2005 (Second Running) Forbidden Forest Run Starters
2005 Forbidden Forest Run Finish Line
2005 Forbidden Forest Run Finishers Enjoying a Celebratory Pint
Injury and a lack of planning saw the second running of the Forbidden Forest run postponed until the late summer of 2005. To shake things up a bit, we opted to set off on our mission earlier so as to not run the risk of missing last call at the pub. We kept the same route, but added a solo Kamikaze bicycle rider who would ride scout in front of the runners with a walkie talkie and take the hit for the team, should it be required.
Given that the route had already been run and that veteran Capilano Commandos were on the mission, there was less need to consult the maps. It took roughly 90 minutes to cover the 10K trek to the Forbidden Forrest.
The proper hardware was at hand to get not only the runners but the scout bike into the Forrest. Would the patrol come at the same time? Since it was daylight, would we know when a patrol was approaching? Was the rumor about heat sensors and helicopter patrols being implemented true? With these and other questions in mind, we set off into the Forbidden Forest.
In the light of day, the Forbidden Forest looked even more magical than in the night. Our biker tried to stay a kilometer or so ahead of the runners with explicit instructions to warn us of any approaching patrols, be they overhead, on the trail or on foot. 10K, 15K, 20K, 25K into the Forrest the warning didn't come, so our biker held back with runners. "Lights!" the call rang out and Capilano Commandos scattered into the dark forest. False alarm. We had reached the end of the Forbidden Forest and were given a fright by car lights from the city.
There was no race for the pub, as we were a couple of hours earlier and our destination had chanced to the Mosquito Creek. Yeh... there would be time to have some burgers with our celebratory beer!
Mission accomplished. 100% finish rate with no casualties whatsover.
