I rode my bike up Mount Seymour today.
It's a beautiful fall day, sunny but the air is cool.
I love riding in the forest alone.
In case anyone reading this has never been to BC, here is a satellite view which gives a good idea of the size of the rainforest.
The image only shows the bottom corner of BC, you will have to imagine that the wilderness continues on and on all the way up to the Yukon and NWT. Leaving the fringe of civilization into the vast North Shore Rainforest can make you feel more alone than anywhere else in the world.
Every year visitors to the province leave for a day hike into the mountains, inexperienced and unaware of the dangers, they are never heard from again.

It's windy today.
Golden sunlight filters through the treetops.
It's fall now so the leaves are turning and the pine needles fall thickly through the air like amber coloured confetti.
It's a steep, steady climb. My heart is pounding so loudly now I can hear it.
I haven't seen a single soul in half an hour.
My skin is tingling.
The wind is stronger up here. The tall pine trees bend and groan. The very tops, some 100 ft tall shudder and sway, branches colliding and snapping.
They are the only noises other than my heart.
I keep pedaling. My legs are tired.
I know I am alone now, I never see anyone come up this far.
The trail is closing in, branches are scraping my arms and legs.
The trees are moving.
Shuddering.
There is a legend here about shaking the trees.
It was first told to us by the indigenous people. They said, "Don't ever, ever shake the tree branches when you are alone in the woods." The legend tells of something in the woods, of people who go missing. Something that watches for the tree tops swaying. The legend is old but there are many new stories, many people go missing every year.
Several years ago, a young man left for a hike alone. He had his cell phone with him for emergencies.
At the end of the day, heading back he realized that he was lost. He wandered another hour until the light was dimming.
He tried calling out for someone to hear him but of course, he was miles from anyone. Realizing he would need help, he called his sister on his cell phone. That far into the forest, reception isn't as good, the line broke several times during the conversation.
Of course no one would ever hear his side of the story, but his sister told people of the phone call.
He had stopped to remove a rock from his shoe.
He leaned against a tree branch to remove his shoe.
You can imagine how the tree would sway.
Sometimes when you grab a tree branch you can cause the tree to sway right to the top. The pine trees are so tall you can see the tops for miles.
She told how her brother saw something in the trees. Covered in dark fur, at first he thought it was a bear, but it walked upright as a man.
It was far too large to be a man. Maybe 10 ft tall.
It was getting closer. Hiding behind trees. Moving from tree to tree.
He called out to it. The light was dim and he couldn't see well. It was much larger than a bear.
He thought he saw it's eyes; they were watching him.
He sounded short of breath, panicked.
He thought he saw it's teeth.
The last thing she heard were her brothers screams. That's the last anyone heard of him.
Don't ...ever ...shake ...the trees.

I'm climbing alone.
The treetops sway.

nah, I'm just messin' with ya.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things that can kill you in the BC forests but it's unlikely that it will be a sasquatch.
That's all for today. Nighty night, sweet dreams.