Canada - Day 13 - Gray Creek Pass to Nelson

 53.2 miles, 3783’ climbing, no wildlife

In the morning chill, we packed up and headed for Gray Creek Pass. It quickly got hot in the sun. A few sections of road were steep, but there were flatter parts to balance it out. The wildflower show continued. A dirt biker passed us headed for the pass.

About 1/2 mile before the pass, we came to our first patch of snow that we had to push our bikes across. It wasn’t very long or difficult, and it was melting fast. We could roll our bikes in the tread mark from prior cyclists or dirt bikers. More snow patches followed, but none were too big an obstacle. 

Right at the pass, a man coming up the other side was stuck in the snow in his Chevy. It didn’t look like he’d get over the pass today. We headed down the snow free but steeper west side. Soon we met 3 women bikepacking the BC Epic coming in the opposite direction. They were from Australia, Idaho, and Colorado. They told us they had met a dirt biker below who had been charged by a mama moose with 2 calves. This put a spin on our descent; the road was steep and the adjacent hillside was steeper. What would we do if we met an angry moose? People have a lot of advice for dealing with bears, but faces are serious when discussing moose. “Just try to get away.” “Moose are friendly until they aren’t.”Fortunately we didn’t see them. We think we saw the dirt biker headed back up, looking no worse for the wear.

We had a cold drink at the Gray Creek Store, then rode around to the ferry across Kootenay Lake, a beautiful dark blue lake with deep green forests and snowy peaks in the distance. There are trees, rocky outcroppings, and some sandy beaches on the shores, not to mention beautiful homes with large decks and grassy lawns and private docks. It’s like a summer resort here with intermittent stores and shops and hotels.

We had a quick ride on pavement to Nelson, a charming, a historic town on a hillside along the river that feeds the lake. We met up with Sarah’s friend, Julie, who lives here, such a pleasure to see after many years. We all went out to dinner at a place overlooking the river. We are planning to take a rest day to give our bikes some attention and spend more time with friends.