Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Day 15 – Distance: 65.29
Golden to Kicking Horse Pass (Field, BC)!
Yes, I did it! I kicked ass at Kicking Horse Pass today. Actually, it was probably more of a stroking, since I stopped every kilometer or so, but it was great, and now it’s behind me.
We left Golden about 9:00 a.m., full of anticipation of the 16 km climb that we knew was ahead of us. It wasn’t too bad, especially as I had done the first steep section the night before, when we came to our campsite. We were always able to stop for rest breaks when we needed them. Monique was about half way up when a truck gave a really loud bang beside her and then basically pulled over onto the shoulder and crawled up at about 4 km per hour. Since she couldn’t get around him, she was forced to walk for at least a km. Anyway, that’s her story…and she’s sticking to it.
We got to Field, which was our destination, by 2:00 o’clock, so after an hour’s rest and stretching, Cassie and I decided we would tackle the pass today and get it over with. The sun was shining, the wind was in our back, and it seemed to make sense. I was elated to get it done; in actual fact, it really wasn’t nearly as bad as I had feared. Somehow, it looked really bad when Albert and I had driven down it; it was probably a mistake to drive down this way. Anyway, I’m hoping I’ll sleep better tonight for having done it; last night I only got about 4 hours, in spite of pills and everything else I did to get to sleep. Half way up the pass, I was fortunate to be able to see a train going through Spiral Tunnel, which is an engineering phenomenon which allows trains to be able to climb the pass safely, by basically driving over themselves! I could see the head of the train at one entrance, and the rest of the train going through another.
Fauna note: I saw what I think was a moose, and managed to get a picture. Monique and I also found a crow feather, which she stuck into her helmet. I was going to call her Chief Crowfeather, but she lost it. Too bad.
The other very exciting thing was the tourist information booth in Field was for Alberta! We have finally finished our first province. Hooray!
Golden to Kicking Horse Pass (Field, BC)!
Yes, I did it! I kicked ass at Kicking Horse Pass today. Actually, it was probably more of a stroking, since I stopped every kilometer or so, but it was great, and now it’s behind me.
We left Golden about 9:00 a.m., full of anticipation of the 16 km climb that we knew was ahead of us. It wasn’t too bad, especially as I had done the first steep section the night before, when we came to our campsite. We were always able to stop for rest breaks when we needed them. Monique was about half way up when a truck gave a really loud bang beside her and then basically pulled over onto the shoulder and crawled up at about 4 km per hour. Since she couldn’t get around him, she was forced to walk for at least a km. Anyway, that’s her story…and she’s sticking to it.
We got to Field, which was our destination, by 2:00 o’clock, so after an hour’s rest and stretching, Cassie and I decided we would tackle the pass today and get it over with. The sun was shining, the wind was in our back, and it seemed to make sense. I was elated to get it done; in actual fact, it really wasn’t nearly as bad as I had feared. Somehow, it looked really bad when Albert and I had driven down it; it was probably a mistake to drive down this way. Anyway, I’m hoping I’ll sleep better tonight for having done it; last night I only got about 4 hours, in spite of pills and everything else I did to get to sleep. Half way up the pass, I was fortunate to be able to see a train going through Spiral Tunnel, which is an engineering phenomenon which allows trains to be able to climb the pass safely, by basically driving over themselves! I could see the head of the train at one entrance, and the rest of the train going through another.
Fauna note: I saw what I think was a moose, and managed to get a picture. Monique and I also found a crow feather, which she stuck into her helmet. I was going to call her Chief Crowfeather, but she lost it. Too bad.
The other very exciting thing was the tourist information booth in Field was for Alberta! We have finally finished our first province. Hooray!
posted by BikingBabe at 7:33 AM
2 Comments:
Way to go Nynka!!! You are truly amazing! I promised money for each completed province--so will make sure the Cellar Singers and St. James' Choir get their first instalment!!
Pat
Hey Babe!
Way to go! I'm so proud of you. Keep up the good work.
Jim
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