Training Log Archive: Bash

Fun tour of Kolapore with 'Bent. The trails were almost deserted on a holiday weekend.

I was supposed to bike with a friend but sadly, she put her back out so I ran a Metcalfe Rock loop instead. Rather than taking the main Bruce when I got to the Rock, I followed some climbers' trails near the top of the cliff. When they petered out, I bushwhacked back. It was super hot and humid.

'Bent needed to drop off Tarno's kayak at Almageddon's place in Wasaga Beach. We brought the SUPs so we could get out on the water - and in the water, too. Wasaga Beach on a holiday weekend is a busy place but it was great to see so many people having fun outside. We paddled east between the swimmers and the jetskis. Our balance was tested more than it had been on any other SUP paddle. The jetskis and motorboats kicked up big waves and disorganized chop. We didn't fall but we did stop for a while to get into the water and swim. I also did some yoga on the board. I'll just call it all paddling to keep it simple. It was the perfect way to enjoy today's heat instead of resenting it.

'Bent and I took the tourist boat to Flowerpot Island in Fathom Five National Marine Park because hey, we're tourists.

The boat ride was really windy. *Really* windy!



'Bent and I hiked all the trails. It's a gorgeous island. Years ago, its lighthouse was very important to mark the marine channel into Tobermory.





The famous Flower Pots are sea stacks.





Did I mention it was really windy? We saw a kayaker and it just looked insane to have paddled the 6.5 km of open water from Tobermory. Apparently, the tour boat companies occasionally transport kayakers who decide they don't want to risk the trip back.



Elapsed time: 1:45.

'Bent and I headed up the Bruce Peninsula for an overnight trip. We tried to start a Bruce Trail hike where the trail crosses the road near Jackson's Cove. We were driven back by abundant poison ivy - at least, I was. Instead we did a quick Bruce Trail hike/run to Cape Dundas and back to the Scenic Caves parking lot.

We wanted to paddle along the Bruce Peninsula but we didn't want our sea kayaks strapped to our roof in the busy tourist town of Tobermory. So we stopped at the gorgeous cottage of family friends, Martin & Lorie Dixon. Lorie was our tour guide for a kayak paddle to Hope Bay beach while Martin finished up work. There was a stiff breeze so the way home was a lot easier than the way out.



The Niagara Escarpment was a mix of forest and bare cliffs.





It wasn't too crowded at the beach on the 1st day of September.

After responding to a couple of unrelated family situations (everyone is OK), I ran the Metcalfe Rock loop and a little extra.

'Bent and I test-paddled a Swift Keewaydin 17 canoe on the way home from Killarney. This proved to be an expensive decision.