Vile flower – a pair of words about the route, or an expression of hiking

Involuntarily becomes suspicion that in the area I will not meet any living soul, and despite the lungs in connection with the upcoming stay on the desert land, my heart begins to be excitedly fighting in anticipation of beginning adventures.

Dave Metz, "One person, two dogs and 600 miles on the edge of light. Dangerous journey for a dream"

Good or bad, but I try not to plan anything – nor in life or in the way. But this does not mean that I do not strive for anything! ツ

I just try not to take loans to live with dreams that are not destined to come true, and therefore, and I do not get upset when something goes wrong. And on this trip, everything was (not) so. Already at the airport of Vancouver, everything went to the airport: two hours before the flight departure to the starting point of a detailed route (Yellowknife town) was canceled, and I had to drop a bike almost two thousand kilometers from her.

Then they began to blow on the counter winds and wash off the rain, cycling wild beasts and bite bloodsuckers ..

I had to take advantage of the hitchhiker: the first time – a harsh flight, the second – in search of a doctor, the third – fleeing from the oncoming wind, which blows at 100 km / h.

Not so long ago, scientists have published a list of animals who are in search of food have to overcome long distances. And champions in ranking "Marathonsev" Steel Caribou – North American deer, which in search of food are forced every year to take 1350 km.

And despite the fact that you are with them the fate of the polar circle, I wandered there not in search of food (although they left me cloudberries), and adventures!

So deer i "survived". But it’s all from what they have no bicycle. And rafts too! ツ

However, even after almost 3,000 km of water, soil and asphalt roads, I was full of strength and energy, more than ever! 58 days of harsh beauty and wildlife of the Polar region – it was the most remote and long hike in my life! But even now, looking back, I understand that this is not the limit.

Weather, Roads and Wild Bears – Natural, But not the latest factors forced to adjust the route in the way. After all, there are still breakdowns and illness … no, pah-pah, a bike with rafts did not sneeze! What can not be said about yourself ..

However, at the morning of the third day, I was bitten by some bee or wasp, and in the most important place for the cyclist – leg!

It became clear that this is no allergic (and, ugh-pah, not allergic I), but the most real infection (who knows what kind of bears to me busted this bee?!), so I had to urgently apply to the doctor.

However, the handful of antibiotics could not quickly make the leg earn in the same mode, but to be delayed and waited, when the echo will pass, the desire was not. Therefore, that ill-fated bite and became the determining factor in choosing a start place of the water part of the route: with great difficulty I managed to get to Fort Simpson (first settlement on the shore of McCenzie on my way), where it was decided to lower the raft on the water.

Before "End" the all-season road (Wrigley communes) there were still 222 km of primer, but even this with a swollen leg seemed to me some unattainable distance, so it was decided to inflate Raft exactly there.

Well, the winter to Fort Good Hope, whose first ledger I wanted to become, I have not seen even from afar – the raft swolled only after 22 days when the leg finally came to myself. TOTAL 350 "Scheduled" Kilometers on the water poured over all 1100 ..

MegaFon did not connect to any network even at the airport in Whitehorse. Therefore, to look for alternatives how to spend your vacation with a swollen leg, there was no possibility. And the Internet has found only 3 times in two months – at Whitehorse airport, in the workers camp, repairing Demptster Highway, and in the largest commune of the North-Western territories – Invica.

The latter was especially fun. She went on the 34th day of the approach when, at the entrance to the investigator, I learned that there is free internet in it. But not at all in McDonalds, as in the whole world (after all, McDonalds is there), and … in the library! But it was time for me to confess the family where I disappeared the last month, because they know and did not know about Raft! And here in the 9th hour of the evening I enter the dark forests of forests in the smog, and ask the first passerby: "Sorry, do not tell me how to go to the library. " ツ

By the way, about people. Unlike roads, on which the clubs were hung for a long time, Mackenzie had a dick and deserted.

And their location dictated by no uniform distribution on the route, but by history or, as is customary in the modern world, oil field. Therefore, people on most of the path did not even smell. What not to say about the owners of the forest ..

And if I met only one brown grizzly at 850 km of noisy and dusty lempster, then the alloy on Mackenzie and 555 practically desert kilometers before him was remembered by the real Canadian safari.

In order to seem like a big and terrible creature for the bears, I tried not to part at meetings with them with a bicycle, nor with Raft: one I was remembered by a half-seased Centrian, another – yellow rubber clarification, the third – swinging paddle over his head giant dragonfly. However, the uninfected guests of the Forest home (although, if you think about, I was the wrong guest!) You came to spend your territories and at the sunset of the day when the bike with Pakraft had already rested after a heavy working day, and at dawn, when they just prepared on the road.

And for such meetings, I always had defense funds at hand: in my pocket lay a cartridge for a clapper, a whistle dangled on the neck, and a heavy pep splash was hanging from the belt "(anti) bear spray". Well, the highlight of all self-defense means was a weapon of modern Rapunzel – a frying pan?! ツ

But I scared the beasts I only with full-time meetings.

As for people, they were also on Mackenzie. Not everywhere (for example, on the finishing segment of 350 km from Fort Good Hope to Tsiigehtchic did not meet any uniform human soul), but still were. And precisely thanks to them, I know how yellow rubber duck looks like. ツ

In order not to duplicate the road from Tsiigehtchic (Arctic Red River) to the ocean and back, already on the way (and not at home with the Internet) I was on the idea to go out in the McCenzie Delta and get to Raft to the northern point of my route, the commune Tuktoyaktuk, and There is already a re-ride a bike and drive all the Demptster (with a piece of Mackenzie Hwy) south.

However, hiding on the waves of McCenzi, after the first storm I left this idea.

Briefly about a two-month campaign in one frame: where was that I did, with whom I saw ..

Therefore, it was decided to go to the ground in TsiiGehtchic – the first settlement where Mackenzie crosses Demppster Highway.

Run and dance to twist pedals I started in tsiigehtchic.

And now, I would seem, I again in the saddle, wearing a deserved rest from the fortresses of three weeks, and the legs that have fallen all this time again return to the system, like … You will laugh, but the morning of the third day of the next bike part of my route comes I bite the next bloodstream … that’s just a leg already right!

The next Achilles of the heel the ankle will repel again not by day, but by the hour, and forces to appeal to the doctor once again. Here, the nature suddenly remembers that it is north, and the weather in the blink of an eye turns out of dry hot summer in a rainy cold autumn.

With difficulty, leaning on a swollen leg, I was lying around in a tent, waiting for the weather, but the leg did not become better. Swim over the Swivery Mackenzie in the opposite direction on the raft did not seem to be possible. The soil demaster has been dragging greatly, frost took his own – I could not even stretch the shoes to at least somehow warm the stuffed toes.

Knees warm the knee pads from camel wool, lower legs – leggings from mery, and feet – waterproof socks

But the desire to visit the mountains turned out to be stronger. So quickly, as far as the sick leg allowed, but not so slow to climb from the cold, I moved forward.

And, having come to Mount Tombstone Territoryal Park, I, grieving my teeth, stretched the tracking boots for the swollen legs for one day and walked them in the mountains!

However, barely coming to the road, immediately pereobulsya in his loved ones, and, probably, from the thumbnail sandals and the same finished with its move in the saddle! ツ

Instead of a thousand words (although Word says they are almost 2500 ツ) can be glanced by the cinema. For example, in VK. ツ