Day 9 – Coldest to Coziest

Getting the Heck Outta There

Following my night camping at the summit, I woke up at 5:00am to the sounds of somebody knocking on the outhouse doors.

Right away, I remembered the two panniers containing food that I purposely left in one of the outhouses to keep away from wildlife. Just really hoped that nobody would take them.

They were still there.

At that point I was up, and ready to get a good early start to my day, and more importantly, get out of the cold.

The weather got nasty pretty quickly. Pouring rain and windy. I had both my sweaters on, as well as my rain jacket. But there was no avoiding getting drenched to the bone. I’d been used to having wet feet as it had rained on every single one of my riding days since starting this trip. But what was rough was the cold, because the feet became numb. The rain would not cease the entire ride, and I started to feel my survival instincts kicking in to get myself out of there, and find that shelter.

Having that place in Golden to look forward to was a huge motivator.

Ripping down that mountain, I was able to break my speed record of 66km/h from the Kamloops hills, with a shiny new 70km/h.

Bear #3

Rode right past a lil’ black bear, on my side of the road, who was immediately scared and ran back off into the bush.

No pictures for this one either.

Safe Haven

Arriving at Katie and Rachel’s place in Golden was an indescribably good feeling. I was soaking wet, and covered in mud. Took a warm shower right away, which was so so nice and made me feel human again.

The place was stunning. Warm, welcoming, and rustic. Huge backyard, with a garden, and a chicken coop!

Both ladies were at home, hanging out on the couch, onesies and cozy clothes on, sipping tea, by a real fireplace. From the start, it was a chill “make yourself at home” feel, “help yourself to whatever” kind of deal. They were wonderful and purely positive vibes. They had also invited me to sleep there for the night if I wanted to, which I did take them up on. (Also, the attic that I slept in is a full-on bouldering gym… So cool!)

I got there so early that I still had so much of the day ahead of me, which was perfect for a rest. Katie’s partner, Matt, joined later. It was an afternoon well-spent with my newly-found friends; hanging out, cooking some “Moong Dal Rice Crepes” (spoiler, these do not cook like regular crepes), and even had a movie night with popcorn and everything. A grand ol’ time.

Thanks Katie and Rachel!

I was feeling very much regrouped and ready to take on the last portion of the Rockies.

Daily Stats

• Route: Glacier, BC —> Golden, BC
• Distance: 83km
• Elevation Gain: 618m