Talk about a weird run!

I had the weirdest run this afternoon.

It all started harmless enough.  The sun was shining and I made the decision to go for a longer loop through Capilano Canyon, down Cap Pacific, along Bowser, MacKay Creek and then back home via Mosquito Creek.  A modified Night Run loop with a few twists and turns thrown in to get my distance up.  There were lots of people on the trails including a lost Japanese tourist, a semi lost group with small children, other Fat Asses (Paul, Action Jackson and Penny) and then the weird ones...

I was minding my own business, when coming around a corner on the CP, I passed two guys...one happily peeing against a tree.  Walking distance to the next washroom maybe 1km.  Come on guys. How urgent can it be???  And if it is urgent, is it too much to ask to scramble off the trail a bit to get out of sight?

Just as I was getting over the first incident, I come across the second guy also relieving himself.  This time, I am out of the trails on an urban road, close to Maring Drive...we are talking busy here.  There probably were about 10 store/restaurant locations within spitting (maybe I should say peeing) distance were one could have asked to use the facilities.  Heck, there even is a public washroom in the adjacent park. 

Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me - I usually do carry it around on my runs and I promise that I will take a photo of the next guy I see peeing in public on our busy urban trails. I bet there is a Flickr group just waiting for my submissions.

By now I am on the last 2km of my run.  It's past lunchtime and my gut is growling. Eager to get home, I am shuffling up Mosquito Creek.  A black shape hanging of a branch beside the trail catches my attention.  It looks like a squirrel...no wait, it looks like a squirrel hung up by its hind legs, um,  it looks like the fur of a skinned squirrel hung upside down by its hind legs. 

I am not faint of heart and rather curious by nature.  Debating who would detest squirrels so much to go to the trouble to catch and skin one...Action Jackson?  Just kidding! I get closer to the black thing and start thinking that maybe I should start feeling sick...Well, what I saw was a squirrel alright, but it was alive and well and jumped away when I was so close I could have touched it with my outstretched hand (it was still looking rather weird and motionless). 

I've seen a lot of squirrels trying a lot of antics (have you ever seen them trying to get to the food in a so called squirrel proofed bird feeder?), but I have never seen a squirrel hanging motionless, upside down in a tree.  I swear it was napping ;-)  

Next time I will bring my camera along for sure.