Biking with a Dog

Hi folks,

   Have you ever thought about bringing your beloved pet with you on your bike touring adventures? Well why not? All I can say is that all you need to do is really want it. You might think that its going to be to hard, to much of a drag. And trust me me, I'm not going to lie to you and say that its a breeze, that its "fun", but what I am going to say is that it is worth it. 

   Over forty five days in the heat of a BC's summer I took my dog along with me from Smithers and back again. I traveled north to Prince Rupert, took the ferry down to Port Hardy, biked to Victoria (with stops in Ukee and Tofino), ferried across to Vancouver and made it all the way back up to Smithers again towing my four year old border collie most of the way (she ran sometimes). What a trip!

   The set up. I ride a Surly Long Haul Trucker with disk brakes and fatties. For the dog trailer I used a single wheeled BOB Yak trailer (the one with the shock). I built a sort of guard around the bars on the outside with plastic and duck tape and put a couple pillows in the trailer so Julie could be comfortable for the long ride. I opted for the single wheel trailer for obvious reasons, the single wheel goes where my two wheels go. With the trailers chariot style be prepared to get used to the rumble strip or gravel. So that's it. Bring your dog.

   Of course, if you own a great dane or black lab, you may need to get a bigger trailer. Julie (my dog) is about 35 pounds. Heavy, but not terribly heavy in my opinion. I bet 10 pounds more would be pretty unbearable. Who knows though, I haven't tried it. Also be prepared to carry dog food, another heavy burden. I bought the small bags, sure they are a bit pricier, but they are the perfect size for the job. 

  I'll include a picture on this so you can see whats up. If you have any question drop me a comment, I'll be happy to assist in your doggy needs.

Bobcats in the Area

I had a bad day. I'm freezing. Everything is soaked. I just got to the lake that will be my camp for the night. It seems like a nice place, right on the water and there's a picnic table here. Its a day use area, but tonight it will be an overnight area because I refuse to go any farther.
   The clouds are breaking and the sun intermittently shines, slowly drying the clothes draped over everything around. Julie basks in the sun by the water. I notice a house over to the left to the lake, I think that I'm not to far from civilization, I guess they will hear my screams...hopefully.
   I gather firewood, I'm grateful for the three logs lying there cut into quarters. They will light the dark. Everything is wet still but I am able to find a dead log and after peeling some of the wetter outer layers, I get this nice dry cork like wood. I gather a bunch, a quick flame to shine on a unfamiliar shadow.
  I decide not to set up the hammock. I will just sleep on the picnic table, a luxury actually it seems. I know the dew will settle here for there is only small branches overhead, but I don't care. I hope that it just won't come this time. 
  I eat a bowl of noodles for dinner and crawl into my sleeping bag. The picnic table is hard and cold though I am happy because finally my back lays flat. Not a thought crosses my mind and before I know it I am dreaming.

   I am awake now, there are two dogs at the house to the left barking violently into the night. Julie is tense. I am suddenly scared. I listen to every sound, I follow the barks until they echo off a nearby hill. The temperature has dropped a good 5 degrees from when I feel asleep. A mist is rising from the lake. Everything looks dramatic. The forest that surrounds me is to dark for my eyes to penetrate. I flick on my headlamp. A beam of light cuts the cool dark until it hits the forest wall. I scan rapidly, looking for the glow of eyes staring back at me. The dogs bark incessantly. Julie is alert, she senses my fear. I notice my sleeping bag is wet outside, my headlamp reflects of the tiny drops of dew. I grab my phone from my pocket and check the time, its midnight. I look over to a small smouldering fire that I started before I went to bed. I decide to stoke it and add some wood to it. The coyotes start up, they are crying all around me it seems. This sudden noise raises the aggression in the dogs barks. All the sounds are close. I walk to the fire and add a log to it. It catches. I hear branches breaking. I turn quickly to face the black wall of pine. It's coming closer. Its coming fast. My heart stops. Something is running at me full stride. I feel fear like never before. I just stand there, accepting my fate. My headlamp catches two eyes. Then I see it, a cat like figure breaks through the underbrush. I scream, a loud bloody scream. And before I know it its crashing through the forest floor with Julie hot in pursuit.

I am frozen stiff. I can't breath. I can still hear the two animals running through the forest. I can't believe it, a bobcat just charged me. I gather my wits and whistle for Julie, she comes back obediently. The fire is big now after throwing all the wood on it. I grab my sleeping bag and throw it on the ground and crawl in. I tie Julie to my bike so she won't wander after something in the night. The chorus of dogs and coyotes is starting to quieten down. I try to forget about what just happened. The fire warms me on this cold night and soon I am asleep.

This time when I awake the sun is just rising. The fire is still smouldering and I find Julie somehow made her way to the back of my sleeping bag. I am glad the night is over. I am grateful to have survived another night in the wilderness. I soon get up and start the day....

(Upon reflections, I have come to conclusion that I was not attacked by a bobcat. Judging by the bobcats movements it must have been chasing a small animal, like a mouse and the mouse has just headed in my direction. When I yelled the bobcat was just as surprised as me to see something standing there. Still, that was fucking scary!)

The Climb to Hudson Bay Mountain's Peak

It was September 16th, 2012. Only two days from the present. The sun was shining as I rose out of bed and put on my warm set of clothes to bike over to Tim Hortens to enjoy a large coffee. I checked the weather to confirm how beautiful today was really going to be. Sure, the morning was cold, only two degrees celsius but not a cloud in the sky. The Weather Network was predicting that it was supposed to go up to nineteen in the afternoon. What a day! I downed the coffee and jumped into Brad's corolla. I drove up to Piper Down Recreation area which is still almost seven kilometers from the actual ski hill parking, the start of Piper Down mountain biking trails. I parked the car got on the bike out and headed for the trailhead. It took me about fifty minutes to finally get to the trailhead. Theres some steep sections going up Hudson Bay Road and it shows in how long it took me to travel six and a half kilometers.

The plan was to bike up and bike down the Piper Down trails. However, when I got to the trailhead Hudson Bay Mountain looked so beautiful in the blue sky thatI decided that I would head up Prairie Trai to go to Crater Lake. I have been up there before but I have never taken the bike up. I have been wondering why people don't bike in the alpine lately while I was lazily daydreaming back in Smithers. So higher and higher I go, pushing and pedaling my bike forward. I get to a creast and start the flat section of Prairie trail that leads to Crater Lake. The trail is a single track and lots of rocks make the trip rough. There is a slight uphill and lots of people so the progress is comfortably slow. However, I cover the ground fast and find myself on a fork in the trail. One goes to Crater Lake, maybe 300 meters, and the other switchbacks up the right of Crater Lake and goes beyond. The day is nice, its still early out, maybe like 1200. I turn to the right and pedal up the trail slowly gaining elevation. Soon I have to push the bike because the trail has turned into a slope of scree. This goes on for bit, then pushing becomes ineffeincet. I grab the bike and pick it up and drape it across my back and slowly start walking up the switchbacks. Steep trail and large boulders make progress tedious. I carefully watch my step and finally get to an area above Crater Lake. I put down the bike on a grassy knoll and sit on my ass catching my breath. Here I eat lunch of hard bolied eggs and trailmix and wash it all down with some water. Again my eyes wander up the ridge to the summit. I realize bringing the bike any further up will be both pointless and useless. Theres no way to bike down these boulders. I decide to leave the bike where it sits. I also leave my bag with my food and my water there as well. Without a bike and bag my progress is quickened and the meters seem shorter as usual. A fast trot turns into a slow jog, I am running up the mountain. After running up the steep headwall I get to the ridge that goes straight to the summit. Its realitively flat and the distance to the summit is going fast. Soon I'm on the summit ridge, I would still compare my speed to a slow jog. After some easy exposed moves meters from the summit I see a stainless steel box pointing out the true summit. I am there, and Julie is there shortly after. She had trouble with an area where a boulder blocked her path so she had to precariously take a thin ridge. Successful as always Julie sits by my feet, both of us looking down at Kathlyn glacier. The wind is strong and bites at my bare arms and face. I take off my hat a put it in my pocket in fear of it blowing off my head. I snap a couple pictures for myself, and for a Smithers couple who probably think I'm crazy. I state farewell, and head down. Running in the scree is hard on my feet so I get off the ridge and head to a slope of snow that leads to the top of Crater Lake. I glissade to the bottom and  head back to the bike. I have a hard time finding the bike but eventually find it.
  Soon I realize that I brought the bike to far up. I fear to go down in any speed because a fall here could leave a big bruise. I inch down with my hands holding onto the brakes at all times. This goes on for 50 meters and the ground starts to turn into a sort of dirt track. I ease off the brakes and down I go. Its a bumpy ride. Its so bumpy that by the time I get down off the ski hill I notice my front tire on a slight angle. I check it out and it seems that the hub that screws into the axle has vibrated off. I straighten the tire, and head down the logging road with caution. I'm alittle bummed that I can't go down Piper Down without this key piece keeping my tire secure. But today was a good day, I climbed Hudson Bay Mountain and it was bluebird. I hope all my adventures turned out so perfect.
 I get back to the Corrola, and head back to Smithers....