Bikepacking Canada #1 - BRITISH COLUMBIA

This journey begins in Victoria, BC, the classic dip of the tire in the Pacific Ocean. From here I plan to cycle across Canada, trending with the Trans-Canada Trail, but riding whichever bike route is most practical and scenic. These films will focus on the experience of the trail and the beauty I find along the way. Soon I found myself in the lush rainforest of Sooke, amongst mossy trees and waterfalls. Twisting trails led up and over hills, until I got to the famous Cowichan Valley Trail. And by the end of the first day, I'd made it to the Kinsel Trestle. At 188 meters long and 44 meters high, this wooden trestle is one of the largest in the world and a true marvel. Along lakes and wild forests, through washed out trails and lovely gravel roads, a brief and beautiful couple days on Vancouver Island came to an end. Where from Nanaimo, it was a late night ferry to West Vancouver. I rode up high into the hills overlooking Vancouver, and down again to the Capilano Reservoir. Through lush rainforest, beautiful paths, and gorgeous views, I worked my way down along the creeks of North Vancouver until I was down at the ocean. As I left North Vancouver, I said a heartfelt goodbye to friends and took the sea bus to Vancouver. And this peaceful spring evening was a perfect night for a last relaxed ride through Vancouver. Under the span of the Lions Gate Bridge and around the stunning Stanley Park seawall at sunset. After living in the city for 10 years, it was the perfect evening to send off and enjoy a peaceful ride around False Creek. And I officially left Vancouver on a traditionally cloudy gray day. More gravel paths took me along the water and through West Coast Forest. Port Moody, I waved goodbye to the ocean. Goodbye ocean. Passed over Coquitlam. I made my way down over to the beautiful Pitt River. Crossing south of the Fraser River, the ride became a mix of country roads, gravel dikes, and magnificent agricultural land. Continuing through the Fraser, the trail set itself up on a series of dikes. These are designed to keep out flood waters during spring melt or extreme winter rains. Although during extreme flooding in November 2021, these dikes were put to the test and some failed. They've now been rebuilt stronger and higher. Through Chilliwack and back across the mighty Fraser River, continued onward towards the mountains. I rode past landslides, washouts from the 2021 storm, and onwards. From the town of Hope, with vistas of rich coastal forests and magnificent rivers, I began the climb towards the first mountain passes. Due to the Kettle Valley Rail Trail being largely washed out from the previous year's floods, I opted for the Grosvenest Highway through Manning Park. Up and up I climbed, passing the 1965 Hope landslide. Yet another reminder of the truly awesome and destructive power of nature. Before long, the climate began to turn continental. Dry rock slopes and pines dominated the landscape. Rivers cut their course down through rugged mountainsides, and the road wound its way down through the canyons they formed and onwards to the BC interior. This old rail bridge, originally part of the Kettle Valley Railway, had been part of the bike trail for the past few decades. Sadly, the floods had wiped the bridge out and it will be a while before this trail is restored. But at least to the east, I could finally get on the KVR proper. This gravel route winds up through the hills of the interior, passing large pasture lands, grassy fields, beautiful wild forests. Aside from a few rough sections and a couple of washouts, this section of the KVR is an amazing ride for gravel capable bikes. A nice light downhill grade brought me into the Okanagan Valley at Summerland. A town famous for its fruit and wine, although it was a little early in the season this time. Finally, I made it to the beaches and shores of Okanagan Lake. Climbing up the KVR from Penticton and Naramata, I passed above vineyards and through old hillside train tunnels. I worked my way up the hillside, beside towering ponderosa pine trees. Perfect place for a campfire and a night's rest. Up on Okanagan Mountain, the KVR continues high up above the lake. Passed by rock ovens built in the early 1900s by railway laborers, and local marmots inhabiting talus slopes. Spectacular views abound here, looking down nearly a thousand meters on the city of Kelowna. The highlight of the section is the Myra Canyon trestles. In a short distance, 18 trestle bridges and two tunnels help the old railway wind its way around the upper edge of a steep canyon. In the busy Okanagan Valley, the trail passed by quiet reservoir lakes and through some deep puddles that are often present in this location. Back downhill into the next valley, passed through remote trail and sparsely populated forest. Alongside the rushing waters of the Kettle River, I passed through burned forest and beautiful farmland. As much of the trail passes through pasture land, a regular obstacle is gates that need to be unchained and opened before passing through, and closed and rechained before continuing. Although I only filmed one, I must have passed through a hundred. At this point, I'd finished the KVR and was now on to the Columbia Western Rail Trail. In Christina Lake, I took three nights to rest as the rain poured down. And when it finally abated, the rivers were left full and raging. With clouds and mist burning off the mountainside, I finally departed Christina Lake to continue on the Columbia Western Rail Trail and into the mountains. At just under one kilometer in length, it's an amazing and fantastic experience to cycle through. The portal on the other side led me out to fantastic views of Arrow Lake and an amazing hillside road. But an intense thunderstorm chased me down, and I found myself racing down the exposed hillside. Thunder echoing all around me, until I finally found refuge in one of the conveniently placed picnic shelters on the trail. But all storms must pass, and in the wake of this one was pure beauty and awe. From Castle Garden Nelson, multiple hydroelectric dams span the Kootenai River. The simplest route is to ride on the highway through Nelson and onwards to the ferry across Kootenai Lake. Despite knowing that there was still plenty of snow on top of the mountains, I wanted to try a crossing of the infamous Great Creek Pass. I figured that even if it took a full day to push through the snow, it would save time over the additional 100 kilometers to go around on the highway. Climbing up quickly on a steep gravel road, it soon turned to mud and then to snow, and in no time I had to revert to pushing. I don't know what I've got myself into, this is absolutely insane. I still have 400 more vertical meters to go to the top of the pass, and then another 500 vertical meters downhill on the other side to push through. At least then it will be downhill, but this might take me a few days. It's just too much, so I've got the bike turned around, and uh yeah, I'm gonna do Ride of Shame downhill basically, and go the long way around. I think this pass needs about another month before it's good to go. Back down at the shore of Kootenai Lake, the highway turned out to be amazingly quiet and beautiful. It brought me past stunning farmland in Creston, and onto busier roads towards Cranbrook, where at least I had a shoulder to dodge the trucks. On a rainy day, I passed my first unexpected time change, and the next morning leaving Cranbrook, I found myself at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. This magnificent trail, known as the Chief Isidore Trail, started as beautiful gravel path, and quickly turned into a very rideable single track, and a good time in the trees. The TCT sections south of this followed some very bumpy logging roads, a ride I wouldn't really recommend for cycle tourists. Getting to the shore of Lake Kukanusa was a true shock. Usually at this time of year, the reservoir has been filled up through a lot for summer recreation, but now it was bone dry. We continued on through quiet pastures, and finally down a beautiful logging road, and towards the city of Fernie. I spent four nights in town, while an extreme amount of precipitation fell down. Rain poured down in the city, and snow covered the high mountain peaks and passes. The Tour Divide mountain bike race was happening at the same time, and in the days that I was in town, Fernie Saar had conducted 15 rescues. This meant that my planned route over the Elk Pass was unrideable in the immediate future. But I had to keep pushing forward. From Fernie, I tried to follow pieces of the Trans-Canada Trail, but they didn't hold. I returned to the highway, and pushed on towards the Crow's Nest Pass, where I soon found myself waving goodbye to BC, and passing over the border, and onwards to Warratt, Alberta. It had taken me three and a half weeks to get here. One down, nine to go. Welcome to Alberta.