Training Log Archive: carbon

Up bright and early at 6.30 to follow our expedition leader Lucas on an adventure up to Pigeon Spiral. The weather was not the most inviting with rain and sleeth but we were still pretty excited to head out. Lucas treated to some oatmeal befor we started out hike. The most direct route which lead up a little pass was not safe to go up since there was much less snow on this than usual and huge bolders were coming down regulary. The night before while playing cards in the tent we could hear several rock slides, which sounded pretty intimidating. Instead of going the most direct route we hiked down to Conrad Caine hut and walked up the right most fork of the Bugaboo glacier. The weather cleared up a bit and the trip up the glacier was very enjoyable. Lots of navigation through crevasses and a few times some tricky crossings. I'm still fairly new at using crampons so jumping around doesn't come that easily. The top of the glacier was a bit steeper and more snow covered, but Lucas led us up to the the foot of the mountain. A short little climb had us at the place where we could drop the crampons and ice axes. We had a quick lunch here and then we started to climb up the ridge of Pigeon Spire. After only two plateaus/sections I felt that the climb was too technical. I was feeling a bit nervous in the high winds and becasue of the heavier gloves in the cold on the icy rocks I was having difficulty gripping onto stuff. I decided to turn back down and wait for the boys at the lunch stop. I felt bad becasue this meant that they probably would not be able to go to the very top because they didn't want to make me sit and wait that long. As it turned out they made it up to the first peak and a little beyond. I was huddling under a ledge in my big down jacket and an emergency bag. I kept surprisingly warm. It wasn't comfortable, but I could have hung out for longer. The way down was exciting too. The weather and wind picked up a bit more and a lot of our up tracks were gone. We set a new route through the crevasses and again we went through a couple of tricky spots. One we had to sort of ride across with each leg running down a tower of ice into a crevasse on either side. The downhill walk with the crampons was getting my feet really tired. I will definitivly invest in some mountaineering boots for our next trip. I think I have maxed out what the XA Pros were made for. Once back on the rock climb towards camp I started getting cold and hungry. My pace slowed down quite a bit and once back at camp I stumbled into the tent and didn't come back out again that night. Mike and Bart kept sending in food for me to eat while I was warming up. I felt like a princess (well, exept for the cold feet and the smelly and wet gear). The snow picked up a little and when Mike and Bart came in they were quite wet too. Lucas headed out this evening since he had to be at work on Monday. The rest of us were hoping the weather would clear so that we could do another peak on our last day.

Hiked up to Appleby campground in the Bugaboos with Mike, Lucas and Revy. A really hot and sunny day. The trail gains quite a bit of elevation in a short distance which makes for a good workout with big packs on. Halfway up you get your first good look of the Bugaboo glacier and its several forks. We set camp a few hundred meters above the Conraid Caine hut (sp?). The trail was fairly rocky to reach the camp. Once we had set up we went on our first scramble which wasn't very long but a little more technical than your usual scramble. Bart and Lucas lead the way with Mike and I trailing behind. The last section leading up to the peak was a little bit of a climb. I was a bit nervous about coming back down this section but Mike reminded me that we could use the rope that Lucas brought. I climbed up just to find out that Lucas left the rope at camp :). The views were spectacular and our camp relly just looked like a little dot. The sunshine made for some really nice and long views....which was good because the next two days would see a shift in the weather. At night Mike cooked us some real camp food, straight out of bags, which was followed by some interesting card games in our tent. I'm not sure who won in the end but I walked away with a bunch of chocolate.

Pnuma trail and then Moosepackers. Good climb and then got caught in the dark on the way down. Good thing we had lights with us. Very nice evening.

Fun commute today as I added it as many power sprints as I could fit in. The ride home was pretty quick. Did an extra loop up and down the curling club hill.

Does anyone know what the difference is between the new Salomon XA Pro Ultra and last years Salomon XA Pro? I find that the new shoes do not fit well at all. My heal and my littler toes blister and I no longer fit in the usual wms 8.5 (which I have worn since I started wearing the Salomons). The 8.5 is too big and I had to go with an 8. I will need to find some shoes from last year's model becasue I love how they fit. Any ideas where to find old stock?

C • Ask Phatty 3

A hot but good ride. I'm feeling the hike from yesterday in my legs so I decided against a tabata run and ended up cleaning my bike instead. Now it's all nice and shiny for Wednesday. I will do my running tomorrow!