I survived the night although I felt achey and slightly sick which I put down to the heat yesterday and having limited water due to not wanting to filter the lake. 

 

I knew it was only a short ride into Vanderhooof, so I did that and went to get a coffee. I could tell I still wasn’t 100% as the large slab of carrot cake in front of me went uneaten for a long time. There’s been very few moments on this trip where I haven’t had an appetite, so this was a strange feeling. I went to the supermarket and then sat outside in the shade for a bit trying to summon the energy to get moving again. 

 

From Vanderhoof it was at least nice quiet gravel roads, which was like being back on the GDMBR. Got to a junction and had a chat with a bloke in a pick up truck who gave me a couple of cans of sparkling water. A minute or two later he then pulled up alongside me to offer a spliff. I wasn’t convinced of the performance enhancing benefits this would have though so politely declined. We then had a slightly strange conversation in which he asked whether the UK was still safe and whether immigration was a big problem. 

 

Got to another lakeside campsite but this one was a BC provincial park so had drinking water available. The lake was slightly nicer but incredibly shallow. I waded out about 50 meters and was still only about knee depth so just had a sit down to cool off the legs rather than a proper swim. 

 

Borrowed a hammer from a neighbouring camper for my tent pegs but really didn’t have the energy to engage with the ‘over here to get away from Stamer? Everything is run by Commies’ chat. Rural Canada has surprised me by being more vocally right wing than much of my time in the US.

 

Gong to get to Burns Lake where there is some free camping in town and take a rest day to try to recover a bit.