Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent's first ski around Castle Glen on a bluebird morning. Spring skiing!



Before and after, we chatted with the Millers and the Fords who were playing in the snow near the trail entrance.

‘Bent and I drove around to the south end of Kolapore to do a loop with fewer treacherous hills than the area near our place. Turns out that was unnecessary, as the temperature had risen to +2C in the sunshine so Thursday’s ice had transformed into mashed potatoes. It was slow going in open fields and in deciduous forest. I had to double pole down most of the hills. The tracks in dense coniferous forests were slick and fast though. I got 8 Strava segment crowns including one overall “win” on a 20-minute segment. ?!? I think this new game is almost over for me now that adventure athletes are skiing at Kolapore though, lol!

Sunset snowshoe with ‘Bent, Darcie and 5 dogs. A mix of packed snow and deep, heavy snow that felt like knee-deep wet concrete.

Second skate ski of the season at Scenic Caves and it felt foreign. Although we have season passes at two ski centres that we bought before the pandemic, we’ve been staying away while we have other options that most people don’t have. Now that Kolapore isn’t in good shape, we met Denise and the Gallys for a skate ski.

I’d warned them that I haven’t been skate skiing this year so I’d send ‘Bent with them and stay back on my own after a short, sociable warm-up. When I say something like that, it’s based on objective facts - not false modesty or a veiled request to be accommodated. I rarely skate ski and much prefer to do it alone but sometimes people feel rude about leaving me if I ask them to ski ahead at their own pace - and then I feel like I’m ruining their ski, no matter how nice they are about it. Today was one of those days so I headed back to switch to classic.

I skied out to the Wild Goose area to meet with with Denise and Mrs. Gally for a few loops. I chose waxable classic skis but the tracks were glazed so I should have used a much warmer wax than I chose. Great double poling and herringbone exercise!

Family snowshoe through deep snow around the property.



‘Bent fell into a tree well and got stuck. The tree wasn’t even as tall as he is! :)



We discovered that on a sunny day in winter when the leaves are off the trees, there is a view of Georgian Bay from parts of our property - if you really squint. That has to be worth an extra 25% when we sell it some day. ;)

Treacherous Kolapore ski before dinner with ‘Bent. Our beautiful powder has a thick crust on top, and the trails are glazed. :( It was pretty in the woods but it was not always fun. I was reminded of the way Arthurd described deep, icy ski tracks in her log years ago: “death canyons”. We’ll stick to novice trails here until the temperature rises and softens the snow.

Twenty years ago today, an impaired driver - a repeat offender - hit Richard's parents on a weekday afternoon. Richard's Mom spent a month in hospital and had a long, difficult recovery. Tragically, we lost his Dad.

Two decades later, we've been reflecting on the huge, continuing impact of one driver's decision to have two beers with lunch, which put him well above the blood alcohol limit.

Dr. Ehrlich only got to enjoy a few weeks of semi-retirement after dedicating many years to patients in his family medical practice. His family lost their loving husband, brother and father. Richard lost his mentor in health care. Many good friends have dearly missed his company. He and my mother-in-law never got to go hiking around the world or spend time together in retirement. He never met his grandchildren or their mother so they only know him through stories. His community lost a caring volunteer. He never got to use his new snowshoes, attend his younger son's wedding or grow old. The list goes on and on as we imagine an alternate universe where that driver chose a non-alcoholic beverage on a snowy day.

There is no neat conclusion to this post. I'd like society to keep moving toward taking impaired driving more seriously. Some people may think we're already there but we're not. If an impaired driver is not involved in a collision (the word "accident" is inaccurate), many people view that offence as less serious or less deserving of jail than other crimes, especially when the criminal is an otherwise respectable person. Many people find it difficult to speak up when a friend shouldn't drive. Some people have trouble limiting their own drinking before they drive. There is still a long way to go but we can make a difference for other families.

I've signed up for the CMTR Spring Scavenger Hunt, which runs from March 1 to April 30. This time, the 20 challenges were invented by participants in the Winter Scavenger Hunt. I know two Attackpointers who won free entries because their challenges were selected out of hundreds. Congrats!

"Our fundraising effort for the Spring Scavenger Hunt will be the same as our Winter event - a 50/50 split between BC Food Banks and our new CMTR Scholarship Fund. Our Scholarship Fund, supported by Salomon, provides under-represented and under-privileged people that want to start running with gear, training and event entries, with the aim of removing barriers to entry."

Rodney Yee - Yoga for Flexibility
Mmmmmmm. :)

I was surprisingly sore today. Spending hours XC skiing on bumpy, hilly backcountry trails uses every part of your body. Good!