November 2020

Not quite sure what my plan was but I couldn’t quite get past the “writer’s block” equivalent of my video project. I had big plans to start re-doing the first episodes in a different format and with the right soundtrack but few hard drive problems put this on the backburner. Before I knew it it was November and I really had to get moving, I missed some of the best mosquitoe-less riding in the fall and one may say it was a bit too late to be riding… after all it’s been 5 years since I’ve had a real Canadian winter.

Darren whom I met during the summer offered to drive me out of town Prince George and I liked the idea of not riding on the narrow, wet highway full of commercial traffic. Yet I am going on a road in hopes that the logging trucks have packed the snow down.

The bike was as wobbly as a happy dog under the weight of the extra winter gear and that 10kg limit rear rack that I have been rocking all summer. I skipped the first rec site and set up at Marie Lake.

Even with a second sleeping mat, i was still melting through the snow under my tent, not promising but once it gets a little colder that shouldn’t be a problem

The tire tracks got fainter and fainter, I tried to ride in the fresh snow but that was followed with an audible “nope, nope” and back to the tracks. I can see the chains and the double wheels - these are logging trucks and not late bird hunters / 4x4 campers!

Riding the track requires a lot of balance, despite the big wheels you can still dig into the snow if you aren’t careful

I managed to catch just a little bit of good sunlight in the evening across Pitoney Lake

Dinner was a whole different adventure in itself, knowing that I am basically riding in a freezer I went above and beyond to get some good calories in (at least for the first few days), knowing that I can burn any excess garbage (rather than lug it to the next town). And you may think having frozen yoghurt is nice but this is not the store kind, there are pieces of ice in in and not exactly edible until you mix it with some soup!

The tracks were not great, the kind that are left over from a pickup driving rather fast and not packing the snow down like a logging truck would. Look at that hardpack on the left, amazing!

The pickup tracks lasted about 10km and it didn’t look great from there. Sometimes it was rideable and sometimes it was a big slog. But there was something about the fresh snow and still being able to make some progress through it!

Riding required even more balance, if you lose the middle of the old tire track you will surely get stuck.

I used my limited “out of gloves” finger time fiddling with the drone and turning, callibrating and adjusting every possible thing to get the bird into the air

I started collecting some wood along the way and the “old man’s beard” -tree moss to help get a fire going. Its still a bit too warm during the day and that makes for heavier snow.

due to the lack of object to lean your bike against, I quickly found a nice stick-stand.

Progress was slow and I eventually stopped by a bridge with difficult but possible access to fresh water and a place to sit.

my feet were wet, likely just from the snow and all the pushing so that means keeping my socks inside my sleeping bag to dry them up a little (or at least keep them warm-er when I put them on in the morning). Which by the way was not as easy as it sounded, my boots had frozen solid and I had to get my food half in and just jump on that boot until it fit.

But there was no rush, I didn’t need to get anywhere. I will stop much earlier today and have a nice big fire! I made sure to take a big lunch break and that really makes a difference for the second half of the day

748km from somewhere. or 48km on a “700” road. There are a couple of “plan B” options but all of them rely on whether there is some winter log hauling in the area or not.

Old Man’s Beard! Stopping to grab the driest wood possible was a great way to take a break.

and today’s camp features some Vitamin D sunshine and a big, big fire!

and best of all - some quality “dry feet” and “warm feet” time beside the fire.

followed by one of the most miserable nights. The thermarest's valve was leaking and I would wake up every hour or two on the cold hard ground (with just the secondary sleeping pad). I would take off all the tape, inflate and tape it up again.

The wet snow did not make things better and I really, really hoped that there would be loggers along The Naver Creek Road.

The track didn’t improve but after few hours I was at the main road, which was very well trotted. (or trodden?)

The riding was easy but difficult not to sweat with the humidity through the roof and all the wet snow falling and melting on you. At the bass I had to pack away all my wet gear and put on the “in camp” puffy white jacket to keep warm. Went to a rec site and started setting up my tent when some hunters showed up! They were looking for deer and were surprised that nobody “has drawn on me” yet. Told me to make sure I always have my reflective vest because it’s deer season and most people would stop as soon as they see something in the distance…

Next thing they said “we’re gonna get a big fire going for you” and they were foresters and wildfire fighters because I have never seen anybody swing the axes like they do. I tried to help and I would come back with a bunch of dry branches to see one of them dragging a big dead tree. Wow. I gotta really up my fire game if I am to survive this winter.

I even defrosted enough to callibrate and fly the bird. My phone was constantly dying and it was a true miracle that I was able to keep it on long enough to get the bird into the air

I really hope this is the last warm spell, wet snow and sub Zero nights don’t mix well on the road. I need to get better at fires and quick.

I stood by the fire as late as possible leaving only a handful of dry logs under the picnic bench for the next fellow who may need them. All this cold made me miss the hot summer and all the mosquitoes ;) (kind of hoping to catch up with all the videos soon but there is an episode or two that I need to finish first)

The morning was a crisp ~ -15C and I wouldn’t need to be worrying about sweating for a while. I have my puffy jacked on and pedaling full steam without problems!

Once the first truck passed I knew I am good. There is no way they won’t call this out on the radio.

It’s hard to describe how it feels when one of those monsters passes you. The hardpacked snow muffling most of the sound and you can almost hear the woosh first before you see them. Then as they pass, the spare chains and the weight of the wood on the trailer add to the near-whiteout conditions that they create for a moment.

it was smooth sailing to the highway but it definitely feels less safe than the radio controlled logging roads

I took a detour to the places where they make The Great Canadian Marshmellows. Imagine taking a bit out of one of those! all we get in the store is the tiny versions

I made it to Quesnel and the A&W drivethru and all those great Canadian grass-fed cows.

It turned out that BC went back into “no non-essential travel advised” and I took 2 days to get a new cellphone and winter-friendly boots at Walmart (taking one of the few bus lines through town that usually ends up being quite squiggly and covering most of the town) Studded tires and a new thermarest were not optional. My last thermarest was a warranty replacement and the next one I can buy. They are great with their warranties but I think its fair to buy every other one.

but what i really need is not studded tires, just big wheels like theese…