Hike-a-thon Wrap Up

Alright, so sometime in April I decided to support the Bruce Trail Hike-a-thon with the audacious goal of hiking 150km in May to raise $150 for the Bruce Trail (this would be matched, so in the end $300).   Keep in mind, as of April, the longest hike I'd ever done was about 15km.   I also set a rule that all 150km would be on the Bruce Trail, which meant things like my normal 5k dog walk (flat and easy and can be done in flip flops) doesn't count toward the total.   None of these are "real" rules - in fact, you don't have to commit to any distance at all.  But I figured I should set something theoretically achievable, but hard.

So - to enable it, I signed up for TWO end-to-end Bruce Trail hikes.   Cause, you know, why do just one insane challenge?   (*Background - feel free to skip if you just want hike-a-thon info - The Bruce Trail, which is a little over 900km long not counting side trails, is divided into nine sections, each of which runs an end-to-end of their section each year*)

The Trail Sections - Link to BT Website

So I figure over time it's reasonable for me to do the Niagara and Iroquoia sections on my own.   Caledon end-to-end is unfortunately on Thanksgiving and I'm not giving up Thanksgiving cottage weekend for hiking so a couple friends and I are planning on doing that one end-to-end but just us.   Some day - likely in fall :).  Toronto section (ironically nowhere near Toronto) is in Sept - sign up for it opens tomorrow, and I'm fully planning to do it.   Everything north of that becomes a logisitcal nightmare from home, esp if you're doing it by yourself.   So I signed up for the Dufferin Hi-Land end-to-end and the Blue Mountains end-to-end, both in May??!?  But sure, why not :).  Everything north of Blue Mountains will have to wait till next year because they're much longer hikes and I'm not spending all my vacation time on hiking.

SO - back to the hike-a-thon, 150kms, signed up for two end-to-ends so that'd get me:

- May 10-11: Dufferin Hi-Land: 31 km + 25.33km
- May 24-26: Blue Mountains: 22.18km + 24.23km + 26.20km

Also, Laura and I did 16.77km on May 3 from Crawford Lake to Kelso...

I even finished the Duolingo May Hiking Challenge.
Alas, it did not contribute to my km count!

Where I failed is that I had figured I could snag at least 10k between the first and second big hikes, even if broken up.   But then I hurt myself in the first hike and did zero activity until the second.   Yikes.   So it was with great trepidation that I added the numbers up after Day 3 of Blue Mountains and got to...  145.71.   FML.   BUT - I was feeling okay and still had a few days, so on the 30th, I went to the closest BT side trail near here and did exactly 5km (eg, I was tired and didn't want to be there right that second so I walked out till my tracker showed 2.5km then turned around and walked back ;)).   And that was all it took to meet my goal, more than 24h before the deadline :)

Been-there, done-that, got the badge ;)

So yes, I met the hiking goal, thanks to generous friends and family, I raised $175 (which is being matched by an anonymous donor so your money goes twice as far!) and can now take a break for a week or two.

Next crazy one?   Doing the Laura Secord hike at the end of June.   Then prob just short easy stuff till Sept.   The short stuff is sometimes more fun cause you can take side trails and random deviations without stress.  And let's be honest, the road less taken is generally where I like to be ;)

Not long ago and not far away...

Getting caught up on blog posts here -- this one required a delay mostly for photographic reasons, which you'll understand at the end of the post :)

We made things!

A couple weeks ago Chris and I had a Toronto Day with two very different activities.  The first being to go see the Auschwitz exhibit at the ROM and the second to go learn Glass Blowing.   Very different activities for sure, with the only linking factor being located a few minutes from each other ;)

On the wall in the staircase on the way in.

So the Auschwitz exhibit was extremely well done.   Hard at times to take in, but that's what makes it so important - because not nearly as hard as those who suffered through it.  Even the random teenagers there were remarkably quiet and attentive.  You are given a headset to provide an audio tour which added significantly to the exhibit - it's a lot more than just reading what's on the wall, as well it provides audio for the various video displays throughout.  The exhibit takes you through before, during, and after World War 2, and does a good job of giving the large-scale information (maps, newspaper articles, stats, etc) and the individual stories that bring the horrors to a personal level.  It was haunting.

Next up, after a bit of a walk and a mindset shift, was glass-blowing at Playing with Fire (what a great name eh?).  It was a Date Night class, which meant just the two of us.  Normally you do two items, one from each of two lists.  However, on the second list, there were a few items that if you chose them you'd only make the one.  Of course both C and I chose those ones ;)

We were given a tour of the shop, introduced to the safety rules, and the process explained.   Our instructor would be the one getting the molten glass out of the oven, we would do the colour application, the blowing, and the shaping.

Chris loading his colours

So step one is to put colour on your glass -- we were allowed to pick up to three.  Chris chose red and yellow, where I had purple, blue, and white.   Gravity is no more your friend in this activity than in riding ;). That's molten glass you're dunking in the coloured glass chips -- you have to keep the rod turning at all times or else gravity kicks in and pulls it down - very quickly given a misshapen and dangerously floor-directed blob.

C's colours at the top; mine at the bottom

Next came the blowing - instructions were super complex here.  Either "blow hard" or "blow soft" lol.   Our instructor kept the glass rod rolling while we did this (remember - gravity!); for those not on their first day this is a one-person activity, but for day-one beginners we were given only one task at a time.

What the whole activity was named for,
but arguably imo the most boring part.

Don't stop moving or that blob ends up on the ground

Frequently the glass has to be reheated to keep it flexible

Once the basic width of the base is established, a second rod is attached to it, and the top is tapped off.  There are so very many ways this could go wrong that it was also left to the pro ;).   Video of it on FB.

Ready to be transferred to the other rod

Once it's effectively turned around, you grab some tongs, insert them in the top, and gradually shape the glass to be what you want it to be.   All while keeping it rolling and insanely hot of course ;) 

Closer to done - the trick is to keep the tongs touching the top,
and to move with the glass (which - remember - must keep rolling)

Last step is to melt off the attachment piece to re-flatten the bottom out - this was surprisingly simple and done with a blowtorch ;)

Almost done!

Afterwards though it requires 12h to slowly cool.  Which meant it would be more than a week before C went on a mission to pick up our finished pieces.   A long wait, but worth it!

Chris' finished glass

My finished vase

Both of us really enjoyed it and would do it again!   A little cost prohibitive to do as often as we might like, but was very cool and def something I'd enjoy getting better at.

Dinner in our Toronto day was also an accidentally fun adventure.   We ended up at the Hair of the Dog restaurant in a funky building with random dogs on the rotating photo screen.   Also, surprisingly good food!  

The dog on the bottom of C's glass was an excellent touch!

Blue Mountain Hike - Day 3

Along the trail after the down part of the ski hill, before the up ;)

Today's Stats:

Distance: 26.2 km 
Elevation Gain: 826m 
Weather: 10 deg and sunny
Duration: 5h 24 min
Avg Pace: 12:23

Thoughts from after:  

Stunningly gorgeous - couldn't have been a better day!   This was the easiest of the three days, although the "slip and slide" at the end could be a challenge, it was short, and I had company for that part and was more focused on the conversation than the challenge ;) 

Today started with going down a ski hill - mostly I was just really happy my knee wasn't angry about it.  That was my biggest concern and I was happy there were zero issues.  Otherwise this part was actually slightly disappointing?   Like no great views and literally just walking down a steep green hill.   The UP the other side though.  That was stunning.   Hard at points as it was the only significant vertical climb all weekend, but in the woods, gorgeous trail that twisted and turned.   Really enjoyed that part - and early enough in the day that I wasn't exhausted to handle it ;).  I also had the place entirely to myself by that point, which was earlier than most so that was cool.

After the first break was pretty easy hiking until almost the end.  I found at times I was a little bored - not tired and sore, just not much variation in scenery or terrain and I was ready to be done - more focused on the drive home than the experience.   But that didn't last too long.  The last 5k was the downhill version of the up the mountain early on - although both steeper and shorter.   The only real challenge here is it was muddy and there wasn't much to hang on to.   But just slow really, other than that not nearly as big a deal as it had been made out to be.

I do find it interesting in general how quickly you find your "pack" - even in a solo event.   Over the three days, regardless of what time we started, the same people and I leap-frogged each other regularly.  I'd pass them, they'd pass me, etc.   I ended up doing the last 5k with a woman who was one of those and we just randomly decided to tackle the last section (which had been built up to be this horror story) together.  But of the 100 ish who did this adventure, there were maybe 7 who I saw regularly, and I found the same thing on the trip a couple weeks ago as well.   So even though it's a lot of people at first, it very quickly spreads out so you have hours completely alone and then brief times of passing another human, or being passed ;).   

The end was strangely anti-climatic.  Like we came out of the trees and were just done?  Handed a badge and some food and good to go.   At the last one, we could see the end for ages, and when you got close there were bells and celebrations.   This one was just like "so, how far away are the cars?"

I don't think I've *quite* finished the Hike-a-thon 150km in May target yet - I'll do the math later, but I think I have single digit amounts left.   For one I wasn't even sure I'd get through Day 1 though, I'm pretty pleased at how this went.  Felt actually stronger after each day.   Although sitting in my car for 3h immediately after finishing today was definitely not the best life choice *facepalm*.

Posts from during the day:

7:00: Day 3!!! Today only feeling normal muscle soreness.  Expect I'll finish, but maybe slowly. 

7:11 - For the curious - this is the agenda for the 3 days. Apparently the hardest section today is the last 5k

. Devil’s Glen ski resort near the beginning.

7:31: And we're off! 

8:33: Mondays should always be like this

8:57: Have gone down the mountain and up the mountain and just past the first checkpoint

9:06: Cause I can

. Climbing a stile a little over 10k in

9:26: I somehow don’t think I realized till this year that trillums come in colours other than white

11:53: 20k checkpoint. Tired for sure but not sore. Remaining 5k is apparently the most challenging part - they’re calling it “slip and slide”. Downhill in the mud. So close! Wish me luck!

1:34:  Not the best photo but mission complete!

Blue Mountain E2E - Day 2

 

There were some pretty views today, but there are often pretty views.
Today was really about the rocks.

Today's Stats:

Distance: 24.2km
Elevation Gain:  845m
Weather: Ideal - 8ish degrees, mostly overcast but some sun periods

Thoughts from after 

Today was all about the rocks in the second section.  The first "technical" section I'm very glad I was following someone who knew where they were going, because I don't think it would've occurred to me to take that route ;).   And after the first one when it occurred again later (albeit not *quite* so intense) at least I had a concept of how it'd work and where to consider looking for the next marker.   This section was so incredibly cool, but I have to admit, fairly exhausting.  Esp as w the bugs, stoping to take a break was less than enjoyable.  The last part didn't involve rocks, but they'd taken so much out of me that I was definitely ready to be done at the end and not at all thrilled about the last little hike through the woods after the "final" checkpoint.  Sheesh.   Still, for a day I honestly didn't even expect to start, I'm pretty proud to have finished.   And I actually have legitimate hope for tomorrow now!

Live Posts:

22:10:

Today’s map

May 25, Blue Mountain Bruce Trail, northern section

20:22

Day 2 End to End

15:30: 3rd set of pics:

So I’d been making good time till the rocks, after the rocks I admit I was tired - more muscle tired than pain (win!) but still definitely tired. Was not good about food or water today. Fail.

The last couple kms, all downhill, my knee reminded me it wasn’t happy so those were less fun. Even worse was realizing that after the final checkpoint was still a ~.5km walk to the car? Rude.

But overall fun day, esp since last night I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it, and that middle section w the rocks was incredible. 5/5 stars. Highly recommend. Wear really effective bug spray

15:34 2nd set of pics:

Knee was not an issue today? Like not completely sound but also able to navigate stairs and not really obviously lame when I started. As I warmed up it got better. By the end I was sore again but only in the last couple kms.

Which is important cause the section after the first rest stop was insane. Incredible but insane. Rocks bigger than I am we had to go up or down (I wish I’d taken a pic of the first down!). I had to be v strategic to navigate that without risking extra injury but I managed. At points the only indication of a trail was the blazes - find your way across the rocks to the next blaze.

15:30 1st set of pics:

We started in Blue Mountains and hiked south about 22kms. There was a detour I was really disappointed about around the scenic caves. Detour itself was horse country, so lovely, but I’d been looking forward to that part of the trail!

9:26:

About 10k in. Phone is being temperamental so no live update pics today but it's going really well and stunningly gorgeous.

8:02:

Stunning Start!

7:42:

Let the games begin!

6:26: So... Do I meet the criteria of Sound? No. Am I going anyways? Yes. Are you surprised by this? That might depend whether you actually know me ;)

Follow up - slightly twingy but not bad. Jen volunteered to be my backup plan and come rescue me if that changes. Also didn’t sleep last night so not sure what nuance that might add.

Blue Mountain Hike Day 1

I'm not sure why I loved this so much, but I did.
And there wasn't enough internet to post it at the time, so you get to see it now :)

Today's Stats:

Distance: 22.18km
Elevation Gain: 665m
Weather: Overcast and cool with a tiny bit of drizzle in the early am but never actually raining
Duration: 5'14"

Thoughts from after 

Right so today - first of all, I bought rain gear specifically for this adventure (realizing my last not-so-waterproof gear was cerca Myrddin days - think early 2000s for those for whom that reference means nothing ;). There are human adults younger than that rain gear.  I still can’t wrap my head around that.   Anyways - since I bought new rain gear, I’m to be thanked by all participants for the fact that we did not get rained on ;)

This was my favourite hike yet.  Some of the crevices and rocky footing that I enjoy so much, some easy ups and downs but no crazy hills.  Very little road walking at all.  Some views, some farms, a variety of forest types, some river walk, all the wins :).  And SO green.  Everywhere so green.

Overall it wasn’t a challenge fitness-wise.  Even with some very slow mud-induced splits and a knee that screamed at me 3/4 of the way, I still averaged 14’24” pace.  I like to be below 10 in normal walks although that does require making an effort ;).  Anything below 15 makes me happy in proper hiking.  And below 15 average with some very slow (20ish min) splits, I’m comfortable with.   

Footing was more interesting than the last hike and the hills far less dramatic.   My knee started protesting less than 5k in so I was pretty disheartened at that, but by about 10 it had chilled itself out a bit?!?!   Or maybe just gave up.  Or maybe the vitamin I (aka ibuprofen) kicked in ;).   So for most of it I was noticeably limping but not actually in much pain.  

Exchange of the day with random stranger:

“Oh, you look like you’re limping; are you okay”

“Yeah, just a sore knee”

“But you’re still passing me?!?!?”

😂 oops.

I also liked:

“I can’t believe you’re doing this without poles” - in my head responses varied from “I think poles would actually make this harder” to “could I trade poles for functioning knees?!?!”

This one was, however, the first one I’ve done where I felt hiking boots were truly required.  The last time I’ve been in mud that deep involved a stuck tractor, a round bale, some hungry horses, and my friend Kerri asking if I had time to “help her w something” 😂. The mud also didn’t end….  There are no photos of this cause I zipped my phone into a waterproof pocket just in case.  Every time you thought you were through it, there was another stretch…. I did manage to navigate a few fallen tree bridges which frankly surprised me 😂. But at that point I was so muddy and so tired of slogging through it, I figured if I fell off it wouldn’t make much difference.

I did discover my attempt to waterproof the boots that were already supposed to be waterproof and weren’t, didn’t really work.  They are, however, highly water resistant.  So I was damp not wet.  And it’s not cold enough or long enough that damp was anything beyond a minor annoyance.   The new rain pants are completely mud proof ;). Pants were clean and dry under.   Win.

I was not nearly as tired after today - I did have a nap, but more cause I could than cause I was desperate ;).  

Atm I genuinely don’t know if I’ll be going tomorrow.  Alternating heat and cold on the knees in hopes that’ll help.  If I’m gimpy walking from the car to the bus, I may just sign out and go home :(.    It’s not as though the trail won’t be here later in the summer or even next year.  I suspect I could even convince Jen to let me crash at her place again ;).  BUT - I am really enjoying it and I would v much like to continue.

We shall see….

-----

Live Posts:

19:27: 
Today’s adventure

Bruce Trail, Southern End of Blue Mountains section, May 24

18:44:

Weather forecast was not lovely but actual weather ended up reasonably ideal for hiking. Slightly fewer photos this time because very muddy sections I kept phone in zipped pocket in case I landed in the mud (again - well planned questionable life choices

Storm damage was significant - the amount of work done to clear the trail was impressive.

Really loved this one. Good combo of easy footing and challenging, no killer hills, and a variety of scenic experiences.

13:30 This was a mean tease right at the end! But I made it. Not sure if tomorrow is feasible or not, but I really hope so. Going to ice and see.

12:42 Current state of my boots. And so far have been successful and log walking where it’s an option

12:35 I feel like this used to be a bridge

12:22 Can’t get over how pretty it is. Very muddy (not shocking) but stunning

12:15: Entering the last section for today

12:05: I always love tree tunnels

11:22: Love this! About 15k in

11:19 Daydreaming…

Unrelated - def just added time and distance to my trek by missing a turn

10:38 A - soooo pretty and relaxing

B - where I discovered my waterproofing didn’t work. Booo

10:25 Just after first checkpoint

10:23 At the first rest stop. Loving this one. Knee has stopped yelling at me so continuing. Not sure about tomorrow but loving this one so let’s see how it goes

10:08 As far as road walks go this is the prettiest yet

10:05 Loving the fog

9:21 So Pretty

8:57 About 5k in and pausing cause knee is already getting twitchy. Booo. Otherwise this is definitely my favourite one yet

7:59 Let the Blue Mountain adventure begin

7:28 Bus leaving half an hour late. Hopefully that's the end of the ridiculousness and the hike itself is good.

7:12 For the next 3 days I’m #30

6:55 Today’s adventure begins. Pre trip these guys were way more organized than the last ones. Day of they’re definitely not. Super confused and inefficient. Interesting contrast for sure.

6:47 In a very Canadiana moment, stopped on teh drive to let a beaver cross the road! And occurs to me that might be the first time ever - wish I'd taken a pic. And nobody behind me even honked. (edited days later to add: coming home on day 3 I stopped for a deer as well. While that certainly is more common than beaver, I still haven't seen any in ages. I miss rural life!)

5:58 A cheery weather forecast for today’s hike! Realizing my rain gear was purchased in Myrddin days, I have acquired new gear that might actually be waterproof and also knee braces in hopes that this wknd (3 days this time!) is more successful than last. I have little to no internet so not sure if live updates will be a thing, but I’ll certainly post later if not

It is stunningly gorgeous up here even with the rain so hopefully a fun adventure!