2018 Day 4: Brookmere Station to Tulameen

 

Day 4 was my final riding day for 2018. It turned out to be perhaps the most difficult trail day so far along the TCT.  The day dawned grey and drizzly, with temperature of around 40 degrees.  The route today  was around 36 kms, about half of which was in a wilderness area with no roads at all, as the trail followed the KVR right of way. Audrey along with my friend Lynn were the support crew this year, and  we all realized this was going to be an area where they would not be able to follow me closely.  We decided on  a target time of arrival which assumed a reasonable pace.  The girls were going to be taking a very much longer track to get to Tulameen where I would meet them.  With no cellphone coverage, it would be a day without communication.  

So my route followed the Coq Highway for the first perhaps five miles. The weather continued unchanged, with cold temperatures, and light rain. I arrived at the point where the trail diverged from the area of the highway, and struck easterly to the Brookmere station.  This point was very confusing as a number of trails converged n this area.  It was not clear which trail was the correct one, as none of them had any signage.  I tried three routes, but all of them petered out, and I could not find the KVR trail!  I know I lost nearly an hour in this area.  Finally trying the first route again, I found that this path actually went further than I first noticed, and  perhaps 50 yards further the trail picked up again.  However, I think I lost about an hour in this route finding experience.  

Finally back and moving again, now I found the trail conditions were deteriorating.  4 wheeler RVs are permitted to use the route in this area, and when RVs use the trail, they create sandy conditions which are very difficult to travel along on a bicycle.  Fortunately this sandy stretch only lasted for a few kilometers, but again more lost time.  Finally I arrived at the Brookmere Station location, only to find some old buildings, and not a soul to be seen.  Fortunately, I had prepared for this possibility, and and brought enough food along to last the entire day.  But now I knew that I was going to have to ride very hard to make the  target time at Tulameen.  The good news was that the rain finally had stopped.

I was happy to see that the trail opened up into a farmland area for the last 10 kms, and so it seemed that I was at least in an area of civilization,  and I saw roads again, in case I should have a problem with the bike. Interestingly, I came upon another TCT bike rider traveling in the opposite direction.  She asked me about the trail ahead, as she was looking for a place to put up a campsite.  At this point I realized that I was only a TCT rider with a comfy bed expected each night.  She was a real TCT traveler to be camping along the way.

 But I continued to fall behind schedule as it became apparent that I would not make it to Tulameen in time.  I went as hard as I could go, it being the last riding day for this year, but it was beyond my capacity to ride fast enough.  Finally, I arrived at Tulameen, only to find nobody waiting for me.  I was very concerned that Audrey and Lynn would drive the long round about trail back to my starting point.  So when they weren't there, I figured they must have done just that.  I saw a family camped around a campfire in their  backyard, and I went over to talk with them.  They had also talked with Audrey and Lynn, and  the family related that they would return shortly to Tulameen, and that I should just wait for them.  What a relief when they came back with the car maybe 15 minutes later. 

So this ended my trailride for 2018; a sobering experience that realizing one never knows in the wilderness what challenges and problems may be encountered.

Remains of the KVR embankment where once there was a railroad bridge

Finally,  back to civilization with arrival at Tulameen