Starting Out (Putting some muscles on the legs)

A good weather day seems like a better time than ever to take off. My first day was gifted with sunshine, low traffic, and a tail wind. I rode the 1A from Calgary to Banff National Park and amazed myself with a 127km ride on my first day – double the longest training ride I’d ever had. I may not have known it at the time, but Day 1 was certainly the flattest day I would encounter on this trip.

Smiling because she thinks
 she's near the top (not even close)!

The first week of the ride was amply challenging as it included two major mountain passes and the Icefields Parkway. There were a few moments of self-loathing for not following a proper training regimen before embarking on what I was now really beginning to respect as a considerably difficult journey. In particular, climbing the Sunwapta Pass in the high heat (can’t complain about weather) and not a breath of wind (definitely can’t complain about a lack of headwinds – they would later haunt me most of the way to Northern BC) convinced me in my heat-exhausted state that the highway was literally leading me directly up to the sun in the sky. But, what goes up must come down and the descent towards the Athabasca Glacier, and the town of Jasper the next day, were brilliantly rewarding.

Family visit in Jasper for white water rafting

The segment of the tour through Banff and Jasper National Parks were equally lucky with sunshine, relatively no wind, and tons of wildlife spotting including two bears in the last 1.5km of riding to my Day 3 campsite (I ensured the bear spray was conveniently located that night). As National Parks, this section was the most expensive part of my trip and I would advise any solo traveler to stay in the excellent wilderness hostels, which will be cheaper than camping for one person, and buying all of your food supplies before entering the parks. This is my all-time favourite Canadian cycling route with abundance of vistas, lakes, mountains, wide shoulders, and super friendly tourists encouraging you along on the big climbs!