Training Log Archive: Bash

After a chilly breakfast on the deck with Goose and Coach LD, we warmed up by bushwhacking to the Bruce Trail and hiking over to Metcalfe Rock.



AdventureDog and BazingaDog joined us and behaved well - a relief after B-Dog's meltdown yesterday.

It was a perfect Thanksgiving Sunday morning.







Coach LD demonstrated a gymnastics move on top of a cliff.



I gave Goose the old orienteering map, which gave him a project. Yay, maps.



The Doughtys had never seen the University of Toronto Outing Club cabin where 'Bent spent so much time in his twenties so we took a detour to see it.



Thinking about it afterward, we realized that our orange "don't shoot me" apparel made us look official. Several of the cabin's inhabitants came out to say hello, including the current Cabin Officer, which was 'Bent's role in the early 1990s. They were very friendly and thought it was pretty cool that 'Bent had emerged from the depths of history. They excitedly showed us their project to reinforce the structure and insisted that 'Bent join them for one photo.



Then we headed back on the Kolapore Church Trail. Where it got close to the Bruce Trail, we bushwhacked across, then we followed our marked bushwhacking route back to the chalet.

AdventureDog looks so tiny and brave in this photo. :)

'Bent and I went out with flagging tape and pruners to work on our bushwhacking route to the Bruce Trail, which is about 600 m from the back of our property. We checked the feasibility of a western route with less elevation gain but were stymied by a serious stone wall that ran all the way up the hill. We decided that the hill climbing on our original route would be easier on skis, even if we have to take them off to walk a short section. We went back there and spent a while trying out different options for the steepest part of the climb. There is still a short stretch that we might relocate but we were able to start real trail work, which was fun. When we were done, we did some exploring with a compass to try to figure out our property lines on the east and west.

Goose and Coach LD came up to Kolapore for a Thanksgiving visit. We were all looking forward to an autumn paddle on the Beaver River. 'Bent wondered if we could take BazingaDog - something I've always vetoed because he is strong, heavy and can't be trusted off-leash. In a weak moment, I said yes.

As it turned out, that meant I didn't do any paddling because I needed two hands to hold B-Dog in the boat. He eventually escaped, jumping overboard into filthy black muck. It was a struggle to get an 85 lb dog back into the canoe without tipping us into cold water. After that, I was soaking wet and muddy, and B-Dog kept doing his best to throw the boat off balance. AdventureDog, an experienced canoe tripper, was humiliated on behalf of all dogs. 'Bent had to paddle alone so the Doughtys weren't getting to paddle for real.

After less than a kilometre, I ordered 'Bent to turn the boat around before we went for a swim in cold water. We sent the Doughtys on to enjoy the beautiful weather.

You would never suspect any of this by looking at the nice family photo Goose took as we turned around to abandon the outing.

Thanksgiving looked a *lot* different this year. We'd planned 3 nights at Arowhon Pines, the lodge where we got married in Algonquin Park, but with the Covid numbers climbing in Ontario, we cancelled with great disappointment.

Luckily, Coach LD and Goose were free for part of the weekend so we invited them up to test our Pandemic Visitor Protocols. They camped in the garden.



I'd set up a toilet tent and an outdoor handwashing and drinking water station. It worked pretty well except I forgot the toilet paper, and the hand soap froze overnight. But that's why we needed a test!

We sat on the deck and ate a takeout Thanksgiving feast from Men With Knives catering. We kept our distance and didn't get too chilly. So nice to be with friends for the holiday.

After a busy day, 'Bent and I squeezed in a ride on the Kolapore Wilderness Trails before dinner. The autumn leaves were gorgeous - not quite at their peak yet. As we were heading into the forest, our old friend Griff drove by and stopped to say hi. He's lived around the corner from our chalet for years but we hadn't run into him this year. As short rides go, it was pretty epic - lots of climb, good views and many rocks to bounce over. I should bring the knee pads and elbow pads I bought for riding in Sedona. It might give me courage to take a few more risks on the bigger rocks.