Day 11—Friday, Aug 12—Elkford to Sparwood, BC
24 miles; Cool morning but intense sun in the afternoon: peaked at about 87F
This day was supposed to be relatively easy: 24 miles to get to Sparwood, a town whose main industry is coal mining. Significant measures are taken to reduce the impact by “beautifying” what no one really likes to see: the massive tailings (waste rock) that are graded to look like a hill but are little too regular not to be noticed. These pits must look quite different from the air and are active 24/7 to feed energy demands.
The trail today started as a path (or single track) and eventually transitioned to a seldom used dirt and grassy road. We passed raspberry bushes and another berry that tasted similar but had a flatter profile. Where there are berries there could be bears so we kept our heads up.
In general the trail followed the Elk Valley Trail high above the Elk River providing meadow views and long views to the surrounding ranges, as well as a sulfur spring with a brilliant color.
The final leg passed thru lovely Lower Elk Valley on a paved road; ranches in the valley sat below the mines in the mountain.
So, getting back to the supposedly easier day: my version of the ride made it an eight hour journey. I got lost, had to bushwhack with the bike, and had a flat tire then learned the cement in my patch kit had dried up (did I mention it was hot). Too much fun while running low on water. Pretty parched by the time I got to Sparwood and downed three A&W frosty root beer mugs (free refills!).
Tim, I'm learning much from your adventure.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you made a horned friend along the way and through the unknown to free refills! Sounds like a long day!
ReplyDelete