Training Log Archive: Bash

The forecast was for heavy rain with a break between weather systems. Browner, Storm, 'Bent and I made maximum use of the weather break by combining several of our planned activities: trail running, dog exercise and dog swimming.

Hardy Lake Provincial Park has a beautiful, rolling forest trail that circumnavigates Hardy Lake with some technical footwork to keep it interesting.





Browner and I ran behind Storm and 'Bent, who each had one dog attached to their waist (the untrustworthy one!) and one dog running free, although sometimes they had to grab the leash of the off-leash dog too. The dogs had their preferred sequence on the trail so Browner and I couldn't help with that.









We stopped for several (dog) swims and photo breaks; I deducted some time for that.



What a nice 2-dog family! :)



Here's a 3-second video clip of trail running with 4 dogs.



And another one near the parking lot. The rain had started in earnest by then. We went to Gravenhurst to pick up a latte at my brother's cafe before heading back to the cottage.



Then we met up with Timato and Teeny Tiny to enjoy some cozy post-run relaxation with the wood stove burning while it poured outside.

Timato, Teeny Tiny, Browner, Storm and pooches Scout and Contour arrived last night so the cottage (actually a main cottage plus a smaller cottage) is hopping now! After a relaxed start with coffee, dog park and dog swim, Browner, Storm, 'Bent and I headed to Buckwallow Cycling Centre.

What a great atmosphere! It's a low key, old school mountain biking place. The course builder was hanging around near the parking lot chatting with his friends. A day pass cost $10.

The trails are all rated from 1 to 6 hooves and we got our confidence up after riding an easy trail early on. "There are a lot of rocks here so I think I'll skip the 6-Hoof trails but we should be able to do the 4-5 Hoof trails."

But it turns out Browner and I - especially me!! - put a foot down regularly on the 4-Hoof trails. If we could practise a few times and learn what was on the other side of each big boulder and curve, we would be able to ride a lot of it. But going around for the first time, it was more fun to ride the novice to intermediate trails. Some of the Hoofage ratings were suspect anyway. "No WAY that's only two hoofs!" The trails were well-built and lots of fun; my favourite was "Frankly My Deer".

Time deducted for a nice chat with Mr. & Mrs. Wilberto (Wayne & Eva Leek) and their kids, who were also out for a ride. We told Wilberto about his big scene in "Traversing Wild"!

I didn't get any photos of today's mountain biking so here are four happy dogs swimming and chasing sticks in Muldrew Lake.





And here is Teeny Tiny showing off her climbing skills at the Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Tonight was another celebration, this time in Huntsville. It was the premiere of AW Media's film "Traversing Wild", which tells the story of Wilderness Traverse 2016 and the Warriors' rise to the top of the podium over two years. Joel Perrella did a great job. It was cool to watch a film where I knew almost every person shown.

WT 2016 was unusual because I wasn't able to go on the course test for the first time. I knew the race course in great detail on paper, I'd watched dots obsessively through the night in my role as HQ Manager, and I'd seen photos and video, but this film took me on the journey from start to finish. Such a fun evening and great to see so many AR friends. Bob the Beaver had his own paid seat in the theatre!

Short paddle on Muldrew Lake where we've rented a cottage. I didn't take any photos so I've included the two below, which were taken on Saturday in similar weather. Muldrew is a pretty lake and we had a cottage on a cliff with a long set of steps to the water. Good exercise and beautiful views!

'Bent, the pooches and I arrived in Gravenhurst for an extra long weekend. Tonight was the grand opening celebration for my brother Dave and brother-in-law Tim's new business on the Gravenhurst wharf: the Muskoka Shipyards. It's a 2-storey retail building that currently hosts 19 vendors including the Wheelhouse Cafe serving Starbucks drinks. They've done a great job and the opening party attracted a big crowd. If you're ever in Gravenhurst, stop by!











I got a selfie with Alex Tilley, who lives nearby and has put a small Tilley shop in the building.



Speeches



My very proud Mom with 'Bent.





We visited again on Monday with Storm and Browner when things had calmed down. Dave and Tim looked tired but happy.

Easy ride around Palgrave. I fell off on Nemesis Hill (the rooty, eroded one that took me 9 tries to get up last week) but otherwise it felt totally normal to be on a 29er. It is so grippy on tight, banked, uphill corners. Beautiful evening - the calm before the storm.

My Ambit2 Sapphire died after Storm the Trent. I think the battery has been fading for awhile. I'll get it back to Suunto and see if it can be saved. My last watch couldn't be repaired when it died but I can't complain; I get my money's worth out of these things.

I always watch for poison ivy after May 1 and I haven't noticed any yet. It must be out there though because I have a small patch on my shin. Given the timing, it's probably from hiking here on Monday although it could be from Saturday's race or cleaning my bike on Sunday. (Bike tires are a great way to get PI after the fact.) At least I haven't found any ticks yet this spring!

I'd planned to get out in the woods and enjoy the sunshine before the weather changes but it ended up being a really busy day. So I went out in the yard and got BazingaDog all excited with a short session of lunge jumps and squat jumps.

AdventureDog and I did a 3 km trek so I could start breaking in my new hiking boots. Coach LD is waaaay ahead of me on this.