This dream began in January of 2015: that is, to travel western Canada by bicycle. I didn’t know where it came from; I had always been into cycling, but never like this. The ultimate destination was one that has been on my radar for a while: the remote island of the Haida Gwaii (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands). Travelling this way however is so much more than a destination – it is a serious journey, and filling in the route there and back makes the…
(continued from Part 1: Solo in the Canadian Rockies)
The Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) is remote set of islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia. As is a region that I’d been intending to visit for ages, the difficulty in getting there made it elusive despite many years of good intentions, but as they say: good things come to those who wait. This whole bicycle tour arose around the idea of exploring the ancient forests …
(continued from Part 2: Four corners of the Haida Gwaii by bicycle)
Ferries provide access all the way down British Columbia’s otherwise inaccessible coast. From the Haida Gwaii, this was the peaceful expressway to access southern British Columbia without making a huge diversion inland. Port Hardy, at the northern tip of Vancouver Island, was the port of arrival for the push to southern Vancouver Island and ultimately Vancouver, and it was also where my …