“After nourishment, shelter, and Companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world”
— Philip Pullman
BIKEPACKING THE LOG DRIVER’S WALTZ
We eventually climbed over the escarpment to descend into Shawville, Quebec at the 164km mark for our last possible refuel stop of the day. There were 56km remaining before we reached our destination in Renfew, Ontario. By this point Anne’s saddle region was protesting too many hours of continual pressure, and she was suffering immensely. Spotting a opportunity for relief, she instinctively nabbed a Coke from the freezer and started icing her nether regions. “Oh man, this feels sooooo good,” she declared, melting with the cooling relief.
Bikepacking the Log Driver’s Waltz
We gathered just in front of the eternal flame without much fanfare. Though this journey would prove to be amongst the hardest things each of us had ever done, few will truly comprehend the odyssey of which we were about to embark. But our energy was palpable, even with the absence of customary start-line hoopla. With an obligatory start-line group photo and a few goodbyes, we were on our way.