Highs and lows

Hello Everyone, 

I woke up yesterday at 4:20am, exactly an hour before sunrise, and immediately thought it was a bad idea. I had been comfortable, it was cool, Arthur was asleep. Things were going well, and I had to mess it up. Starting your day on a low point isn't always advisable, but it fits have the advantage that things can only get better from there. I take awhile to get packed up, eat and then get moving, so it was a bit after 6:30 by the time I got to the trailhead. 

There was a nice soft light, filtered through the trees, with the sun up but not too high. The Seven Summits trail has the good sense to start with the toughest climb of the whole thing right off the bat. It also leads to the best viewpoint. It was a bit over 5 miles, almost entirely uphill, to thst first summit. Getting there was literally and figuratively the high point of my day. 

Having the trail to ourselves, not having to gut it out in the midday heat, seeing panoramic views of the Kootenay mountain range, it was pretty special. Biking along the high alpine was awesome as well, and it is the perfect time to do it. The wild flowers are in full bloom, it was like biking through a meadow, only tilted at an angle. 

Turning back was tough, mentally. I knew I could finish the trail in good time, and even though Arthur was still in good shape when we got back to the truck, I couldn't risk it. In total, we did about 12 miles, and while they are the toughest miles of the trail, the whole thing is twice that. 

But I was happy to have done that section. It's an amazing trail. With that under our belts, it was still before noon, so I set about running other errands. Most pressing was that the water pump in the camper was failing. Fortunately, the RV place in Trail could squeeze me in. Turns out I was picking up some sand, minerals, and other stuff from my water sources and had clogged my filters. Fortunately, being new, the motor was in warranty, anf I learned that it's better to put the filter on the line before it goes to the tank, not from the tank to the tap. Which is what I have now. 

A last thought about the trail. There's a great Beaverton piece I read recently. (Tge Beaverton is a satirical news show/website, a Canadian version of The Onion. Both are hilarious.) It read: "Condo dwelling Aussie Shepherd just waiting for the day he gets to herd some fucking sheep." I thought of it because part of my frustration the last few days stems from not being able to do what I came here for. Strolling picturesque downtowns, taking short hikes, or laying on the beach with a book are nice, but they aren't my purpose. I'm here to ride sone fucking mountains. 

Wes

Photos

I'm getting pretty good at this selfie thing.

Second picture is of a beautiful view, wasted on Arthur and his short canine sight.