2018: From Hope BC to the Othello Tunnels

October 2018, Day 1:

We return to Hope in October 2018, to continue the path along the TransCanada Trail (TCT).  Viewers of the cable TV program "Highway Thru Hell" will recognize Hope, as the homebase of the Jamie Davis Truck & Auto Company, a company which provides  rescue equipment  (wrecker service) for trucks and cars along  "The Coq".  The Coq is the Coquihalla Highway,  BC Route 5.  It is an important supply trucking route for Vancouver and the Pacific Coast.  The  westbound Coq climbs from Merritt BC, above 4000 feet at the top of the pass, and then descends through a gorge formed by the Coquihalla River to arrive in the City of Hope, at the bottom of the gorge.   It is a dangerous stretch of  highway, especially in winter, with rockslides and steep cliff faces along the road.  Upon arriving in Hope our first evening, we decided to have supper at a local restaurant in Hope, and we saw Jamie Davis at the restaurant!  I guess in Hope he is just another guy.

Another history lesson, important to this area was the building of the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR)  in this area in 1916.   Railroad construction in this area was very challenging and expensive.  The TCT follows the path of the tracks for the next 600 kms, a very popular Rail Trail for Canadian hikers and bicyclists. In the area east of Hope, 4 tunnels were blasted out of steep rock faces.  These were named the Othello Tunnels, and this is a highlight of the TCT in British Columbia.  The tunnels provide nice viewpoints above the river.