Foto dump-ish and a few words...

So, I have done a pretty piss-poor job of reporting on my Tour Divide experience. It will all come out eventually - at least by the time next year's start arrives and I can try again...

It seems I rarely got a chance to pull out a camera and snapped shots along the route, but there are a couple I can dump here with a brief description of what may have been happening at the time. 

 I got to Canmore a couple days before the start and had a good visit with my family there -- and some great hikes with Thunder - helping me calm some pre-tour jitters. Although this picture is all sunshine and roses, the next day the skies opened up and didn't stop until Banff was deep under water - just in time for the start of the Tour. They were sandbagging the river the day before, and mudslides had closed down several highway sections up to Golden, and down Spray Lakes Road. Luckily by the morning, some mud had cleared, and the start of the Tour was smooth, albeit wet, sailing. We all gathered at the Banff Y at 8 AM, and set off together to the trailhead behind the Banff Springs hotel. It was a mix of emotions as the day had finally arrived, I was on the bike after sooooooooooooo much stress, anxiety and preparation over the past months, I wasn't sure if I was terrified, excited, or elated - maybe all of the above...

These next shots pretty much sum up the first few days on the trail. Very wet and very cold. There was a great amount of snow pack still in the mountains, and with each pass came sections of hike a bike through deep post holey snow - often several miles long. Each climb up the pass would begin with wide trail fading into narrower sections, into muddy sections, then into snow. The scenery was so amazing, and I am sad to not have taken photos, but there are pictures that I keep in my head and call upon often when I need a break away from day to day troubles...

I managed to score extra space in a hotel room one night - a blessing to have a break from the cold and wet, but other nights I was pitched out in my bivy snoring away to the sound of rain fall. I am glad in the end that I went with a 15 deg. F rated sleeping bag! Thought it was overkill, but for several nights, it was definitely needed.

I tried to pull out my snow riding skillz on these trails, but a steep descent and very slushy trail made it pretty impossible. As we got closer to the bottom of each pass, the run-off rivers got bigger and bigger - many, many water crossings - some I fell in, some I made it through - word to those who attempt this next year - come prepared to be wet!! Luckily though, the temps. during the day were pretty tolerable, so I stayed pretty toasty as long as I was moving - and the fear of bear encounters kept me warm too ;) I did almost broadside a large black bear as we were both zipping along intersecting trails unaware of each other until the last second - whew! I don't know who was more freaked out, he or I....gorgeous though...

 Views like this definitely made the climbing worth while!! Just wish the camera were a little better...or the photographer.

 Someone snapped this shot of me in Lincoln, MT after coming down off Huckleberry Pass in a major rain/hail storm - looking pretty fly I'll say....

These last few shots were heading towards Lima, MT on what would prove my last day on the Tour. It was awesome to be riding across the ranch lands with the sage, the mountains, the vast expanse, and the unending trail. So amazing - lots of bald eagles here - lots of time to reflect. I got in close to 150 miles this day before calling it off to go remedy the glitch that would inevitably be my demise. For anyone who has not heard my plight by now, the call ins can be heard on MTB Cast.com - I won't rehash the issue here.

When I finally got back to Ontario, I did a lot of this....

And this...

And this...

Plus a lot of moping, like this....

Until I was finally ready to get back in the saddle...

A vague post of an epic Tour - but truly  even though my journey was only 11 days instead of 23, they were 11 incredibly life changing days, and I will be back to get it done next year...absolutely next year - I am ready now...