Had a late start out of Banff due to needing to assemble my bike and pack up all the gear. Also had to do some supply shopping, such as a couple days worth of food and to get the all-important bear spray. One Item I needed to pick up that I wasn’t too happy about was a new cycle computer. The one I had broke during packing the bike. There’s $50 I’d like to spend elsewhere.
I headed to the trail after having lunch at, Subway around 2:00 and that’s when it began to rain nice and hard, necessitating a switch to my rain gear before hitting the trail. The official start of the GDMBR is directly behind the Banff Springs Hotel.
Banff Springs Hotel. The beginning of the Great Divide route
Trailhead behind Banff Springs Hotel
For about the first 10 miles it was raining like crazy, throwing mud on me, my gear and the bike. The rain stopped letting the sun came out making riding a little more enjoyable. I put away the rain gear in trade for my windbreaker and continued on for another 20 miles to a camp spot that a couple of guys at the bike shop Banff recommended.
Camp spot was nice, right next to the Turbulent creek. There was a really cool waterfall just up the slot canyon. The rushing water lulled me to sleep.
Turbulent Creek Bridge. Look closely and you can see my food bag hanging from the bridge, out of the reach of bears.
