Day 137: 5.42 miles, 0:30 hours, Jasper National Park (Whistler Campground)
T
he train trip was unremarkable. Got to Jasper and into a new time zone at 5pm. My plan is to head south as quickly as I can on Highway 93 and get back into the States (if they’ll have me). I rode straight out to the National Park campground. It’s the only campsite left open at this time of the year in the entire park. The ranger was nice enough to suggest I just pull into one of the closed ones on the way south, “but don’t tell anyone I told you that”. He was also nice enough to remind me that the overnight temperature would be -2 degrees Celsius.
Day 138: 88.38 miles, 6:39 hours, Stealth Camp (Rampart Creek Campground)
I
I took the riding slow and ate lots, even started getting my camera out again. It was a gradual 1000 metre climb and 100 kilometres to the first summit at the Icefields Centre. My chain grabs and jams whenever I try to change to the granny gears. It’s because I’ve got the new chain on an old, worn-down set of cogs. So I struggled up-hill in middle gear. I rang a bike shop in Banff who suggested I try a bike shop in Lake Louise. Hopefully they will have some front chain rings so that I can stay on Highway 93 and go south as quickly as possible. At the Icefields Centre I stocked up on a lot of water and some over-priced Snickers bars. When I was about to get back on my bike, a teenager approached me and was in total awe at the idea of me riding up to the summit, “Much respect to you man!” I then rolled downhill for about 40 kilometres and found one of the closed campgrounds that the ranger had mentioned yesterday. I made use of the dining building and set up my sleeping bag on top of one of the wooden tables.
Facing page: Between Jasper and Banff, Icefields Parkway [Day 138]
A lberta
had my alarm set for 6am but it was still bloody cold and bloody dark. I reluctantly crawled out of bed at 7:30.