Coastal Adventure Day 1: North Vancouver to Earls Cove/Klein Lake

Saturday, September 9th, 2023

After much ado I finally find myself in my tent. I’ve arrived at Klein Lake provincial campground which is just outside of the Egmont community. This spot was found on the recommendation of a lady working at a local restaurant where I greedily filled myself with a plate of fish and chips. “Doubt you’ll make it,” a gentleman offered, “besides you’re in for quite a climb on rough roads up the site.” He wasn’t wrong about the climb or the roads; pitches of 15-20% met my tiring legs but mercifully I found a spot and my efforts didn’t go to waste.

My day started leisurely. Against my nature to rush out the door and press towards whatever the next thing is I took a leisurely breakfast and coffee with Bre before the

world’s shortest shake-out ride (for those who don’t know a shake-out ride is colloquial amongst cyclists as a ride to make sure the equipment and body are aligned for the task) and headed out the door to make a mid-morning ferry.

At the risk of sounding trite, I am overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude for this day, this trip and everything it represents. It is not small thing for someone with a spouse, a dog and responsibilities to clients and friends to wander off into the wild for an extended period. There is a lot of trust and support required for this sort of endeavour not to mention the sheer volume of gear and resources necessary to haul a single individual over many days of travel. I am further grateful that old patterns of guilt and unworthiness around such graces have not clouded the journey. In fact the very act of writing this blog/newsletter is essentially an exercise in courage and confidence; so to the reader thank you, not for the first or last time, for your support and interest.

So what of the journey so far? The day has been highlighted by meetings and conversations with incredibly kind and open human beings: a mother who patiently reads some available literature to her young son on optimal supplementation and nutrition for teenage boys going through puberty (no, I’m not kidding); a man who regales me with stories of his grown children, brimming with pride as he tells me he and his daughter will be leaving for Guatemala (having sold almost all of his worldly possessions) with no return ticket and no itinerary to speak of; a healer; an effusive sporting goods sales clerk and the family who run a small pub by the ferry. I am amazed by their kindness and sincerity and my mind is buzzing with the thoughts and experiences that have been shared with me.

The riding itself had been sublime. My gravel bike, which has now more than doubled in weight demands that I slow down and enjoy the process. The tail bag swings like pendulum unless I smooth my pedal stroke and the front end, laden down with almost thirty litres of gear requires a steady hand. Everything around bids me calm and I am the better for it.

So here we are and I’m just finishing this first entry. Please forgive the absolute lack of formatting in this blog. Chalk it up to my not being as tech savvy as I’d like and this, along with a number of things on this trip (many to be revealed I’m sure), is a learning experience.

Until tomorrow.