After attending the Rememberance Day Ceremony Downtown today I zipped over to Gatineau Park to take advantage of the mid-week day off and hit the trails. There were a lot more people than I expected on the trail today.
My goal this afternoon was to do the 10.5 km Wolf Loop Trail in 72 minutes. To some people 72 minutes may sound like a lot of time to do 10.5 kms but in my defence the park map claims Wolf Loop takes 4.25 hours (that means it should take an active person about 3 hours to walk).
Why 72 minutes you ask? My Voyage into Trance (Paul Oakenfold) mp3 is 72 minutes of the best running music I`v ever heard. Trance music is the shiznit for running as far as I`m concerned. I guess the trance beat is my ideal running cadence.
My goal looked ambitious after the first kilometre which was mostly ankle deep mud - a trend that continued on the flats for the whole trail. Mud and wet rocks with cold, wet, heavy, feet is not condusive to fast times - just good times! In the end I managed to finish in 68 minutes 34 seconds.
I very happy with my time especially considering the trail conditions. I might not be so happy when I wake up sore and stiff tomorrow...
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Gearhead 1 - the Stove
Stoves - Everywhere I read I see the MSR pocket rocket ( http://www.msrgear.com/stoves/pocketrocket.asp ) as the pinnacle of the lightweight food heating implement and the fuel canisters are readily available along the trail. The running man owns a Pocket Rocket and we used it in the ‘Dacks. It is an impressive piece of equipment - small, lightweight and very effective. The MSR Superfly also looks like an option albeit heavier and more expensive because it will accept a variety of fuel canisters reducign the chance of being caught without fuel. Plus it`s called the SUPERFLY!
It’s only real competition in my mind is this: http://www.zzstove.com/sierra.html . I’ve never seen one of these things so it would be a bit of a gamble but it sounds super cool. It’s more economical in ther long run as it only requires an occasional battery and on a forest trail I would not have to be concerned about fuel usage. Sustained damp weather might present a problem as the fuel is scrounged off the ground.
Weight: Cooking time: Price:
MSR Pocket rocket with fuel: 7 oz. 3.5 mins $38.00
Spare fuel canister: 4 oz. 36 mins $4.75
ZZstove with battery: 16 oz. 4 mins $57.00
Spare battery (D-cell): 1 oz. 2100 mins! $2.00
The SUPERFLY is $44.00 and weight 4.6 oz. One real drawback (for me) to the MSR stoves is that the fuel canisters are not refillable and I don`t want to be lugging around empty fuel canisters until I find a place that will recycle them...
The way I see it the MSR stoves are easier lighter and in the long run more expensive for me and mother earth. The ZZ stove is heavy and I can envision fuel issues. There is a titanium version of the ZZ stove that weights only 10 oz. but then costs $129.00.
I’d be interested to hear from the peanut gallery.
It’s only real competition in my mind is this: http://www.zzstove.com/sierra.html . I’ve never seen one of these things so it would be a bit of a gamble but it sounds super cool. It’s more economical in ther long run as it only requires an occasional battery and on a forest trail I would not have to be concerned about fuel usage. Sustained damp weather might present a problem as the fuel is scrounged off the ground.
Weight: Cooking time: Price:
MSR Pocket rocket with fuel: 7 oz. 3.5 mins $38.00
Spare fuel canister: 4 oz. 36 mins $4.75
ZZstove with battery: 16 oz. 4 mins $57.00
Spare battery (D-cell): 1 oz. 2100 mins! $2.00
The SUPERFLY is $44.00 and weight 4.6 oz. One real drawback (for me) to the MSR stoves is that the fuel canisters are not refillable and I don`t want to be lugging around empty fuel canisters until I find a place that will recycle them...
The way I see it the MSR stoves are easier lighter and in the long run more expensive for me and mother earth. The ZZ stove is heavy and I can envision fuel issues. There is a titanium version of the ZZ stove that weights only 10 oz. but then costs $129.00.
I’d be interested to hear from the peanut gallery.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Pine Grove
First things first - despite the photo it wasn't very piney. As expected it was flat with a broad clear trail. More like a soft top road than a trail really.
Not really the best place for hiking but it is an excellent place for running. No traffic, nice soft ground to run on, quiet, lots of ridiculously friendly people (dog walkers mostly with a fair portion of runners). Even through it's technically a trail the broad flat surface disqualifies it as "trail running" IMHO. I didn't do all three loops as had I planned as a poor choice of socks left me with a heel blister and, quite frankly, it was kinda dull. Did I mention it was all flat all the time? No scenic views or wildlife to speak of either, too many dogs for the wildlife I guess.
So about the blister, one pair of loose hand knit wool socks was not a good idea. Yes, loose even on my size 12.5's. I think I'll either have to stick with the lightweight sock and a sock liner plan which has worked well in the past or maybe I just need to soak my feet in tea. I prefer to drink my tea but I read that soaking your feet in tea will make them tough and leathery therefore helping to prevent blisters.
In closing, sock liners and technical hiking socks can start off Ken's Christmas wish list.
(notice how I seamlessly slipped the sizing into the narrative above!)
(notice how I seamlessly slipped the sizing into the narrative above!)
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