I had the greatest sleep. I was amazingly comfortable temperature-wise. And I wasn’t bitten by the mosquito that circled around my head before I fell asleep. I woke up just in time to eat a snack and prepare for the 7am group ride. Once more, I joined the ‘spicy’ group, and it didn’t disappoint. We were swirling through Gatineau Park’s single track and a little bit of a paved roads. It was more challenging on my gravel bike, but I had a blast.

After the ride, I lazily changed my clothes and proceeded to the Meredith Center for day two of the presentations.

The first to present was Marie-Pierre Savard. She had a 10-year bikepacking experience to tell us about. Of course, there was not enough time. I loved her energy and personality. She warned us about her not so perfect English at first (which seemed perfect to me), and commenced her tale on bikepacking the 1,900 mile Quebec traverse route created by her friend. As she shared, during pandemic in 2020, she decided to test ride it. It sounded like some of it was fun and some of it was very challenging.

At that moment, I felt a little bit of jealousy of her being able to take the time to do that. Nostalgia nagged at me. When will I be able to ride my bike for longer than my vacation time in distant places? I added this route as one of my bucket list destinations anyways. Who knows? Maybe one day… If you ever would like to try it, it is listed at https://bikepackadventures.ca/quebec-bikepacking-traverse/

Chris Panasky shared his excursions on the bike as well. He was mainly talking about the choice of gear and the bike. He is an expat from States, who lived in Russia for few years and then moved to Asia, Japan and finally to Canada. He talked about his experiences traveling light and suffering through the situations that required better preparedness.

At lunch time, my food choices were wiser. The Chickpeas salad sandwich was huge and delicious. And I also bought a big double fudge chocolate cookie, which I ate while drinking delicious, hot tea. What a feast!

Dr. Alexandar Radan was next to talk about the first aid supplies and medications worth taking on an adventure. He mentioned Loratadine and Cetirizine for allergy besides Benadryl, Imodium for diarrhea, and even one or two pills of Oxycontin (in case of broken bone). He was in praise of horse Bag Balm for skin irritations. He listed some popular over the counter medications to prevent infections and pain. One of the remedies that really surprised me was black pepper to stop wound bleeding.

Louis-Phillippe Landry (Psychotherapist from Ontario) discussed mental state and anxiety before and during trips and events. He provided us with a few ways of dealing with anxiety. The main point he brought to our attention was to be present, to observe, to define and to ask questions about the situation. And then to attempt to fix it or to let go if there is no solution. Many people directed questions to him about their own personal experiences. To summarize, it is best, if possible, not to make decisions in hungry, tired or angry state.

The last part of the summit was a discussion panel. The topic was chosen the evening before at the brewery as I’ve learned. It was about women’s participation in bikepacking events. Marie, Jen and Meaghan were seated in front of the room facing everyone and the questions started. It took them a minute sometimes to answer as some of the questions were not easy to reflect on.

After the discussion panel prizes were drawn. Some were nice, such as bike frame or rain gear, but I only won a cycling cap. I was happy for the other winners though.

Shortly after, the event was over, and it was time to go home… ☹

I was asked by the custom officer at the border what I brought back form Canada. ‘Great memories’ was my answer.