T2R guest ride

Here I am showing off my new gloves won in a competition from Calgary Online cycle store- this photo was one of many we took so they can promote it on pinkbike. Actually the rest were serious but this was me fooling for my audience.

So its funny now, having been a regular guest of T2R that I am guiding their guests. This week we had 10, 3 girls and 7 blokes and we took 3 flights up to Spruce Lake on Thursday morning and set out in glorious sunshine with a storm buildiung up. By the time we reached the potato patch it started thundering down which was a great relief from the heat.

For once no-one wanted to wear a waterproof, the rain felt good. The tracks soon became tacky where they have been so dusty and the rolling was good. It rained on us most of the way down and after the 2nd bridge it was now mud not sand- first time I've been muddy since England!

We rode down in around 4hrs and after washing the bikes we hit the showers and bar.

Friday we rode North Cinnabar and then the local trails to Monkey See- riding as tail guide I was eating and breathing dust from everyone's wheels- must hang back further. Some of the group started to hit the wall so I fed them Clif shots and kept the back runners moving.

We finished the ride in the burn zone on the Turkey trail down to Mowson pond. I decided while the girls were walking up the hill that I'd hang back and get a good singletrack flow run near the end. I was going full pelt when my front wheel hit a burnt out stump and I went over the bars and was buried in soot! I could not extract myself from my bike until I unbuckled my camelbak!

Now covered in soot from head to toe I rejoined the group only to be told I looked like I'd been fighting fires! Black face and grey ash all over my kit.

Back at the lodge we just all ran straight into the Lake to cool off and wash off! Refreshing! It's damn hot here 35 degrees. And after the storms there are a lot of fires started.

The Hurley road (the shortest FSR out of here) has been closed, we can still get out via Lillooet, but its the busiest weekend of the year and we hope our customers are able to get here. More importantly we hope the fire fighters can contain these fires and keep everyone safe.

The local govt have called for a voluntary avoidance of travel in the backcountry - not good.

They say some 1,817 wildfires that have burned approximately 51,042 hectares of forests and grasslands have occurred since april 11th.

Currently there is 345 hectares burning on Copper mountain near Pemberton Meadows and I believe there are evacuation alerts there and in Lillooet. We watch with interest and hope that they are contained soon.