August 17
Kept hearing noises throughout the night. Animals roaming around. I hope it was the beavers, not something more dangerous, like rabbits.

Did the remaining 30 km of tarmac as fast as possible. The only thing on my mind was a big juicy burger, with fries and all-you-can-drink Coke. That’s because there’s a restaurant/store (the Stagestop Saloon) just before the detour leaves the tarmac.

I know I would have probably puked it out. Eating a lot of protein and fat is not quite recommended during a long ride. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) the kitchen was closed. The old guy there could only microwave a frozen meal. I went with a breakfast burrito (it had egg and cheese, I think). Perfect choice. Adding to it 3 caffeinated drinks and I had energy for hours.

After those 30 km of tarmac and another 10 km of gravel I returned to the trail. It was 12 pm and the sky was beginning to look menacing. By 12:30 I had my first hail of the trip, albeit a little one. The sky stayed mostly cloudy throughout the day, with very small drizzles every now and then.

Energized and caffeinated, I finished segment 5 after climbing to almost 3200 m. The descent was a little more rocky than the previous days, but still nice and flowy. At Kenosha Pass I went on a little side trail down some 19th century train tracks. Bumpy.

I was then ready to tackle the most difficult climb of the day – Georgia Pass. I would be reaching the highest point of the trail so far, 3620 m. It was a technical climb, full of roots and rocks. I struggled to stay on my bike and I even pushed it on some sections. At about 3500 m elevation I reached the alpine area. I was moving very slowly by then – partly due to elevation, partly to fatigue, but mostly to stopping often for photos.

The descent was just roots and rocks. Roots and rocks. Slow going, but not impossible. After all, that’s why I went to B4M – to stare a descent like this in the eyes and say “I’m not afraid”.

Got to a good place to camp as it was getting dark. Longest day in the saddle yet – 11 hours and almost 90 km. To add to the darkness, it again started drizzling. Great!