Training Log Archive: Bash

Attackpoint made my day by guessing this was skate skiing, lol! To be fair, I've barely skied on groomed trails this year so it's no wonder AP thinks classic skiing is *really* slow.

I felt I had to do the Rainbow Run challenge in the Spring Scavenger Hunt today after learning that a despicable person has been leaving homophobic messages on the property of a newlywed friend and her wife.



My closest family members are gay and many friends are LGBTQ2S. I'm shocked and heartbroken that they're still dealing with this $#!# in 2021. I'm going to make a donation to a relevant charity in "honour" of the perpetrator. Love is love is love, and it's much more powerful than hate.



I had a great time cross-country skiing on the Rainbow trails at Highlands Nordic. They don't have all the colours so I had to look for indigo and violet ski jackets, including my own, to complete the challenge. The Woolner Loop was open and it was fantastic to be down there although the wind was so strong that the tracks had partly blown in. It was a glorious day!







No, my head isn't really that pointy.



Another reason Highlands is great is that they have permanent orienteering markers.

Peaceful pre-dinner snowshoe with 'Bent and the dogs, who weren't impressed when we veered off packed trails. It was a *lot* of work with four feet and no snowshoes. The evening light was beautiful.







Exciting news! While we were driving, I stumbled onto an available Covid vaccine appointment for 'Bent on Sunday afternoon. Peel Region has just started vaccinating high priority health care providers who work outside of hospitals and we hadn't been optimistic that he'd get an appointment this month.

Other exciting news: We received homemade hamantaschen (Purim cookies) in the mail from our sister-in-law in Yellowknife.

Presenting the winner of the Dance Your PhD contest!
"I'm the first author, you're just et al", lol.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens...

The Coast Mountain Trail Running Spring Scavenger Hunt started this week. I assume any interested Attackpointers have already signed up but it's not too late if you'd like a pandemic distraction in March and April.
http://www.trailseries.ca/spsh21/

I hiked on ice and waded through heavy snow in Palgrave Forest as I did the Alphabet challenge. I had to find something that started with each letter of the alphabet. To make sure I stayed out long enough, I decided to find the letters in order, which was optional. I discovered how many things in the forest start with the same few letters! (Birch, Beech, Branch, Bench, Bark...) I regretted leaving my Dogs behind because "D" was a surprisingly tough letter to find. They had tried very hard to tell me that before I left.

Glad I didn't meet anyone because I talked to myself the whole time, naming everything I saw!

Ash (infested by Emerald Ash Borer - sigh)







Branch, Conifer

Do Not Enter sign



Excrement, Fence, Gate, Hat, Ice, Jacket

Kahtoolas



Log, Maple

Needles



Oak Ridges Moraine Trail



Puddle



Questionnaire



Road, Snow, Tree, Underbrush

Viewpoint



Woodpile

XC Skis



Yard, Zipper

Gurdeep Pandher of Yukon got his Covid-19 vaccine this week and was pretty darned happy about it. Our reaction was similar last night when 'Bent got an email inviting him and his dental office staff to book vaccine appointments. It may take a while to get in but it will be such a relief to have his risk of getting Covid-19 at work greatly reduced.

This guy turned 10 today. Sort of. Richard and I rescued Brody (known on AP as BazingaDog) as a 4-5 month-old puppy. No one knows his real birthday but March 1 should be pretty close.

Black dogs have a harder time finding families, and it probably didn't help that his foster family nicknamed him Bazinga. In those early days, we told people Brody was a Lab/Demon mix. He grew up to become a big, handsome bundle of love, personality and occasional devious ideas. He is greying now - as am I - but today I'm remembering his first few months with us and hoping we have many more adventures to come.
________________________________________________

Taken this weekend - relaxing near his $200 dog bed to remind me that I spent too much on it.



Right after he joined our family. He eventually grew into his tongue. Look at that devilish face!



It was easy to crate train him - although he wouldn't go *inside* the crate for the first month or two.



We took Mocha to the rescue place to make sure she approved of this little puppy. They played happily but she was *not* pleased when we brought him home. After 10 days of icy relations, she carried over a tug-of-war rope and placed the other end in his mouth so they could play. I cried. They became very close for the rest of her life although Mocha preferred these early days before her little brother outweighed her by 50%.



One of many wonderful things about my Dad is that he was the kind of person who would photograph a puppy he found on his kitchen table before asking him to get down.



Poor Brody got 53 quills in his nose and mouth. And if Richard hadn't stopped him from lunging toward the porcupine a second time, there would have been more!



Even at 7 months old, Brody could take up an entire love seat.



Brody's first Christmas - 2011.

'Bent's first ski around Castle Glen on a bluebird morning. Spring skiing!



Before and after, we chatted with the Millers and the Fords who were playing in the snow near the trail entrance.

‘Bent and I drove around to the south end of Kolapore to do a loop with fewer treacherous hills than the area near our place. Turns out that was unnecessary, as the temperature had risen to +2C in the sunshine so Thursday’s ice had transformed into mashed potatoes. It was slow going in open fields and in deciduous forest. I had to double pole down most of the hills. The tracks in dense coniferous forests were slick and fast though. I got 8 Strava segment crowns including one overall “win” on a 20-minute segment. ?!? I think this new game is almost over for me now that adventure athletes are skiing at Kolapore though, lol!

Sunset snowshoe with ‘Bent, Darcie and 5 dogs. A mix of packed snow and deep, heavy snow that felt like knee-deep wet concrete.