May 14, 2014

Climbing and climbing for four hours on end, the Bunyan-esque foreboding of yesterday became reality today. In hindsight the odds were against me but it seemed like a good idea to take the less travelled route by cyclists for the chance of getting on the Kettle Valley Railtrail to Princeton. I’ve seen the pictures to see how awe inspiring the trail is. But it’s not just the view, the trail uses many of the old trestles that are supposed to be unparalleled as far as bike trails go. You can deduce by now I did not go on the trail. It’s still snowbound! Only by climbing to the top of the Coquihalla highway did I get that information from a food truck guy. This missed opportunity will remain memorable if for no other reason than the cost of the attempt. The numbers will probably mean little to you but I feel I need to acknowledge the pain; Coquihalla Summit is 1244m (4081ft). And that is with no reprieve, just up.

On the positive side or while I was still naively hopeful, I did have some fun photo time in Hope in the morning. The town erected various skillfully carved wooden statues all over town. Each deserved a picture but the angel wings were too much to resist. I confess that I took an initial picture, packed up, and headed out of town. A couple of blocks away, I realized that I’d missed the true potential of the moment. I have long hair after all so who better to do some classic angel statues poses. For example, the finger raised look to the heaven or the come onto me. If you think the pictures themselves aren’t already an odd sight in the middle of town, consider me showing up not once but twice with my loaded bike, digging out the tripod and camera, and doing multiple takes to get the perfect shot. Authorities may have been called.

Road Report: 131km
Do not take the Coquihalla highway unless you’re a hundred percent sure the trail is open. It is a beautiful ride if you remember to look instead of curse. The alternate route across Alison Pass is a few meters higher but you get breaks leading up to it.