Heading South to Atluck Lake
Day 2 we woke up to damp and cool conditions. I scared a bear way from camp as I walked around looking for a suitable toilet location. Although we have many black bears on Vancouver Island they are generally no trouble as long as you keep your food scents in check and you don't startle one at close range. If I can't see around a downhill corner I'll sing a song or holler out some bear calls to give them notice I'm coming.
Before I could pack away my sleeping gear the rain started again in earnest. Aside from not enjoying being soaked in the rain I didn't want to get my gear wet as I packed it so we made the call to hang out in our tents for a bit until the rain stopped. The forecast was for things to get hot and dry so we knew the rain was not going to be an all day affair. 45mins later things cleared and we got the bikes ready to roll.
On the south island there are a ton of high quality fresh water sources, but so far we hadn't seen any that we could access since turning south after leaving the Holberg logging road. I was carrying 2 x 750ml bottles and Michael had a 2L bladder. We were okay for drinking water, but didn't have enough for breakfast and riding so we decided to eat once we found a creek.
We started pretty high up on an escarpment which lead to some great downhill riding on a lightly used logging road. Lots of fun curves and the odd rock to pop off of. Within an hour we found water and cooked breakfast on a handy bridge.
The riding was a nice change from yesterday with zero traffic to deal with so we could just ride and enjoy the forest.
Eventually we needed some more water and thought we had found a decent river, but upon closer inspection we realized it was tidal movement of brackish water through an inlet from the ocean. If I was riding the route again I'd probably carry an extra water bottle for the first couple days and then ditch it as I got further south and water was more plentiful. We've had a dry spring and very little snow pack this year so this could just be an unusually dry year.
With the first day done it was nice to settle into the trip and get used to just turning pedals all day. Grades were moderate so we were able to ride most of the climbs and the rain plus lack of significant traffic meant dust was not an issue.
We did see a handful of vehicles around Alice Lake, but they were driving slow and were courteous. Thanks!
We rode along the shore of Atluck Lake and were nearing 100kms for the day which for us middle aged recreational cyclists was a solid effort so the search for a campsite began. After considering a couple marginal sites right at the edge of the road we found a sweet site which sadly turned out to be occupied by a couple and their 4 dogs. The guy mentioned a possibility a the north end of the lake worth checking out so we kept trucking and we were rewarded with a super nice private site at the edge of the lake with amazing views and some strategically placed logs for furniture.
With warm water and the sun shinning we took the opportunity to wash some clothes and clean ourselves up a bit. As well as to dry out our tents and sleeping bags from the previous night's rain.
Across the lake from us some local red necks had their camp setup and were doing all the usual foolishness - loud country music, running a generator at night, shooting guns, drinking heavily then operating ATVs and motor boats. It was fairly entertaining from our vantage point. Sort of a reality TV show.
Woss and Mulchat Lake
We woke up to a sunny clear day and rolled out into the building heat. We were able to find drinking water much easier now which took one concern off our plates and after a couple damp days the sun/heat were welcome - at least at first. The riding along the Nimpkish River was scenic and grades were moderate.
We had added the Cape Scott segment to the trip last minute and figured we'd just ride a bit extra each day to make up for it. However, our actual pace and daily mileage were predicting that we'd be out an extra day before we got to Cumberland where Michael would be driving home. We had enough food to stretch the extra day if we rationed a bit, but who wants to ration food on a bike tour!!
Our route passed the hamlet of Woss so we figured it was worth a ride in to check out what supplies we could grab. As it turned out this was a great decision. Woss is home to ~200 folks involved in the forestry industry. There is a small hotel/gas station/diner in town which is where we headed. First we ate burgers/fries and pounded down cokes. Yum! Then we hit the store for supplies for the extra day. Finally we figured beer for camp and an ice cream to fuel the next part of the ride were a good idea!
Leaving Woss with full bellies and heavy packs we may not have been moving at lightspeed, but we had everything we needed to get to Cumberland comfortably.
More easy riding took us past Vernon Lake and to a nice camp site at the Mulchat Lake Rec Site. Having a picnic table and toilet to sit on felt downright luxurious.
As with many trips I've been on Day 3 is the turning point where you get into things deeply and you feel connected with your ride more than your normal life. We were working well as a team and I was impressed with Michael's ability to efficiently get stuff done. We are not super-fast nor super hardcore so if we wanted to get to Cumberland on schedule we needed to keep rolling steady and not waste time in the mornings or during the day.
We had our chill time in the evenings once we had met our goal for the day. So it wasn't all death march.
Michael's dérailleur was sounding pretty bad due to all the mud and dust. We lacked any chain lube, but got creative and used an olive oil package from one of our freeze dried dinners to lube chains. It worked really well keeping his drivetrain trucking nicely until Cumberland.
Gold River - Sayward - Brewster Lake
We got rolling again early as it was likely to be hot and dry. Heading downhill from camp towards Gold River we then turned NE towards Sayward and rode some challenging logging roads that climbed a lot, featured steep rough chunky fill and we had them mostly to ourselves. This was some of the most scenic riding we did the whole trip despite the hard climbing, heat and challenging descents it put a smile on our faces.
There looked to be some great fishing in this area with river after river looking like it should be on the cover of a fly fishing magazine!
The only traffic we saw during the first half of the day were a couple forestry guys in pick ups and 2 giant pieces of machinery. The logging folks were friendly although the second one looked us up and down then asked "Are you lost????" When I saw the machinery coming our way I got off my bike and climbed down into the ditch off the narrow road. The equipment was so wide I almost needed to drop the bike and climb further into the forest.
All the climbing we did in the first part of the day paid off in some extended downhills. I felt like we were getting more down than we were having to climb to earn it. I know that's not possible, but it did feel good!
It got plenty hot by the afternoon and our legs were tired by now so progress was a bit more painful than earlier in the trip. On the other hand we knew that Cumberland was up ahead and our bodies were used to putting solid efforts.
We made it to an empty Rec Site on Brewster Lake at the end of a 110km day. We were pretty beat and we arrived around 8pm so there wasn't too much partying happening. We drank a couple beers, ate dinner and washed up in the lake.
We each had a beer left from Woss and planned to get to Cumberland the next day so we left 2 beers at our campsite for the next folks. I keep dreaming of the day somebody is going to hand me an ice cold coke or beer on a bikepacking trip. Hasn't happened yet, but I have faith! Leaving the beer lightened our load and hopefully made the Bike Gods favour us.
Bears
We ran into lots of bears on the trip, but my memory of each encounter is limited. One or two bears a day was the norm. With bear scat all over the more remote roads we were travelling this was no shock. Typically the bears would take off when they saw us and we didn't have to do anything. One bear wouldn't get off the road we needed to ride down so we fired off a bear banger to motivate him.
Although there was bear scat in most places we camped we didn't have a nocturnal bear encounter. We put our food into odour-proof bags and stored them far enough from where we slept that we were not inviting the bears into our tents if they smelled something yummy.
