Durham Ride 4 the United Way!

For those of you that think that Ontario is a relatively flat, boring province with no cycling challenges, think again. This past Sunday myself and 4 friends rode the Durham Ride 4 the United Way.

In 160km we climbed 5,800 ft with several hills topping out at 10% -13% gradient. It’s not the French Alps or Pyrenees, but it’ll definitely make those legs burn and change your perception of cycling in Ontario! (more…)

Sherpa Nad at Bike School

Bike School!

I started adventure racing last summer, and it has been a journey of growth and a lot of learning. When I first bought my mountain bike, I crashed within the first hour of having it from simply not knowing how to properly ride clipped in. Through trial and error I got an idea of what good riding entailed but ended up in a few additional crashes on the road and the trail. Finally, I decided I need to go back to basics and learn proper technique from a professional. Enter Ian Thomson stage left!

I have know Ian for a long time, and his cycling resume is quite extensive. I also knew he taught “bike school” for both mountain and road cyclist so I finally booked some time to learn how to get over my fears and become a better more effective rider.I did the basic course, as I am a green horn despite the miles I have put on my bike.

The session is about 1.5 hour long. For 1.5, you learn how to:

1. Correctly review and mount you bike with clips.

2. Clip in both feet and unclip effectively.

3. Emergency breaking.

4. Balance drills.

5. Small space maneuvering drills – riding between pylons but steering through them.

6. Steering drills (slalom through spaced pylons) but leaning into the turns.

7.Cornering with speed.

Ian would go over the techniques, demonstrate on his own bike and explain the physics behind the experience and why my bike was made to withstand the demands.  He taught me proper climbing and descending technique. The flow of the program was theory, demonstration then drills after drills. If you are nervous he would stand by your bike and make sure to be there to catch you if you started to fall.

I learned an enormous amount and feel better about getting on my bike. I will go back and take the next level to learn more technical riding and balancing skills but for now I need to practice on what I learned and develop from there. I walked away from the experience empowered, happy and more confident.

The cost is $20. Ian works with all levels of cyclist. He is also a certified triathlete coach and an endurance athlete.

Ian can be found at http://definitelycore.com/

Interview with Les Stroud on Beyond Survival

*all pictures courtesy of Laura Bombier

I was delighted to have the privileged opportunity to speak with Les Stroud, better known as Survivor Man, regarding his upcoming show on Discovery Channel; Beyond Survival. Les was genuine and great pleasure to speak with.  The longer you chat with him the more you feel his passion exude through the conversation. Here is what Les had to say about his experience filming, what’s next and his favorite past times.

NR: What inspired you to do the show, Beyond Survival? Was it a natural evolution from Survivor Man?

Les: I believe it was, yes. With Survivor Man I was very concerned with the physical survival and what I was going through and the environment. With Beyond Survival I am able to go to the next level and deal with cultural survival, spiritual survival and physical survival again as well. I am out there surviving with these remote indigenous tribes around the world and doing these crazy ceremonies and rituals, it does take it all to a whole new level.

NR: How did you determine which tribes were best suited to this project?

Les: I researched, and checked around. It’s tough to find people now that are still living just past the stone-age but they are out there. They are in these remote corners and jungles and deserts. It is bizarre to think they are there as everything is so accessible these days. A lot research, connecting with anthropologist until I could find these isolated groups of people.

NR: How long did you typically stay with each group?

Les: I would say about two and half weeks was the average.

NR: What was the most unique thing you learned the most inspiring experience?

Les: Wow. There is so much. I was in Madagascar doing a seed ceremony with the Antanosy, doing a trance dance with the San Bushman in Kalahari. I did an all night devil dance exorcism with the Sri Lanka Vedda, but I think the craziest one was doing a ceremony where you unearth the bones of an ancestor with the Papuan in New Guinea. I watched it yesterday and I thought to myself I was there doing it and it still gave me the creeps watching it.

NR: That leads into my next question, what was the scariest situation you encountered given you have such a vast wilderness experience?

Les: I think I rolled with it all fairly good and fairly strong, I certainly have the survival skills down when we went off and did those types of things in the jungle, but doing the ceremonies in Peru with the Quechua, the Inca descendants, that stuff, was a little bit strange and a little over the top for sure in a metaphysical way, not just death defying but it goes to a different place.

NR: How did you communicate with the group members? Did have a translator or you adapted as you spent more time with them?

Les: It was a little bit of both, I had a translator at first then there was always a time when I would want to be left alone with the people and I would go off and do a hunt in the jungle,  then I would just rely on sign language and facial expressions.

NR: How many people were there with you at each location (referring to crew accompaniment), or did you do a lot of the filming yourself?

Les: I definitely kept my Survivor Man signature style in how I filmed myself, but I did have a crew there that could film the rest of the people as well which was a great help for certain. The look of the show is very gripping very beautiful.

NR: How was the adjustment process to the diet? Did you find the transition easy? I would image you were eating some interesting things.

Les: They eat some crazy stuff. Then they offer me something and it’s almost like an honorary thing and I have to eat it in front of them and look like I am enjoying it and I didn’t always enjoy it. They naturally eat some crazy things. I know the worst thing for me was in Indonesia, I have eaten grubs before, but this was a big fat slimy grub. It was disgusting and these little kids who were sitting beside me eating the grub and it was hanging out of their mouth and they were playing with it while it was still alive and they would hand me one, and it tasted terrible.

NR: Having lived remotely for such long periods of time what was your biggest adjustment when you came back to city life? How have you as a person grown through the experience?

Les: I have grown. I was always passionate about the wilderness and adventure and getting out there, but really through all these experiences with these people I learned to get back in touch with the energy of the land and the wilderness. I really have come to a different place because of spending so much time with these people where I have an appreciation of earth energy and I feel much more connected to it now then, I ever did before.

NR: How many tribes do you see in total throughout the duration of the show?

Les: Tribes is probably not the right word to use, as the Inuit for example are in the high arctic, but probably about 12 groups of people overall. We do visit multiple groups in some of the show episodes.

NR: What would you like your viewers to take away from watching the show? What message would you like to see come across?

Les: Well, I hope two things. One is what I took away from it and this is remembering to get connected back with the land. The land is just this big globe we live on and there is a lot going on and to it and we really need to reconnect because of what’s going down. I also think number two is to recognize that there are people out there that have these incredibly fascinating cultures who are on the brink of assimilation and somehow they have to come into the modern world without losing the culture they have now and that is not going to be easy. I saw people that did it, and some that did not do it well and others that are on the brink.

NR: Now did you find that eco-tourism was very prevalent when you were with these groups of people, has the western influence begun to seep in noticeably?

Les: No the influences are creeping in everywhere. They creep insidiously in the form of plastic garbage. They creep in by way of a bunch of miners may come through and leave t-shirts and shoes. One kid in New Guinea for example had gotten cotton clothing. You can’t wear cotton clothing in a wet jungle but the missionaries gave him cotton clothing. So now they wear the cotton clothing and they end up with all of these skin infections and problems because they wear them until they rot off of their bodies, literary. The influences are there, yet the positive side is that a lot the culture still remains intact.

NR: Just one last question about you personally, what are your favorite non-survivor activities? I know you have a band and a book coming out shortly, outside of that do you surf? What do you enjoy?

Les: Aside from music which is huge, and I do have a concert tour coming up, and do I have another book coming out in the fall called Survive! Outside of those passions, I have to say hockey. I love hockey, I play it when I can and also canoeing. I am a canoehead as we call ourselves. I can’t wait to get back at it and start paddling again. I am a versatile person too, I went and saw Tom Petty last week. I love just getting out, good evenings out, I love sushi I like all that life has to offer.

NR: Now would you ever do an adventure race?

Les: I have done one actually, the Canadian Championship. I think I still have an injury from it (laughs). I love adventure racing. I am doing Muay thai kick boxing right now and I would love to get myself trained back up now that I am off the road from doing Beyond Survival and get into adventure racing again, it’s one of my favorite activities.

A big thanks to Les, I am a huge fan and am looking forward to the premier of the show on OLN.

Find Les online at: Les Stroud

Beyond Survival Premiers in Canada on OLN September 5th at 8PMEST.

Tour de Greenbelt VIP Preview!

There is nothing better then riding out on country roads and breathing in that fresh country air. Getting out of the city, is one of the reasons I love cycling as a sport. Yet, it’s rare to find a ride these days (whether organized or even recreational) that promotes taking it slow and soaking it all in.

The Tour de Greenbelt is series of bike rides in September that allows you to do just that and more. (more…)

Outdoor Week Continues with – The Death Race

The Death Race. The name alone conjures images of a cheesy Stephen King movie or some odd cult activity. You can’t say “I competed in the Death Race” without SOME kind of reaction. So, what is the Death Race? It’s 125km of the most grueling terrain you will ever meet and it’s 100% Canadian. Considered one of the toughest races in the world, it takes you up and down through the swampiest and the steepest terrain. With 17,000 feet, yes you read that correctly, 17,000 feet of elevation change it is not for the feint of heart.

Some details:

It’s a five stage race, which can be done solo or relay.

125 km long, the fastest time to complete was by a solo competitor in 2009 which, took him approximately 13 hours.

It takes place every August long weekend and is located in Grande Cache, Alberta.

It’s entirely a run, but an all terrain run.

You can quit at anytime and there are medics throughout the course.

Its entirely marked you can’t “get lost”.

No one has ever died racing.

I had the opportunity to chat with one of this years competitors, Willis Kolody.  Here is his amazing take on the experience.

NR: How did you get involved with this race? Have you been an adventure racer for awhile now?

WK: We live close to Cypress Hill provincial park and I do a lot of camping and hiking, but for this race in particular I work with a lot of police officers (Willis works with the power lines) and I also do this training called Cross Fit (also see Nad’s experience with Cross Fit here) where a lot of the cops do their training. I am friends with one of the cops who was doing it and one thing lead to another and he asked if I wanted to try it out and I said for sure.

NR: Now was this your first adventure race ever? The Death Race?

WK: Yup, I figured you just go big or go home.

NR: How did you prepare for it?  Did you have any idea what you were getting into?

WK: Absolutely not!  He warned me a little bit, he said its tough. We used Cross Fit and police dummies and we would run the stairs and jump the stairs. There are two tiers of stairs to Medicine Hat; there are the stairs that go from downtown Medicine Hat up to the north side and we would jump them one at a time to get the burn. He warned me that when we actually get to the race you will hurt. It will burn. I am not sugar coating anything. Your feet are going to be bruised; it’s just the way it is.  For example, you run through 6km of pure mud.  It’s called the “Slugfest” (see race stages below) and it’s by far the hardest part of the race.  It’s all mud and it’s very wet.  If you get stuck in mud, suction prevents you from trying to get your foot out and you yank it out and your other foot is already buried; now you have two legs buried. It’s a challenge like running downhill: downhill is harder than uphill.

NR: I guess because you have to control yourself so you don’t go flying.

WK: Yea, I broke my trekking pole. I broke about a foot off it. So I had to finish the race with a shorter trekking pole which wasn’t a big deal I still had the majority of it. I slipped on a rock and put all my weight on my right side and I snapped my pole off. Its all part of it.

NR: How many team members did you have? Did you do all 125km?

WK: There were 5 team members,  I did the second leg and assisted with the fifth 5. Leg two is 27km (the Slugfest and also the most difficult leg)

NR: Is it a straight run? Or are you canoeing and biking as well?

WK: There is no swimming or anything. Its just strictly running and the word running is not the right word. There is very little actual running its more jogging and walking and trekking up the mountain side. Leg two for example was 6,530 feet up and it works out to more coming down.

NR: How long did it take your team to complete it?

WK: We completed it in 17 hours, and a guy from Edmonton set the record last year. One guy, 13 hours and 43 minutes. He was mad as he had to walk 5,000 meters. He said he wasn’t at his best as his back was hurting. Its absolutely crazy, but the rush of the whole race is just absolutely phenomenal. It is the greatest feeling I have ever felt. I am no Olympian but when you actually finish the race it is just wild. We were also doing it for a cause not just personal satisfaction. We also wanted to get the name out there too, get The Death Race out there.

NR: What was your favorite part?

WK: Finishing it. My wife wanted to do it too but we just had a baby 9 months ago so she couldn’t train with me. But she does want to do it, next year as a duo.  She will do leg one to start it then I will leg two then she will do leg three and I will do leg four and five.

NR: So how does transportation work?  If the person who is doing leg one is also doing leg 3, do they have someone transport you to the next part of the race?

WK: You have to get yourself to the second leg, you  have to drive there. When you start the race you get a timing chip and a silver coin. You have to transport that wherever you go, if you lose that little chip even by accident you are finished. Some people will just toss it in their pocket and as you are running you will see silver coins sitting on the path, but you are told not to pick them up. All the coins have special numbers on them.

NR: How many competitors where there this year?

WK: There were about 100 soloist, and only about 20% actually finish the race in the time allowed. There are cut off times and you have to make it to the ferry point by 6:15pm if you don’t then you’re disqualified. You can still finish the race but it will be outside of the organizers responsibility. They won’t be looking for you. You sign a waiver ahead of time stating exactly that.

NR: Now would you ever do this race solo?

WK: Yes, that is what I am actually  training to do. I want to do it solo, I may do it solo next year. My wife may do a couple of legs with another team. We are going to see what happens but that’s my goal to do it solo!

NR: Were there a lot of women in the race?

WK: There were a lot of women in the race, I would guess maybe 30%.

NR: And the age demographic? Mid 30′s early 40′s?

WK: Yes, I would say that is fair and there were even some men in their 70′s. There was a guy in front of me and he was 70.

NR: What was the hardest component? What it the mental? Was it the physical? A combination of both?

WK: When I was in leg two, you get to the top of the mountain and they tell you, you’re not even half way yet. You are beat, you don’t know what to expect. They call it the Death Race,  but until you actually do it you have no idea what to expect when you get to the top. I think they do it to mess with your mind a little – sorry man you’re not even half way yet – you’re 600 feet to half way then you get up there and it’s all down hill.  Its through a power line cut line and you’re walking sideways so you don’t slip and fall and then you start going through the Slugfest and the fun has just begun. When you start the mud, your legs hurt by the time you are done your legs are just absolutely burning. You got to finish otherwise your team could be disqualified, you have to look at the big picture.

NR: What would you advice to people who are interested in doing it? What would your best piece of advice be for anyone going into this race?

WK: Don’t think you can’t do it. The people you train with will say that it’s hard but when you actually finish the race its just a wonderful feeling, totally uplifting.  Don’t think you can’t do it. When you see 125km it actually goes by fast, if you think about it,  it’s only 17 hours it does not even take a full day to do it. Don’t be scared, your feet will get sore and toes a little bit bruised but in the end you go home and you have a shirt to prove it that you actually raced it, such a wonderful feeling.

NR: Recovery?

WK: 3 – 5 days I didn’t want to do to much just kinda hang out.

NR: What about equipment? What would be the best footwear to use for example?

WK: Don’t wear runners. There is no flat place on this whole race course. It’s all mountain, it’s all rock, and that’s another thing the balls of your feet just kill by the time you are done. We wore Salomon shoes, had hydration packs. I wore a waist pack too with four water bottles around my waist and then snacks. Trail mix and boiled baby potatoes and stuff like that. As you’re going pop little bits at a time.

NR: Once you have satisfied yourself with the Death Race, do you want to try another challenge like a 24 hour race? Would you go elsewhere to do them or would you stay in Alberta?

WK: I would definitely want to try other races. I would go elsewhere to do a couple of these races. People may think I am a little crazy but its good. I enjoy doing it, I love doing it. From a personal standpoint its a good feeling to say that you did it. Whether it’s one time or ten times to actually say you completed one of the hardest races in the world is an accomplishment. Additionally, the way it’s organized is phenomenal. There are no kinks  there are people hiding in the trees with camera’s and video camera’s and you get to certain points and they have Gatorade booths set up it’s insane how well it’s planned.

Willis started training for his next shot at the Death race on August 16th. He is back at Cross Fit and also working with police and fire members to step up his game for next year. His passion and drive for the sport could be felt throughout the conversation, I think it’s safe to say he is a changed man after his experience on the Death Race Course. Willis was delightful to speak with and I hope to touch base with again next year to see how it went and if he met his goal of going solo. Wishing him all the best!

For information on the Death Race please see DEATH RACE.

First But Not Last Adventure Race – Angry Seagull

Physically beaten, mentally broken and looking to do it again.

On August 7th and 8th, two of my friends and myself attempted the Angry Seagull 24 hour adventure race. The race was five legs and the legs were estimated to be roughly (1)15km of mountain biking, (2)40km of canoeing, (3)12km of trekking, (4)16km to 30km of trekking or biking depending on how you were doing and the choices you made and finally (5)40km of biking. Details can be found at Angry Seagull.

I am going to start this story with the ending. After 18 hours of the race, with just a mountain biking leg left, my team pulled out. It was the first time in my life I have failed to finished a race and I have had some opportunities to pull out of races. I’ve run two ½ marathons on bad shin splints, I have crashed my bike twice in Olympic distance triathlons and I did a ½ ironman in a thunder and lightening storm but this race was the most physically and mentally demanding race I have ever done. Pulling out of the race was the right decision given the state of my teammates but it has left me with a burning desire for redemption.
The night before the race I was too nervous to sleep. I had the expectation that over the course of a 24-hr race there would be some difficult times with those time most likely occurring during the night when darkness would be combine with physical and mental fatigue. With these thoughts floating through my head I decided to try to sleep a little longer than I had originally planned and got to the check-in around 10am for a 2pm start.
At the check-in our inexperience began to show. This was mine and everyone on my team’s first adventure race. Showing up an hour after the check-in started meant that we would get one hour less of looking at the map, which would come back to haunt us later. In addition we had spent zero time before check-in packing our bag or even thinking strategically about what gear we would want with us on different legs. This again would come back to haunt us or at least me.

Once we received our map we began the process of getting for the start. Plot coordinates, go through gear check, go through navigation check, sign waivers and finally pack bag and organize gear. The problem for my team was that this was more of a scramble than a process. Our gear was not organized and I even had to make a run to the store to pick up some extra water and a highlighter to mark on the map. The result was that we never had time to look at the map beyond the plotting of the coordinates before we got to the start line. This wouldn’t be an issue until we hit the orienteering section at 9pm after having already spent 7 hours mountain biking and canoeing. And the fact that we were doing well for the first 7 hours gave us a false confidence.

The first leg was a short mountain biking leg that took about an hour. It was pretty straight forward but it did create a little bit of separation between the teams. The next leg was a long canoe. If I had of put a little more thought into what gear I actually need for this leg I would have been better off. For some reason I decided to pack my warm clothes and my headlight I would need for the night in a bag without waterproofing them.
There was a very strong headwind for the canoe which results in a significant amount of water splashing into the boat. In addition I decided, as an experienced whitewater kayaker, to run a rapid that no other teams did and found our boat with pool of water about 6-inches deep. By the end of the canoe section my team had made up significant ground on the leading teams and had past 5 or 6 teams in the process. But it came at a cost as my best headlamp was ruin and my warm clothes were soaking wet. One other lesion I learned from the canoe section was the importance of the paddle. I already knew that a kayak paddle was more efficient than a canoe paddle but I also learned how important the type of kayak paddle is. My team was using whitewater kayaking paddles which are shorter and have a shorter and fatter blade than a touring or a race paddle. If I had to do it again I would rent at least a touring kayak paddle but preferably I would rent a carbon fiber racing paddle with a scoop blade.

I think we were in third place when we left transition from canoe to orienteering. The sun was setting and we were feeling very confident. We proceeded to run/walk behind another team until they disappeared and one of my teammates said it was time to head into the woods. We bushed whacked our way north until we unexspectingly found ourselves on a point of land overlooking the largest swamp/marshland I have ever seen. At least point we had no idea where we were but we knew that we had no option but to back track. I can’t help but feel, with hindsight, that if we spent more time looking at the map before the race we might have chosen a better point to enter the woods. We would not know where we were again for the next 6 or 7 hours. Those 6 or 7 hours were spent trying to find our way around swamp after swamp while trying to generally head north. It would be over this period of time that my teammates would crack mentally and physically. At a number of different points through the night my teammates would stare at the map hoping to find the swamp we just wondering onto. Hoping that somehow after wondering hours on end they would be able to determine where we were.
At one point, after coming face to face with a coyote and encountering yet another large swamp, my teammates just lay down on a rock. I knew they were on the brink of collapse and wanted to quit but I wanted nothing more than to get out of the woods on our own. I could think of nothing more embarrassing than have to call to be rescued. After about an hour of just sitting I managed to convince them to go on. Those were truly the worst moments of the race but dealing with mental demons is a major part of the challenge.

Shortly after we found a path that took us in the general direction we wanted to head and shortly after that I heard the sound of moving water that could only be made by the waterfall we were looking for. My spirits lifted and so did my energy level. With my sudden increase in energy I had to be careful not to run away from my teammates. Finally we found the checkpoint.
But again my teammates just sat and had to be convinced to continue to get ourselves out of the woods.

The next step was to swim across the river below the waterfall. This was my favourite part of the whole experience. The sun was just rising creating a pastel blue and pink sky. The moon, just a few hours ahead of the sun, was just a sliver in the eastern sky sitting just above the waterfall and there were still a few starts dotting the western sky. It was all very surreal as we swam across the river with our packs in garbage bags. While we were changing on the other side of the river I looked up and saw a bright light moving across the heavens which I believe could only be the space station mirror.

The next few hours we spend bushing whacking our way to the last transition area. But these few hours were agonizing as I set a slow pace that one of my teammates could not keep up with and forcing me to stop every couple of hundred meters. We were also too tired to talk so we only had the thoughts in our heads to keep us company. Mine ranged from anger at my teammate for being unable to keep up, to the desire to finish the race on my own even if it wouldn’t count and finally to acceptance that we were done and that at least I would be able to get home at a decent time.
In the end I was beaten by the event. I was exhausted for days. My body was sore beyond expectation. But I loved. I loved the setting. I loved the physical and mental challenge. It truly was an exceptional test, one which I failed but vow to pass.

Tips on back Country Food Planning – Focus on Lunch

Lunch time. The mid-day meal. A break at the mid-point of the day. In the working world, it’s something to look forward to – whether it means getting out of the office, getting away from the assembly line or just a chance to sit down and re-fuel for the rest of the day. Lunch serves these same purposes and is just as important on a wilderness canoe trip.

What we eat for lunch depends on weather conditions. In cool and/or wet weather, something hot is a necessity. In fact, only in very hot conditions will we choose not to have soup, macaroni and cheese or maybe warmed up leftovers from last night’s dinner.

The first thing is to pick a spot. We will be there for an hour at least so it’s worthwhile finding a nice place. If there is a portage to be done either before or after lunch, do it before and take the lunch break as a reward. In choosing a spot, there are many considerations. If the sun is hot and strong, then shade is preferable. If it’s raining, then find a place to set up a tarp. If it’s windy, then a sheltered location is better – unless the bugs are bad and a breeze is preferable. Established campsites are good options as they usually have a landing spot, ample space and a “rock ring” for a fire if conditions are dry enough (and not too dry to warrant a fire ban). We try to leave the canoe in the water and take out only the kitchen box and whatever food we need from the barrel.

A typical lunch will include soup. Dried soups are light to carry and need to be simmered for 20 minutes or so – just enough time to eat a little bit of trail mix while cutting some bread (which would have baked in the Outback Oven), cheese and pepperoni. I have written in this column about baking and how fantastic it is having fresh yeast bread but what about cheese? Well, it can be tricky, especially in hot weather. Here’s what I do: find a grocery store or specialty cheese shop and go there when it’s not busy. Ask them to cut cheese into chunks which are enough for one meal for whatever number of people you will be travelling with. For two of us, pieces about an inch thick and 4 inches square work well. Have them individually vacuum seal these for you and once you open one, use all of it. Swiss cheese works well as does mozzarella. Cheddar tends to sweat in the heat and soft cheeses do not travel well. Dried pepperoni (Metro sells a brand called Hereford with yellow wrapping) does not require refrigeration and, not surprisingly, is quite salty and not as good as refrigerated pepperoni. We bring it mostly to go on pizza but I will sometimes have it at lunch too. We bring margarine, peanut butter and jam – all in small Nalgene containers. For dessert, we will usually have cake or cookies baked in the oven the previous day. If it’s wet and cool, we sometimes make tea.

Other lunch options include macaroni and cheese (I like the PC white cheddar one) if we are tired of soup and bread. I also carry a couple of foil pouches of a product called “Tasty Bite” which are Indian vegetarian mixtures long popular with mountaineers (not easy to find – I get mine at the Big Carrot). They go very well with cous cous or on their own. The pouches need to be boiled for ten minutes and are great if you are pressed for time or cold or miserable or all of these. Often, we will finish our trips without using them.

If we are on schedule, the weather is nice and bugs are manageable (rarely do these conditions occur at the same time), we will often swim before lunch and nap for a few minutes afterward. Lunch is important. We have skipped breakfast to get an early start in windy conditions. We have had only trail mix and scotch for dinner on epic travel days. We have made soup perched on a narrow rock outcropping in a rainstorm but we have never skipped lunch under any conditions.

Philly LIVESTRONG Challenge!!

Well, the end of summer is in the air, but for me there is still sooooo much cycling to be done! Friday morning my boyfriend, best friend and I are on our way to Philadelphia for the LIVESTRONG Challenge! If you don’t know LIVESTRONG,  it’s Lance Armstrong‘s Foundation created to support people living with cancer and their families and, ultimately beat cancer for good.

Of course this is a cause near and dear to my heart, with 2 family members losing the battle to cancer and one very good friend battling as I type this blogpost, how can I not show my support?

On top of the great cause, there is a challenging 160km route or 100 miler (I should say!) which my legs are more then ready to rock! All the consistent riding inside (at CYKL) and outside this summer has made me much stronger than seasons past! Vroom vrrrroooom!

And on top of a great route, there are rumors of the-one-the-only LANCE ARMSTRONG will be riding with us!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY MOLY!! Lance is every female cyclist’s dream cake!!!!!!!! Puuurrrrrrr!!! I could ride behind him all day… if I could keep up!

Anyways, regardless if we do or don’t actually see (touch, kiss) Lance, I’m stoked for my weekend away of riding, and proud to support a worthy cause like the Livestrong Foundation!

Any recommendations on where to get the best Philly cheese steak?

Jen Fawcette

my perosnal donation page

Sherpa Nad Experience: Platform Tennis (or paddle tennis)

Yesterday, I popped over to the West end of Toronto and had a tour and chat with Suzanne Lanthier one of the Kingsway Platform Tennis’s managers. She graciously showed me around the club and gave me a break down about what platform tennis is all about.

Platform Tennis, or paddle tennis, is best described as tennis meets squash – and its actually traditionally a WINTER sport.

It’s action packed, and has no age limits. There are no single person games, all games are played in foursomes.

They have mixed social leagues or ladies/mens leagues.

About the court and equipment:

The court itself is about 30% smaller then a traditional tennis court.

The court texture is also very gritty almost like really thick sandpaper and is elevated on a wooden platform. If you look closely at the pictures you will see it’s wooden planks.

It’s surround by chicken coup wire, which is actually used in play.

The courts are also heated by propane in the winter, keeping them clear of snow and ice during play. You can continue to play even if it’s snowing outside.

There are moving panels at the bottom of the court so snow on the court can be shoveled off through the openings.

The  rackets look like paddles, and were made entirely of wood in the early days of the sport.

The balls used feel like squash balls but look like tennis balls. They are a combo of both balls and are not as bouncy as tennis balls but not quite as tough or as small as squash balls.

About the sport:

Even though the peak season for the sport is in the winter, at Kingsway Platform Tennis Club they play throughout the summer simply because they love the sport.

The opening season usually starts in September  and runs  to April.

Tennis rules are used for scoring, but players can allow the play to continue when the ball bounces off the cage similar to squash. There are ref’s either it’s entirely self managed.

Platform Tennis In Action

The object is not to smash the ball.

In the winter, most people dress in yoga pants/jogging pants. Layered clothing, as it gets hot while playing.

Tournaments usually take place in March with the season slowing down as summer approaches.

The bigger tournaments take place in the U.S mainly New York and Chicago.

About the club:

There are 5 courts at  Kingsway.

It’s maintained by volunteers.

There is an annual fee, (very reasonable) and they currently have 200 members.

The courts are available all week long and most members have their own keys.

There is also a lovely club house to stow all your stuff, and spare paddles and balls for those new to the sport with no equipment.

There is a mixed social league and competitive league and at the end of the day it’s all about the party after.

The atmosphere from when I first arrived was warm and welcoming. All the club members I spoke to were gracious, friendly and SO passionate about the sport. It’s as if everyone was bursting at the seams to play. I did not see anything but smiles and good sportsmanship and am thinking I would like to join the club come the fall to keep myself busy.

Curious? Check them out at Kinsgway Paddle Tennis.

Think Geek for travel

Tomorrow I leave on an adventure I just can’t wait for – I have a month internship in Mongolia (check out my travel blog and my personal blog for updates)!

As I was working towards the trip, I realized an article I just had to write – an article on Think Geek and it’s travel gear.

Now I’m definitely showing my nerd side with this one as Think Geek is, as it says on it’s site, “Stuff for Smart Masses.” But their stuff is just so brilliant – though often silly as well – that a nod to their stuff must be done.

A couple of things I have currently acquired include a solar charger, some dissolving toiletries and a credit card lightbulb. Because the latter two are the most bizarre, I must talk about them.

One issue I know we all have is the new law with liquids on planes. It also coincides with space and weight of luggage now that the airport laws are getting stricter and stricter. So what better than to replace those bottles with something lighter and much smaller.

Think Geek's dissolving body wash, hand soap and shampoo (Photo courtesy of www.thinkgeek.com).

These things are so cool. The Dissolving Toiletries look like those Listerine packs with the little sheets that you just hold under water and you have instant sanitary products.

The Credit Card Lightbulb's on Think Geek (photo courtesy of www.thinkgeek.com).

If you’re a reader or enjoy staying up late and need a little light while travelling about, the Credit Card Lightbulb is a great idea. The size of a credit card and a little thicker than a credit card, you pop the light bulb up and you have light. It fits in your wallet and I find it lights up a magazine page to readable levels.

One thing I don’t have, but for my next trip would like, is the OHSO Pocket Toothbrush. Toothbrush on one end, toothpaste in the other, its great for those shorter trips where you don’t have much space. And hey, it even comes with a clip for you to attach it to your shirt pocket.

If you’re a bit of a nerd and love to travel, I’d recommend you check it out. The site is www.thinkgeek.com.

If you’re a nerd and don’t really travel… there’s still tons of stuff for you. Clothing, books, games, tools for a siege and everything bacon.

Exploring our capital

The view of Ottawa's Parliament from the canal (Photo by Caitlin S. M. Sabean).

Ottawa is a great city and a great chance to indulge yourself in the history and culture of our country. It’s beautiful, has a great mix of historic and modern highlights and of course, is bilingual.

A walk through it’s downtown core and take you through the great ByWard market which is full of great stands and shops. You can get fresh berries, delicious meats and beautiful jewelery all in a couple blocks.

Take a walk west to see the parliament buildings – and while you’re at it, visit the cats on the hill. They’ve been there for a while and have their own house and feeding area. But they roam free.

One of the cats on the hill. He's looking a little annoyed, that may be because... (Photo by Caitlin S. M. Sabean)

... this raccoon is stealing it's food! (Photo by Caitlin S. M. Sabean).

A recommended visit is to Sparks Street, a historic outdoor mall. During the August long weekend, that’s where they held Buskerfest. Sparks street has a great mix of high end stores and stores for little souvenirs. And on your way there you can pass the National War Memorial and take a picture of its new guards, who have been there ever since someone decided it would be a good idea to pee on it.

A guard marches in front of the National War Memorial in Ottawa (Photo by Caitlin S. M. Sabean).

Ottawa is also home to several amazing museums and galleries, including the National Art Gallery, The Canadian Museum of Civilization and a newly renovated Canadian Museum of Nature.

A very large prehistoric turtle hangs from the ceiling of the Canadian Museum of Nature (Photo by Caitlin S. M. Sabean).

The Canadian War Museum, which has a large collection of war memorabilia (including Hitler’s car) has a huge room dedicated to tanks, cannons and other large mementos of the wars of the past. It also has a current exhibit all about camouflage, with entries from both the battlefield and the catwalk.

A CF-101 Voodoo soars above the tank and armoury exhibit in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa (Photo by Caitlin S. M. Sabean).

Samples of camouflage in the Canadian War Museum's current exhibit (Photo by Caitlin S. M. Sabean).

If you are going to Ottawa for a few days and would really like to see a fair few of their museums, it is recommended to consider Canada’s Capital Museum Passport. It gives you an extremely good discounted rate on museums if you plan to see more than four during your stay. And considering they are Canada’s national museums, it’s a very good idea to see them and get an idea of Canada’s past and culture.

Tips on back Country Food Planning – Focus on Breakfast

The easiest way to create a disappointing experience in the back country is by eating dull, repetitive and poorly planned meals. Spectacular scenery, brilliant weather, beautiful campsites and solitude (if you want it) will be forgotten and maybe not even enjoyed if your menu planning doesn’t cause you to look forward to your meals.
There are many books on back country cuisine which contain a vast number of recipes of varying complexity. The goal is to balance variety, nutrition and creativity with time and effort. If every meal takes 90 minutes to prepare, then it’s a chore. Consider bringing supplies for one challenging new “from scratch” recipe and try it on a wind bound or rainy day or when you stop traveling early. Bring a couple of the instant freeze dried meals (after trying a few of them to see which ones you like) for days when you travel until late and have little energy to start soaking beans and making brown rice.

Any back country trip requires a menu plan. Why not start with the foods which you would eat at home? If you like eggs Benedict every morning, then you’ll probably need to make some changes. I eat cooked cereal most mornings anyway and this is an excellent back country food because it’s light to carry, needs only water and a pinch of salt to prepare and is easy to cook on a fire or a stove. I also like brown sugar and milk on my cereal so I bring those too. I like soup (except in very hot weather), bread, cheese and jam for lunch so we usually have that. Dinners require the most planning but it doesn’t have to be boiled pasta every night. How about pizza or sheppards pie? With some basic equipment at home and in the field, almost anything is possible.

Back to breakfast. Here is our routine: I love to drink tea first thing, so I get up, light the fire (or the stove if there is a fire ban or if conditions are too wet) and put water on to boil. I use one bag each of orange pekoe, earl grey and chai. I mix up 2 cups of powdered milk which will be used in the tea, the cereal and then the coffee. I like honey in tea so we bring that in a Nalgene jar. As I sip my first cup of tea, I start on the cereal – large flake oats, red river cereal or cream of wheat. We pre-measure cereal quantities and store servings in light ziplocks with the required water quantity written on the bag. I always add dried berries or ripe blueberries if they are around. We eat the cereal and finish the tea. I start the coffee in a percolator as we wash dishes and pack up. I have learned that a small fire works best for the percolator and it has taken me years to learn not to overload the top with coffee. Ten or fifteen minutes of slow percolation makes great coffee. We also bring pancake mix for mornings where we have a little more time and especially if there are ripe blueberries nearby. We drink coffee as we prepare to set out for the day and, if I time everything properly, we launch the canoe and begin our day’s journey with my second cup of coffee riding right in front of my on the top of the kitchen box. Just thinking of that makes me want to get out there right now.

Did I give a thumbs down to eggs Benedict? Come to think of it, it’s not impossible at all. I will write more later on food dehydrators. You would need one for this dish. Eggs can be dried easily (they must be scrambled for drying – sorry, no poached eggs unless you want to keep them refrigerated and carry them whole – maybe for the first morning) and so can Hollandaise sauce and even ham. English muffins are a stretch but toast might be almost as good. Liquids dry into a crumbly powder and rehydrate easily. So, I will eat my porridge and you can have your eggs Benedict and we will both have a great day in the back-country.

Sherpa Nad Experience: Paddleboarding

Paddleboarding. The best way to describe the experience is surfing meeting canoeing.  Its a strange marriage of techniques and equipment and its quite challenging while being highly relaxing at the same time. Its a new sport that has received a lot of attention and is growing quickly across North America. Originating in Hawaii  “The sport is an ancient form of surfing, and reemerged as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of learner surfers, as standing on the board gave them a higher viewpoint, increasing visibility of what was going on around them – such as incoming swell . To begin with, this started with using a one-bladed paddle, whilst standing on a normal length surfboard.” *Courtesy of Wikipedia

For my lesson, I was on a “beginner board” its a little heavier and not as tippy as the more sophisticated boards. The paddle itself that you use is huge, I am about 5’6 in height, my paddle was probably close to 6′ foot. My instructor for the hour was the lovely and free spirited Alex.  After a run down on basic steering on land it was time to get on the board. When I watched Alex get on his board, I was a little unnerved. But, it’s actually not that bad. You just have to take your time and not jump on the board.You essentially kneel on it then use the paddle to help yourself stand.

Once you’re up it all about balance. I spotted a green buoy about 15 meters from where we got on the boards so I set that as my initial goal. Once I got out in the lake, it was natural.  I found the technique to be very similar to canoeing, but I did end up going in a full circles at times despite my best efforts,  it’s hard to actually stay straight consistently. As I got more comfortable, it was time to race.  Once you get the speed of the board up its actually easier to remain straight and its a ton of fun. The only fear I had was wake from passing boats but even that was manageable.  You just had to remember to try and cut through the waves vs being sideways when they hit otherwise you get thrown off balance.

From an exercise standpoint its tough. You use a lot of core strength, and a lot of legs to keep control of the board.

Things to remember if you opt to try it out:

Keep you legs bent and loose, you will absorb waves better this way.

You can kneel and paddle or lay flat on the board and just relax (its quite comfortable for napping on apparently).

If you fall in, (I didn’t this time) it appears to be easy to get back on the board.

Parking or dismounting the board was the only major challenge I found there to be. Just trying to maneuver close enough to the dock to get off the board was tricky.

All in, I loved it. Its relaxing and highly enjoyable. Alex is a great  instructor, I recommend you ask for him when you book.  He is also an avid windsurfer – so I may have windsurfing lessons in my near future, will keep you posted on that.

Paddle Toronto does have lockers for valuables  (locks included) and all kinds of tours and lessons available.

I found out they have full moon canoe tours and social BBQ day trips which I plan to check out next.

Check them out: Paddle Toronto – Queens Quay

For more info: PaddleBoarding

Humber Statues – By Artist Peter Riedel

Ride Review: Albion Hills

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to ride for the first time at Albion Hills Conservation Area.  Tucked up near Bolton it is a very well maintained, easy to access relatively inexpensive park. Entrance fees are $7 a person, camping sits at $27 a night. From what I saw, its definitely more of a day trip location as the camps sites are right on top of each other and there is not a lot of privacy but, the trails, the true gold of the park are well worth it.

From the website:

“Located 40 minutes northwest of Toronto, in the rolling hills of Caledon, Albion Hills is the outdoor enthusiasts dream. In winter, 27 kilometers of skiing trails are groomed for cross country skiers while skaters take to the lake and toboggans come flying down the hill. In the summer months, Albion Hills plays host to the Chico 24-Hours of Summer Solstice and the Caledon Canada Day celebrations.”

I love mountain biking, I am not great at it but I am getting better with practice. The trails are colored with markers to indicate easy to hard. They have single track and double track trails as well. We did both single and double rides but stuck primarily to the endurance double track lanes. The trails are very well maintained and clearly marked so there is little chance of getting lost or going to far off track. The scenery is beautiful, the patrons on the trails were pretty social people and respectful as well. All in, it was a great afternoon of riding and I recommend to any level of mountain biker to check it out. It took us about 40 minutes to get there from Toronto, so the distance is reasonable.

The park also hosts races during some weeknights as well as two 24 hours ride races.

Some details on the park:

Over 40 kilometers of double-track and technical single-track trail
Fast, rolling terrain and long down-hills
Situated on 486 hectares (1,200 acres) of beautiful forest in the hills of Caledon
Bike wash station
Shower and washroom facilities
Full-service campground and parking

http://www.trca.on.ca/enjoy/activities/mountain-biking-cycling.dot

Upcoming Orienteering Events

In these hot summer days, running in the trails and wooded areas of the parks of Toronto can be quite a refreshing experience. The Toronto Orienteering Club continues to host orienteering runs every Wednesday starting at 6:15pm. For a full schedule of the runs in different parks visit http://www.toronto-orienteering.com/wednesday.html

Also, the Club will be hosting the 3rd race of the “Why Just Run?” series on August 14th at the Toronto Islands. If you have never done orienteering or adventure running before, this is a great opportunity to get started. The race basically works like this: you will receive a detailed topographical map with control locations identified and you’ll decide on the best course to visit all of the control points. You’ll carry an electronic timing chip that will capture the time it took for you to get to each control. You will have the choice to run the beginner course where only minimal map reading abilities are required. Early bird registration rates are valid until August 3rd, so hurry to enjoy the discounts.

If you have any questions on how to get started at orienteering please get in touch with me at guilherme.barboneATgmail.com

Cheers!

Gui