Oh yeah, the data coverage in the Banff area by Bell Mobility is non-existant, so the mobile Blackberry twitters and blog update of the trip are just not happening the way I’d anticipated.
Author: garry.c.stewart
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The warm up hike
Today, just outside of Canmore, the group met in a mountain road parking lot for the warm-up hike. The start time was 1pm, but some of the group were delayed until shortly after 2pm. With everyone assembled we started the climb which was about 3,000 vertical feet of solid up hill. My cycling payed of, and my legs were good,and the cardio, while fairly intense, was quite managable.
We hung out at the top for quite a while enjoying the view and taking pictures. The climb up was about 1 hr and 20 minutes and we were pushed by a mother anddaughter team that did it in one hour, we ust could not let them pass us.
Going down was a different story. I found it quite hard on my legs, nees, and feet. This is not a cycling motion at all. At the end our smaller group was quite tired and wondering how we’ll make out on tomorrow’s 8-10 hour trek climbing 6,000 vertical.
Off to bed soon as we need to leave Banff at 4:30am to be at the base start location by 6am. After today’s performance they decided that we need an extra hour of daylight.
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On the road
Well the top is down and we’re crusing across Saskatchewan on a glorious sunny day. I estimate. That we’re half way to. Banff andjust passing Swift current. Speeds a little. Over the limit but hey, its a road trip. Less talk now with the wind noise but still a good time. Darcy seems to be holding up ok in.the back. More latter…
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The Adventure Begins
It’s 4:30am and I’m getting the gear together for the 16 hr drive to Banff to climb Mt Thompson. At 5 I’ll pick up one of the other guys and we’ll go to transfer to the convertible at 5:30am for the top down road trip. I’m stoked.
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Project of the Day
I’ve been thinking about how to store the kayaks without having them on the dock for some time now. The original idea was to have two “J” shaped brackets with webbing strung between to cradle the kayak, but I was worried about the stability of the top “J” being only supported by the vertical outside post, which in turn is supported by a 2×4 bolted to the bottom of the dock. The weigh shouldn’t be a problem as I can stand on either support arm and each kayak is approximately 50lbs, so with both on the rack each end only needs to carry that weigh.
After staring at the problem for several days, I came up with this idea. The top cradle is hinged so after the top boat is removed the cradle can be flipped back to gain full access to the lower boat. This method allows for better support on the dock-side uprights and improved stability.
It was a wonderful sunny morning with a strong west wind blowing across the point, so while it is relatively calm water in front of the cottage, there is a nice breeze to keep things from getting too hot. Even so, after a while of working with my shirt off, I could feel the potential of a nice sunburn coming on, so on with a shirt and hat. Gee, is that wisdom or old age? A hat, since when…?
As I’m warping up the job and doing a little dock repair I hear Shirley scream from outside the lower door of the cottage, “Garry! Come quickly, there is something in the cottage!”. We’ll after the recent attack of the Squirrel Army, we’re a little on edge so I came flying up the stairs. Sure enough, as I go in the door I can hear a clatter, but soon determine that it’s just something thunking around in the dryer. Crisis averted. The Fortress is still secure from intruders.
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Great day at the Lake
Today was the first day of our vacation with clear skies and no rain. We had a late breakfast on the dock and then headed out in the kayaks. We circumnavigated Sultana Island for a 11.7km tour which saw a deer, a trutle, and several bald eagles (no photo’s this time) .
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Plans for today
It’s raining, again. Fully overcast with a forecast for thundershowers, but hey it’s Sunday at the lake and by 5pm, the sun will be out as many head back into the city, but not us, we’re still on vacation and Monday is looking awesome at 26 and sunny!
In spite of the weather, we’re heading out to catch the 8:30am start of the 4th annual Kenora Borealis Triathlon / Duathlon. I’ve seen some very cool Tri bikes around town this week, so it should be interesting.
The 4th annual Kenora Borealis Triathlon / Duathlon takes place on Sunday July 20th at Garrow Beach on Rabbit Lake in Kenora. It features an Olympic and Sprint Triathlon, a Long and Sprint Duathlon, and a Try-a Tri (for athletes 12 & up). The Long Duathlon and Sprint Triathlon are qualifying events for the 2009 Triathlon World Championships
Assuming we’re not in a torrential downpour, we’ll head over to the Tunnel Island trails to repair one of my geocaches. After that, we’re winging it.
