Day 30: Kimberley, BC -> Fernie, BC

Date: Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Start: Kimberley, BC (Kimberley Riverside Campground)
End: Fernie, BC (Staying with a friend)
Distance: 121km

I woke at 7am (which would have been 6am in my old timezone).  It had rained almost the entire night, but when I woke up I couldn't hear the telltale patter of rain on the tent.  I packed as quickly as possible, hoping that the break in the weather would give me a shot at keeping my gear dry.  I was lucky enough to get it put away dry...except the tent.  The inside tent portion had remained dry, but the rain fly was the consistency of wet plastic wrap.  It was heavy with water and really dirty from the dirt "pad" built by the campsite.  I packed my tent separately from the rest of the gear and hoped I could dry it before I used it again.

SIDE NOTE: I'm writing this the next day in Fernie and realized that - in my mad rush to pack before the rain - I left a bunch of tenting pegs behind.  I'll buy new ones here in town!

I got everything on the bike and spent a while trying to figure out what I was going to wear.  It was about 7C and raining.  I have no problem with being wet while I bike, but wet AND cold would be a problem.  I opted to keep my shorts and just wear my rain jacket for heat.  I could open flaps and unzip to control temperature.  I jumped back on the bike and headed into Marysville, BC for breakfast.  I found it at a hip little joint called The Koffee Kan.  It was made of shipping containers and had an awesome breakfast bagel, caffeinated everything, and baked goods.  It was a touch of warmth and good eats in what was promising to be a long day.  I downloaded podcasts and audiobooks and headed out.

It was 120km to Fernie, but no serious climbs.  It was promising to rain quite a bit though.  As I headed out of Marysville the tailwind allowed me to easily go 30km/h.  At this rate I'd make Fernie before 2pm!

It didn't last though.  The road curved south and my tailwind turned to a crosswind, and then a headwind.  It sprinkled gently.  Enough to keep me cool and dry in the breeze.  To say I rode "into" Cranbrook would be a lie.  I skirted along the edge of it but got a picture with the sign.  I'd spent more time in the bathroom that morning that I did in Cranbrook (that comparison is no comment on Cranbrook).

There aren't many pictures from today, because the rain started falling more and more as I got further from Cranbrook and I left my phone in the waterproof bags.

I left town and followed the Kootenay River along the highway.  The land was gentle and rolling in this area, and the mix of grasslands and tall ponderosa pines reminded me of Princeton.  After about 40km I hit my first climb.  And a construction site.  The construction always comes during a climb.  It was a slow accent, but gentle enough that it wasn't difficult.  At some point the rain began to intensify.  At about 70km I reached Jaffray, BC where I'd planned to stop for lunch at a coffee shop.  As I pulled in the skies opened up and an intense downpour started.

I ordered a turkey sandwich, mushroom soup, and a London fog.  I sat in the solarium of this incredible log cabin cafe - First Perk - and watched the rain as I ate.  I stayed there for a little over an hour wondering if the rain might calm down.  It didn't.  I ordered a date square and continued nursing my London fog as I enjoyed what was easily the best date square I've ever had.  After another 20 minutes I decided it was time to leave.  I went back outside on their covered porch and contemplated rain pants.  I decided that the cold - it was showing a high of 9C in Fernie - combined with the rain was likely to make me cold even while cycling and tossed on the rain pants.  It was the right call.

I had 50km left to go, and it was still pouring.  I have no pictures to show you, but I was soaked.  At some point my bike shoes were water logged, and every push of the pedal brought water gushing up between my toes.  Water overran the shoulder in places and I had to slow down being unsure what it might be hiding.

And there wasn't much to see.  The cloud felt like they had come down to Earth.  I would only catch the occasional glimpse of a mountain in the fog, like the fin of an orca breaking through the water.  The misty hills were beautiful, but I paid the price for the setting!  There was so much water on the road that the cars and trucks would pick it up and spray it, and it looked like they were driving on clouds.  A few times they would pass and I hoped the people behind them could see me through the thick highway spray.

At 90km/120km I was ready for it to be over.  But it kept going.  I talked to myself, laughed, and once again yelled at myself in my best John Lithgow voice.  Here's Matthew Rhys in HBO's Perry Mason to demonstrate:

At odd times a ray of sun would shine through and brighten up a small area of the mountain.  The contrasting colours of the forest was invigorating, and I wondered if anyone in their vehicles was seeing it or if they were too focused on the road.

The rain calmed just as I arrived in Fernie.  I passed three people on bicycles who had jackets but didn't seem to be wet.  I looked like I'd just been through a heavy wash cycle.  I rode to my friend Laura's place and managed to peel myself out of the soaked rain gear.  She immediately made me a cup of tea, and it was the best part of my day.  I showered and changed into dry clothes.

We went out for the greasiest burgers in town.  Then I went and bought a pint of ice cream and polished it off once we got home (something I did on the Vermont hike after I'd come out of the woods soaked).  We spent some time catching up and telling stories, and eventually it was time for sleep, which came easily.

I've been asked by a few people how bike touring like this compares to thru hiking.  I've always said that the biking is FAR easier.  Pedaling is far easier than walking.  Wheels on a road beat feet on a mountain path any day.  Passing through towns multiple times a day and eating at cafes is luxury compared to carrying 5 days of dehydrated food.  I've rarely felt at the end of a day of riding the kind of exhaustion I remember from hiking in Vermont.  But today I came close.  The last 5 days had been some exhausting climbs, and the rain of this day reminded me of so many days spent hiking in the pouring rain in Vermont.  Soaked through and through.  It's still not as difficult, but that cup of tea reminded that the elements of today were very close to the Green Mountains of Vermont.  And I savored the feeling of being dry and warm again.