Yes, I know the title is a little cheezy/a double entendre. I was on my bike before 8 for my ride to Hope where I planned on having lunch and picking up some food for dinner/breakfast. My first mountain pass was to follow and I was unsure of how I would manage. It proved to be pretty tough, possibly the most challenging climb for me of the whole trip. One thing that this climb taught me, in conjunction with the many that followed, was that sports drinks make climbing much easier (i.e. they keep you hydrated far more than water alone). I began carrying one at all times, then two later in the trip—for reasons that later posts will highlight.

Given that I was up until close to 4am the night before, I had a bit of a late start today. I was off and on my bike around 10:30. I was unsure how far I would get, aiming for somewhere between Mission and Hope (interesting town names!). The Fraser Valley is very flat, and I stopped in the late afternoon, not wanting to push too far on my first day, at Squawkum Park.

I went for a late ride with a couple friends tonight. We round from the downtown east side following the Trans Canada Trail loop that circumscribes Stanley Park and the Seawall Trail—after weighting out a bit of rain. We stopped at English Bay so I could dip my tires in the Pacific Ocean. Getting across the sand proved a task—and cleaning off the sand was a pain. We ended up heading out to Foundation for a late feed, staying to well in the morning chatting.

I have finalised the last of the tasks I needed to get done, and with possible rain forecast for Monday, I will be leaving tomorrow (Sunday). I packed all my gear into my trailer yesterday as a final test pack and will take it out for a 20km ride this afternnon, following the Trans Canada Trail loop that circumscribes Stanley Park and the Seawall Trail.