Growing up in a hockey town, I had great ambitions to play, should I admit, for the Boston Bruins. To improve my wrist shot, I taped lead weights towards the bottom of my hockey stick and practiced shots until my wrists ached. When the weights were removed, the stick felt like a feather and the shots flew. Maybe not in the mind of any coach but certainly in mine.

Today, when I rode the A. Homer Hilsen with no panniers around Port Hardy waiting for the 6 pm ferry to Prince Rupert, it felt like the lightest weight bicycle I have ever ridden. Quick and responsive. Hellacious, as its designer, Grant Peterson from Rivindell Bikes, describes it.

Port Hardy is full of coffee shops and people hoping for sun. Besides the weather, whenever people hear that I am camping, all the talk goes towards bears and cougars. Apparently, this hat works but I just was not convinced.

So off I am on one of the longest ferry rides I have ever taken. Twenty-two hours from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert. Then after a few hours in Prince Rupert I head to Haida Gwaii, formerly called the Queen Charlottes.

I hope to get a good rest before the next island. And the bicycle is all strapped in for the long ride.

Stats:

Start: Port Hardy
End: Port Hardy Ferry Terminal
Distance: 19 km
Time on the Bike: 1:41
Average Speed: 11 km/hr
Maximum Speed: 33 km/hr
Distance to Date: 567 km