Up Over the Paulson

By Ron George

Waking up this morning at the Grand Forks Inn and checking the weather apps everything said it was going to be a mixed bag of weather. Checking and rechecking the gear and second guessing the layers of clothing we mounted our bikes for a short pedal to breakfast. Omega II Restaurant provided a fantastic breakfast to fuel each one of us for the looming road ahead.

We said our thank you and headed out.  After a short pedal to Christina Lake, we stopped at the Info Centre to consider the choices that brought us to this point. A third summit in as many days, 260 km’s down with the biggest challenge to come. It didn’t take long to understand, these are but mole hills compared to the challenges the family’s we are supporting face on a daily basis.  For all that these families go through, we would surely endure the gruelling climb a head.

We pedalled onto Texas Creek Pullout for some last words from our trusty Ride Captain Julio. In the end it comes down to this… “It’s a hill, get over it”. It was time, there was no more we could do to put it off, The Blue Berry / Paulson. We climbed, each going at his/her own pace wondering when it would end. The funny thing is, all but one of the group is a returning rider and has done this hill more then once but it never seems to get easier. The only way to complete it is by pressing down on the cranks and get over it.

At the top we were greeted with a warm bowl of chilli and buns. A thank you to Safeway for donating funds for the ingredients and a bigger thank you Rebekah George for preparing the meal.

Refueled and recharged we prepared for the descent into Castlegar. It wouldn’t be traditional Paulson ride without rain and this year was not any different. As we set off for the descent, the rain started to fall. The descent was quick and wet, but we arrived safely.

We concluded the day with supper at the Colander and we’re now tucked in for the night in Rossland. Three big days behind us and 7 more to go.