Thinking back over the past 2,437 kilometers that I have spent on the Alaska Highway, I can’t help but feel good about myself. I have spent much of the time in the mountains, getting rained on, and then in the last few days fighting extreme heat. I have met some amazing people, in many different circumstances from many different places. I have climbed a total of 18,000 meters since leaving Fairbanks, which seems like quite a bit. Fuck it, yeah it was a lot.
The Yukon is a real treasure for the vastness and openness of the landscape. There is so much space between towns that one can really feel alone out there, even on the highway.I would have long stretches without seeing cars, trucks, or semis. I could just look around at the amazing scenery that I was riding through.
By the time I was leaving the Yukon I felt like I was ready to move on to B.C. I was, but now I wouldn’t mind turning around and doing the whole thing over again it’s just that pretty.
In B.C. I got to hang out in the lovely Liard Hot Springs and rest my weary legs for a day. I met an amazing person named Janie who is hitch-hiking around Canada for another few months; she has already been doing it almost a year at this point. Some of my favorite parts of this past week have been the people I have met. A few days ago, in Charlie Lake Provincial Park, I spoke with the camp Attendant for a while and she brought me berries, oranges, and cookies; and on my ride today she pulled over on the road recognizing me to say hi and offer me more water. People like her are what makes the world a great place. Her kindness and generosity made this weary traveler feel at home for a night in a campground. Further down the road I left the northern Rockies behind and was edging closer to the end of the Highway. While it is only a symbolic ending, because I will continue riding my bicycle south and east towards Minnesota before heading south to Argentina, this stage is over and a new one is about to begin.
