13. AK, BC & YT — Thompson Pass

I woke up to discover the bivouac spot I picked in Mineral Creek Preserve was in the middle of a ski trail. This was going to be was another big pass day. There’s usually a little involuntary trepidation on those days. How steep and long is the climb going to be? And it could be boring. The pass would be the first 2,805 feet of the 25,692 vertical feet I would climb before reaching sea level again at Haines, AK.

Usually, big passes either fade into the flow or bring a sense of accomplishment. The year before, heavy traffic, rain, a narrow road, and 3,944 vertical feet of climbing at Sherman Pass made that a climb that matched my feeling of foreboding, though. This climb over Thompson Pass turned out to be the high point of the day, and thus the title of this post.

I fueled up at Totem Inn in Valdez and then started off. The first ten miles were along the shore of the Lowe River inlet. The road was flat, quiet, and a bit foggy. There was zero traffic. Magic. Then the climb began. It was a Goldilocks grade. Not too flat, not too steep, but just right.

I soon came to Keystone Canyon. It’s a deep slot canyon, with vertical walls rising 200 to 400 feet. There are many waterfalls flowing from both sides of the canyon. Six of them were as big or bigger than the one you see here. It was an enchanting place.

After the canyon, the road made broad sweeping turns up over and back down the crest of this pass through the coastal mountains. I soaked it all in as I sailed along with easy peddling. Near the bottom of the pass, I noticed Worthington Glacier in the rear view mirror mounted on my helmet.

I had no idea there was a glacier there. Some low hills — an ancient terminal moraine I’m sure — were hiding the glacier when I was closer, but now there was a clear view looking back. I decided not to backtrack because it was several miles away by then, and I had a long way to go that day.

From that point on I had a rainy but pleasant ride. I stopped at 4:00 pm at Tiekel River Lodge to camp. That was 60 miles from where I started, but I don’t remember if I stopped there by plan or by chance. The rain had also stopped, and I camped right by the river.

To my surprise, a German cyclist I met when getting off the ferry showed up after I’d eaten. I don’t know where he stayed in Valdez. Maybe closer to the pass, but I know he started riding at noon. I had started at 8:30 am. I rationalized the difference in our riding times by reasoning that he was in his early twenties.

The next day I rode to Dry Creek Camp, which was just north of the junction with the highway from Anchorage (another road I intended to ride some day). The junction with the highway to Tok was ten miles north from there.

I don’t remember much at all about that ride to Dry Creek except a convenience store at the junction, and viewing a vast range of mountains dominated by Wrangle Peak off to the east. I probably picked up some junk food at the store, maybe even called Marcia. My notes tell me it was nice and dry in camp. Evidently, I washed my riding shorts and dried out all the gear that got damp the day before.

In a couple of days, I would be in Tok, having more baked salmon.