I had a full breakfast in town and headed off for another hard day of climbing. The early finish yesterday finally gave my legs a chance to recover, and I could feel the results today. I felt much stronger today.

I hiked two of the National Park trails: the Skunk Cabbage Trail and the Big Cedars Trail. I highly recommend both. They are both short enough to cover in a half hour and there is some excellent scenery. I wanted to hike some of the other trails, especially the Hemlock Trail, but they were closed due to bear habitation or low snow line.

Climbing Rogers Pass was a big milestone for me. With only one more pass to go (Kicking Horse), the hard grind was over, and I was in much better shape physically and mentally. I could relax and enjoy some of the scenery and not have to worry about making it to Calgary in time to catch my flight home.

The summit park was under repair and partially covered in snow, plus the sun was hidden behind the Selkirk Mountains, making photo taking difficult. I stopped at the gas station just past the summit for another meal of junk food, then set off on the road again. There were some good descents leaving the summit, but then I found myself climbing again or biking hard on a flat heading into the wind. The hard work wasn't over yet.

I started looking for an open campground close to the roadside shortly after crossing the summit and I didn't find one until Donald. It was mosquito infested, treeless, and relatively expensive, but I had no other choice.

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