DAY 32 and 33, Lakes, Berries, and Tok

Made an easy go of it for day 32.  I left my free campsite at Seaton Roadhouse Access area at like 8 am.  It was only a 5 mile ride to Hidden Lake Trail for my first stop.  Twas a leisurely mile stroll across a boardwalk path through muskeg to the lake.  Oh! And, crowberries and big blueberries were ripe and delicious.  I was a little disappointed to discover the free boats available for use were rowboats.  Who thought a boat you can't see where your going in was a good idea?  I guess they were catering to groups larger than one . . . Anyway, I still had an enjoyable paddle around the lake and got to see a pair of Trumpeter Swans and their cygnets.  A relaxing nap in the middle of the lake was certainly agreeable.

Then, it was on to lake two, Deadman Lake.  This was just an 11 mile ride up the Alaska Highway.  While the interpretive walk was not very exciting, the relaxing swim was.  Eventually, it was time to get to my planned campsite.  So, after another 9 miles on the bike, it was Lakeview Campground.  The water here was also an agreeable temperature and, of course, another swim had to occur. 

Day 33 was more gentle up and down, with a general trend toward down, through the Taiga, northern boggy forest and wetlands.  The scenery was pleasant, but got monotonous.  I found myself taking much fewer pictures today. 

The most exciting thing about Tok was that I finally had cell service.  So, I got to call Ellen.  I met three fellow bikepackers in the campground.  They were of course all headed south from Deadhorse.  There was a couple from Edinburgh, and a fellow from the States.  I warned them about the rough roads of the Yukon, but apparently the ride from Deadhorse to Fairbanks is worse.  So, they are used to it.

We enjoyed swapping adventure stories and tips.  Apparently, I need to get myself some Schwalbe tires, when I do my next bikepacking trek and need to get tips from crazyguyonabike.com . . .