If you want the full story check out my latest Youtube video: https://youtu.be/FKNKlrCL31k?si=6YZwwQCCWF0GvW2-
The Stewart-Cassiar Highway was a cyclist’s dream; winding roads, smooth tarmac, picturesque mountains and lakes, cars passing only every half an hour and magical wildlife encounters left me in heaven in my first 2 weeks in British Columbia. The journey didn’t come without its challenges however. With a large forest fire in the North of the Cassiar, I was forced to hitchhike down the first 60 miles. Luckily for me I found a ride with the first person I asked, a Texan man in an RV. He dropped me off just past the smoke which left me with the chance to spend the rest of the day at the beautiful Boya Lake. The emerald green waters and white sands left me feeling like I’d been teleported to the Caribbean. I spent the afternoon kayaking round the lake, exploring its many islands.
My next challenge came when I arrived in a small First Nation Reserve called Iskut. Expecting to collect a replacement for my water damaged camera, I was disappointed to find it hadn’t arrived at the post office, and with no post for another 3 days I was stuck there for the foreseeable future. What initially felt like a frustrating road block, soon turned in an opportunity to settle down for a few days in one of the most beautiful campsites I’ve ever seen. I ended up spending one extra couple of days there after my camera arrived and by the time I left it was the longest I’d spent in one place since leaving home 2 months prior. It felt good to feel at home somewhere, a rare and greatly missed feeling when you’re on the road.
Determined to reach Salmon Glacier I continued down the beautiful Cassiar Highway, cycling with another cyclist and encountering a black bear by the side of the road before arriving at Meziadin Junction where I would leave the Cassiar Highway behind to head to Stewart. Reaching the Glacier involved at least a 5 day detour through to a small coastal town called Stewart, followed by a day of climbing over 4000 feet up an extremely rough gravel road, used primarily to access the mines in the area. The road to Stewart was stunning and provided me with my first chance to see a glacier: Bear Glacier to be exact. It was a beautiful sight although it was sad to see how little of it remained; it’s highly likely it’ll be gone from this world before I am.
In Stewart I was kindly hosted by a man called Shawn who I’d met about 10 days ago at Dease Lake. He runs fishing charters and wildlife tours in Stewart and was kind enough to invite me to camp in his garden during my time there. When I arrived he’d just come back from a 2 day fishing trip on the Pacific Ocean so I was treated to a feast of fresh halibut, prawns and crab that they’d caught that morning. I ended up taking a few days off to rest in Stewart before heading up to the Glacier. The main reason being was that a couple called Ana and Angelo who made me dinner over a month ago in Alaska were due to arrive there in a few days so I planned to meet them at the top.
That morning I headed out, prepared to spend the next 4-5 hours cycling straight uphill. The road was brutal but the higher I rose, the more beautiful the scenery became. Just after half way up I stopped to set up my camera when to my delight I saw the van of Ana and Angelo heading up the road towards me. They embraced me with a hug and immediately offered a ride. Determined to get there through my own hard work I settled on letting them take a couple of my bags making me a little lighter. That combined with the promise with a cold beer at the top made the rest of the ascent a breeze. Excited to spend time with these amazing people and to see the beautiful glacier I powered up the rest of the climb in no time and soon found myself drinking a beer looking out over the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen, and may ever see, in my life. I couldn’t be happier that I made the extra effort to come see this, it’s a day that’ll I’ll never forget. And to top it all off, shortly after I arrived we got to watch a black bear roaming the mountains not far below us!
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by DanCyclestheWorld