Considered one of the most challengingย mountain racesย worldwide, participants have to run through within 72 hours the famous quadruple hiking trails in Hong Kong known as “Four Trails”:ย MacLehose,ย Wilson,ย Hong Kong, andย Lantau.
The ultramarathon spans a total distance of 298 kilometres with a cumulative elevation of 14,500 metres …
5-day highlights of the longer circuit. Still crossing between Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. They call it Balkans Trail, a section of the Peaks of the Balkans.
I’ll carry my own pack. Sleep in my own tent. But enjoy meals provided by my Dutch guides.
A popular day hike is around Morskie Oko, the largest lake in the Polish Tatra Mountains. It is an easy trail, abundant in beautiful views and extremely varied.
Getting to the lake is easy via a paved pathway. It’s about 9km return to the lake.
You don’t need your own vehicle as there are frequent private minibuses from the town of Zakopane. Getting to Zakopane from Krakรณw is 2-3 hours by bus or train.
Once at the lake, it’s another 3.9 km to add the shoreline loop walk. Unlike the smooth, paved access road you take to get to the lake, this loop is aย proper mountain trailย made of large, irregular stone blocks, boulders, and tree roots.
Cam Honan posted his adventure on the Hornstrandir Peninsula – Icelandโs most remote wilderness region.
Located in the rugged Westfjords, this pristine nature reserve has no roads, no permanent residents (at least of the bipedal variety), and is accessible only by boat during the summer.
While it may not be the easiest place to reach, those who make the journey are rewarded with a magical landscape of dramatic sea cliffs, lonely peaks, and primeval tundra.
The flora and fauna is equally impressive, with an exceptional variety of plant life, along with vast seabird colonies and an abundance of arctic foxes. Itโs one of my favourite places in Icelandโand considering the strength of the competition, thatโs saying quite a bit!
Distance: Approx. 120 km (75 mi) (including side trips)
My current touring bike is a Trek Checkpointcustomized for my good self. And I have had many thousands of enjoyable miles on it.
BUT it’s nearing end of life for multi-day cycling. I broke off the rear rack on my last long trip.
Right now I’m upgrading my other bike โ 2015 Ghost Panamao X 3 Bicycleย โ CAD$725. It’s in great shape right now now as Brian has been doing the maintenance. BEST about the Ghost is front suspension like a mountain bike. A comparatively inexpensive gravel ride, it carried me from Vancouver to Calgary in 2020.
Next bike?
IF I was to upgrade, my first choice is the somewhat more expensive Priority 600 series with front suspension. More comfort is the main thing I’m looking for.
An option is electronic Pinion Smart.Shift technology, 600% gear range across 12 speeds.
It’s available in titanium and aluminum.
In fact, my guru โ Ryan Duzer โ switched from a Checkpoint to the Priority. That’s Ryan in the photo.
One of the designers, some call this bike the Duzer Cruiser. He just rode it from Canada to Mexico on the Tour Divide.
I think I’d prefer the no maintenance belt drive pinion system. And the nearly unbreakable Gates Carbon Drive.
WindQuester has asked me to do some testing in the real world on my upcoming hiking trip to the Balkans, Dolomites, and beyond.
It weighs almost 3 pounds (1.33 kg). My 1-person Hubba weighs about 2 pounds, by comparison. But many solo bikepackers (like Ryan Van Duzer) carry a 2 person tent in order to get all of their gear out of sight at night. Worth the extra weight for more space.
The WindQuester pole is shorter than the Hubba. Nice as I bring all my gear on to planes as carry on.
Dan Durston isย an accomplished Canadian thru hiker, former environmental biologist, and the founder and product architect ofย Durston Gear, based in Golden, British Columbia.ย
I stopped by Sun Country Cycle in Vernon to have them top up air in the tires and look over the bike for any potential problems.
The Okanagan Rail Trail leaving Vernon is fantastic. This is not part of the Trans Canada Trail.
As you get closer to Kelowna, the route is not nearly so good. I was hurting, as well, and could barely walk after only about 60km. I checked into the hostel in Kelowna wondering if I’d be able to continue. My muscles were cramping badly.
BUT I did make it to Penticton. Still hurting, but less and less.
AND was able to cycle up to the Myra Canon trailhead โ though the 945-meter elevation gain at never more than 2% grade in the HEAT was tough!
I crashed that night.
Myra Canyon Trestles & Tunnels
The 18 trestles and 2 tunnels are one of the highlights of the entire Trans Canada Trail. This was my 3rd time here and I enjoyed them as much as ever.
Fantastic views โ though the surface near Kelowna is very sandy & rocky. Those on eBikes were much happier than me. A good mountain bike would be better, as well, than my gravel bike.
On the other hand, I had the trail to myself most of every mile.
I stopped for coffee at Chute Lake, charging my electronics and filling up about 5 lites of water.
Up high on the trail, this was my brightest fire red sky at night. I was lucky to avoid any worse smokey air.
Columbia and Western Rail Trail
The KVR ends at Midway B.C.
I continued on towards the Columbia and Western Rail Trail. It’s about 162 km connecting Midway, Grand Forks, Christina Lake, and Castlegar.
Great sections, but not nearly as good as the KVR.
Highlights for me were sweeping views of the Granby Valley, Christina Lake, and Lower Arrow Lake.
And it offers ideal wild camping โ though there are not all that many water sources.
I enjoyed dinner every night, rehydrating meals frozen by my niece. Much tastier than any commercial camping dinners I’ve ever tried.
NEW for me is using a toy drone automatically following my bicycle.
Also new for me while bikepacking, is carrying a portable camping chair.
I love it!
Though rehydrating meals is ideal …
… I eventually had an urge for solid food.
Here I am saying goodbye to the Columbia and Western Rail Trail.
To Nelson & Crawford Bay
As we had a house in Crawford Bay B.C., I was keen to continue on to Nelson and the old homestead. But I was forced on to highways and rural roadways with … HILLS.
Why didn’t someone warn me there were HILLS in British Columbia? ๐
After flat rail trails, almost every ascent seems daunting. And HOT.
I love Nelson and checked into the hostel for a night. Happily, my friend Tam happened to be in Nelson at the same time and we were able to catch up for coffee.
Rather than cycle the dangerous tourist highway out of Nelson, I put my bike on the local bus to the Kootenay Lake ferry.
In 2020 the house my Dad built was in rough shape. Six years later it looks even worse.
I’m wondering when anyone actually last lived here.
Like 2020, I stopped for lunch at the fantastic Kokanee Springs Golf Course.
Busy, Dangerous 2-lane Highways
The highway from Crawford Bay to Creston is a favourite of mine. To drive.
On the bicycle it’s dangerous with very narrow shoulders in places.
I stopped at the Gray Creek General Store to inquire whether or not cyclists were taking the Trans Canada Trail up and over the Gray Creek Pass โ probably the most challenging section across the nation.
Not many, I was told.
Average of nearly 9% grade for 17 km from Kootenay Lake up to Gray Creek Pass
Average of nearly 6% grade for 12 km from Gray Creek Pass down to Parkerโs Creek
No service
Rough surface
Not recommended
As I did in 2020, I chickened out and cycled the highway to Creston.
My first flat tire EVER on this bike. After trying to add air with my (crappy) hand pump, I saw there was a bike shop only 4km distant. Rolling my bike there, the street was shut down by police.
This was a crime scene. Stabbing, I was told. Possibly murder.
The bike shop owner happened to drive past, informing me it was still possible to enter the shop from the back. With no customers coming in the front door, they fixed the flat immediately and at low cost. Whew.
Creston to Cranbrook
Mostly highway. No photos.
Crawford Bay to Cranbook was the least interesting section.
Adventure Ends in Fernie
I got coffee in Cranbrook. And then tried to find the trail out of town.
It’s confusing. And I never found even one good navigation app for the Trans Canada Trail.
The end of my trip on day 11. My rear rack broke off completely going over one of those bumpy cattle guards a few hours after leaving Cranbrook.
GMoney, a ski shop owner in Fernie โ whoโs a punk musician in his spare time โ picked me up while I was hitchhiking.
A big time hiker and cyclist, GMoney hosted me at his house and gave me advice on where I might get the bike fixed.
Turns out none of the 4 bike shops in Fernie had the kind of tools to repair the rear rack.
I stayed at the excellent Angry Elk Hostel, as well, for a couple of nights โ enjoying Fernie for the 1st time โ until my brother & his wife came to my rescue.
(Same day GMoney collected me, he and a girlfriend were 2 yards away from an angry Black Bear with cubs. Had to bear spray to stop her. Thatโs the closest bear encounter of anyone Iโve ever known. )
In the end, my cycling distance over the 11 days was around 750 km.
I Missed Fernie to Calgary
I broke down at the end of the worst highway sections, and the beginning of one of the best trail & gravel road parts of the entire Trans Canada Trail.
besthike.com 