The final band of rain was due to clear through the morning so I stayed in the room as long as I could before setting out into the last of the drizzle. I had to retrace my path slightly to get back to the trail and as I headed up the hill away from Holberg a fuzzy black creature shuffled across the road at the top of the rise. My first thought was the motel owner’s dog but a black bear was the more likely option. 

 

However, this partial sighting was put to the back of my mind once I’d rounded a corner on one of the forest service roads to see a sow with two cubs walking towards me. I stopped and watched from a distance, as initially I didn't think they’d seen me. The mother then turned around and started walking back towards the trees across the road. At which point one of the cubs started running towards me so I thought it best to make some noise, just in case they weren’t aware I was there. The mother soon beckoned for the cub to follow her into the trees and they made their way up the bank at the side of the road and out of view. I waited a few minutes before continuing past where they’d been, making some more noise just in case they were still around. It had been my longest bear sighting since seeing the grizzly coming out of Banff and a nice mood boost after a tough few days. 

I carried on along the service road before diverting slightly off route to stop at another little village called Coal Harbour. Despite Google and the poster in the window suggesting the restaurant should have been open, the guy in the adjoining shop seemed pretty surprised when I asked if this was indeed the case. So I had to make do with a lunch of crisps and an ice cream from the shop. 

 

The afternoon finally delivered some long-awaited sunshine as I continued to crest and descend the undulations of the service road before popping back out onto tarmac for the final stretch to the rec site I’d earmarked for camping at. It was very busy with families out for their summer vacations but I found an empty pitch and got set up. Still not massively enjoying the packet rice or pasta options but managed to get some food in. Did a bit of planning for the next few days as the weather finally looks settled.