It was
exactly the kind of trip we were all hoping for: epic scenery, heart-palpitating rides, hearty laughs with old friends and new, and the opportunity to feel like a local in a foreign land, the Cariboo of British Columbia. Williams Lake delivered our first Ladies Hucktoberfest.
With all due respect (and familiarity) women riders tend to be flakey, so I wasn’t even sure if this trip was going to pan out with the forecasted weather in constant flux between above freezing rainy days, to frigid snowy nights. Especially when the accommodation was supposed to be tenting beside the lake on someone else’s property.
Friday afternoon the carloads started to roll into the rendezvous: Red Shred’s Bike & Board Shed in the northern BC town of Williams Lake. We had just missed the blue skies by about 2 hours and it had started to drizzle.
It was a curious and not so surprising thing to see so many of the local boys hanging around the shop upon arrival. The Red Shred's welcome wagon was packed and set our trip on a very friendly note. After being handed beers and smiles from shop owner, Mark Savard, our North Shore raised legend and chariot driver, Johnny Smoke, rounded us up in the 15 passenger shuttle rig and we prepared to ride Williams Lake’s latest trail: Snakes & Ladders. This much loved trail had the help of thousands of dollars and an equally impressive amount of man hours revitalizing old stunts, building new wall rides, and creating an amazing labyrinth of skinnies and ladders in the trees.
After the tease of a ride – much closed due to wet conditions and impending darkness without headlamps – we headed back to the shop as the locals were starting to roll in for their annual Pumpkin Night-Ride. Hanging around in the basement of the shop, catching up, sharing [beers], it felt like the entire mountain bike community had showed up for the occasion. Bike shop mechanics donning Halloween costumes, hometown hero James Doerfling sporting a hockey helmet outfitted with glow sticks, and others dressed head to toe in night lights, they all took off for the hills for their wild ride.
Us broads were invited back to the post-ride pumpkin feast at the home of one generous, hardworking cook where we hung out with the town eating home-cooked comfort and reveling in what Williams Lake is best known for: community. Happily fed and welcomed, we headed for our sheltered hut on the lake.
And we woke up to this...Now was the time to see which of the chicks were fair-weather fairies and who was [wo]man enough to harden up and ride one of the most epic mountain bike areas in BC: Farwell Canyon. Ride, we did. Smoke led us through snow dusted grasslands, “cream cheese” like clay dirt, and breathtaking landscapes.
Washington's Ady Lane rolling in.
Mallory Hewlko ripping cheese.
Cornering with Aja Philp.
Locals James Doerfling and Mitch Cheek even gave us a private preview of how they shred their backyard: steep & fast down a trail called Godsmack into the Fraser River canyon below. At which pivotal moment Penny, the brave soldier and coach of Trek’s Dirt Series camps in Whistler, looked at me and asked “Monica, you coming?”
I think Smoke summed it up best when asked if he was doing another women’s biking camp, replied “Nope. These girls just came to shred.” F*ck, yeah – we did.
Everything about that day was perfect. Everything except for when my trusty trail compadre, Kaslo, the wolf mutt, was caught frolicking around in the putrid rotting discards of a mid-season hunt. Lovely. After an unsuccessful attempt to throw him into the Fraser River while trying to keep my lunch down, he sat out the rest of the day and still managed to make the Smoke-mobile smell like death. At least he masked our mountain women musk.
The perfect way to end the most epic of all ride days was back at the lakeside camp, cooking dinner in a cabin and drinking copious amounts of wine in a hot tub. Apologies again to Mark’s hot tub which we left danker than the taste of cheap beer out of a gum boot… But that’s a whole other story.
Until the Spring, my skid sisters!
For more info on riding in the area visit
www.ridethecariboo.caHUGE thank you to:
Guide: Johnny Smoke of
Bushpilot Biking Driver: Sirel
Host Master of Awesome: Mark Savard and his wonderful family for breakfast!
Red Shred's Bike & Board Shed crew
Entertainer: Jeremy Stowards
Cameos: James Doerfling & Mitch Cheek
Puddle People
And all my single[track] ladies:
Ady Lane
Gretchen Nelson
Aja Philp
Mallory Hewlko
Sarah Merkel
Vicky Young
Penny Dueck
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Monica McCosh lives in Squamish, BC and works for Ryders Eyewear
bushpilotbiking.com/ladies-hucktoberfest-1/3861
bushpilotbiking.com/ladies-hucktoberfest-2/3863
bushpilotbiking.com/ladies-hucktoberfest-3/3873
vimeo.com/52293400?action=share
Keep on shreddin..