Training Log Archive: Bash

Sports-Tracker congratulated me on my 2nd fastest time on this morning's bike route. Woo hoo! The problem is, I've *never* ridden that route before. I know because there's a relatively new trail in the northeast part of Palgrave Forest that I've only ridden a few times - always in the same direction. I purposely rode it in the opposite direction today to see how that went. (Fine except for the big drop-off that I approached from the bottom and haven't even attempted from the top yet.) So I'm declaring it my fastest time on the route. Yay.

Morning ride around the Palgrave single track before it gets too warm. The trails are in fantastic shape although there are long stretches lined with poison ivy where there is no room for error. I love this kind of riding - rolling, twisty, rooty dirt trails with occasional logs and rocks. I'm getting better at riding super rocky trails but I'd still rather ride Palgrave or Albion Hills than Kolapore or 3 Stage. Some of our Collingwood friends commute to Mansfield or Horseshoe Valley to ride trails that rattle their bones a bit less. If we lived there full time - which we might some day - I could see doing that.

I'm supposed to take it easy for a day after some periodontal work so I took BazingaDog for a hike. It's such a treat being able to walk him off-leash after all these years. He made me jog for the first 5 minutes then settled down and became his usual adorable self.



Then he rolled in some old coyote poop. The End.

Today is the 3-month anniversary of my hand surgery so it's probably safe to post a photo without worrying about making Hammer feel faint. :) The scar will fade more over time but my hand has recovered well.

I ran the Kolapore Church / Paradise Highway loop counterclockwise while 'Bent and Eddie did a longer run. It was a warm, muggy, cloudy morning that hinted at the thunderstorms coming this afternoon. I didn't walk much but in the second half, I could definitely feel that this is a long run for me now. But I can still do it and I can train to do more.

After some gardening, I checked on two friends running the Western States 100. Norm Nadon, former owner of Running Free Orangeville, finished in the Golden Hour (between 29 and 30 hrs) with lots of time to spare.

My other friend Jennifer Shultis was the first runner to miss the 30-hour deadline, finishing 2:08 outside the time limit. The live coverage followed her along the road and onto the track. She didn't give up; she kept running. She's been living with multiple myeloma for the past 6 years - the same incurable cancer my Dad had - and as the announcers watched her run and shared her story of living with cancer, they were both in tears. So was I. A few minutes after she finished, they pulled her into the booth where she gave a more articulate interview than most people could do at any time in their lives, let alone after 30 hours of running. Well done.

'Bent and I hiked and swam the dogs at Peasemarsh Beach in Thornbury. Great find!

'Bent and I went to 3 Stage with the plan of doing an easier ride than last week's rocky bounce around Kolapore. It was a steamy hot day and we didn't plan to stay out too long. Since we're not super familiar with 3 Stage, I had Trailforks handy so we could try to stay on blue trails. I'd forgotten there are some very gnarly blue trail sections at 3 Stage! But it was a fun ride with lots of variety.

We met a couple on the trail. The guy pointed at 'Bent's inside-out Buff under his helmet, keeping bugs off his neck. Sounding impressed, he asked, “Is that an ESAR buff?!”

'Bent smiled modestly and said, “Yes.”

“Cool! My father used to do that race! By the time I was old enough, they weren’t holding it anymore.”

We need to meet older mountain bikers, I guess.

John Robinson, one of 'Bent's dentist friends, dropped by our Kolapore place and we took AdventureDog for a warm hike to Metcalfe Rock and back.

AdventureDog has had an excellent week - although he has no idea. I've been trying to get stuff done in anticipation of his eye surgery. The poor guy scratched his cornea 3 months ago and it turned into an indolent ulcer. He's been to 3 vets of different types and has been getting up to 9 eye drops daily - different ones with specified timing and he hates them. It's been pretty miserable for him and Thursday was finally going to be his surgery. The recovery wasn't going to be easy either - a sewn-in contact lens to protect his eye, a cone 24 hours a day for a couple of weeks and, of course, more eye drops.

Our fantasy was that he would be prepped for his operation and the surgeon would exclaim, "His eye spontaneously healed! It's a miracle!"

As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. I dropped him off in Toronto and drove almost an hour home. Just before I got there, the surgeon phoned so I turned around. Two trips to Toronto and back before 11:30 am and I couldn't be happier about it. :)

A little physio before dinner.

Fun, chatty Father's Day paddle on the Nottawasaga River with 'Bent, Goose and Coach LD. The weather was sunny, cool and breezy at times. I'd forgotten how nice this river is!





We're undecided about whether our new/used H2O Slingshot 222 is the right canoe for us. There is a market for used Slingshots if we decide to try something else.



Later on, dot watching met reality when the four of us (including both dogs) tracked down Sarah "Crash" Caylor a few kilometres south of Kolapore on the Buttertart 700 bikepacking route. It's a long, lonely ride so we figured some friendly cheering would give her a boost. She might finish tonight on her 3rd day. Because of high winds the last two days, it's been slower than usual.



Live tracking for some of the Buttertart 700 riders in today's Grand Départ is here. Former adventure racer Jason Lane is one of the leaders - although it's not a race.
http://trackleaders.com/bt700-22

A couple of enthusiastic dog walkers showed up so we took a stroll around the garden. (That's Hank and Heath Miller - Bob & Shannon's boys.) The dogs don't normally walk on leashes in our yard so they were a little confused. It all worked out just fine though.



I thought about Dad today and smiled. :) Happy Father's Day to all the awesome Dads out there.

'Bent and I went for a long ride around the rocky Kolapore trails. It was my first technical riding of the year so I lacked confidence in some of the bumpiest sections. Yesterday was really windy and today was somewhat better but still quite breezy. We made lots of stops to move debris off the trail and 'Bent had to use his saw a few times. We met only one other rider after 2.5 hours and half a dozen hikers after 3 hours.

My bike had gear problems from the start, which was strange because it was in great shape the last time I rode it. For most of the ride I couldn't use my easiest gears. Based on 'Bent's advice, I made all kinds of adjustments to the gear cable but nothing seemed to improve it much. Then I had a horrible flashback to the Mohican 100 race five years ago. Could it be my thru-axle? Yup, it was loose. In the race, two bike mechanics at different aid stations missed that, even with the bike on a stand. They tried all kinds of different adjustments, just like we did today. The problem hadn't happened again until now. The last 5 kilometres went really well. :)

Great day! Time deducted for trail clearing.

Rowing + Foothab

I ordered Canada Day masks. Who could have imagined that 3 years ago?
https://canadastrong.ca/products/limited-edition-c...

A run around the Palgrave West trails. I didn't see anyone or any wildlife in the forest but on my cooldown stroll up the driveway from our mailbox, I startled a fox and a deer.

Mostly Achilles, hamstrings and quads with a few upper body exercises thrown in between sets.

Rowing + physio for right hamstring, quad and Achilles.

I also did some push-ups and planks to confirm that my left hand is working well because tomorrow is my final check-up with the surgeon. With excellent timing, a Dupuytren's nodule appeared on my right hand on Saturday. That was after our long day of kayaking - maybe related? Most people get the condition in both hands eventually and it sometimes recurs in the same hand after surgery. Wonderful. It doesn't always progress so that's what I'm hoping for.

Lemmens Inlet sea kayaking from Tofino

'Bent and I went through the long procedure to rent two slow plastic kayaks. Things could go wrong so they want to know that you can navigate with a chart, you understand today's tides and marine forecast, you've been trained in kayak rescue, you know where the currents get dangerous, you understand all the safety gear you've been given, etc.

We didn't see any other kayaks out there today - perhaps not surprisingly. The weather was perfect - not a drop of rain while we were on the water but it rained before and after. That seems to be the secret to enjoying Tofino - preparing for rain at all times and being tremendously grateful if it's dry. To be fair, the locals tell us this is an unusually rainy spring.

We crossed the harbour channel, navigating through islands to get to Meares Island, which is indigenous land with some residences. Lemmens Inlet is a huge bay in the island, which means the waters are fairly well protected.



We started just before high tide so we made a point of paddling through areas that would get very shallow later.









The weather improved as the day went on. We could see the mountain tops and there was even some sunshine.





We spent a lot of time poking along the shore, checking out the trees and the intertidal zone.





We saw bald eagles regularly.



We paddled around a number of oyster farms.



We took a long lunch break in a little cove near the north end of Lemmens Inlet.



There was a surprise during lunch. What's wrong with this picture?



We loved this paddle!

[Time deducted for lunch break.]

The weather forecast was 100% chance of heavy rain with a Gale Warning in the marine forecast so 'Bent and I went storm watching. We spent most of our time wandering around South Beach then finished with a hike on Wickaninnish Beach (not logged).



As usual, we started with a rainforest hike.





Then we had a reminder of Carbon's Offset, Carbon, Revy and the rest of Team Wild Rose.



We spent most of our time in the South Beach area, where we saw no one but were warned about a family of bears. We assume the family includes the small bear we saw yesterday.

We found a quiet cove to explore.





This bit of exploring would have been a bad choice if the tide were coming in.



The strong wind, pelting rain and crashing waves were the major attractions today - not that many other people seemed to think so.







Here's Wickaninnish Beach where we saw a handful of other people.



[Elapsed time was higher - lots of photo stops.]

'Bent and I went back to Ucluelet to hike the coastal section of the Wild Pacific Trail. This might be the best trail in the area. The rainforest is beautiful.





The trail building is excellent and quirky.





As promised the views of the Pacific are wild! There are spectacular lookouts everywhere. It's mesmerizing to watch the waves crash in. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the way.

On our way back, we went for a shorter hike at Florencia Bay.





And then another hike along the south end of Wickaninnish Beach.





There were lots of surfers.



I noticed a dark object in the intertidal zone about 200 meters away.



It was a small bear munching on crabs. We watched him for a while. He showed no sign that he knew we were there.

We awoke to a mystery. Where was the rain?



We'd booked a group kayak trip to Meares Island. We had wanted a longer trip but there were limited offerings at this time of year and other people had signed up earlier. So at least this short trip got us out on the water.



The good local companies are cautious about renting kayaks to independent paddlers. We would have to provide a resume and be approved. You can't just look at the weather and rent a boat. To be fair, west coast paddling involves some strong tides and currents, and I'll bet they've had to rescue some people.





Tofino Harbour is a pretty area. The tide was falling and we saw lots of starfish and sea anemones.





When we got to Meares Island, our guide led us on a short interpretive hike on the Big Tree Trail, a rare area of old growth rainforest.











When we got back, we drove up Radar Hill, an abandoned Cold War facility.



We spent an hour hiking on popular Chesterman Beach.





We finished the day with one of the most pandemic-friendly restaurants in the area - the Surfside grill.

Big Tree Trail on Meares Island, stops deducted. GPS track included in paddle.

Brisk walk up and down Chesterman Beach with 'Bent. Beautiful beach homes!

'Bent and I went to Ucluelet and started by hiking the Lighthouse Loop portion of the Wild Pacific Trail. It's easy to see why ships used to wreck along the west coast of Vancouver Island.



The rainforest was just as beautiful as the ocean views.



Although I do like ocean views.



We also did some scrambling in the intertidal zone in a couple of places.



We finished with an interpretive trail where we learned about bogs and thought of Hammer.



[Elapsed time 90 mins]

Then we had lunch at a food truck.



We visited the Ucluelet Aquarium, which operates on a catch and release model. All these sea critters are vacationing for a few months in a fancy AirBnB with all meals provided.





My new favourite is the Puget Sound King Crab. (The orange and red creature next to the sea anemone.)



We went to Big Beach to see the mystery shipwreck from the 1800s.



And to the small craft harbour, because 'Bent likes boats almost as much as he likes marine biology.



Amazingly, the rain stopped for hours and we actually saw the sun set out back. We're told the rainy weather is unusual for June. It's almost as if the climate is changing.

'Bent and I rented bikes at the south end of Tofino and rode their awesome paved bike trail to Pacific Rim National Park.



When we got to the Long Beach parking lot, we dropped down to the sand.



We'd rented beach cruisers - bikes without gears and a belt drive instead of a chain. These are the only bikes the rental place allows on the beach.



On the waiver, I had to initial the clause saying that I knew how to ride a bike. "Of course", I smiled. Then I got on the darned thing with its high handlebars and practised braking by reversing my pedal direction - something I haven't done since my teens. No, it turns out I *don't* know how to ride a bike! Eventually, it started to feel a little more natural.

Long Beach is 16 km long, broken up by a few points. If you're going to ride a bike on a beach, this is the place to come.



The bikes were so upright that 'Bent's neck was OK. He can't ride a regular bike for long due to dentistry-induced neck problems, hence the recumbent bike.





In a couple of places, we walked our bikes inland through the rainforest to get around obstacles.





We stopped for a picnic lunch near our turnaround point.

Riding the wet sand while the waves crashed was a *ton* of fun.





It wasn't the cleanest ride we've ever had though, lol.

'Bent and I are staying in a seaside house in Tofino.



It faces west so I imagined beautiful sunsets. According to the weather forecast, it will be a miracle if we see any sun this week at all but it's still scenic. The house shares a "pocket beach" with two other houses. This is the view facing north. It's not possible to go any further in that direction.



Here's the view facing south. It's possible to scramble over those rocks to Tonquin Beach. We went out about 75 minutes before low tide. At first we had periods of light, misty rain and then the rain became steady.



There's nothing 'Bent likes much better than exploring beside the sea. He took a university course in marine biology in the Maritimes and it made as big an impact as any dental course he took.



We checked out all the tidal pools, admired the mussels and looked for sea anemones and starfish.













After making our way along the shoreline for a while, we got up onto the Tonquin Trail network and checked out all its loops, lookouts and spurs. It took us to Third Beach and Middle Beach.







I hugged a tree, of course.



Afterward, we went to the popular Tacofino food truck and had coffee at the Tofitian cafe patio. Ever get that weird feeling that someone is watching you?



[Elapsed time 2.5 hrs.]

After a very long day - a long week, really - we are in Tofino. The first two shots are from our house.