Yukon Ho!

June 22, 2006

July 13, 2006 on 10:32 am | In Uncategorized |

Biking time: 10:30AM to 4:30PM
End: Dease Lake
Distance: 73km
We left Lorraine’s this morning knowing that we had a hell of a climb ahead of us. Our starting altitude was 1060M, and according to our sources, we had a pass ahead of us at a height of 1240, and between those two points a river crossing with a climb back up which we’d been warned about at every stop since Meziadin Junction. Fuelled by all of the oatmeal in our food bin, we started the day with a comfortable descent to about 970 metres where the “Brake Check” pullout was. Thus began the switchbacks down to the Stikine River. The worst part was that the road was gravel all the way down to the bridge (well packed gravel, but still potholed and stony enough that we had to take it slow all the way). At the bottom, we were at 675 metres altitude, which was depressing since that’s where we were two nights ago at Bell II. Then we climbed. We climbed for an hour on an 8% grade (in the gravel), back up to the 970 metre height of the first brake check. Then we kept climbing on rolling hills (thankfully paved) for the next three hours, stopping for lunch just before we hit the 1240 metre summit. Just before the summit, I was almost run over by a transport truck, but as always he was moving too fast for me to get his licence plate  number so that I could live out my windshield-smashing fantasy at the next truck stop. On a much lighter note, halfway up the initial grind from the river crossing, we stumbled upon a small herd of horses just standing on the side of the gravel highway. One had a bell around its neck, so they had either escaped their pen or were left to roam freely on the road. One even let me come close and be his friend, petting his neck (until he quickly turned away and farted in my face… for real).

After the summit, we flew. We literally coasted for 20km, pedalling only when we felt like it, until a final tiny uphill took us into Dease Lake. Dease Lake is the only “town” on the entire Stewart-Cassiar Highway (except for Stewart, which doesn’t count since it’s 65km off to the side). We were able to get groceries for the first time since Stewart, and we were able to have dinner in a restaurant for the first time since Bell II. Dinner was great at Mama Z’s (that’s Zee not Zed), and she let us store our food inside while we camped in the side lot. Just as we were leaving to pick a tenting site, we spotted another cyclist on the road. He was fully loaded and looked like he was trying to find information from the passing drivers. So we followed him, thinking he may have been our German buddy from Port Hardy. He turned into a parking lot, so we followed, and found him and his cy cling partner setting up in a picnic shelter at the commercial campground. He (Eddie) and she (Bea) had cycled up the mainland from Montana, and were dying of hunger, so we led them to Mama Z’s. They didn’t have much time to talk because the restaurant was bordering on closing, but we found out theat they were also headed to Dawson City, and that they had ridden about 120km in one day, meaning that they had not only done the Stikine valley and Gnat pass, but also the Iskut hill that we had done the day before. They also said they’ve only had one day under 100km on this highway. They are taking today off, but after their inspiration we are going to aim for 100 tomorrow. I’m sure they will pass us before Whitehorse, and we can ask them a lot more questions then. Still no sign of the German guy though.

Click here for today’s pictures