We're still in a cold snap, it was -18 this morning. I've been spending the mornings under a quilt in the living room, drinking coffee with Mom & Ray. We watch some news or other TV program or chat.
This morning Ray pulled out a really cool pipe he's had for a long time and gave it to me. It has a long curved stem and definitely looks like something a Hobbit would own. I loved it instantly. There is something compelling to me about pipes and pipe tobacco, the smell, the ritual. It all conjures memories for me that remind me vaguely of my dad, my uncles and my childhood. Ray had given up smoking 30 years ago so the pipe was getting no use from him. I had a half smoked cigarillo left over from when my brother Cyril came to visit. He likes to smoke them and I had one with him. I can never finish a whole one so I had saved what I had. I pulled it a part so I would have some tobacco to try out the pipe. I've never had a penchant for smoking cigarettes but for some reason a pipe feels different, more like an event than a habit. I puffed on it a few times in delight of my gift and at how slightly ridiculous I must look wielding this curved and rather dramatic pipe. Both mom and Ray were laughing, taking pictures and getting a kick out of the whole production. We began to talk about pipe tobacco and I wondered aloud if there was a safer version of something to smoke that wouldn't have pesticides and crap in it. I'm sure the right solution will come my way and I'm kind of intrigued with what I could create myself. I know there will be times in the future when I'll be sitting outside in nature, maybe watching a great sunset, and I'll have a smoke from that pipe and think of Ray.
I got my ass in gear by 3pm and started out on my run. It had warmed up to -7 which is decent running weather. I wanted today to be an easy run as MaryAnn and I are heading out for a big day tomorrow. She is going to be on her skis and I'm going to be running and we're heading back to Ormand Lake. It's going to be a tough day for me I think but it will be good practice for the marathon. It'll be fun to get out there again and to have the company.
Today on the run I called for the crows but only 3 came. Still I was happy with the outcome as I was looking around before I started my experiment to see if there were any crows about. I didn't see any. About 3 minutes after I started my cawing I heard a response from a crow. I couldn't see him at first but his calling was getting louder. I finally saw the crow and two more joined in as they were circling above me.
Eventually they got bored of the noisy human and continued on their way. I started to think about how cool it would be to see a moose. When its not crashing into me of course. They scare me a little bit because of their size, I doubt they would charge me while I'm on the road but there is always the outside chance that they could charge so there is an element of risk to seeing one while I'm running.
I started to scan the forest intently, I was looking through a stand of tall, bare Poplars. The snow was gently falling and the forest was a mix of browns, creams, beiges, whites and muted greens. I was scanning with soft focus hoping to notice something big or dark that didn't match the trees or what ever else would break up the natural patterns.
There.
A large mass that doesn't look quite right.
My heart beats faster as I pull out my binoculars and begin to focus on the area that I saw something different, half assuming that wishful thinking was getting the best of me but hoping it wasn't.
As I stare intently at the area, I'm deciding that I'm probably wrong and that maybe it's a big stump or something else and...
It moved.
There was a cow moose staring back at me from the bush. I felt the flush of success! She was far enough away that I didn't feel threatened but close enough for me to easily see her in my binoculars once I knew what I was looking for. I started talking to the moose not knowing if I should but doing it because it felt like the right thing to do. She heard me and began to lope away in the deep snow. Once she had taken a few nervous steps she stopped and continued to stare in my direction. We watched each other for about a minute.
That felt like enough animal excitement for one day so I continued on my run. I figured that the moose would appreciate it if I stopped staring at her. I really didn't want her to come and take a closer look at me although I would have liked to have seen her shoulder to see if she was missing hair. I thought it wasn't outside of the realm of coincidence if the moose I was observing turned out to be the moose that ran into MaryAnn and I. There are plenty of moose that are out in about in this area but you never know. Nature was giving me all sorts of gifts lately like the eagle sighting the day before.
The rest of my run was uneventful, I didn't want to go too far and the snow was starting to come down heavier. I headed home feeling pretty good that I was able to spot an animal in the woods. Moose are a good start and probably the easiest to spot given their size. Next on my list is to see a fox. I do desperately want to see a wolf but I also don't want to be terrified so I have some competing interests going on there. With a fox though I doubt I'll be too scared. Being out here amongst the critters does have a certain risk factor even if the chance of harm is low. I'm keenly aware that I rank lower on the food chain than some of the animals out here.
I'm getting this feeling that the local animals are starting to get used to my presence and perhaps that's why I'm beginning to see them. Or perhaps my forest eyes are getting shaper too. Either way its cool.
Till next time.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Calling all the Crows
We woke up to -22C. Crickey Sheila! I thought those minus double digits were gone and we had settled in to nice winter-spring temperatures. The cold weather stymied my morning running plans. I can't rouse any enthusiasm nor action when it's that cold. The beauty of it being late February is that the temperatures are steadily warming and by 2pm it was only -6. I was itching to get outside, I'm not so good stuck in the house all day. There is only so much computer time I want and I don't know... I get a little squirrely stuck in the house, the outside is much better!
Today I had decided to go for a shorter run, maybe an hour. Yesterday's long ski day was still felt in my body. I promised myself I could shuffle along if I had to but I definitely needed to get running. Skiing is fun and yes it's excellent cross training but at the end of the day I need running mileage if I have a hope of doing well on this Napa Race. I'm not near close to the mileage I'd like to be running. (slight panic in my writing)
I was opening the door to leave when our neighbour Holly almost knocked me over. It was like she knew I was heading out for a run and wanted to catch me before I left. She looked up at me with her hopeful big brown eyes, lopsided goofy grin and her fast wagging tail. Holly Dog was ready for a walk! Holly used to be Ray's faithful walking companion when he was able to go for his walk around area. Holly Dog is a 10 year old Border Collie and has been mom and Ray's neighbour (along with her owner Phil) for about 5 years. In her prime she was a lean, mean competition herding dog. Now her face is peppered with gray, she's gotten a wee bit fat and suffers from arthritis. But Holly is unaware of these unfortunate circumstances. She was still eager to be my companion. In the old days she would have easily ran 2 or 3 hours with the effortless grace of an animal born to move. Not any more.
I didn't have the heart to turn her away even though I knew she would tire quickly. She would push herself as hard as any athlete, but she'd pay for it for a week with sore, stiff arthritic muscles. So I took her out for a brief run and then turned back for home. I could see that she was starting to run like she was sore and most likely she had already gone out with her owner Phil earlier in the day. Once we got to her drive way she started up the drive knowing where she was going. She stopped to see if I was following her and her ears pricked up when she realized I wasn't continuing. I pointed to her house and said "Go see Phil Holly, go see Phil!" She understood instantly and headed back to the house without too much fuss. I turned around to formally begin my run. I didn't mind going leisurely with Holly, my muscles were heavy and needed to be warmed up slowly.
I decided to travel east and would be travelling past the Ormand Lake ski trail where MaryAnn and I had just travelled yesterday. Mom most definitely did not want me going on the trail alone but today the siren song of the sun glistening through the trees was too much for me and I veered up the trail. I took out my headphones so I could hear. I told myself I would only go a little ways and besides I knew the trail and it was easy terrain and yada yada yada. It was incredibly beautiful and the steady incline was challenging.
A snowmobiler had been up there after MaryAnn and I so the trail was in good running condition. Its similar to running on sand as one's footing slips and slides each time but that's what also makes it interesting and an excellent workout. Plus there are no roots to trip over!
I forced myself to turnaround. Downhill felt like running on air as now the slipping and sliding worked to my advantage. I got back to the road and had that runner's high going on - when the running begins to feel like magic. I decided to pick up the pace and use this run for speed/hill work.
I tired myself out and had to walk and that's when I saw the crow. There he (or she) was flying in lazy circles above me. I like crows, they're real smart and seem to enjoy human company. Ray said that one time he was walking in the bush and he heard what sounded like a human talking. As he continued to listen he eventually figured out that it was a crow following him and mimicking people noises. Crows are incredibly curious as well, it's not too hard to attract their attention. I used to make crow noises as a kid and worked at sounding similar. I was good at Loon calls too. When I was a kid out at Bednesti lake the loons and I would call back and forth over the mirror surface of the lake in the waning evening light. But it had been a long time since I had tried to call a crow but I figured what the hell!
I started to "caw" and "crow" feeling kind of stupid but doing it anyhow. The first crow started to fly lower and soon I saw another crow coming closer, and another, and another. Then I saw the crows in the trees take flight and I began to get goosebumps as I counted about 15 crows flying sanguinely in the air above me, taking their turns to fly individually closer to check out the human making the crow sounds. For some it may have felt like a weird re-enactment of The Birds but for me it felt like communication, I called and they came. I have long been fascinated about communicating with animals. I remember watching Dr Doolittle and having a sense of a truth in it. Perhaps that was the appeal of a shamanic spiritual path, everything talks; the elements, the animals, the celestial heavens. This idea has resonated with me since I can remember. Now I'm curious to see if it can work.
Then it got weird.
As another crow flew above me slowly, I thought to myself:
"This crow sees me"
No sooner had I thought this that another thought entered my awareness and it said
"The eagle sees you as well"
I immediately categorized that as a quirky thought because there obviously was no eagle, only crows.
Yet another response chimed in; "Whoa, wouldn't that be cool if there was an eagle..."
Suddenly something made me turn my head. Sitting slightly above me but in a tree quite close to where I was sat a large Bald Eagle as still as a statue. He had been silently watching the spectacle of the crows and I. I don't know if the crows saw him, I know I sure had no idea he was there. When my head intuitively turned to his direction, he immediately and silently lifted off from his branch. The large branch bowed under his weight as he pushed off gracefully. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I saw and felt the silent force of his strength as he took flight. I had never been that close to one of these beautiful birds, his actual size and power awed me. I surmise that the only reason he stayed there was because he knew I wasn't aware of his presence. It would have been impossible for him to not notice me; I was squawking like a crow!
It's a strange feeling to have a voice in my head informing me of salient details in my environment. I'm not complaining mind you, just stating that it feels odd. I know we're not supposed to have voices in our head or at the very least not tell anybody about them. Joan of Arc found that out the hard way now didn't she? I've heard this voice a few times when my life has been in danger and it has calmly told me what was going to happen next. One time on a mountain climb I jumped over a boulder and it was rather spooky how it happened. I was standing on an ice slope when a boulder from above let loose. It was tumbling towards me and I had my eye on it closely as it will veer randomly in different directions. Eventually I realized it was coming straight in my direction. At some point a calm voice spoke inside of my head like an intercom and said: "We're going to have to jump". It felt like a survival-override program was triggered and it had taken over my body but was giving me the courtesy of informing me of what was going to happen to save my bacon. It was this same voice that mentioned the Eagle. Good to know the voice will speak in non life threatening situations too.
I can't say for sure what exactly is going on in these situations except that I've come to feel that there are probably nested biological operating systems that we humans are governed by. Some of which we are consciously aware of and others that we are not. They hum along doing what they do which is ultimately to keep our bodies safe and sound. It appears that some of these typically unconscious systems can communicate to our cognitive awareness when need be.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggest that meditation, contemplation and time spent in nature can hone our intuition and perhaps it also fosters this increased communication between operating systems. Most mystic traditions say this is so but we have no evidence based data to back it up yet. Although there are enough scientists involved in areas previously considered taboo to legitimately study that we may learn more about animal intelligence, intuition and the body's internal communication systems.
On my way back home I looked out over the lake and saw a dark figure moving across the lake. I had a pretty good idea of who it was. I took a look through my binoculars to confirm that it was indeed MaryAnn making her way smoothly across the lake. I gave a loud yodel down to her but I'm not sure if she saw me, I didn't hear a yodel back. I had told her that I needed to get out for a run today so I was happy to see that she was enjoying the warmer afternoon weather too.
I got home later than I expected as my one hour run had turned into two. I felt like I had received an added gift today to be able to communicate in some fashion with the animal world and see an eagle so close up. Magic was definitely in the air.
Today I had decided to go for a shorter run, maybe an hour. Yesterday's long ski day was still felt in my body. I promised myself I could shuffle along if I had to but I definitely needed to get running. Skiing is fun and yes it's excellent cross training but at the end of the day I need running mileage if I have a hope of doing well on this Napa Race. I'm not near close to the mileage I'd like to be running. (slight panic in my writing)
I was opening the door to leave when our neighbour Holly almost knocked me over. It was like she knew I was heading out for a run and wanted to catch me before I left. She looked up at me with her hopeful big brown eyes, lopsided goofy grin and her fast wagging tail. Holly Dog was ready for a walk! Holly used to be Ray's faithful walking companion when he was able to go for his walk around area. Holly Dog is a 10 year old Border Collie and has been mom and Ray's neighbour (along with her owner Phil) for about 5 years. In her prime she was a lean, mean competition herding dog. Now her face is peppered with gray, she's gotten a wee bit fat and suffers from arthritis. But Holly is unaware of these unfortunate circumstances. She was still eager to be my companion. In the old days she would have easily ran 2 or 3 hours with the effortless grace of an animal born to move. Not any more.
I didn't have the heart to turn her away even though I knew she would tire quickly. She would push herself as hard as any athlete, but she'd pay for it for a week with sore, stiff arthritic muscles. So I took her out for a brief run and then turned back for home. I could see that she was starting to run like she was sore and most likely she had already gone out with her owner Phil earlier in the day. Once we got to her drive way she started up the drive knowing where she was going. She stopped to see if I was following her and her ears pricked up when she realized I wasn't continuing. I pointed to her house and said "Go see Phil Holly, go see Phil!" She understood instantly and headed back to the house without too much fuss. I turned around to formally begin my run. I didn't mind going leisurely with Holly, my muscles were heavy and needed to be warmed up slowly.
I decided to travel east and would be travelling past the Ormand Lake ski trail where MaryAnn and I had just travelled yesterday. Mom most definitely did not want me going on the trail alone but today the siren song of the sun glistening through the trees was too much for me and I veered up the trail. I took out my headphones so I could hear. I told myself I would only go a little ways and besides I knew the trail and it was easy terrain and yada yada yada. It was incredibly beautiful and the steady incline was challenging.
A snowmobiler had been up there after MaryAnn and I so the trail was in good running condition. Its similar to running on sand as one's footing slips and slides each time but that's what also makes it interesting and an excellent workout. Plus there are no roots to trip over!
I forced myself to turnaround. Downhill felt like running on air as now the slipping and sliding worked to my advantage. I got back to the road and had that runner's high going on - when the running begins to feel like magic. I decided to pick up the pace and use this run for speed/hill work.
I tired myself out and had to walk and that's when I saw the crow. There he (or she) was flying in lazy circles above me. I like crows, they're real smart and seem to enjoy human company. Ray said that one time he was walking in the bush and he heard what sounded like a human talking. As he continued to listen he eventually figured out that it was a crow following him and mimicking people noises. Crows are incredibly curious as well, it's not too hard to attract their attention. I used to make crow noises as a kid and worked at sounding similar. I was good at Loon calls too. When I was a kid out at Bednesti lake the loons and I would call back and forth over the mirror surface of the lake in the waning evening light. But it had been a long time since I had tried to call a crow but I figured what the hell!
I started to "caw" and "crow" feeling kind of stupid but doing it anyhow. The first crow started to fly lower and soon I saw another crow coming closer, and another, and another. Then I saw the crows in the trees take flight and I began to get goosebumps as I counted about 15 crows flying sanguinely in the air above me, taking their turns to fly individually closer to check out the human making the crow sounds. For some it may have felt like a weird re-enactment of The Birds but for me it felt like communication, I called and they came. I have long been fascinated about communicating with animals. I remember watching Dr Doolittle and having a sense of a truth in it. Perhaps that was the appeal of a shamanic spiritual path, everything talks; the elements, the animals, the celestial heavens. This idea has resonated with me since I can remember. Now I'm curious to see if it can work.
Then it got weird.
As another crow flew above me slowly, I thought to myself:
"This crow sees me"
No sooner had I thought this that another thought entered my awareness and it said
"The eagle sees you as well"
I immediately categorized that as a quirky thought because there obviously was no eagle, only crows.
Yet another response chimed in; "Whoa, wouldn't that be cool if there was an eagle..."
Suddenly something made me turn my head. Sitting slightly above me but in a tree quite close to where I was sat a large Bald Eagle as still as a statue. He had been silently watching the spectacle of the crows and I. I don't know if the crows saw him, I know I sure had no idea he was there. When my head intuitively turned to his direction, he immediately and silently lifted off from his branch. The large branch bowed under his weight as he pushed off gracefully. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I saw and felt the silent force of his strength as he took flight. I had never been that close to one of these beautiful birds, his actual size and power awed me. I surmise that the only reason he stayed there was because he knew I wasn't aware of his presence. It would have been impossible for him to not notice me; I was squawking like a crow!
It's a strange feeling to have a voice in my head informing me of salient details in my environment. I'm not complaining mind you, just stating that it feels odd. I know we're not supposed to have voices in our head or at the very least not tell anybody about them. Joan of Arc found that out the hard way now didn't she? I've heard this voice a few times when my life has been in danger and it has calmly told me what was going to happen next. One time on a mountain climb I jumped over a boulder and it was rather spooky how it happened. I was standing on an ice slope when a boulder from above let loose. It was tumbling towards me and I had my eye on it closely as it will veer randomly in different directions. Eventually I realized it was coming straight in my direction. At some point a calm voice spoke inside of my head like an intercom and said: "We're going to have to jump". It felt like a survival-override program was triggered and it had taken over my body but was giving me the courtesy of informing me of what was going to happen to save my bacon. It was this same voice that mentioned the Eagle. Good to know the voice will speak in non life threatening situations too.
I can't say for sure what exactly is going on in these situations except that I've come to feel that there are probably nested biological operating systems that we humans are governed by. Some of which we are consciously aware of and others that we are not. They hum along doing what they do which is ultimately to keep our bodies safe and sound. It appears that some of these typically unconscious systems can communicate to our cognitive awareness when need be.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggest that meditation, contemplation and time spent in nature can hone our intuition and perhaps it also fosters this increased communication between operating systems. Most mystic traditions say this is so but we have no evidence based data to back it up yet. Although there are enough scientists involved in areas previously considered taboo to legitimately study that we may learn more about animal intelligence, intuition and the body's internal communication systems.
On my way back home I looked out over the lake and saw a dark figure moving across the lake. I had a pretty good idea of who it was. I took a look through my binoculars to confirm that it was indeed MaryAnn making her way smoothly across the lake. I gave a loud yodel down to her but I'm not sure if she saw me, I didn't hear a yodel back. I had told her that I needed to get out for a run today so I was happy to see that she was enjoying the warmer afternoon weather too.
I got home later than I expected as my one hour run had turned into two. I felt like I had received an added gift today to be able to communicate in some fashion with the animal world and see an eagle so close up. Magic was definitely in the air.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Ski Day! (surprise, surprise)
Today was a big ski day. Mary-Ann and I decided to ski up to Ormand Lake. The Ormand Lake trail is about 13km one direction. The trail has a steady incline which provides a respectable elevation gain. The trail is used in the summer by hikers, ATV'ers and animals. In the winter snowmobilers make trails up to the campsite and animal tracks are found on the trail in abundance.
We appeared to be the first skiers on the trail. This day was the perfect snow for speed. Not necessarily for climbing up hills nor going down those hills - if you still have a penchant for falling on those long skinny skis! Fast snow means slipping easily and picking up speed. However on the flats stretches it was almost effortless to move through the powder snow.
The snow was falling lightly and the weather was about -2.
The day was overcast but not too cold. It was a great change to be skiing in the woods rather than the windy open expanse of the lake. I hadn't been up this way for 2 years and it had been much longer for Mary-Ann. We saw plenty of animal tracks made by smaller creatures like weasels or martins. We crossed a few sets of moose tracks their deep prints indicating a very heavy creature. We never saw any critters though.
We had been skiing up the trail for almost 3hrs hours and we still weren't at the campsite. My motivation was flagging. Our movement was slower than expected given the trickiness of getting up the hills. I had worn my 10Lb weight vest to get an extra workout and preferred to break trail up the trail for the same reason. I was feeling guilty that I hadn't run in 3 days and I knew I should be getting my mileage up. Instead I opted for being the work-horse of the team to at least convince myself that labouring uphill with my vest on would improve my running endurance come race day in March. By this time though I found myself fatigued, the constant slipping backward on the trail and struggling to say upright became annoying and the vest started to get noticeably heavy and annoying too - oh and my fingers were cold. Call me a whambulance!
Mary-Ann was confident that the lake was just around the corner and I really, really wanted to believe her. Normally I can keep an upbeat attitude but eventually I looked up at yet another undulating hill and decided that I had lost all my interest in struggling in the name of a workout and I had enjoyed nature enough for the day. Mary-Ann was game to keep going despite that fact that she was getting cold and couldn't stop too much. Once I said I wanted to turn around she was fine with that too. Both of us were happy to get out and have fun. And fun was to be had getting back home.
It was astounding how fast we could pick up speed, even with snow-plowing. When I started to go too fast I would head for the deeper snow in the hopes that I wouldn't fall over. I'd say I was 50% successful on the not falling part. But when I did fall it was rather interesting to get back up. Twice I simply unclicked from my bindings rather than become a contortionist to get myself back upright.
Getting home took a quarter of the time. I heaved a sigh of relief when I finally took off my weight vest whew! Mom and Ray were watching the Brier Cup. I've never been a watcher of curling but I'm kind of getting into it especially as I'm sipping a Rye & Pepsi. I was never a Rye drinker either but once I added some lime to it I found the drink quite tasty indeed.
The night is winding down and I'm fairly sure I'll be calling a night early... soon... probably just after I finish writing this.
I'll close with one of Ray's sayings that I get a kick out of: "He has one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel..."
Have a good weekend!
We appeared to be the first skiers on the trail. This day was the perfect snow for speed. Not necessarily for climbing up hills nor going down those hills - if you still have a penchant for falling on those long skinny skis! Fast snow means slipping easily and picking up speed. However on the flats stretches it was almost effortless to move through the powder snow.
The snow was falling lightly and the weather was about -2.
The day was overcast but not too cold. It was a great change to be skiing in the woods rather than the windy open expanse of the lake. I hadn't been up this way for 2 years and it had been much longer for Mary-Ann. We saw plenty of animal tracks made by smaller creatures like weasels or martins. We crossed a few sets of moose tracks their deep prints indicating a very heavy creature. We never saw any critters though.
We had been skiing up the trail for almost 3hrs hours and we still weren't at the campsite. My motivation was flagging. Our movement was slower than expected given the trickiness of getting up the hills. I had worn my 10Lb weight vest to get an extra workout and preferred to break trail up the trail for the same reason. I was feeling guilty that I hadn't run in 3 days and I knew I should be getting my mileage up. Instead I opted for being the work-horse of the team to at least convince myself that labouring uphill with my vest on would improve my running endurance come race day in March. By this time though I found myself fatigued, the constant slipping backward on the trail and struggling to say upright became annoying and the vest started to get noticeably heavy and annoying too - oh and my fingers were cold. Call me a whambulance!
Mary-Ann was confident that the lake was just around the corner and I really, really wanted to believe her. Normally I can keep an upbeat attitude but eventually I looked up at yet another undulating hill and decided that I had lost all my interest in struggling in the name of a workout and I had enjoyed nature enough for the day. Mary-Ann was game to keep going despite that fact that she was getting cold and couldn't stop too much. Once I said I wanted to turn around she was fine with that too. Both of us were happy to get out and have fun. And fun was to be had getting back home.
It was astounding how fast we could pick up speed, even with snow-plowing. When I started to go too fast I would head for the deeper snow in the hopes that I wouldn't fall over. I'd say I was 50% successful on the not falling part. But when I did fall it was rather interesting to get back up. Twice I simply unclicked from my bindings rather than become a contortionist to get myself back upright.
Getting home took a quarter of the time. I heaved a sigh of relief when I finally took off my weight vest whew! Mom and Ray were watching the Brier Cup. I've never been a watcher of curling but I'm kind of getting into it especially as I'm sipping a Rye & Pepsi. I was never a Rye drinker either but once I added some lime to it I found the drink quite tasty indeed.
The night is winding down and I'm fairly sure I'll be calling a night early... soon... probably just after I finish writing this.
I'll close with one of Ray's sayings that I get a kick out of: "He has one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel..."
Have a good weekend!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Training Regime: Fun First!
I know that not all of you reading this blog will care too much about training for this that or the other thing but I like to geek out on this topic sometimes and tonight feels like a perfect time; with the help of a couple of Ray's special double rye & cokes and now finishing it up with a beer or three. The nights are quiet here, I just hope I don't turn into a drunk by the time I leave. ;-)
I'm training for a trail marathon in Napa on March 24. Marathons are hard - full stop. Trail marathons are harder. Exactly how much harder I'm not entirely sure. If the 5 Peaks Half Marathon race in Canmore is any indication of effort then adding an additional 21Km will be nasty hard. At least that's what I keep telling myself for motivation as I train for this marathon.
I can't do exactly the type of training I would have preferred which is hill running up the long 13km Ormand Lake trail which I've hiked and ran in the summer. The snag on this plan is that I'm alone and mom doesn't want me in the bush by myself. Cougars are out there. I can't really be sure how real the threat is from cougars, it depends on who you talk to about it. Ray doesn't think cougars are a problem, it's a mild winter and there are plenty of deer. But if mom doesn't like it I don't see why I should do something that makes her nervous. Twisting an ankle out there by myself or something else happening would have consequences, I don't believe they would be life threatening but would give my folks stress and that's not why I came out here.
Instead I get my work out in other ways. Primarily I run on the roads out here and have been steadily increasing my speed and mileage. Right now I'm running about 19km in about 2hr15. I'm slightly off my race pace at the Canmore Half, which I'm pleased with given that these roads have some significant inclines. Running on snow and ice also add some difficulty for sure.
I think the magic bullet (if there is one) in my training will be that I can cross train easily. My brother Cyril and sister-in-lay Brenda were out for the weekend. We got out on snowshoes the day they arrived. I pulled a sled of wood for added resistance so I could get a good work out in as well as be sociable. The next day we cross country skied and that was plenty of fun too. It was a shame the snow was sticky and collecting under our skis even with wax. During our tour we encountered a kid and his grandpa out by their ice fishing hole. The kid pulled out a 3Lb trout. This is a note-worthy endeavour regardless of one's age. We oo-ed and awe-ed over his fish as fisher-people are want to do. You could see him beam with pride only to be matched by his grandpa's grin. I couldn't help but think of how lucky they both were to have such a deep bond. Ice fishing with your grandpa? That sounds darn special to me.
Getting back to running: I had had a fantastic run yesterday. I figured today would make a good cross training/rest day. Perfect to get out for a longer ski. I headed out for the lake only to find that the temperature was rapidly warming and the snow was wet which made the snow conditions on the lake not good, crappy in fact, annoyingly un-ski-able for my skis. I scolded myself for not getting out earlier, I dawdled and now the snow was bad.
After thrashing around for about a half hour I decided I needed to go to Plan B. I figured that the roads would be good for skiing as it would be soft smooth ice rather than the snowball snow found on the lake that clung tenaciously to the bottoms of my skis.
I would be skiing past Mary-Ann's place so figured I'd swing by in case she wanted to come out with me. She was outside lickety-split! I had a plan (I almost always have some sort of a plan) Mary-Ann has so far been enthusiastic and game for all my plans. Although she falls and hurts something, then I fall and hurt something and we usually end up talking about how we're lucky we didn't get more hurt. Flash back to BIG moose hitting us. (cringe!) But that hasn't dampened her enthusiasm for agreeing to my next plan. I like that Mary-Ann, she ain't no complainer. :-)
With the snow being in such crap and slow condition I figured this would be the best day to practice going downhill and hopefully not falling... so much. Along Clearview road snowmobilers have tracked and criss-crossed the sides of the road. I'm trying not to develop a negative attitude about snowmobilers even though I find their machines noisy and brutish. I use their tracks on the lake on occasion, but more often than not what I'm doing is crossing their tracks, slowing down and navigating slowly through the dredged up snow and crap that spews from their tracks. I didn't say I was successful about my negative attitude concerning snowmobilers. I'm the first to admit that most likely if I ever got into trouble I'd probably be saved by a snowmobiler before anyone else so I'd like to avoid looking a potential gift horse in the mouth too much. Still...what a lazy-ass sport. :-)
Snowmobiler-bashing aside, we headed along tracks to an area along the road that has always attracted my attention. I see it as a snow ski park with ups and downs and a cool sort-of round-about area that the sleds use to spin about it in. Normally it's a wee bit treacherous for the neophyte cross-country skier such as myself but today it was made gentler by the evening's snowfall and safer by the slower sticky snow.
Part of my Plan B included SHREDDING it up in the ski park which I named "Crash Park" in homage to our near fatal Moose incident which was only about 30 metres down the road. The full name of the area according the namer (that would be me) is "The Moose Crash Park". But "The Crash Park" has a pithy ring to it. Shredding amounts to Mary-Ann and I awkwardly pointing our skis downhill and hopefully not falling down in the process. Then we'd ski and herringbone back up to try it again and try different runs. It was fun.
Once we tired of those games we transitioned into Lise's Plan C which meant skiing along the road to my next point of interest; Oona Rd. I run by Oona Rd, sometimes I park my car by Oona Rd. I like Oona Rd. The name strikes my fancy. No idea why, it just has a ring to it. There is another characteristic to Oona RD that I noticed on numerous occasions; It has a steeper-ish downhill which continues into a gentle decline for quite a ways. Once I owned my skis, I would run by and wonder what it would be like to ski down the road. Pretty fun I reckoned.
We skied along the bank of Stella route enroute to Oona Rd. It was rather easy travelling since much of the road is in the shade so the snow bank on the side wasn't as warm as the snow on the lake. The travelling was good with nice snow. We were off-road cross country skiing. It reminded me a little bit of travelling along a mountain path having to avoid boulders. Now we were getting good glide but still having to avoid snow chunks left behind by the grader.
The fun thing I'm finding with cross country skis is their length, and the complications derived from that. The hill that would bring a yawn to a downhill or backcountry skier can be quite terrifying to the unschooled cross country skier.
One snag we encounter is when Mary-Ann tells me that there's a dog on this road that likes to bite. A big dog that likes to bite. We ski along and sure enough I see a big Ole' Rotwieler sitting in the yard. Dogs freak me out a wee bit. I love dogs, but not big, running, biting dogs - not really. We decide to keep skiing along the main road to hook up to the other entrance of Oona road.
Eventually we found ourselves standing at the top of the road and I realize that what I'm really looking at is a wide luge track. Mary-Ann is wisely positioning herself close to the side of the road where the soft snow is in case she has to bail. I point my skis downward and quite quickly start to snow-plow as it is ridiculously easy to pick up speed.
Crazy fun my friends. I named it the "Oona Ski Hill" We and some thrills, chills and crashes. Good value!
This is a rather long winded account to bring me back to my initial topic about training. Today was technically a rest day but overall I think I worked quite hard, using different muscles than when I run so in that regard it was a rest day.
I ended up being out there for 4 hours and I'm definitely tired but not horrifically so. Earlier this week I had what I call "Threshold Days" A threshold day by my definition is the point in my training when I hit my endurance limit. When that happens I feel heavy and tired. I know its a threshold day so I have to slow down but I keep moving. I want to take a rest day but I know this is when I need to push myself. I will usually have two threshold days in a row. They aren't fun but the body needs to establish a new-normal. After 2 threshold days I'll do an easy day. Snowshoeing and pulling a sled with wood was a workout but short in duration - about an hour, so essentially a rest day as I didn't run.
The next day I started out on my run and I knew that I was going to have what I call a "Break Through Day" I have energy and I feel good and the running doesn't feel hard. I've read about entering the "flow" or "zone". I think that's my break through day. The running was sublime and I increased my time by 15min.
I think the differences between the running, skiing and snowshoeing provide an excellent training program. Now I do need to concentrate on running distance which will take some effort.
I've also incorporated my 10Lb weight vest into my skiing. I'm surprised that trainers haven't incorporate weight vests into their workouts for their clients. It is a very effective training device to gain endurance and cardio capacity. If someone is looking for an edge to their training then strap on a 10Lb vest. Or start with 5Lbs and work up to 10Lbs. Whatever works. My point is that I've noticed a big difference in fitness requirement to lift weight in a gym as opposed to carrying weight outdoors. Seriously; who cares about how much you can lift or how many reps? It seems far more practical to be able to CARRY weight over a distance. This involves more strength and cardio and translates very well to other sports such as running, mountain climbing, skiing and mountain biking.
I'm also a big advocate of liquid nutrition. Specifically the Vega Sport products. They really are the cat's ass in terms of cutting edge research. And all the products are vegan. I developed an allergy to Whey after a couple years of drinking protein shakes and needed an alternative. The Vega products aren't cheap however so in that sense they're a luxury. They aren't necessary if one is committed to their nutrition but I find that all the guess work is solved for me regarding what will maximize my workouts and recovery. In other words, I find it definitely worth the money if one can afford the products.
In the morning I have the Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer. I chugg it with water. It's what I do, I don't expect it to taste good - that's not the point. I do it because I know it makes me feel strong. On a workout day I take the Vega Products in the following manner: Pre-Workout Energizer before exercise / add the Performance Protein to the water I take with me / and finish with Recover Accelerator when I'm done.
I used to drink RedBull or the generic brand RedRain but I've grown increasingly uncomfortable with the reports about these drinks. I've decided to try healthier alternatives.
I'm technically working out every day but it feels like fun. I still have to up my mileage rather aggressively in the next 3 weeks to ensure that my body has run over 3hrs at least once before my race. I'llI have to trust that my cross training is developing a strong endurance base for my run. I won't know for sure if my training plan is correct until I test it on my race day. My thinking is that I will become stronger later in the race - at least that's what I hope.
It's a fun race but I want to give it my best shot to see what I'm capable of and enjoy myself at the same time. Here's hoping!
I'm training for a trail marathon in Napa on March 24. Marathons are hard - full stop. Trail marathons are harder. Exactly how much harder I'm not entirely sure. If the 5 Peaks Half Marathon race in Canmore is any indication of effort then adding an additional 21Km will be nasty hard. At least that's what I keep telling myself for motivation as I train for this marathon.
I can't do exactly the type of training I would have preferred which is hill running up the long 13km Ormand Lake trail which I've hiked and ran in the summer. The snag on this plan is that I'm alone and mom doesn't want me in the bush by myself. Cougars are out there. I can't really be sure how real the threat is from cougars, it depends on who you talk to about it. Ray doesn't think cougars are a problem, it's a mild winter and there are plenty of deer. But if mom doesn't like it I don't see why I should do something that makes her nervous. Twisting an ankle out there by myself or something else happening would have consequences, I don't believe they would be life threatening but would give my folks stress and that's not why I came out here.
Instead I get my work out in other ways. Primarily I run on the roads out here and have been steadily increasing my speed and mileage. Right now I'm running about 19km in about 2hr15. I'm slightly off my race pace at the Canmore Half, which I'm pleased with given that these roads have some significant inclines. Running on snow and ice also add some difficulty for sure.
I think the magic bullet (if there is one) in my training will be that I can cross train easily. My brother Cyril and sister-in-lay Brenda were out for the weekend. We got out on snowshoes the day they arrived. I pulled a sled of wood for added resistance so I could get a good work out in as well as be sociable. The next day we cross country skied and that was plenty of fun too. It was a shame the snow was sticky and collecting under our skis even with wax. During our tour we encountered a kid and his grandpa out by their ice fishing hole. The kid pulled out a 3Lb trout. This is a note-worthy endeavour regardless of one's age. We oo-ed and awe-ed over his fish as fisher-people are want to do. You could see him beam with pride only to be matched by his grandpa's grin. I couldn't help but think of how lucky they both were to have such a deep bond. Ice fishing with your grandpa? That sounds darn special to me.
Getting back to running: I had had a fantastic run yesterday. I figured today would make a good cross training/rest day. Perfect to get out for a longer ski. I headed out for the lake only to find that the temperature was rapidly warming and the snow was wet which made the snow conditions on the lake not good, crappy in fact, annoyingly un-ski-able for my skis. I scolded myself for not getting out earlier, I dawdled and now the snow was bad.
After thrashing around for about a half hour I decided I needed to go to Plan B. I figured that the roads would be good for skiing as it would be soft smooth ice rather than the snowball snow found on the lake that clung tenaciously to the bottoms of my skis.
I would be skiing past Mary-Ann's place so figured I'd swing by in case she wanted to come out with me. She was outside lickety-split! I had a plan (I almost always have some sort of a plan) Mary-Ann has so far been enthusiastic and game for all my plans. Although she falls and hurts something, then I fall and hurt something and we usually end up talking about how we're lucky we didn't get more hurt. Flash back to BIG moose hitting us. (cringe!) But that hasn't dampened her enthusiasm for agreeing to my next plan. I like that Mary-Ann, she ain't no complainer. :-)
With the snow being in such crap and slow condition I figured this would be the best day to practice going downhill and hopefully not falling... so much. Along Clearview road snowmobilers have tracked and criss-crossed the sides of the road. I'm trying not to develop a negative attitude about snowmobilers even though I find their machines noisy and brutish. I use their tracks on the lake on occasion, but more often than not what I'm doing is crossing their tracks, slowing down and navigating slowly through the dredged up snow and crap that spews from their tracks. I didn't say I was successful about my negative attitude concerning snowmobilers. I'm the first to admit that most likely if I ever got into trouble I'd probably be saved by a snowmobiler before anyone else so I'd like to avoid looking a potential gift horse in the mouth too much. Still...what a lazy-ass sport. :-)
Snowmobiler-bashing aside, we headed along tracks to an area along the road that has always attracted my attention. I see it as a snow ski park with ups and downs and a cool sort-of round-about area that the sleds use to spin about it in. Normally it's a wee bit treacherous for the neophyte cross-country skier such as myself but today it was made gentler by the evening's snowfall and safer by the slower sticky snow.
Part of my Plan B included SHREDDING it up in the ski park which I named "Crash Park" in homage to our near fatal Moose incident which was only about 30 metres down the road. The full name of the area according the namer (that would be me) is "The Moose Crash Park". But "The Crash Park" has a pithy ring to it. Shredding amounts to Mary-Ann and I awkwardly pointing our skis downhill and hopefully not falling down in the process. Then we'd ski and herringbone back up to try it again and try different runs. It was fun.
Once we tired of those games we transitioned into Lise's Plan C which meant skiing along the road to my next point of interest; Oona Rd. I run by Oona Rd, sometimes I park my car by Oona Rd. I like Oona Rd. The name strikes my fancy. No idea why, it just has a ring to it. There is another characteristic to Oona RD that I noticed on numerous occasions; It has a steeper-ish downhill which continues into a gentle decline for quite a ways. Once I owned my skis, I would run by and wonder what it would be like to ski down the road. Pretty fun I reckoned.
We skied along the bank of Stella route enroute to Oona Rd. It was rather easy travelling since much of the road is in the shade so the snow bank on the side wasn't as warm as the snow on the lake. The travelling was good with nice snow. We were off-road cross country skiing. It reminded me a little bit of travelling along a mountain path having to avoid boulders. Now we were getting good glide but still having to avoid snow chunks left behind by the grader.
The fun thing I'm finding with cross country skis is their length, and the complications derived from that. The hill that would bring a yawn to a downhill or backcountry skier can be quite terrifying to the unschooled cross country skier.
One snag we encounter is when Mary-Ann tells me that there's a dog on this road that likes to bite. A big dog that likes to bite. We ski along and sure enough I see a big Ole' Rotwieler sitting in the yard. Dogs freak me out a wee bit. I love dogs, but not big, running, biting dogs - not really. We decide to keep skiing along the main road to hook up to the other entrance of Oona road.
Eventually we found ourselves standing at the top of the road and I realize that what I'm really looking at is a wide luge track. Mary-Ann is wisely positioning herself close to the side of the road where the soft snow is in case she has to bail. I point my skis downward and quite quickly start to snow-plow as it is ridiculously easy to pick up speed.
Crazy fun my friends. I named it the "Oona Ski Hill" We and some thrills, chills and crashes. Good value!
This is a rather long winded account to bring me back to my initial topic about training. Today was technically a rest day but overall I think I worked quite hard, using different muscles than when I run so in that regard it was a rest day.
I ended up being out there for 4 hours and I'm definitely tired but not horrifically so. Earlier this week I had what I call "Threshold Days" A threshold day by my definition is the point in my training when I hit my endurance limit. When that happens I feel heavy and tired. I know its a threshold day so I have to slow down but I keep moving. I want to take a rest day but I know this is when I need to push myself. I will usually have two threshold days in a row. They aren't fun but the body needs to establish a new-normal. After 2 threshold days I'll do an easy day. Snowshoeing and pulling a sled with wood was a workout but short in duration - about an hour, so essentially a rest day as I didn't run.
The next day I started out on my run and I knew that I was going to have what I call a "Break Through Day" I have energy and I feel good and the running doesn't feel hard. I've read about entering the "flow" or "zone". I think that's my break through day. The running was sublime and I increased my time by 15min.
I think the differences between the running, skiing and snowshoeing provide an excellent training program. Now I do need to concentrate on running distance which will take some effort.
I've also incorporated my 10Lb weight vest into my skiing. I'm surprised that trainers haven't incorporate weight vests into their workouts for their clients. It is a very effective training device to gain endurance and cardio capacity. If someone is looking for an edge to their training then strap on a 10Lb vest. Or start with 5Lbs and work up to 10Lbs. Whatever works. My point is that I've noticed a big difference in fitness requirement to lift weight in a gym as opposed to carrying weight outdoors. Seriously; who cares about how much you can lift or how many reps? It seems far more practical to be able to CARRY weight over a distance. This involves more strength and cardio and translates very well to other sports such as running, mountain climbing, skiing and mountain biking.
I'm also a big advocate of liquid nutrition. Specifically the Vega Sport products. They really are the cat's ass in terms of cutting edge research. And all the products are vegan. I developed an allergy to Whey after a couple years of drinking protein shakes and needed an alternative. The Vega products aren't cheap however so in that sense they're a luxury. They aren't necessary if one is committed to their nutrition but I find that all the guess work is solved for me regarding what will maximize my workouts and recovery. In other words, I find it definitely worth the money if one can afford the products.
In the morning I have the Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer. I chugg it with water. It's what I do, I don't expect it to taste good - that's not the point. I do it because I know it makes me feel strong. On a workout day I take the Vega Products in the following manner: Pre-Workout Energizer before exercise / add the Performance Protein to the water I take with me / and finish with Recover Accelerator when I'm done.
I used to drink RedBull or the generic brand RedRain but I've grown increasingly uncomfortable with the reports about these drinks. I've decided to try healthier alternatives.
I'm technically working out every day but it feels like fun. I still have to up my mileage rather aggressively in the next 3 weeks to ensure that my body has run over 3hrs at least once before my race. I'llI have to trust that my cross training is developing a strong endurance base for my run. I won't know for sure if my training plan is correct until I test it on my race day. My thinking is that I will become stronger later in the race - at least that's what I hope.
It's a fun race but I want to give it my best shot to see what I'm capable of and enjoy myself at the same time. Here's hoping!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Leopard, a Lion, Skis and a Moose!
Sometimes I dislike computers and all the extraneous headaches associated with them such as the internet, internet connections, software upgrades, bugs, fixes for the updates, more updates, reboots, problems with the reboots.... need I go on?
The problem as I see it is that once you're committed to something like a computer and the internet (and who isn't) then you're committed to the upgrades, important upgrades like Operating Systems. Apple has a penchant for wildlife; Safari, Snow Leopard, Lion which must be why they change operating systems so much - and maybe money has something to do with it.... Regardless, I now realize that its better to keep track of what is happening at the Apple zoo or suffer the consequences. Which is what I'm doing at this point. I haven't had internet access for a week because I was too lazy to keep up with the operating systems. Finally when I decided I WOULD upgrade to the newest and greatest I found that my system was now hopelessly antiquated. I had to load the OS (operating system) Snow Leopard first, but it's no longer available online. Which means trying to find a store that still has Snow Leopard software for sale. (almost none do) Apple will still ship the CD to your address provided it is not a POST OFFICE address. What could they possibly have against post office addresses?? The problem is that I currently only have a Post Office box in Fraser Lake.
However the computer angels gave me a break and lo and behold but I find my software in Smithers! Jump for joy!
I get home and load my new operating system and everything works well. Except... yes there is always an exception... my iphone now won't tether to my computer. My iphone is how I get my internet access. It's always worked lickety-split but not anymore. I can still access the internet form my iphone itself but it's a pain in the ass to write emails, blogs etc. Eventually after perusing forums on Snow Leopard and the iphone I find that, why yes, there is a problem with Snow Leopard and tethering along with plenty of convoluted solutions to try and fix it.
What to do, what to do. My thinking is to continue upgrading to the Lion OS in the hopes that the particular bug will be fixed. But I need internet access to download the software because they don't sell any CD's for the Lion upgrade. Kill me NOW!
No wait... I didn't mean that... not literally.... Maybe I shouldn't have been bitching about mother nature's creatures such as the snow leopard or the lion.... Enter the avenging Moose.
As I'm currently waiting for my software to keep downloading (courtesy of the free wireless internet from the coffee shop in Vanderhoof) I can tell the story:
Hitting a moose is not something I would recommend. It's scary, traumatic (for human and moose) and rarely turns out well for the humans involved or their vehicles for that matter.
My friend Mary-Ann and I were heading home from a great day in Smithers. I took Mary-Ann to the same shop where I had bought my rad new skis. :-) She has racing cross-country skis that must be waxed and it appears that one must be a psychic/weather/snow/wax sage to know how the weather is going to change during the day, how the snow will be impacted by the weather change and which wax is needed for each situation. The skis I purchased are wax-less with a fish-scale pattern underneath. The tips and ends need to be waxed like downhill skis a couple times a year depending on how much one skis. They aren't near as fast as her skinny skis but they make up for it in all-around versatility. The wider ski and the fish-scale pattern makes it easier to go up inclinesr before having to herringbone up and with the metal edges they have more stability on uneven terrain. At least that's how its appeared to both Mary-Ann and I after we've been skiing together enough to notice the differences. We both knew that she couldn't follow me off-road at all with her current skis. Hence why she was interested in buying a pair like mine.
We were heading home from our successful shopping day (meaning Mary-Ann got the skis) ;-) and had turned down Clearview Rd which means we were now about 3 minutes from both of our houses. It was late afternoon so we still had daylight.
We had no cause for concern until a large black moving object on the left hand side of the road caught our attention. It was emerging from the ditch that runs parallel along the road. Suddenly, and I mean suddenly; there was a LARGE cow moose barrelling towards our vehicle. I think we both said in unison "It's a MOOSE!!" Mary-Ann reacted immediately turning hard on the wheel of her suburban so we wouldn't hit the moose head on. Instead by the time the moose hit us we were almost running parallel to her and going at approximately the same speed.
We both knew she was going to hit us. It was inevitable. Now we had to wait and see how bad this was going to be. If she slid over the hood of the vehicle it was going to be very probable she would slide into the windshield and kill us both. Or if she bounced and hit the roof then most likely we'd die as well. Truly the option of living when one hits a moose isn't so great - so the insurance adjuster informed Mary-Ann when she called him later in the evening to report the accident.
We had a few things going for us, the biggest one being that we were in a large suburban. A smaller vehicle often hits a moose in the legs and once being knocked off its feet can land on the car, crushing it. We had a fighting chance of surviving in a big vehicle at the very least. The other thing going for us was Mary-Ann's driving and her quick reflexes to drive the way she did.
The moose slammed into us like she was giving us a football tackle. We both expected her head to come through the windshield but it didn't. The force of her hitting us pushed the large suburban into the ditch. I have never seen a moose up close before. They are beautiful magnificent animals but I have no need to experience how strong they are ever again!
Her large mass ripped off the rearview mirror pulling out a big hunk of fur from her shoulder. The impact dented the left side of the suburban in 3 places and dislodged the bumper.
We watched her run into the bush on the other side of the road. I could see where she was missing fur but I didn't see any blood. For anyone who has been in some sort of accident you can attest to the fact that things seem to happen in slow motion. Details can be noted in an uncanny way as time slows down to an eternity.
As she loped off into the bush Mary-Ann and I were sitting in the truck stunned at what just happened and started the "Are you ok? Are you hurt? - I'm fine, are you ok? OMG we just hit a moose!" We decided to walk home and Mary-Ann's husband would be able to winch out the truck with his other vehicle.
I couldn't stop thinking about the moose though. Was SHE ok? Was she somewhere injured? I decided I needed to find out as best as I could. The next morning Mary-Ann came over excited to try out her new skis. I told her my plan of following the moose's tracks and she thought that was a great idea. It would be a good way for her to test out her new purchase. We skied over to where the incident happened, the large deep moose tracks easily visible in the snow. We began to follow them but soon the underbrush and nettles were becoming a problem as we started to get caught up in them. Snowshoes would have been more practical. We were able to get in far enough to see if she had started to bleed or if she had fallen or stumbled. All we saw were here huge tracks heading deeper into the bush.
After speaking with enough folks about the accident they all said the same thing about moose and vehicles; which is if the moose doesn't have their legs knocked from under them then their injuries are not usually life-threatening. It felt like she side-swiped us rather than taking a direct impact and she was moving easily when I saw her head into the bush. Not that that means too much as adrenaline can keep an animal moving for a long time regardless of the gravity of their injuries.
I do hope the moose is as fine as we are.
The problem as I see it is that once you're committed to something like a computer and the internet (and who isn't) then you're committed to the upgrades, important upgrades like Operating Systems. Apple has a penchant for wildlife; Safari, Snow Leopard, Lion which must be why they change operating systems so much - and maybe money has something to do with it.... Regardless, I now realize that its better to keep track of what is happening at the Apple zoo or suffer the consequences. Which is what I'm doing at this point. I haven't had internet access for a week because I was too lazy to keep up with the operating systems. Finally when I decided I WOULD upgrade to the newest and greatest I found that my system was now hopelessly antiquated. I had to load the OS (operating system) Snow Leopard first, but it's no longer available online. Which means trying to find a store that still has Snow Leopard software for sale. (almost none do) Apple will still ship the CD to your address provided it is not a POST OFFICE address. What could they possibly have against post office addresses?? The problem is that I currently only have a Post Office box in Fraser Lake.
However the computer angels gave me a break and lo and behold but I find my software in Smithers! Jump for joy!
I get home and load my new operating system and everything works well. Except... yes there is always an exception... my iphone now won't tether to my computer. My iphone is how I get my internet access. It's always worked lickety-split but not anymore. I can still access the internet form my iphone itself but it's a pain in the ass to write emails, blogs etc. Eventually after perusing forums on Snow Leopard and the iphone I find that, why yes, there is a problem with Snow Leopard and tethering along with plenty of convoluted solutions to try and fix it.
What to do, what to do. My thinking is to continue upgrading to the Lion OS in the hopes that the particular bug will be fixed. But I need internet access to download the software because they don't sell any CD's for the Lion upgrade. Kill me NOW!
No wait... I didn't mean that... not literally.... Maybe I shouldn't have been bitching about mother nature's creatures such as the snow leopard or the lion.... Enter the avenging Moose.
As I'm currently waiting for my software to keep downloading (courtesy of the free wireless internet from the coffee shop in Vanderhoof) I can tell the story:
Hitting a moose is not something I would recommend. It's scary, traumatic (for human and moose) and rarely turns out well for the humans involved or their vehicles for that matter.
My friend Mary-Ann and I were heading home from a great day in Smithers. I took Mary-Ann to the same shop where I had bought my rad new skis. :-) She has racing cross-country skis that must be waxed and it appears that one must be a psychic/weather/snow/wax sage to know how the weather is going to change during the day, how the snow will be impacted by the weather change and which wax is needed for each situation. The skis I purchased are wax-less with a fish-scale pattern underneath. The tips and ends need to be waxed like downhill skis a couple times a year depending on how much one skis. They aren't near as fast as her skinny skis but they make up for it in all-around versatility. The wider ski and the fish-scale pattern makes it easier to go up inclinesr before having to herringbone up and with the metal edges they have more stability on uneven terrain. At least that's how its appeared to both Mary-Ann and I after we've been skiing together enough to notice the differences. We both knew that she couldn't follow me off-road at all with her current skis. Hence why she was interested in buying a pair like mine.
We were heading home from our successful shopping day (meaning Mary-Ann got the skis) ;-) and had turned down Clearview Rd which means we were now about 3 minutes from both of our houses. It was late afternoon so we still had daylight.
We had no cause for concern until a large black moving object on the left hand side of the road caught our attention. It was emerging from the ditch that runs parallel along the road. Suddenly, and I mean suddenly; there was a LARGE cow moose barrelling towards our vehicle. I think we both said in unison "It's a MOOSE!!" Mary-Ann reacted immediately turning hard on the wheel of her suburban so we wouldn't hit the moose head on. Instead by the time the moose hit us we were almost running parallel to her and going at approximately the same speed.
We both knew she was going to hit us. It was inevitable. Now we had to wait and see how bad this was going to be. If she slid over the hood of the vehicle it was going to be very probable she would slide into the windshield and kill us both. Or if she bounced and hit the roof then most likely we'd die as well. Truly the option of living when one hits a moose isn't so great - so the insurance adjuster informed Mary-Ann when she called him later in the evening to report the accident.
We had a few things going for us, the biggest one being that we were in a large suburban. A smaller vehicle often hits a moose in the legs and once being knocked off its feet can land on the car, crushing it. We had a fighting chance of surviving in a big vehicle at the very least. The other thing going for us was Mary-Ann's driving and her quick reflexes to drive the way she did.
The moose slammed into us like she was giving us a football tackle. We both expected her head to come through the windshield but it didn't. The force of her hitting us pushed the large suburban into the ditch. I have never seen a moose up close before. They are beautiful magnificent animals but I have no need to experience how strong they are ever again!
Her large mass ripped off the rearview mirror pulling out a big hunk of fur from her shoulder. The impact dented the left side of the suburban in 3 places and dislodged the bumper.
We watched her run into the bush on the other side of the road. I could see where she was missing fur but I didn't see any blood. For anyone who has been in some sort of accident you can attest to the fact that things seem to happen in slow motion. Details can be noted in an uncanny way as time slows down to an eternity.
As she loped off into the bush Mary-Ann and I were sitting in the truck stunned at what just happened and started the "Are you ok? Are you hurt? - I'm fine, are you ok? OMG we just hit a moose!" We decided to walk home and Mary-Ann's husband would be able to winch out the truck with his other vehicle.
I couldn't stop thinking about the moose though. Was SHE ok? Was she somewhere injured? I decided I needed to find out as best as I could. The next morning Mary-Ann came over excited to try out her new skis. I told her my plan of following the moose's tracks and she thought that was a great idea. It would be a good way for her to test out her new purchase. We skied over to where the incident happened, the large deep moose tracks easily visible in the snow. We began to follow them but soon the underbrush and nettles were becoming a problem as we started to get caught up in them. Snowshoes would have been more practical. We were able to get in far enough to see if she had started to bleed or if she had fallen or stumbled. All we saw were here huge tracks heading deeper into the bush.
After speaking with enough folks about the accident they all said the same thing about moose and vehicles; which is if the moose doesn't have their legs knocked from under them then their injuries are not usually life-threatening. It felt like she side-swiped us rather than taking a direct impact and she was moving easily when I saw her head into the bush. Not that that means too much as adrenaline can keep an animal moving for a long time regardless of the gravity of their injuries.
I do hope the moose is as fine as we are.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Slip Sliding Away
Today, my blog comes to you from the Fraser Lake library. I have 30 minutes. I upgraded my computer to Snow Leopard as I have to have that operating system before I can upgrade to Lion, the newest Mac OS. Once Snow leopard was successfully loaded my phone could no longer tether my data as the internet. I can't access the internet with my computers, this is a pain. I came to Fraser Lake today hoping I could access their wireless and download the Lion upgrade and hopefully that nasty bug between Snow Leopard and the iphone will be resolved. This is stupid, its the SAME company, shouldn't their very expensive equipement all get along?
Unfortunately their internet isn't wireless, all the computers are hooked up to a central hub. So I can't download Lion. Well its not all in vain, I can still write my blog and I'm in a library and I like that too!
This is a rest day. I bought Cross-Country ski equipement. My brother Morris came in from Prince George on the weekend and we went to Smithers for a night. I'd never been there and needed to have a change of pace. What a neat town tucked away out there. Plenty of skiing and hiking and lots of mountains to have fun in. There are lots of outdoor stores and as Morris and I were perusing I spied all the cross country gear. Done! I walked out with a really great rig. They're slightly wider skis than the norm but still fit in a track, they have metal edges and fish scales and are designed for more rugged terrain. Perfect for the lake!
Yesterday I went out on them for the first time. Morris was upstairs with mom, practicing guitar cords and I was getting my outdoors clothes on in the basement, fixing my gaters to fit my new boots. I felt this buzz of excitement, like this was a big day. Or at very least a great day. Listening to the guitar music coming from mom and Morris, and I'm trying a new sport. I wanted to remember everything, how I felt, the music, my surroundings. It seemed like a rediculously beautiful and peaceful moment. Perhaps in 60 years I might be telling someone the story of the first time I put on my first pair of cross-country skis and I want to get it just right. I had a similar feeling when I brought my first climbing rope home. Somehow it felt important, it signified a commitment on my part and one I was giving with excitement.
Once I got out the door I clipped on the skis and got ready to face the short rolling decline needed to get from the yard to the actual ice on the lake. No biggie I reasoned. I'd been on backcountry skiis last year and that was fine, I wasn't a complete novice. I'm sure I can make it down a little decline, I can do this, I can do thisssss whhoooaaa splat! On my ass - literally. Those skinny skis are long and the binding doesn't disengage. It was awkard to get up, with Mom and Morris laughing from the house! Entertainment was had while I struggled, it was funny, I was laughing too. :-)
Finally I made it to the lake and as soon as it was flat I felt the glide of the skis. It felt magical; like Lyger Magical. I fell in love with the movement and how little effort it takes. Freedom!! All of a sudden the mythical Mouse Mountain wasn't so far away after all now that I could ski. This was super fucking cool.
I found a fresh ski-doo trail and started to move. I could tell I had no technique as the skis would slip behind me rather than provide energy forward. I'm on the lighter side of the wieght for this binding so the sales guy told me I'd have to give extra thought to pushing down on the ski when I pushed off. I couldn't help but think my weight vest may come in handy once I got better - and a good workout to boot!
The ski-doo trail was taking me across the lake and that seemed a reasonable distance. The sky was brilliant blue against the glittering white snow. My breath causing a melting fog in front of me. The tempurature was a crisp -10. Perfect for when you're moving swiftly. I love winter. I love snow. I love ice. Winter has a clarity to it that is missing in the warmth of summer. Winter air hones the senses and keeps us alert.
I got to the far side of the lake and headed home. Turned out I was gone about 1hr40 minutes which barely felt like an hour.
While I was out skiing Ray called their neighbour Maryanne who is an avid cross-country skier. He told her she has a partner if she wants one. Maryanne was ready to snap on her skis immediately and come over but I was already half-way across the lake.
After lunch I figured a nap was a fine idea. I was in a half-asleep state on the bed when I heard a female voice and knew it was Maryanne. She was at the front door in her ski gear and a big grin, wanting to get out there. I was tired but still had enough energy so I was good to go. We went on a loop by her place. She's fast and I had to push to keep up but it was awesome to have an outdoor buddy. She said I'm doing great for a beginner. We'll get out again on Weds.
Today I'm a sore puppy! My first jaunt on the lake would have been fine but I know the second run with Maryanne was pushing it. Today was supposed to be a long run day but I know my body needs a day off. My hip flexors are tender and that's the last thing I want to injure while training for a marathon. Instead its a library day. I will probably have to go into Vanderhoof to get wireless if I really want to solve this computer problem today. And I really want to solve this computer problem today. Before that I'll head out to the sports store here in Fraser Lake and see if they have wireless perhaps. Maybe this can be solved here. That would be nice.
I think my time is up on the computer so it's time to end my blog.
Till next time.
Unfortunately their internet isn't wireless, all the computers are hooked up to a central hub. So I can't download Lion. Well its not all in vain, I can still write my blog and I'm in a library and I like that too!
This is a rest day. I bought Cross-Country ski equipement. My brother Morris came in from Prince George on the weekend and we went to Smithers for a night. I'd never been there and needed to have a change of pace. What a neat town tucked away out there. Plenty of skiing and hiking and lots of mountains to have fun in. There are lots of outdoor stores and as Morris and I were perusing I spied all the cross country gear. Done! I walked out with a really great rig. They're slightly wider skis than the norm but still fit in a track, they have metal edges and fish scales and are designed for more rugged terrain. Perfect for the lake!
Yesterday I went out on them for the first time. Morris was upstairs with mom, practicing guitar cords and I was getting my outdoors clothes on in the basement, fixing my gaters to fit my new boots. I felt this buzz of excitement, like this was a big day. Or at very least a great day. Listening to the guitar music coming from mom and Morris, and I'm trying a new sport. I wanted to remember everything, how I felt, the music, my surroundings. It seemed like a rediculously beautiful and peaceful moment. Perhaps in 60 years I might be telling someone the story of the first time I put on my first pair of cross-country skis and I want to get it just right. I had a similar feeling when I brought my first climbing rope home. Somehow it felt important, it signified a commitment on my part and one I was giving with excitement.
Once I got out the door I clipped on the skis and got ready to face the short rolling decline needed to get from the yard to the actual ice on the lake. No biggie I reasoned. I'd been on backcountry skiis last year and that was fine, I wasn't a complete novice. I'm sure I can make it down a little decline, I can do this, I can do thisssss whhoooaaa splat! On my ass - literally. Those skinny skis are long and the binding doesn't disengage. It was awkard to get up, with Mom and Morris laughing from the house! Entertainment was had while I struggled, it was funny, I was laughing too. :-)
Finally I made it to the lake and as soon as it was flat I felt the glide of the skis. It felt magical; like Lyger Magical. I fell in love with the movement and how little effort it takes. Freedom!! All of a sudden the mythical Mouse Mountain wasn't so far away after all now that I could ski. This was super fucking cool.
I found a fresh ski-doo trail and started to move. I could tell I had no technique as the skis would slip behind me rather than provide energy forward. I'm on the lighter side of the wieght for this binding so the sales guy told me I'd have to give extra thought to pushing down on the ski when I pushed off. I couldn't help but think my weight vest may come in handy once I got better - and a good workout to boot!
The ski-doo trail was taking me across the lake and that seemed a reasonable distance. The sky was brilliant blue against the glittering white snow. My breath causing a melting fog in front of me. The tempurature was a crisp -10. Perfect for when you're moving swiftly. I love winter. I love snow. I love ice. Winter has a clarity to it that is missing in the warmth of summer. Winter air hones the senses and keeps us alert.
I got to the far side of the lake and headed home. Turned out I was gone about 1hr40 minutes which barely felt like an hour.
While I was out skiing Ray called their neighbour Maryanne who is an avid cross-country skier. He told her she has a partner if she wants one. Maryanne was ready to snap on her skis immediately and come over but I was already half-way across the lake.
After lunch I figured a nap was a fine idea. I was in a half-asleep state on the bed when I heard a female voice and knew it was Maryanne. She was at the front door in her ski gear and a big grin, wanting to get out there. I was tired but still had enough energy so I was good to go. We went on a loop by her place. She's fast and I had to push to keep up but it was awesome to have an outdoor buddy. She said I'm doing great for a beginner. We'll get out again on Weds.
Today I'm a sore puppy! My first jaunt on the lake would have been fine but I know the second run with Maryanne was pushing it. Today was supposed to be a long run day but I know my body needs a day off. My hip flexors are tender and that's the last thing I want to injure while training for a marathon. Instead its a library day. I will probably have to go into Vanderhoof to get wireless if I really want to solve this computer problem today. And I really want to solve this computer problem today. Before that I'll head out to the sports store here in Fraser Lake and see if they have wireless perhaps. Maybe this can be solved here. That would be nice.
I think my time is up on the computer so it's time to end my blog.
Till next time.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Tracks and a Mouse
Yesterday was a snowshoe day. It was my second attempt to reach the far away Mouse Mountain. There it sits... looking rather close. Not. It brings to mind a quote from my friend Barry Blanchard which went something like "If it wasn't for foreshortening, nobody would climb a mountain."
That's sort of what I felt like except I wasn't climbing a mountain I was crossing a lake on my snowshoes. The day before I had run my longest road run yet at around 2hrs 10minutes. It was great, I ran one direction which happened to be the same way Ray was going, heading to the small village of Fraser Lake. When Ray came back my direction again he picked me up and then dropped me off closer to home so I could keep running. He clocked my distance at just over 9 miles (about 14-15km). I was happy enough with that as the road is quite rolling so there's elevation gain and running on snow & ice tires out the body quicker than running on firm terrain.
Which brought me to snowshoeing as I didn't want to push too hard the next day. I figured I'd go out for a snowshoe stroll and checkout Moose Mountain. I found some of my old trails and started out. Again I had this interesting sensation of not moving while I was walking towards Mr. Moose Mountain since it wasn't getting any closer and it really did feel like I was standing on the spot.
Then I came across some tracks in the snow heading sort of North-South as I was heading East-West. There was just one lone track moving along the flat expanse of the lake. Of course I was quite interested when I saw that this was a paw track rather than an ungulate track. I like that word ungulate.. sounds much better than deer. You could almost yodel it: UnnguuuuLLLLaAAATTTeeee. Maybe this is the first slow onset of cabin fever?
Back to the paw prints, they were large, as large as my hand. Rule out dogs, coyotoes or linxes or foxes. Must be either a wolf or a cougar. I saw where the track originated from, exactly where I had snowshoed earlier in the week; the big hilly area with large open snow patches and no cabins. I had gone exploring up there to get a good hill work out in. I was looking around the whole time, not exactly scared but not exactly comfortable either. Probably closer to what our early ancestors must have felt like when being eaten by something was a real possibility. My rational mind knows that the likely hood of a daylight attack on a human by a wolf or a cougar in an area populated by humans is exceedingly rare. I had my bear spray so I felt prepared. But tell that to your limbic system and your amygdala. Those functions are going to do what ever the hell they want, the intellect is not the boss of them. And for good reason probably, our brains can be exceedingly slow to process information and telling the difference between seeing a rock or a slow approaching wolf could be rather important.
The paws were perfectly in front of one another, I wondered how any animal could walk with such symmetry. I took the photos of the paw prints knowing that Ray would know what it was. However I wanted to try and formulate my own opinion. I knew the animal was big, no doubt about that. I had encountered an Irish Wolfhound in a dog park and it made me realize just how big a wolf must be. A tad scary-big I must say. As I was imagining a cougar moving through the snow I thought about a cougars very long tail. If the cougar was out for a jaunt and relatively relaxed then it made sense that his/her tail would drag along the snow and would leave some sort of markings. There were none around the paw tracks so I deduced it must be a lone wolf. Ray confirmed what I thought and mom declared that he must have traveled at night as she would have seen him on the lake.
That's sort of what I felt like except I wasn't climbing a mountain I was crossing a lake on my snowshoes. The day before I had run my longest road run yet at around 2hrs 10minutes. It was great, I ran one direction which happened to be the same way Ray was going, heading to the small village of Fraser Lake. When Ray came back my direction again he picked me up and then dropped me off closer to home so I could keep running. He clocked my distance at just over 9 miles (about 14-15km). I was happy enough with that as the road is quite rolling so there's elevation gain and running on snow & ice tires out the body quicker than running on firm terrain.
Which brought me to snowshoeing as I didn't want to push too hard the next day. I figured I'd go out for a snowshoe stroll and checkout Moose Mountain. I found some of my old trails and started out. Again I had this interesting sensation of not moving while I was walking towards Mr. Moose Mountain since it wasn't getting any closer and it really did feel like I was standing on the spot.
Then I came across some tracks in the snow heading sort of North-South as I was heading East-West. There was just one lone track moving along the flat expanse of the lake. Of course I was quite interested when I saw that this was a paw track rather than an ungulate track. I like that word ungulate.. sounds much better than deer. You could almost yodel it: UnnguuuuLLLLaAAATTTeeee. Maybe this is the first slow onset of cabin fever?
Back to the paw prints, they were large, as large as my hand. Rule out dogs, coyotoes or linxes or foxes. Must be either a wolf or a cougar. I saw where the track originated from, exactly where I had snowshoed earlier in the week; the big hilly area with large open snow patches and no cabins. I had gone exploring up there to get a good hill work out in. I was looking around the whole time, not exactly scared but not exactly comfortable either. Probably closer to what our early ancestors must have felt like when being eaten by something was a real possibility. My rational mind knows that the likely hood of a daylight attack on a human by a wolf or a cougar in an area populated by humans is exceedingly rare. I had my bear spray so I felt prepared. But tell that to your limbic system and your amygdala. Those functions are going to do what ever the hell they want, the intellect is not the boss of them. And for good reason probably, our brains can be exceedingly slow to process information and telling the difference between seeing a rock or a slow approaching wolf could be rather important.
The paws were perfectly in front of one another, I wondered how any animal could walk with such symmetry. I took the photos of the paw prints knowing that Ray would know what it was. However I wanted to try and formulate my own opinion. I knew the animal was big, no doubt about that. I had encountered an Irish Wolfhound in a dog park and it made me realize just how big a wolf must be. A tad scary-big I must say. As I was imagining a cougar moving through the snow I thought about a cougars very long tail. If the cougar was out for a jaunt and relatively relaxed then it made sense that his/her tail would drag along the snow and would leave some sort of markings. There were none around the paw tracks so I deduced it must be a lone wolf. Ray confirmed what I thought and mom declared that he must have traveled at night as she would have seen him on the lake.
I continued towards the never closer Mouse Mountain. Not long after, I met up with the wolf's second set of tracks heading back North from the direction he started out from. I kept going and going with Moose Mountain getting larger ever so slowly. Eventually however I ran out of steam. I figured I'd been been walking about an hour and as far as I went in one direction I'd have to come back the same way. Just like the wolf I suppose.
After eating some snacks and pondering my energy level and desire to keep moving forward I finally decided enough of this! Once heading home I also had the luxury of my freshly made tracks so the going was easier. My only interest in running at this point was to get home faster, lunch would be waiting!
I needed a more efficient way to move. I cranked up my music and decided to let the body do what it wanted to do and I found myself moving in more of lope with my arms dangling. Not quite a run - not quite a walk. It's looks stupid, like the runner is going to fall forward but it appears to allow the body to stay relaxed. One of my shamanic teachers had taught me this type of movement and its also described by Carlos Castenada in his first book. I would place my foot at the top of my track which created a mini downhill for my foot to land on. I fell into a rhythmic pace concentrating on the track in front me, my familiar music allowing me to relax further. I found that flow place endurance athletes talk of. It became easy and it made me marvel that it had felt so difficult before. It felt really cool.
On my way back I encountered the wolf tracks again. I've been wanting to see a wolf for the longest time; years and now it felt tantalizingly close. How would one introduce themselves to a wolf though? I don't think I could tolerate a wolf getting close enough to sniff me, I think my fear mechanism would over-ride and I would either retreat or pull out my bear spray. So sniffing is out of the question. Then it occurred to me! I had to relieve myself in the worst way, I dropped my drawers beside his tracks and had a pee. There. A perfect wolf introduction I think. :-)
Tracks were the big deal that day with exciting learnings. Mouse Mountains still sits there, farther away than I thought.
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