Today we rode from Boulton Campground, Alberta, Canada to Elkford, British Columbia, Canada. Again sunny weather with little clouds. Fortunately not as warm as yesterday. Mostly gravel roads, but some challenging (including hike-a-bike) single/jeep tracks. Highlights of the day Elk Pass and meeting other persons on the Divide.

Riding statistics: on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, day 2 on the route, it took 08:02h (05:57h moving time), between 08:25 and 16:27, to cover 85 km (53 miles), including 981 m (3219 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 14 km/h (9 mph), while reaching a maximum speed of 51 km/h (32 mph). During this ride the average temperature was 26 °C (79 °F) with a minimum of 11 °C (52 °F) and a maximum of 45 °C (113 °F).

Totals: So far, it took 0 days, 13 hours, 22 minutes, and 42 seconds of cycling time to cover 180 km (112 miles), including 2307 m (7569 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 13.5 km/h (8.4 mph).

The camp sites of Anna and myself were not next to each other. No problem but it meant we had forgotten to agree on a time to wake up and leave. However, I still had my jetlag, so I was awake, and up early. I got myself ready, ate something, and went to the toilet building (short bike ride) to get myself cleaned up and brush my teeth. Fortunately, I also found my arm sleeves and cap which I forgot to bring with my after I rinsed them off yesterday evening. When I got my bike ready, I cycled to Anna’s camp site, and she was also almost ready to leave. Good timing!

At 8:30am we left the campground and turned onto the paved road we followed yesterday to get here as well. After a 10-minute ride we turned off onto a dirt road into the dense forest. Soon thereafter we stopped at the base of a very steep climb (which would result into a hike-a-bike). It was the start of a long climb to Elk Pass. It was during that short break that two other riders also showed up. It were Dave and Jane from the UK, and they were also riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. We had a short chat and continued our ride. We would leapfrog with Dave and Jane for the remainder of the day. Riding towards Elk Pass was nice but challenging. Sometimes you see the trail way in front of you, but what you do not realize at that moment is that you first must get back down to the valley to cross a river, and then get back up to the same level (and more) as you were before. On top of Elk Pass we met a family that were out for a hike. They rode up in a 4×4 pickup via the road we had to continue on. Nice people, and they offered us a coffee in the cabin where they were staying. About an hour later we reached a primitive cabin at Tobermory Creek (in the middle of nowhere). You can use it for free, first-come-first-serve, and guests should clean up after use. We had a short break over there, and when we were about to leave, the family just arrived back from their hike. They offered the coffee, but we thanked them for the offer and had to continue our ride because we needed to cover a lot more distance today. For a while we had some great climbs and downhills on dirt roads through a forest with sometimes magnificent views.

After a while we changed from dirt roads onto a wide gravel road. This one was much more pleasant to ride on compared to the one from yesterday. Better condition (less loose gravel in which your front tire can dig in), less traffic, and a nice wind (sometimes a hard one) which was changing direction regularly. During our lunch break we again met other people. A couple from the US who were doing the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in sections (because of time constraints). They were now doing their last section towards Jasper. We also met two guys riding a part of the route combined with some other sections in the area. And eventually Dave and Jane also joined. After our break, we continued our ride. First, we rode together with the two guys we met, but they were a lot faster, so after some conversations they continued at their own pace. This gravel road was a long one, but it was a pleasant ride and nice views.

At the end of the long gravel road, we were almost in Elkford, our destination for today. We decided to follow the official route, which meant that we had to ride a single track of about 8km (5 miles). The single-track included a few (very) steeps sections that had to be hiked, and some technical sections where we had to pay attention when riding. We constantly looked out for bears because the vegetation was dense. After a nice but challenging single-track ride, we made it to Elkford and went to the local city campground. After checking in, we pitched our tents (Dave and Jane where there as well, just as a guy from Toronto doing the route), took a shower, did some groceries and went to a local ‘restaurant’ which had great burgers and fries. (These turned out to be the best burgers on the whole route!) We went to our tents early to get some good night of rest. However, before that Anna was scared by a young deer that decided to put its head inside her tent without her noticing it at first.

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