Day 1: Rocky Mountain High

August 19, 2024

We decided to wake up at 6 AM to get a jump on the day. We crashed at 8:45 so it was reasonable. I still struggled a bit with sleep but I’m hoping that all the exercise will quickly take care of that part. It’s getting colder at nights because we were at elevation at Banff. Felt like 5 C when we woke up so we wore our puffy coats for the descent into town and my hands were cold.

We rode the 10 km or so down hill into Banff and decided on McDonald’s. Neither of us are fans but for breakfast it’s fine. We kept with our habits and charged our phone with a clear view of our bikes right in front of us. We think we will take advantage of prepared food when possible. It’s nice not having to make and carry every meal.

Banff Springs Hotel on the way to the trail.

We were riding by 8 AM and this was up there with one of the most fun days I’ve had on a bike. It’s hard to describe how beautiful the terrain is around Banff but hopefully the pictures do it justice.

We had so many different riding surfaces today. It started on single and double track hard packed dirt. Then we got into the most beautiful alpine area where we could fill up our water. Today was great with water available throughout the day. We didn’t keep track but we think we drank about 5 L each.

After the alpine we had a 40 km stretch of gravel road that was the widest gravel road I ever seen. I think 4 or 5 vehicles could drive beside each other down it. That meant that we could pick the hardest and flattest section to ride because traffic was maybe a car every 20 minutes. We actually rode a lot of the time right in the middle of the road and had cars going the same way go past on both our left and our right. This part of the ride wasn’t as enjoyable riding but the scenery contained to deliver.

Lunch was bagels, roasted red hummus and cheese. We ate by a small lake with a picnic table.

After the gravel we hit a short section of paved road, and then into a paved bike path that was at least 15 km. It was like a rollercoaster through the woods. Whenever things felt more like bear territory I turned on my handlebar bell. With each bump it lets out a good ring and we added ‘hey bear’ wherever it made sense.

This section of the trail truly delivers with epic scenery, a lot of climbing, and great variety of riding conditions. I’d say we spent 75% of the day completely away from traffic and that’s why we are doing this trip; to enjoy a backcountry experience that’s quiet and all about the riding and nature.

At about 90 km into our ride we hit two very steep 15 degree grades. There was nothing we could do but get off and push our way to the top. And this is when we realized how heavy the bikes are loaded. We had to stop midway up for a break.

At about 103 km we rolled back into BC! Now it’s BC all the way to the border. The last 15 km was mostly downhill with some very long descents where we stopped to give our braking hands a rest.

We decided I was on point looking a bit like a Tour de France ride with the glasses jammed in my helmet.

I felt really good today on the bike. My saddle position was comfortable and I felt really strong. I’m hoping I didn’t blow through all the pre-trip excitement energy. I don’t think so. I was on high alert for bears at the start of the ride but that quickly faded to a normal level of caution. We did see 6 or 7 piles of scat but that was across the whole day.

Being in the quiet we had a lot of time to ride side by each and just chat about whatever. I think we may solve a few problems along the way or hopefully develop an even greater sense of appreciation for how lucky we are. We are both healthy and fit and fortunate to take time away from working to make this happen.

We are staying tonight in a free campground just off the road. It’s simple with a picnic table and pit toilet and a creek running with 100 m of our site. We practiced good bear safety with a bear hang and eating at a different empty site.

Highlights:

-Incredible scenery all day, certainly a Rocky Mountain High

-Varied riding surfaces

-We exceeded our goal for elevation and distance

-no bears, only saw grouse/ptarmigan

-great weather about 20-22 C and sunshine, modest wind

-Our teamwork is really solid, Peter has been great on navigating and all our meals so far have been satisfying

Snickers count - 2 (I plan to keep a tally of how many I eat on this trip - my favourite and so great for hiking and biking except when it’s super hot.

Distance - 118 km (108 on trail), 1670 m elevation gain

Today's ride: 118 km (73 miles)
Total: 118 km (73 miles)

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Carolyn HodgsonReally enjoying your journals. And yes we did have a wonderful time in Canmore, many moons ago. Your trips are so much fun to read.
Yesterday seemed especially awesome. And we liked reading that you have bear protection all the way! Mr. Cook would be so proud of your writing.😊 Lots of love, Mom & Dad
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5 months ago

Andrew RichardTo Carolyn HodgsonHa ha, yes you and Dad and Mr. Cook improved my writing immensely.
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5 months ago