pm
Bears: 0
Forest Fire Smoke: none yet, yesterday either
The morning was quite a bit colder. I thought it was maybe 5C but after we were riding we saw ice on a puddle. We started with warmer clothes and gradually reduced the layers until we had the opposite problem and were sweating our way up some steep climbs.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We made Elkford our initial target and were there before noon after about 63km of mostly gravel road but also a really pretty section of singletrack. It’s a really nice looking town, with what seem like great amenities for the locals. I’m sure the winters are pretty severe though. We found a picnic table by the river and made lunch, filtered water, rearranged gear, etc.
A big paved climb greeted us outside of Elkford and gave us all the weathers: a bit of rain, an uphill tailwind, sun, overcast.
Off the paved section we passed through a maze of logging roads and some more singletrack before rolling through some gorgeous farmland on a flat valley floor between mountain ranges.
Sparwood was our next town and since it was still only 4pm and we felt good we decided to push on. Plus, the accommodation options in Sparwood weren’t on the free end of the scale. We eventually found a fairly secluded spot about halfway between Sparwood and Fernie.
It was another very good day, and as Andrew mentioned, our teamwork is a big part of that.
The nice weather and convenient resupply and water options are nice but we know that there will be some challenging days ahead: physically, emotionally, and from the conditions like heat, cold, wind and rain.
Today's ride: 123 km (76 miles)
Total: 231 km (143 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |