Day 8: Christina Lake to Castlegar

Six o'clock comes all too early for a tired body.
Even after a day of rest my legs were still stiff and sore, and my back hurt.

But I rested a whole day - I must be fresh right?

We didn't have much time to dust off our 'rested' legs before we had them pounding us up another mountain pass!



The ride was a bit shorter - only about 76 km, and somehow knowing we didn't have too far to go helped motivate me up the hill.

The climb out of Christina Lake to Paulson Summit was our highest peak yet - over 1500 metres. We pounded hard, hoping to make the peak by lunch time.

Hunger eventually got the better of us and we stopped for lunch a couple hundred metres below the summit.

From the Paulson Summit, the descent into Castlegar was our best yet. The roads were smooth, with decent shoulders and it was dry!

It never ceases to amaze me how fast you can come down from a hill that took you nearly 4 hours to climb!

We got to Castlegar nice and early, got some groceries and settled in to camp. It was nice to have some time to see the town before nightfall.

Aside from the hint of pulp-mill smell, Castlegar was a beautiful city full of friendly folks. =)