Back to Basics and a Return to the Trans Canada Trail

“If you're lost and alone, or you're sinkin' like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground
Carry on”

                                          Fun, ‘Carry On’

After more than a week off the Trans Canada Trail to rest my ankle, visit family, change our gear, and get some rest (and cheer up Sean) we are due to strike back out westward within the next day.

 

By our estimates we have between 5-7 days left in Alberta on our #Hike4Birds which will take us from Cochrane and Bragg Creek in the foothill region, then lead us north climbing up to Cox Hill, Canmore, and Banff in the process before turning southward to the border of British Columbia.  We are excited for the sights, sounds, wildlife, and natural experiences that trekkers are able to enjoy through Kananaskis, Banff and the Rocky Mountains.  If everything goes according to plan we should cross into our 10^th province around the beginning of September and our 500^th day on the Trans Canada Trail will be in Elkford, BC.

 

Back to Basics

The past week or so off of the Trans Canada Trail, has lead to a number of changes for us as we move onward.

 

First off, our hiking carts are back in storage enabling us more manoeuvrability as we climb the trails around the Rocky Mountains.  This means that we are back to carrying everything in our backpacks, a change which will affect our pace and the distances we can cover each day as we have both effectively “gained” 60 lbs including Bear Barrels as we enter grizzly bear country.  With no more wheels and no more extras we are also back to basics.  As such, we are again as we were when we set out across Newfoundland in 2019 when we began this trek. 

 

Adding to this challenge is the fact that after a week off the trail we are both again out of shape and I am still contending with a sore ankle.  This means that we will spend the next few days getting back into the feel of hiking with our backpacks and gear – as we climb into the Rockies.  

 

 

Finally , while resupplying and resting we have been almost constantly reminded that our true competitor – time – has continued its march forward.  The first signs of fall migration are in evidence in parts of the country.  School supplies have filled the local stores, summer baseball jerseys are being replaced with hockey gear, and warm weather hiking gear is harder to find having already been swapped for ski outfits and snow suits.  While it may only be mid August at the height of summer temperatures, half the stores read as though we are headed into school immediately while others look as though a blizzard is coming. 

 

For us there are between 65 and 75 days left to get to the Pacific – around the beginning of November.  What once seemed like such a long trek that would take such a long time, is in fact right around the corner for us.  And so as we set out and as time marches on we must maintain a regular pace to the Pacific and continue to pray for few forest fires, cleared trails, and good weather en route as the seasons change.

Fresh Perspectives

Our time off the TCT, and subsequent bus to Vancouver and Sechelt, provided us with a fascinating and direct view of what is to come.  After 4000+ km across the flat lands and prairies in Canada the shear scope of the Rockies was made abundantly clear to us as we motored west for our break.

 

A 13 hour bus trip from Banff, AB travelling in excess of 100 km/h to Vancouver made it stunningly clear just how long the 1300 + km that we have to cover in British Columbia are.  In addition hearing the bus engine roar and the motor’s gears grinding throughout the long hours of climbing and weaving through the Rocky Mountains all prior to hours of descending and tracking through the vast wilderness of British Columbia brings the stark realities of the effort that is to come forward. 

 

 

The Rockies are not foothills,  they are not the tough challenges of the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland, the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick or the Laurentians of Quebec – they are huge in the extreme.  As such, with more than 1600 km to venture on the Trans Canada Trail to the west coast it is clear that what is to come will be amazing, full of stupendous beauty, and the hike of a lifetime … but none of it will be simple or easily done.

 

As always Canada and the nation’s natural wonders will provide for amazing moments and great challenges.

 

Westward we go…

 

 

 

See you on the trail!

Remember to follow our entire adventure here : www.comewalkwithus.online