<Dead Cucumber>

so, I'm back!

I apologize for the lack of updates but I've been fairly busy since we got back from Calgary. First and foremost I will highlight my trip!

Day One:
I was so not prepared...lol...I didn't get out of Cranbrook until about noon, a few hours later than I had hoped. The weather was alright, not too hot but a little windy. I was making good time and took my time getting to Fort Steele. Shortly after Ft.Steele, the weather changed and it was cold and sprinkling rain. It was about this time that my handlebar went loose. Way loose. I thought I had brought my little multi-tool with me but sadly I didn't. Luckily my bike lock key fit into the screw and every few minutes I had tighten the handlebar back into place. For the most part Day One was boring as I had just biked this section a few weeks prior. The only other "fun" part was when I sustained a minor scrape on my ankle. Great, first day and already an injury. Scott and Trina met me at Wapiti Lake to camp. We built a fire, and built what my dad apparently thought was a tent. Trina rigged it around the back of the truck and she slept inside while Scott and I froze. Didn't get much sleep.
Day Two:
Day Two sucked hard. I again, didn't get out until later in the morning. Everything seemed to be going ok trail wise until I made my way to North Star Lake. The markers disappeared and I had no idea which way to go. After several attempts at finding the right way I went back to the main road and through a short cut I remembered from Geocaching, found the trail again. By the time I made it out of this section and onto Baynes Lake road it was already around 3. I was in a bad mood and didn't feel like going the round-about way to Elko. I made the desicion to bike the 4 kilometeres to Elko on the side of the highway instead. It was raining, I was mad and there were big trucks. That's all I have to say about that. Once I was on River Road on the other side of the river from the highway, I thought it would get better. Nope. It poured. I swore and pushed on. My parents, expecting to see me at the campground by now called to say they looked for me but left. Along the last 10 km to Fernie I lost a bungee cord holding my sleeping bag on and my "virtually indestructable" Nalgene bottle, broke. I made the choice to spend the night at the Raging Elk Hostel rather than camp and boy was that right thing to do. It was cheap, but very cozy. I had a tv and a shower and a bed all to myself. I bought some goodies and fell asleep warm.
Day Three:
Much better overall. Nothing terribly exciting happened today. The whole route was on the side of the highway which wasn't too bad. Not a whole lot of traffic and there weren't even any big hills. I stopped in Sparwood for lunch and then made my way to Elkford. After having a shower at the campground I met a guy who just biked from Banff on his way to Montana. He gave me a few hints and warnings about the next day. I tried to make frozen pizzas for dinner but they didn't quite turn out. A girl came up to me and invited me to her campfire party but I declined as I was tired. Elkford is small.
Day Four:
After a decent sleep, I set out around 10 after mailing postcards and eating breakfast. The first part of the trail wasn't so bad. This was the beginning of my isolation part of the trip. I made it about 20k before taking a break. Not many people, just some hunters and an old couple. The scenery was amazing but the hills were backbreaking. Endless hills. There wasn't much shade and the sun was blazing. I had decided to stay in a hunters cabin that was only 5km south of the campground. The guy from the day before had told me about it. It sounded a lot better than tenting way up there. I was tired by 4 but still hadn't found the cabin. Just when I started to doubt the trip and debated just calling the rest of it off, I saw it around a corner. It was pretty much what I expected. Small. It had a stove, a couple beds and a table. People had left supplies and all you have to do is clean up after you're done and sign your name on the wall. I built a big fire and made dinner before falling alseep around 9. Throughout the whole trip I missed Scott and my family, but this day was the worst as I didn't have cell service and couldn't talk to anyone. I was truly alone. Way out in the middle of the mountains.
Day Five:
Freezing. Bloody. Cold. I was so glad that I stayed in the cabin. I built a fire to try and warm up before leaving. I locked the cabin door and was on the trail at 8:30. I had a feeling I would see some animals this early in the morning and I was right. A few minutes after heading out something large and black crashed into the trees beside me. I didn't stick around to see what it was. A few minutes later I saw a black figure on the road about 100 meters ahead. I blew my whistle and it lifted it's head. A baby moose. Still bigger than a horse though. It ran off and I kept going only to see yet another black thing on the trail. The mom. Way bigger than a horse. Thankfully it too ran off and I didn't see anymore large black figures. I found the right road and by 10:30 I was standing on the continental divide. Alberta on one side, BC on the other. The ride down to Kananaskis was nice. Mostly downhill and extremely picturesque. I made to the parking lot and I had never been so happy to see pavement in my life. A short ride later and I found civilization. The Boulton Restaraunt and Trading Post. I was dialing Scott's number on the pay phone before I even took my helmet off. It was so good to hear his voice. After a little chat I sat down and had the best grilled cheese sandwhich ever. I called my parents and it was off to the last camping spot of the trip. Kananaskis is beautiful. Even to just drive the highway down to the end and back would be an amazing trip. After a couple more stops I was at Eau Claire Campground by 2:30. I thought that this campground had showers, but I was out of luck. It did have a pay from from about 1976. I set up camp, ate some gross rice and stayed awake as long as I could (9:30).
Day Six:
The last day was easy. Scott was meeting me in Kananaskis Village which was only about an hour and a half away (biking time of course). It was freezing when I woke up. Frost covered my tent. I packed everything up and was out by 9. The road was quiet with a few bikers heading the opposite way. My fingers were numb but I was sweating. I made it to Kananaskis around 11. What a nice little place. It was built for the olympics and was the site of the 2002 G8 Summit (the meeting with Jean Chretien, George Bush, Tony Blair..etc..). I pretty much just relaxed which I waited for Scott. I bought a paper and read up on the Hurricane (how terrible), and bought some keepsakes at the gift shop. Mailed my postcards and just relaxed outside near the pond. When I saw the truck pulling into the parking lot I was so happy! It was nice to be moving on the highway without even doing anything! We made it to Calgary and found Emma's house. Emma and Josh were gracious guests who were a blast to hang out with.
Remainder: The rest of the trip was fun. We went shopping and went out for dinner. We played Cranium ( Scott lost his clay privileges), and went to the Zoo! We even surprised an old friend with a visit. Befpre heading home we went to Ikea and bought a cool picture frame and had Wendy's one last time. It was such an amazing trip and I'm already planning something for next year!

After we got home I got called into work twice which was nice. I need the money. I also got to babysit!!