July 2020, British Columbia, Canada
I had set up camp near the end of the road and the start of the Shulaps Basin trail. I knew what was coming and was ready to go “hike-a-bike” mode by packing the backpack with the heaviest items, keeping the front bag fairly light to make the bike easier to lift.
The trail was there and had signs of maintenance but it must have been a year or two since any trail work. In parts the grade was steep enough so that you would need to have both your feed down when moving the bike forward and other parts were rideable.
With possible rainy descend I used the last bit of sunshine to make lunch. Noodles always get mixed with 1/3rd of Knorr soup base and maybe half or quater of the original noodle flavoring with a cuscus or instant mash potatoes handy to add if a more filling meal is needed.
I barely manage to get a glimpse at the Coastal Mountains before the rain takes over
the descend was a white knuckle, teeth clattering, brake burning ride that often had me putting a foot down. The trail went through two tiny but picturesque passes before making its final descend toward Marshall Lake
It’s truly amazing when you manage to stop in time to surprise a little critter. Its heart pumping fast and its whole body twitching, ready to spring and yet, curious about the creature 100 times its size that has taken interest.
then the breaking news roll in. Improved Trail
I joined the road and set up at the Marshall Lake Rec Site thinking of having a fire but after burning my garbage I decided to call it a night.
the roaring of engines and the dragging of chains along the main road started at 2am. I am not certain that this is the case here but logging truck drivers are often paid on “by load basis” and there are some problems with that. With that being said I never, ever had a problem with a logging truck even if being there looks worse than it is.
There was some more recent logging in the area
it is really hard to put this into perspective but this are the satellite images of the area
But soon I was riding into a forgotten valley where nature was starting to take over again
Food was low but the bike was lighter and it was finally time to see what the fuss is all about and if The Chilcotin and Big Creek Provincial parks are really the mountain biking heaven that they appear to be.