Canned Heat

Bears, elk, small town stores, rednecks getting it on in the woods, loggers, wasp attacks, big trees, strange coincidences, hobo camps, decommissioned roads, an odd German in a rental car, epic views, hundreds of kilometers of backroads and of course vast nothingness... Just your typical three day backroads bikepacking mission on Southern Vancouver Island... photos and details after the jump.P6230022Vancouver Island can make you feel small pretty quick. This is only a few hours ride from Victoria.
This type of signage is usually more of a guideline... and often leads to some of the best routes on a bike. P6230037
Drying things out under the bridge. After a wet end to the day this "natural" ceiling was hard to pass up. The real action begins as soon as you hit the logging roads.
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We spent the morning hiding out from the rain at a cafe in Port Renfrew, indulging in a second breakfast and free wifi. P6240052
Big Lonely Doug, Struthers for scale. Minutes after this photo was taken we accidentally stirred up a wasps nest. I took a sting in the neck, we hustled back up the hill while wasps poured out of the nest. P6240060
We became big fans of Modular Bridge technology during the trip. Always searching out our next possible #prohobo site.
Chasing waterfalls.P6240086
Since Halldor and I first pioneered this connector there has been some additional signage added. We aren't sure what the bottom one really means but it felt more relevant by the time we got to the top of the steep ass climb.
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P6240108Why they claim the road doesn't connect. Another great reason to explore by bike.
P6240115 After this climb we bonked pretty hard on the way into our days destination, Nitinat Lake. Thankfully we discovered the Nitinat Store has really stepped up its game. We hit it ten minutes before close and couldn't have been more stoked.
Looper Canyon, always a worthy detour despite the steep hike down. P6240124
Camp two on Nitinat Lake. Camp vibes
P6250147Following the Nitinat River.
Day three dock naps. P6250161
Strava files from the route can be found here: Day One- https://www.strava.com/activities/618925806 Day Two- https://www.strava.com/activities/618925722 Day Three- https://www.strava.com/activities/619792169

 

#EscapeEveryday, FeaturedClay Webb