Training Log Archive: Bash

Paddle and portage from Gooseneck Bay to site #19 on Spider Lake with a lunch stop on the way (deducted).

Site #604 on Gooseneck Bay is better than the reviews I'd read. Yes, there are some small pieces of broken glass near the fire pit but there is so much beautiful rock and lots of room for a large group to spread out. The swimming is fine when the water levels are as high as they are now.



Post-portage posing.











Although site #19 is cliffy and steep in places, we managed to keep three small children alive and well for two days there. The views are fantastic.

Relaxed day starting with coffee by the water ('Bent, not me - I was still asleep).



'Bent and I went for a short paddle/portage loop but mostly it was a day for swimming and hanging out.





Timato served cocktails and I sipped wine from a coffee mug.





The day finished with stories on the rocks.

The Massasauga Provincial Park canoe trip, Day 1
(portaging included - time deducted for lunch stop)

This year's crew added Mick, Laura, John and Paul to our past group of 'Bent, Mrs. Tiny, Timato, Aubrey, AdventureDog and me. It was lots of fun to hang out with friends and see backcountry camping through the eyes of three small children.

We started at the Three Legged Lake access point and portaged to Spider Lake, where we stopped for lunch.

At the end of the portage, we couldn’t find ‘Bent’s huge pack, which he’d carried across with the canoe. With no other ideas, I glanced into the boats of another group that was just getting ready to push off from shore. They had the pack! I have no idea how you could be unaware that your canoe had an extra pack of that size that didn’t belong. They were headed a different direction and that would have ended our trip. They had our van keys too. Weird. In 30 years of canoe tripping, I’ve never seen that.











The middle paddler in the Tiny family boat seemed to be slacking off a little.



After rounding a point, I said, "Look, there's a tepee!" 'Bent wailed from the stern seat: "Tepee!" "Yes, it's kinda cool, right?" "No!! I just realized I forgot my TP!"

And that's how we met Tracy from Newmarket at a nearby cottage, who saved 'Bent's weekend. He offered her $20 for a roll but she refused to take a cent and even tried to get him to take a second roll. :)

The clouds were spectacular - although we'd seen the forecast and knew this wasn't good news.



It was a mad dash to get to our campsite #604 on Gooseneck Bay. Tracy said it was expected to be a short but intense storm.



Luckily, there wasn't too much lightning but it rained and the clouds were super ominous. I think there were funnel clouds elsewhere in Ontario.



'Bent and I had set up our tent quickly in a rocky area to have shelter before the storm arrived so we had to move camp when it cleared up. It got nice enough for an evening swim and a civilized dinner with wine in our rocky dining room.

Packing, packing, packing! Timato, Mrs. Tiny and Aubrey arrived tonight.

Trail run around Palgrave West with AdventureDog. It was warmer than I thought so we made our way over to Wheelie Pond so A-Dog could swim by the aerator where the water is clean. Most of the ponds around here are disgusting by August.

It was my first exercise in 11 days; I can't think of the last time that happened. It didn't feel great but I think the humidity was part of the problem. Also, I ate too many delicious snacks last week while staring at screens so there is more of me to lift off the ground.

Driving 12-ish hours and working at an expedition adventure race HQ are definitely not the best ways to get ready for a long ultra! Last week I saw visible effects of too much sitting. Two of us at HQ felt our calves get heavy and tight, and I noticed my ankles swelling a couple of times - yikes. After that, I tried to work standing up sometimes.

There was a controversy to resolve involving two high level teams in the race and I was part of the jury that worked through all the information and implications. That's finally done so now I can get back to the fun of packing, packing, packing!

Still working on Untamed stuff while packing for a canoe trip - yikes!

Home after 11.5 hrs on the road.