Training Log Archive: Bash

AdventureDog and I went bushwhacking around Palgrave West in ankle deep snow - a mix of neighbours' lands and conservation land. Even in my 23rd winter at this house, I can still find corners of the forest that I don't know.

The deer had been digging up the snow, and there were tracks and pellets everywhere. We haven't had new snow for a while.





The porcupines have been busy too, unfortunately.





The bushwhacking was slow in a lot of places. A lot of trees have come down since the orienteering map was made, partly due to the emerald ash borer. This is one of our trails!



A-Dog and I wandered but we did have a mission. A neighbour stumbled upon the remains of a poached, butchered deer last week in a place that was hard to describe. We didn't find it this time but it was disturbing to know that hunters have been killing animals out of season on land where it's prohibited, and they'd probably never expect that other people travel off-trail through that area. I hope their freezer is full now.

Not surprisingly, a couple of the CMTR Winter Scavenger Hunt challenges are actual scavenger hunts. I thought I'd done all the Christmas-oriented badges in December but when I looked at the Trail Scavenger Hunt list, I realized that I would get 35 points by wearing a Santa hat and Christmas bells. Although I was certain that I would reach the maximum 100 points within the first few minutes, I'm competitive enough that I put on my Christmas wear and slunk nervously out the door.



I'd left a trip plan with 'Bent (8 pts) and carried the Ten Essentials (10 pts) so I was ready for anything. 'Bent rarely worries but when I stayed out longer than expected, he phoned to make sure I was OK. Awww. :)

I brought a "happy dog" along, which got me an easy 10 points. Also, there was snow, which was worth another 10 points. It was soft, mashed potato snow so the trails were slow and I did some bushwhacking too.



From this bench (3 pts), I could see cows (4 pts).



We got 2 pts for each trailhead sign. I know Palgrave Forest so well that I usually rush by them. For the first time today, I noticed that I could text a number to give a $20 donation to the TRCA, which seemed to fit the spirit of the challenge, so I did.



At first, I hoped to avoid people but that didn't work so I flashed an embarrassed smile and told them I was doing a scavenger hunt. And since I was speaking to people anyway, I claimed the 10 pts for saying, "Hello, how are you today?" to an unsuspecting couple.

I wrote my initials in white snow (5 pts) and had every intention of making an attempt at writing my initials in yellow snow (15 pts) in some quiet corner of the woods. I forgot though, which may be all for the best.



I didn't get a photo of Sarah "Crash" Caylor during our catch-up chat but I did claim 3 pts for seeing a mountain biker. As a runner-up in the Tour Divide, Sarah ought to be counted as ten regular mountain bikers!

Luckily, there were still random, decorated Christmas trees in the woods (15 pts).



"Elf" was on the list but even though I found elf houses everywhere, it looked like they'd all returned to the North Pole.



Before they built this huge bridge (3 pts), we used to just step over the creek. In spring, it was a short jump. I used to design bridges and this one always makes me laugh because it's ridiculously over-designed!



There was also a natural bridge (10 pts), which I crossed just for kicks.



There was one item on the list that guaranteed every competitor the maximum 100 points if they wanted it: "Hug a Tree - 3 pts per hug". I didn't need the points since I finished with 238 but as someone whose team name has been "Tree Huggers" for the past 20 years, I'm feeling some regret. The next time I go out, I will definitely give out some hugs.

Time to get back to the CMTR Winter Scavenger Hunt, which has 2 weeks left. I saved some challenges for January so I'd have the extra motivation.

I'd purposely delayed the Food Bank Run, thinking that Caledon's Exchange would be flooded with Christmas donations but might have special needs in January. However, it turns out they aren't accepting food from the public anymore for pandemic reasons, so I made a donation online and went for a run in Palgrave West’s soft snow in the spirit of today's Stay At Home order.



AdventureDog came with me. Poor BazingaDog was quite indignant, especially since A-Dog gets really noisy when he's feeling excited before a walk. We call him Barky McBarkFace.



I haven't been running lately so I'll see how cranky my right heel gets about this. It was a bit sore before I went out, which is its normal state. Early results: it doesn't feel any worse.

CBC Radio interviewed a Peel Regional Police officer about Ontario's new Stay At Home Order, which began today. People were invited to phone in with questions. Apparently, 911 lines have been flooded with inquiries!

Some things the officer said:

- Police won't be stopping people to ask where they're going. If you are stopped for another reason like a RIDE check, they can ask where you're going but you aren't required to answer.
- A caller asked if he could continue meeting 4 friends around a campfire to sing. The officer said he could definitely do that but suggested extra precautions like a mask because singing is higher risk than talking.
- No hockey games with more than 5 people.
- Another caller expressed confusion about the requirement to stay home except for essential trips, given that many kinds of businesses are permitted to sell things curbside. Although the Regulation doesn't say this, the officer said that a trip to a shoe store, for example, would depend on the situation. If you had no shoes, then it's an essential trip. If you already have 3 pairs of shoes at home, it's not essential.

I immediately thought of people like Baloney and myself. How can he say that 3 pairs of running shoes are enough?!?!

Here are the detailed regulations in case anyone hasn’t seen them. Amongst other things, it's legal to travel to a cottage for less than 24 hours or longer than 2 weeks.
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r21011

Before the Stay-At-Home Order starts tomorrow, I needed to do a couple of curbside pickups and drive up to Tree Hugger ABC to deliver special order materials for the contractors, who are allowed to keep working. Because they would rather spread out across different projects to avoid spending as much time together, they're starting some work that was going to happen in February. That meant I needed to do some advance prep like covering and moving furniture, emptying drawers, taking art off walls, etc. I also brought home a bunch of food since we don't know when we'll be going back, given the current situation.



As a treat on a long, boring day, I went out for a snowshoeing/bushwhacking/trespassing tour that started out more hard core than I'd planned. I scrambled over snow-covered felled trees, slipped down and caught my snowshoes between their branches, and did a classic "walk in a circle by mistake" route in a dense wetland. Then I headed over to more pleasant terrain and enjoyed the peace.

2020: The Musical (a month old but somehow I missed it before)
https://fb.watch/2_c-4Cn7mb/