Climbing Allison Pass

Our route and stats for today.

Ride profile

This morning started with pancakes—my favorite way to kick off a big bike ride! They even came with a warm strawberry compote, which tasted like heaven.

We knew this ride would be challenging, as we had read several blogs about climbing Allison Pass, the long uphill stretch on Highway 3 (The Crowsnest Highway) out of Hope, B.C.

Thank goodness for those pancakes, because I certainly needed them; the stories were true. We climbed today—over 5,000 feet! The route took us through beautiful Pacific Northwest forests, but it was also quite a grind. I was grateful for the music Andy played to help us pedal up the hill. We listened to a lot of James McMurtry, Josh Ritter, and Mark Knopfler—some of my favorites—to keep our energy up. It was also a good way to warn any bears in the area (this stretch of road is known for them) that we were around; however, we did not see any at all.

Today was one of those days when I was glad we had been riding circuits on our local hill, Mt. Tabor, in Portland all summer. My legs, though tired, were able to keep pushing uphill. As I rode, I couldn't help but think of my eldest son, Will (36), who climbed over 10,000 feet on Haleakalā volcano by bicycle in Hawaii in a single day this past year. I quickly realized how small my accomplishment was in comparison to what he did. I am in awe of his tenacity and strength!

Tonight, we are staying in a little out-of-the-way resort: Manning Park Resort, far from any town. It is a cute little place in the middle of the BC Park we have been riding through. Tomorrow we have another pass to climb before heading into the town of Princeton, B.C., which should be much easier than the one we did today.

The only bear I saw today. Manning Park Resort