Pretty cold and damp start. Not sure if it rained overnight or just the proximity to the river meant a heavy dew. It’s really noticeable how much more moisture there is in the atmosphere up here. 

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Continued to follow the river up the valley including a pretty tough climb over Elk Pass and then some quite technical trails beneath a telegraph line. From what seemed like a very remote location, the route suddenly passed through a couple of large, well developed campgrounds. One of these had a shop so I could stop for a snack and get the tent out to dry in the sun. 

 

Back out onto a more conventional dirt road to continue climbing surrounded by amazing scenery. It’s very hard to pinpoint what makes certain landscapes more beautiful than others. But the combination of thick green forests topped by jagged rocky cliffs, and lakes and rivers with a turquoisey glow owing to the glacial runoff, are pretty hard to beat. 

 

Zach, Kara and I had agreed on a bit of a shorter day as a big storm was forecast early in the evening. It would also allow us to all arrive in Banff on the same day. It’s a bit of a strange feeling reaching the end of the GDMBR but still having a good chunk to ride. Not helped by almost every southbounder I now speak to saying ‘oh you’re nearly finished’. I still have plenty of motivation to keep riding and am definitely not ready to go home. But it’s just a bit of a mindset shift to push on again on my own. 

 

Got the campsite which was a stunning setting right on the lake. Had an early dinner and watched a mother water bird of some kind attempting to teach her four chicks how to fly. The rain came about 7pm and continued for a good few hours, together with thunder and lightning which seemed pretty close. An evening of hunkering down with kindle and podcasts.