Chilcotins Dream Ride

'Twas the night before my Chilcotins ride all through the campsite every creature was stirring even the mouse. It was almost like all the animals were giving me a welcoming into their simply amazing terrain. The riding in the Chilcotins has been described to me as “jaw dropping”, “simply breath taking” and “a memory to last a life time”. With this on my mind I decided that I should close my eyes and get some rest.

I woke with the sun beaming through the small window in the tent straight into my eyes. I covered my eyes for what seemed like a life time but in reality it was only a few minutes, then in an instant like a kid on Christmas morning ready to open their presents I re-awoke myself. It was the morning! I let out a Yahoo; the thought of riding today was giving me goose bumps, I’m one step closer to living the dream. I shot out of sleeping bag into my clothes and was out of the tent.

Outside was like someone had put us in a deep freeze, for everything had been covered in ice as far as the eye could see. Breakfast time waits for no one: cereal and toast was on the cards. As I pull out the cereal box a small trickle falls out the bottom, “who the hell opened the cereal at the bottom I yelled out”. “Not me” every one answered. That dam mouse has struck and had its self a feed during the night.

I continued to pour the cereal in the bowl then ripping the top of the milk container (like I was opening a present), there was nothing. The milk had frozen! Ahhh with no cereal on the cards toast it was. Eight pieces later I was fuelled up and ready to go get the bikes down to the plane to start the ride. Down at the plane the bikes get stripped down and stacked in like a mega game of Tetris. Then as we are about to get in the plane and my smile grows even bigger the pilot turns to us and says “we are going to be a while, the ice we had over night has frozen the flaps and we won’t be able to fly for 45min”.

With a shrug of the shoulders there was nothing else to do except sit back and wait. 30 min rolled buy and the pilot yells out us sitting on the hill “what are you guys waiting for, the planes ready” I turn to the others and say guess we better get going. We hustle down to the plane and cram in like sardines.

The pilot taxis us to the end of Tyaughton Lake ready to get us in the air and off to Warner lake, then out of the side window I see a splash and then it keeps going. On closer inspection it was a moose and calf running alongside the shore of the lake. Before we could even get the cameras out the plane turns and faces the wide open lake, revs go up, radio check, and we are cleared to take flight.

Then in one swift push of the throttle we are off barreling along the lake. 300meters later we are up up and away. With only a 30min flight to Warner Lake, I took in as much of the magical scenery as I could from the barren volcano planes to the mountain goats, white as a bed sheet high up on the jagged rock face.

We are about to land on Warner Lake as we look out the window there is not a ripple on the lake to be seen, it’s as if we were landing on and huge pane off glass. Touchdown we made it, we taxi over to the dock that is the size of a snowboard with pin point accuracy. The human chain starts as we get the bikes out and on to the bank, I grab the last wheel out turn my back and SNAP! The plane pushes off the dock and is in the air before I even know what’s going on. Right at that moment it hits me! This is it, I’m not in Kansas any more I'm in my dream. With the bikes together and ready to go we are off with 8 hrs of epic alpine single track ahead of us.

The traverse alongside the Lake gets you off to an amazing start. It’s about an hour in and we come across the mother of all traverses along a 400 meter long boulder field where you need to have your wits about you and skill level turned on. We all pass with flying colours and smiles are on everyone's faces. As the traverse continues we wind in and out of a landslip country passing through several other boulder fields.

As we round a corner WHAM! I’m hit with a view that is so breathtaking I can’t describe and I just stop and look. The others catch up and all I could say was “It’s like I’m in a post card”. We stop and take a few photos then knowing what’s ahead we set off again. The lakes have ended and we are now into the trees with single track that’s as buff as a business man’s shoes.

Riding single track is one thing; riding it without using your brakes is to die for. This continues for a further 5 hrs of effortless riding with creek crossings to throw a few challenges at us. We come out in to a clearing and we all know that this is where we will be having lunch. The Sun is out in force warming us to the core and making our day just the bit sweeter. With such an amazing lunch spot we spent close to 45 min just soaking up the views, company and water like a sponge. Riding only one hour down the trail we come across a huge print in the wet mud. “What the hell is that” one of the guys yells out with slight fear under his breath, “It’s a Grizzly print I reply. Within a matter of seconds we are on the bikes picking up the pace and yelling “Hey bear” to be on the safe side. This goes on for about half an hour and there was no bear seen.... thankfully.

Nearing the creek at the end of the trail, I start to wind down from the Epic ride. A faint voice tells me “this isn’t the bottom we have to ride up the road to camp”. My heart sank but this was no time to kill the dream!

I took some deep breaths and started on the ride back to the camp. 20min later it was all over, camp was in my sights 100m away, I was home. Pssssstttt! My tyre was flat. Staying on my bike I rode it to the grass area, jumped off, lay on my back closed my eyes and smiled! My eyes opened up still smiling. I awake staring at my roof in my warm bed realising that I had just relived my Dream!