I wanted a change from my usual trail runs and I definitely succeeded! The first change was apparent when I arrived at the starting point an hour from home and discovered that some canine had stolen one of the insoles from my shoes. So my style today could be described as "semi-minimalist".
The route idea was simple: use Dee's awesome Tour de Blue map and go from the bottom of Pretty River Valley Provincial Park up toward Blue Mountain - just to 12&13 Sideroad - then check the time and come back the same way. Much of it would be on the Bruce main or side trails. I was looking at 2.5 to 3 hours, maybe even less with the missing insole since there would be lots of downhill pounding.
The forest at Pretty River was lush and dark. I started with a podcast on but turned it off because I wanted to be alert for approaching mountain bikes since I wouldn't see them in time. As it turned out, I didn't see any bikes in the woods at all. The route started out with a terrific climb that took me to a famous landmark. Looks like my Ambit2 is working well!
I carried on north on a combination of trails and gravel roads. It was all fun and games until the trail turned into a sea of poison ivy just before 12&13 Sideroad. I made it to the road but didn't want to go back that way; I figured it should be possible to make a loop instead. First I did a hill repeat on 12&13 Sideroad, which is one of the bigger hills in southern Ontario. I noticed some of Bob's signage from the North Face Endurance Challenge piled neatly at a junction. Then I ran on the shoulder of Grey Rd. #19 thinking that I should be able to find a way up to the top of Pretty River Park even though my map didn't show anything.
The sun was getting low in the sky so this was turning into an adventure, given that I only had an iPhone flashlight. My first attempt to find a trail at a dead-end road was unsuccessful and it felt like I would be trespassing. The next one started off well, then emerged onto an unmapped road that ended in what looked like a snowmobile trail with a big "closed" sign. I took it anyway and found myself walking in cold water up to knee deep. The slope in the direction I wanted to go was almost a cliff so the trail veered sharply north. I followed it uncertainly and finally emerged from the water. It felt a lot like WT course testing - except without a headlamp, compass, extra warmth layer and one of the world's best AR navigators keeping me company.
Without a compass, I watched my altimeter until it seemed that I should be at the right altitude and - voilà! - a Bruce Trail blaze appeared. I hurried through the forest, which seemed dark even though there was still light outside on the rare occasions when I got a view.
People who know me will assume that I ran a little extra to get the session up to 4 hours but actually, that was a coincidence since I didn't look at my time at all. However, I *did* make a quick trip up the side trail to the Bruce Trail highest point again to get my elevation gain up to 4 digits. :)
And then I scrubbed and scrubbed with Tecnu, which I'd brought along just in case. Fingers crossed for the next 96 hours. I now have 3 pairs of shoes and a pair of trekking poles waiting for poison ivy decontamination. I guess I can't put it off much longer.
Fun exploration!