Sibylle's blog

Pat and I were the only mainlanders following teagirl's call to harvest Spaghetti Trees in East Sooke Park this past Saturday. A shame really, as the scenery, trails and superb event hosting by Katie make this a must-do trip for any Fat Ass worth their trail shoes ;-)

Ok, I am late with this, but here we go:

Goal #1: Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 25km.  done 1/1

Goal #2: Healing my torn ankle ligament! done 1/1

Goal # 4: Participating in at least the following other events/races: 8/11

Because of a torn calf muscle, my resolutions and plans for 2010 were modest.  It's time to look back and evaluate how I did:

Goal #1: Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50km.  
Achievement: Accomplished 100% - not only did I finish the full 50km, I also improved my time.

After last weeks white-out and retreat from Seymour, the forecast today looked promising and I planned to bag DePencier Bluffs.  A unsuspecting guest at a friends dinner party last night, Karen, got roped into the action.  Little did she know about the Bagger Challenge, waterbagging and helicopter rides.

Karen arrived for a late start around 9:30 at my house.  I tried not to freak her out as I set her up with a flashlight, emergency blankie and a whistle.  
 

After my fall two weeks ago and missing the Sunshine in September run and most of the Mountain Highway Madness, I was eager to get out on the trails again.  A 10min trial run had established that I wouldn't be able to go for a longer run, but I felt confident, that I could go on a shorter hike.  Perfect timing, as Wendy, who also is recovering from a fall, was game for a little peak bagging.  

Without much discussion, we settled on heading for DePencier Bluffs, the newest kid on the block with regards to the Bagger Challenge, and by all accounts an easy peak that could be done before lunch without problem.   The weather forecast was for rain overnight and it looked like things could ease up mid morning.  Well, it didn't just rain overnight, it hammered....Noticed that the forecast was downgraded and now called for heavy rain, but undeterred, I picked up Wendy on the way to the base of Seymour.

While I don't like running alone, I do cherish the peace of the trails...something that cannot be found on the Grouse Grind.  No peace on the GG.  How is it that on adjacent trails, i.e. St Georges, Per Gynt etc you usually don't see a soul, yet there are hundreds of sweaty bodies crawling, huffing, puffing and running up the GG... 

The stars lined up to see my friend Pat, my 12 year old son and 14 year old second cousin visiting from Germany ready for an assault on Mount Strachan and Hollyburn this past Thursday.

The forecast was for possible thunder showers in the afternoon and the morning dawned hot, humid and ominously dark.  A quick check of my email showed that Pat didn't cancel or question the weather.