Day 2, Wednesday, July 18, 2012, Athabasca Falls to Columbia Ice Fields, Glacier View Inn

Wednesday, July 18, 2012, Athabasca Falls to Columbia Ice Fields, Glacier View Inn

A very deceptive day in many respects. Over night, actually early morning, we were awakened to thunder and lightening and sporadic downpours. Some downpours lasting for a while. Will we be riding in the rain tomorrow?

Mike was up early and made coffee as instructed by the hostel relief manager. I showed up just in time to get the third or fourth cup. Three cups later it was time to pack up and leave. 

I elected to not go with full rain gear because it was only threatening, but not raining. Everyone else, Herb, Geno, Frank, Jay, Bob, and Mike had their rain gear on. It sprinkled on and off the first couple hours, but never enough to make me want to don my Showers Pass rain jacket. We were climbing at a very moderate rate and descending some all the time following the Athabasca and, eventually, the Sunwapta Rivers.

Breakfast was 15 miles down the road at Sunwapta Falls Resort. We all appeared to eat the Rocky Mountain Special breakfast, eggs, potatoes, choice of meat and white, brown or rye toast. I detail the latter as I think it cute the Canadians call wheat toast brown. Took me a couple seconds the first time to translate when I was asked if I wanted white, brown or rye. 

After breakfast even I bundled up as it had poured while we were eating and it still seemed threatening. I rode for about 15 minutes before deciding to shed my rain jacket.

We were following the Sunwapta River now and still climbing moderately with moderate descents, yet always going up. I stopped at a view point Geno had stopped at to eat my peanut butter and jelly brown toast from breakfast.

This is where the ride became interesting. It seemed all of a sudden there was a head wind. the terrain was flat, but I could only manage 7-8 miles per hour. At another point it seemed the wind had switched to a quartering tail wind. Then we went around Tangle Ridge and boom! There it was, the real climb. This climb kicked up to double digit from the get go. It averaged 10 to 12 per cent. I was primarily in my granny gear, a 26 tooth in the front and a 36 tooth in the rear. A grind all the way. I stopped twice to rest. The second time I walked down toward some buildings hoping they were Glacier View Inn despite the fact there was not a glacier in sight. I was desperate. Make it stop!  The buildings were some sort of work camp and the red I saw through the trees was not a 'vacancy' sign, but was a large red barrel instead. I pulled out and proceeded to grind it out for another couple miles. I wouldn't even stop to admire a water fall others in their cars pulled off to admire. Near the top of the climb were two construction workers I called out to asking how far it was to Glacier View Inn. They answered saying about 6 K and I had a nice down hill ahead. It was a nice down hill, but the head wind returned and all across the flatter terrain toward the Ice Fields I battled the head wind. A sign indicated 1 K which I translated to .6 of a mile. I rounded the corner on a granny gear climb to see a very large chateau like building but no signage to indicate who or what it was. All kinds of people were entering and leaving, along with many buses, some going up to the Ice Fields and others elsewhere. I pedaled on by looking hard for some indication of what the building was. I got to the far end of the property where a sign indicated buses only. Standing out in the parking lot was an attendant there ostensibly to turn cars and RVs around. I yelled at him asking where was Glacier View Inn, three different times, before he understood my question. He pointed back at the building in question. I received his permission to enter the parking lot and he directed me to an access road leading to the back side. As luck would have it Geno rolled his bike out and called to me to follow him. The inn had secure parking for bikes in a basement room. I was exhausted and after checking in received help from a young lady just starting her shift. She grabbed 3 of my panniers and led me to my room.

It looks like Bob and Herb are skipping the next two or three days because they are both sick. They will, the last I heard, catch a bus to Banff and wait for us there. Tomorrow we finish the climb to Sunwapta Pass. We have about 2 miles to the summit then a 30 mile descent to Saskatchewan Crossing and another motel.

Today's stats: El Gain= 3233, ODO= 3120, D= 44.7, T= 4:44, Mx= 36.4, Av= 9.4. Stretched, 3x3 neck.