Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent, BazingaDog, AdventureDog and I went for a hike to see what this week's high temperatures have done to the deep snow near our place in Kolapore. It was a proprioception exercise because mostly we stayed on top of the snow but there were occasional surprises when one foot would plunge shin-deep or twist sideways as the snow gave way.

The open fields are mostly bare now so crust cruising season will not be happening. On the bright side, maybe we'll be mountain biking sooner than usual.



In the forest, you could still see our ski tracks because they're sitting higher than the rest of the snow!



It's always tough for me to let winter go but this snowmelt happened so quickly that it's been like ripping off a bandaid. I'll happily take advantage of any late season blizzards but in the meantime, I'm officially welcoming spring.

It's incredible how quickly winter turned into an early spring this week. Collingwood and Toronto have a lot of green grass now so we hoped the crowds might stay away from Highlands Nordic. They didn't.



But once we got past the first few kms of the trail system, it was just fine.



There was plenty of snow to ski on - no thin spots and almost no debris. Really nice.



Conditions were good starting right from the chalet and got better as we climbed higher.



The steep hill beside the chalet (not on the regular trail system) was a reminder that every day of skiing is precious in March.



A few sections of trail were clinging to the last bit of winter. (This is Quarry Loop.)



Glad we got out another time! Fingers crossed for a few more good snowfalls before muddy dog season becomes a full time thing.

Hockleycrest ski: It was great to be skiing on such a warm day but it was true spring skiing with all the good and bad that entails. Mostly, it was was nice, soft snow - not sticky or slushy, just slow. But there were also crusty sections, surprise ice patches and some trail sections covered with debris, including forestry around the Buddhist Centre. That said, there is still a good snow base; I only saw one exposed rock and one puddle mid-trail. Conditions are best suited to experienced skiers right now but if they get another good snowfall, it could be really nice again.

The view from the parking lot was scary but it got much better.











I did the Ageless Runder Scavenger Hunt badge where you have to do at least the number of minutes (or kms or miles) of your age. I did the minutes - and then some.

First run-through of the Orienteering Ontario Constitution, which needs to be updated before this year’s AGM, where changes are voted on by members. Now I’m reviewing different options for software for the OOA archives, which currently take up a large amount of physical space at our house and Laura S and Mick’s house. We’re talking with Orienteering Canada about that since we all agree that Ontario’s orienteering history is Canada’s history. The next thing on the list is to nudge the Landowner Relations project forward because that’s becoming a bigger issue, and Covid won’t help.