Osprey Lake to KVR Trail Edge B&B

Day 2 - June 18, 2012

Weather: Light rain early, clearing in afternoon

Trail description: We were told by our host that there was a washout on the KVR at Link Lake less than kilometer from Osprey Lake. A detour was already being worked on but we liked the idea of a couple of kilometers on a smooth paved road before we got back on the slithering gravel, so we took the Princeton-Summerland Road (Hwy 40) for two kilometers, then rejoined the KVR at Bankier. The trail was supposed to firm up beyond Osprey Lake but it was hard to tell. The rain may have compacted it a bit but aside from a few rocky sections it seemed like the same soft gravel. The slight downhill grade though meant we weren't working as hard as yesterday. The Erris Tunnel is fairly short and you can ride through it.

Special concerns: None.

Wildlife: No sightings.

Distance and elevation: Distance travelled was 25 kilometers, from the Osprey Lake Retreat B&B to the KVR Trail Edge B&B. The elevation change for the day was minus 165 meters to the point on the KVR that we turned off onto the KVR Trail Edge B&B's access road.

Average speed and time on the trail: We left Osprey Lake at 10:00 AM and reached the KVR Trail Edge B&B at 2:00 PM. It was a short day so we didn't hurry and spent awhile on the Spukunne Creek trestle eating lunch. Our average moving speed had improved to 10 kilometers per hour.

GPS tracking: We used a Garmin 910XT to record our distance and elevation changes and used the information to produce the elevation profile below.

It's a grey morning, softly raining as we prepare to set out

Our host Bruce took this great shot of us decked out in our rain gear

There's not much to see early on with the trail mostly walled in by pine forest

Lunch on the Spukunne Creek trestle

Riding through the short Erris Tunnel. A small headlight helps to see the gravel floor and prevent disorientation

The views over Hayes Creek open up as the KVR stays high along the valley wall while the valley bottom drops

We are at the access road down to the B&B. It looks steep!

Yep, it's steep! Are we really going to climb back up here tomorrow?

The KVR Trail Edge B&B. I think "trail edge" is a bit of a stretch as we just dropped 120 vertical meters in half a kilometer

But the steep road is soon forgotten. It's a lovely place: spacious, comfortable and surrounded by hummingbirds

Next Page: KVR Trail Edge B&B to Tulameen