We Are Gathered Here Today

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my MSR Hubba Hubba tent. This wasn’t just A tent. It was MY tent. My tent which was with me on my first cycling tour in 2010. And my tent which continued to be my primary shelter for more than 120 nights over more than 15,000 km on the road. It provided sanctuary and protection from all elements thrown our way until that fateful morning of July 12th in Stettler, Alberta. While specific details of its tragic final moments will likely never be known, I have every reason to believe it stood its ground until the final act which broke its back – or support poles, as the case may be.

While Zack and the fine people at Calgary’s Mountain Equipment Co-op (i.e. MEC) did their best to save my tent from a premature demise, the injuries were too severe and it could not be resuscitated. And so, at 11:39 am, my MSR Hubba Hubba succumbed to its injuries surrounded by friends and a whole lot of great outdoor gear.

As for the aforementioned fine people at MEC, once again they rose to the occasion and proved themselves to be champions of customer service. Despite having bought my MSR Hubba Hubba from them more than five years ago, they offered me store credit for the full amount of the original purchase price – including the Ontario sales tax.

The biggest downside (other than the actual loss of my tent) is that my version of the MSR Hubba Hubba (circa 2010) appears to have been the best version of said model. Subsequent versions have had a few issues and, as technology pushes tents to become lighter and lighter, the question of durability has come into play. Yes, it’s safe to say that I already miss my tent.

However, life (and my ride) must go on and so I am pleased to announce the arrival of my new tent. While I was planning to get the new version of the Hubba Hubba, it was currently out of stock. And so, after much deliberation I selected the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2.

Photos will come later as I’ve yet to set up my new tent (and its currently raining out so it will have to wait even longer) but there was a floor model set up at MEC which I was able to test out. The footprint is virtually identical to the Hubba Hubba; however, the interior cabin is significantly smaller which I’m hoping won’t be an issue. On the upside, the weight of the Seedhouse SL2 is significantly less than my original Hubba Hubba. Only time and testing will reveal how my new tent will perform in the real world. Fortunately there’s an MEC in North Vancouver if things don’t work out.

If nothing else, this tragic event has shown that there are a lot of generous people out there. Anna was great to host me on very short notice in Red Deer. John and Susan have also been overwhelmingly generous hosts during my stay in (and approach to) Calgary. Plus, a big thank you goes to Kim and Robyn for their contributions to the “New Tent” fund. Generosity abounds.

Between generous donations and MEC’s store credit, I am once again equipped to hit the road. Hopefully stronger (but definitely lighter) than ever. I was afraid I might have to dip into my Subway budget to fund my new tent but fortunately that wasn’t necessary – although, I’m still looking for that Subway sponsorship to help out the rest of the way!

With portable accommodation once again secure, I was free to spend the rest of the day exploring Calgary. Of course, I hadn’t eaten yet so (despite the continued lack of sponsorship) I stopped in at Subway. Moments later I was on my way to Prince’s Island Park. John, my Warm Showers host, had recommended it as a place to go for a scenic lunch. It was a good recommendation.

The rest of my day was spent cycling through Calgary on its large network of bike trails. I’m told there are over 700 km of trails but clearly I only travelled on a fraction of them. For the most part I followed Bow River which eventually led me to my Warm Showers hosts in the northwest part of the city.

As days go, it was a beautiful one for cycling and exploring. I was surprised by the amount of “traffic” on the Bow River as I saw many rafters, swimmers, tubers and such aquatic craft being carried down the river. Despite my general dysfunction in the water, it looked like a lot of fun. I’m not sure where they start or end, but I might have to look into it.

The ride to John and Susan’s place did not go perfectly from a navigation standpoint. Much of that was my fault as I didn’t believe a few posted signs indicating a particular trail was closed due to flooding. I figured that was more of a subjective suggestion rather than an objective fact. But no, the trail ended up being completely impassable which meant I had to do a bit of backtracking – and it’s no secret how I feel about that.

By 6:30 I finally arrived on the doorstep of John and Susan who, simply put, have been great. As have Lex and Parker, their two dogs. Although, Lex has been a bit of a challenge. She’s a bit on the skittish side (gross understatement) and has been more than a little reluctant to succumb to my dog whispering charm. Attempts to bribe her with blueberries (a common technique with Lex) have met with mixed results and our relationship remains a work in progress. Parker, on the other hand, has been very welcoming.

After getting settled into my new accommodations, I enjoyed a great night with John and Susan. We had a great dinner while talking travel, cycling, dogs, Calgary’s flood of 2013, the Stampede, possible routes through the mountains, and more. John has been on a LOT of long rides including doing all 290 km of the Icefield Parkway in one day. One! I’m planning on it taking four!

I’m still working out the details of what my route through the mountains will look like but, now that I’ve actually seen the mountains again and talked about some options, I’m eager to start climbing. We’ll see if that eagerness changes as I get closer.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 47.05 km
Ride time: 2:55:35
Average speed: 16.07 km/h
Maximum speed: 47.66 km/h

P.S. With today’s travels through and around Calgary, I have now cycled over 4,000 km on this ride.