We hit gravel almost immediately in the morning, leaving behind Lincoln and our camp as we went back through town and then turning off the main road.... We climbed most of the morning and were accompanied by many recreational ATV riders out for the day. We stopped for a snack and Ziven called his dad to discuss plans for the end of our trip and our extraction out of Jasper while I watched the ATV traffic that zipped by our spot on the side of the road. The climb ended at a campsite where we took a quick break before continuing upward into a breathtaking valley. The route deviated from the gravel road and I immediately vetoed the bumpy, overgrown and seemingly abandoned singletrack. Ziven agreed that this was likely a GPS error and we backtracked, instead electing to take the steep gravel road that wound up further along the mountains at the edge of the valley. Finally the road ended and there was a small fire ring next to dozens of bike tracks that led onto what looked like a more trafficked singletrack trail. Bracing for unknown conditions ahead and a little hesitant to tackle a new obstacle so late in the day, we trundled along the single track and it was largely rideable for someone of my limited skill.

The dense forest on either side was comforting as the narrow trail clung to the side of the mountain. A few rowdy divots forced me off and I alternated between biking (slowly), hiking (slowly), and blowing my bear whistle (often). We ran into a rider going the other direction and he asked when the singletrack ended as he wanted to set up camp as soon as possible. We told him he was close to the fire ring at the edge of the trail and he happily jetted off into the forest. Ziven and I continued the climb and soon the forest dropped away, leading to some truly stunning views but also quite a bit of exposure that I was none too glad to experience. I continued to alternate between pedalling and pushing and had to get off at times to comfort my fear of heights when the trail got very very narrow and the drop off was too close for my comfort. At the top of the climb we admired the gorgeous views of the valley we were just in as well as the valley we were dropping into and prayed that the descent would be as smooth as the rider we had just met said. It began to sprinkle and we donned our rain gear as we descended, the single track turning into double track and eventually ebbing into a normal gravel road that I could manage just fine. The rain made it hard to see, especially through the sunglasses I had marked up previous days by attempting to clear my vision in rain and rubbing off the reflective coating on the lenses. However, it was one of the most amazing descents and one of my all time highlights of the trip, weather included. It was nearing golden hour and the rain made everything glisten while I sped down the road, brakes squeaking and protesting but working better than ever - I was one with the bike. The descent sadly ended after we passed many Tour Divide stragglers and we stopped at the base of the climb to quickly pee and move on. We were now in farmlands in a large, flat valley and continued in the glorious late afternoon light, making quick work of the valley and entering the forest once again. We wound our way through the forest, not really climbing too much but also not able to enjoy any flat terrain. The evening approached and we edged nearer our goal of Holland Lake Campground.

The forest thickened around us and I almost threw a tantrum when Ziven pulled over and, pointing at a thicket of bushes through which there was the faintest trace of trail, said that this was our route. Facing yet another obstacle so late in the day, I steeled myself to go off trail right before dark and readied my whistle and my walking feet. After a crazy deep ditch to start off the trail, it split into double tracks once about half a mile into the forest and flattened out. The trail ended up being stunning and I wish my riding skills would have been better so I could take a hand off the handlebars on the double track and take a video of Ziven up ahead, surrounded by wildflowers and illuminated by the sun setting over the blazing mountains of far off Glacier National Park. The detour was a success and we were almost sad to merge back onto a gravel road, though the sun gilding the trees around us with gold was mesmerizing. Soon signs of civilization began to emerge and we passed the first campsite turnoff, heading to the one we had planned on and hoping for open space. We found our turnoff right before asphalt restarted and passed by Holland Lake, a stunning clear body of water at the base of thickly forested peaks. We stopped to take in the lake and shared the view with some deer before making our way to the campground loops, pedalling around in the near dark to find an open spot. Locating one, we quickly staked our claim to it and paid the registration fee in the dark. We set up camp and cooked some dinner, fighting off mosquitos and eating in our tent, thinking that if a bear really wanted food they could go to the many group campsites and RVs around us. We stowed our leftovers in the bear can at the stop of our steep “driveway” and snuggled into bed and drifted off to sleep.