Reader Andrew McNeil recently took his best friend out for a three-day spin on the BC Grasslands Circuit as an introduction to bikepacking, and he shot a charming little Super 8 film along the way. Watch it and find an introduction with a colorful collection of 35mm film photos here…

Words, photos, and video by Andrew McNeil

Super 8 film is expensive, and it’s not a very reliable technology to document trips. However, I find it’s the best medium to document trips I want to remember, especially capturing the feeling of it.

  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking
  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking

This bikepacking trip of the BC Grasslands route was a special one for me. It had taken a year to convince and coordinate my best friend, Jackson, to go on a bikepacking trip together. About six years ago, we lived and worked together. Flash forward to the present day, and we live about eight hours away from each other, including a two-hour ferry ride. Spending time together is much more difficult, a far cry from how inseparable we were once upon a time.

  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking
  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking
  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking

Over the last few years, I’ve gotten into backpacking and bikepacking. Jackson loves bikes and the outdoors but had never been on an overnight trip. I wanted to change this. I wanted to introduce him to the simplicity of waking up in a tent that you carried, and all you need to do that day is pedal to the next campsite and eat. Simple, but so good for the soul.

BC Grasslands Bikepacking
  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking
  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking
  • BC Grasslands Bikepacking

Finally, three weeks before his wedding, we set off on our own adventure, a three-day bikepacking trip to reconnect and enjoy the freedom of riding our bikes without distractions. I didn’t know if Jackson would enjoy bikepacking, and this may be his only trip with me, so I knew I wanted to document it on Super 8. In the end, it was a really special trip, and with the help of this video, I know I’ll watch it when I miss him and when I want to feel the nostalgia of the trip. I hope you enjoy it too.

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