Will it fit?

This morning we got up and sorted out all our gear. I was very worried at first that it wouldn't all fit in our packs. I picked up my front and rear panniers at the MEC in Vancouver on the way to the bus station, so I had no opportunity to see if I would be able to carry everything. On top of that, every time I spoke with Nicole prior to leaving, she kept telling me "I hope there's room in your panniers because there isn't in mine for everything I have." Of course, she did have most of the communal gear. It took all morning to sort out the stuff, and we were very surprised to find out that... it all fit!!! Just have a look at Nicole's blog to see what gear we brought. One interesting thing to note is that I packed fewer clothes for this four month expedition than I usually do for a weekend regatta. Hygene is overrated anyways, right?

It was a very nice, sunny day, so we took a stroll into Tofino. We were hoping to go surfing, but we spent too much time on packing our gear that we were too late for the surfing. So instead we did our grocery shopping for the next couple of days, and after going through the checkout, we realized that this might last us until Victoria!

We're chilling right now at the Field Station, even though we've checked out already, and just as I'm posting this, the school that is staying here made too much food and wants to feed us dinner! I'm going to enjoy that right now! Tonight we camp for the first time; let's see how well prepared we are for this! Tomorrow we start cycling.

Day 2

Today we woke up around 8am and started sorting/splitting up and packing our gear (listed below). That took a VERY long time. We were hoping to go surfing today but because our packing took so long, we'll have to tackle that tomorrow morning and push back our arrival in Victoria by a few hours or a day. But Tofino is very nice. I really like it, but I don't think it quite lives up to the hype. We'll see if I change my mind tomorrow after the surf on Long Beach....

Our gear list:

Bikes:

Nicole:

-road bike

-puncture proof tires

-2 spare inner tubes

-LED, and front and back lights

-Handlebar mounted mirror

-Bike computer

-Front basket pannier

-Two rear panniers (56 L total)

-Clipless pedals

-2 water bottles

-Seat-mounted storage

-Reflective stickers

-bike pump

-spare spokes (2 for front tire, 2 for back)

-CO2 cartridge

-Helmet

-waterproof bike lube

-bike shoes

-bike lock

-swiss army knife of allen keys and screw driver bits

--tire boots

-puncture repair kit

-3 plastic pieces to help change a tire

-allen key (for pedals)

Michael:

26 x 1.5” Armadillo puncture proof tires

Self sealing tubes (2) + 2 regular spare tubes

Handlebar mounted mirror

Back lights (3 – turtle lights on my helmet and seat, larger one on my rack)

Front lights (2 – turtle light on the mirror, larger one on the handlebar)

Bike computer

Front basket pannier

Two rear panniers (56 L total)

Clipless pedals

2 water bottles

Seat-mounted storage

Bull-horn-like handlebar attachments

Reflective stickers – all over my bike! She looks oh so pretty with the new makeover

Helmet

bike pump

spare spokes (2 for front tire, 2 for back)

bike shoes

swiss army knife of allen keys and screw driver bits

3 plastic pieces to help change a tire

pedal wrench

rag

spoke tool

foam seat

Clothes and gear:

Nicole:

-3 pairs of bike shorts

-3 short sleeved bike jerseys

-two thin long sleeved shirts

-down vest

-windbreaker

-waterproof jacket

-waterproof pants

-long spandex pants

-3 sports bras, 5 pairs of underwear

-3 pairs of short biking socks, one pair of knee-high biking socks

-bathing suit

-towel

-gloves

-scarf/hat tube

-toque

-waterproof helmet cover

-bike shoes booties

-waterproof salomon trail runners

-flip flops

-waist/arm band reflectors

-regular shorts

-sweat pants

-Religious pendant with Immaculate Mary from Eva

-2 dry sacs (10L and 25L)

-camera

-2 spare camera batteries

-emergency blanket

-cup

-headphones

-female products

-cards (ID, bank card, health card, MEC card)

-cash

-razors

-deodorant

-hairbrush and ties

-toothbrush

-toothpaste

-headlamp

-book

-diary and sketchbook

-sunglasses

-sleeping bag

-sleeping matt

-netbook

Michael:

-2 pairs of biking shorts

-3 short sleeved jerseys

-waterproof pants

-spandex pants

-one cotton t-shirt

-one quick dry warm underlayer

-waterproof/windproof jacket

-fleece long sleeved top

-polo shirt

-regular shorts (double as non-biking shorts and bathing suit)

-4 pairs of underwear

-4 pairs of socks

-toque

-scarf/hat tube

-gloves

-sunglasses

-bike shoe booties

-waterproof helmet cover

-ankle and sash reflectors

-Religious pendant with Immaculate Mary from Eva

-towel

-lenses

-lens solution

-lens case

-toothbrush

-tooth paste

-glasses and case

-razors

-deodorant

-camera

-2 spare camera batteries

-book (how not to be eaten)

-emergency blanket

-letterman

-cell phone

-cup

-head lamp

-ipod

-ipod speakers

-headphones

-spare batteries

-camera usb

-sleeping bag

-sleeping matt

-waterproof trail runners

-flip flops

Communal Gear

-tent

-backpack and waterproof cover for westcoast trail

-soap/shampoo/dish detergent

-sunscreen

-tea

-backcountry meals

-cliff bars

-2 tarps

-water filter

-water purifying drops

-water neutralizing drops

-first aid kit

-fuel canister

-fuel

-stove

-insulator for cooking

-flipper

-can opener

-utensils

-pots

-duct tape

-ties

-hand sanitizer

-insect repellant

-toilet paper

-combination lock

-pain killers

-floss

-sewing needle

-compass

-waterproof matches

-vasoline

-bungy cords (one long and two short each)

-15m of nylon rope

-toe nail clippers

-tweezers

-wet naps

-chamois butt’r

Heading to the start - by air, land, and water

This morning I was exhausted from yesterday’s regatta and last night’s wine and cheese. I had so much fun at both events (winning is fun!), and I would like to thank everyone who came out to the semi-formal Wine and Cheese! Frédérique was kind enough to drive me to the airport, and she has been so generous to me in helping with getting my stuff together. I don’t know how I would’ve been prepared at all without her. We said our last goodbyes at the airport, which for some reason still didn’t seem real to me. I know I will miss her throughout the trip.

Today was all about travelling to our starting destination – by plane, bus, and ferry. I left at 7:15am Montreal time, and finally arrived in Tofino at 10pm local time. The rides were fairly enjoyable, albeit rather long. The bus was nice enough to drop us off close to where we’re staying – the Clayoquot Field Station – but we still had to carry our boxed bikes a good 500 m, which seemed like 2 km. We were trying to get all our gear in order tonight, but that's a tall order. Right now it’s 1:12 am and I’ve just finished assembling my bike. Bedtime soon.

Day 1

I am so excited for this trip! This entire year Michael, Travis and I have been planning and saving for it. Every conversation we had had at least one mention of our elation and anticipation. Now that it has officially become a reality I am even more excited, but for the first time since this cycle was just a casual mention, I'm scared for what may lie ahead. It will be an adventure of a lifetime where we expect to meet amazing people, see and do amazing things, and push ourselves to the limit! However, some days will just suck. There will be days of bad weather, steep inclines, sickness, fatigue, discomfort, etc. Those are the days I'm scared for. But, my fear fades quickly and is soon replaced with the more prominent, longer lasting excitation! (...and don't worry, Michael's girlfriend bought him a book from MEC called "how not to be eaten" and it talks about how to not become prey to cougars and bears. I thought it was a joke at first, but it's not! ....good title I must say...).

Before I start to talk about the trip so far, I want to say some thank yous:

First, I would like to thank Aaron at Gears and Grinds in Kingston. He gave up two of his days off to open the store for me to get my bike ready for this trip. I made the special trip up to Kingston for two consecutive weekends because although I have visited numerous bike shops across Toronto and in Queenstown, NZ, I have never found anyone who could match Aaron's knowledge base, his eagerness to educate, and his superior customer relations. For those of you who will see me cycle during some part of the route (in person or via the pictures we will post on the blog), you will probably see me wearing a 'gears and grinds' jersey, donated by Aaron. For those of you interested in buying a bike, or need anything from a bike store, I highly recommend making the effort to go to Kingston! www.gearsandgrinds.com

Second, I would like to thank Eva and Tom Lagan (my Godmother/mother's cousin and her husband). You two have helped us out A LOT by lending us your camping gear! Not only have you saved us time (one less thing to shop for), but you have saved us a lot of money and stress! Thank you so much for this, and for all the support you have shown us!

Now back to our trip so far:

One thing I noticed passing over Alberta/BC: THERE IS STILL SNOW ON THE ROCKIES!!! That will be interesting.... I arrived in Vancouver from Toronto approximately 30min before Michael (who was flying in from Montreal). Only Michael and I are doing this portion of the trip. We will be meeting Travis in Victoria on the 7th.
After the 5hr plane ride, we took a taxi to the greyhound station, taking a detour to MEC (both Montreal and Toronto were sold out of 56L panniers so we got them to hold one set for Michael....risky, but we still made it on time, if not early for our bus!). After leaving the bus terminal at 1:45, taking the ferry to Nanaimo and then busing to Tofino, we arrived around 10pm. The bus driver was really nice and dropped us about 200m away from our hostel. That was really appreciated seeing as how we got in around 10pm so it might have been hard to grab a taxi, and we had a LOT of gear. I had a backpack on my back, there were two bike boxes, and one garbage bag with my two full panniers and michael's two empty panniers. We would carry one bike box at a time for about 10m, then go back for the other piece we left behind. It was heavy, awkward and dark. And the driveway seemed to last forever! Finally we made it in to "Clayoquot Field Station" And started assembling our bikes until approx 1am local time. Our roommates were two brothers from Toronto who drove over. They were very friendly, and luckily went to bed around the same time we did (so we didn't keep them up too late lugging in our gear from the outside common room). It was a long, tiring day, and it hasn't quite sunk in that we are actually doing this! I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little scared for our cycle because on the bus over it was impossible not to notice the amount of long and steep hills we will have to tackle!

Prelude

This has been something that I've always wanted to do.

Although there are many travel destinations around the world, we plan on travelling in our own backyard this summer, as there is so much to see and do. We will experience Canada through everything it has to offer, from observing the beautiful scenery to meeting different people and cultures along the way. We're not doing it to say that we've "cycled Canada", instead, our goal is to have fun and enjoy our time as we travel around Canada by bike. Our route is longer than most other people who have done this thing before - going from Tofino to St. John's, and taking detours along the way, such as through the Icefields Parkway and Gaspé Peninsula. This will test us both mentally and physically, as we will need to cycle an average of 90 km/day throughout the trip to stay on track. Our planned route is over 25% of the circumference of the earth, and we will take four months to complete the journey.

I figure that this is an excellent time for me to do this trip since I don't have any strict commitment, and who knows what I'll have after I completely finish school eons from now. Plus, there are many more adventures that I want to go on throughout my life, and I need to fit them all in somehow.

I'm relly looking forward to all the activities that we have planned, including: camping under the stars, canoe/portage trip in Algonquin, hiking the West Coast Trail, rock climbing in Squamish, surfing on the coasts, whitewater rafting on the Ottawa River, and sea kyaking on the Bay of Fundy. I'm also excited to discover some hidden gems along the way.

I'd like to thank Frédérique for helping us get the kegs for our "Kegger Fun!raiser" (where we raised a net $270) and to everyone who showed up to support us. Below is a photo of Nicole, me and Travis with a friend at the kegger. Also, thanks to the McGill Outdoors Club helping us get our trip started through the $200 Adventure Grant. We're in the process of getting all our equipment together, and these funds will go a long way!

I've been looking forward to this trip ever since Travis and I met up in Calgary for drinks last July. Nicole and I have been talking about doing this for quite a while, and now we are actually making this trip happen! As the starting date approaches, it's starting to become real to me, and I can't talk about it without getting really excited! Flights are booked for me and Nicole, and we should arrive in Tofino on May 3rd.

Let the journey begin!

Preamble

Sitting here with Michael, four days before he leaves for Tofino and 7 before I fly to meet him in Victoria. We figure its about time to get this blog set-up.