Training Log Archive: revy

Larch Hill traverse with Sean, James and Wakana. We started at South Canoe and used the new singeltrack connection. This climbs along a nice ridge feature and then through a cut block before joining a logging road. It was an easier climb than from Sicamous so makes the W-E traverse much more appealing now. I think if I went E-W I would still exit at Rubberhead.

The original sections of trail are in amazing shape (other than a few overgrown spots in cutblocks). I think the trail gets the perfect amount of traffic to keep it clear but not damage or widen the trail. We had a few stops for snacks and to let Wakana catch up. Seani of course didn't bring many snacks - "isn't this just a 4 hour ride?":)

The cutblocks are growing fast and the views are unfortunately disappearing but still a great ride.

Greenbelt run with Milo.

Up river exploration solo - took the Bark out for a change and it really feels more sporty than my Sunova. I though that the current looked low enough that I could try the left side. A couple of the pinch points were quite hard work - moving half a foot per stroke. Once I got beyond the golf course I needed to portage two sections to get into the Big Eddy. I did a CCW loop through the eddy using the current. I headed back on the river left channel for some added excitement.

Silvercup Ridge with Brett - a birthday present to myself (I like doing big activities on my birthday). We warmed up on the road which was useful as the first hour of the climb was pretty stiff (20% sections). The middle section eased off and then steeper again. I can't imagine doing this climb mid summer as I got very sweaty during this October summer. The first reliable water that we hit was near the top. The alpine colours are spectacular at the moment and we even found one patch of golden larches.

We chose the north mining road option once on the ridge and this has better views in my opinion. The hiking section has a much more obvious moto track on it now - overall the trail is much more obvious due to the moto traffic. There were a few tricky sidehill sections and a few steep hills that required hiking (more hiking than I remembered from last time). We had a few longer stops but still made good time and matched the time from 2015. The legs were definitely feeling the cumulative climbing and towards the end easier hills were hard to manage. We chatted about trying the alternative alpine option towards the end but we were both too tired to make the day harder. The aforementioned moto traffic has really chewed up the descent to the point that it was rather sketchy. I'm not sure I would want to ride it again... though of course in a few weeks I will have forgotten how sketchy it was;)

My bike Garmin died - battery life is too short for these all day adventures - hence the two tracks.

C • Wow! 4

Tree-cutting. Someone had already cut the trees I had aimed to clear so I moved higher up the trail.

A run on the trail along Dolan Creek with some stops for tree cutting.

Greenbelt run with Milo.

Columbia River with Courtney (to start). I'm on call again overnight so needed to be within cell service for back up call. The water levels are very low so I thought that we could make our way upstream, Courtney was not keen so she turned back. I walked my boat across the wing dam, ferried across the narrow channel and used the back eddy to head upstream (with one more walk across a rock bar). I managed to make it to the last house and possibly could have made it to the Big Eddy.

On call this weekend (hence the days off - I am finding it hard to plan exercise when I am on call for 12 hours of the day). Today I had to stay within cell service so I couldn't join Courtney on her trip to Keystone. Instead Milo and I went exploring up the Kirkup drainage. I'd like to get up Turtle at some point and potentially traverse to Copeland but this will require some bush whacking. Today's obkective was to check out an old logging road and see if the forest at the end was conducive to off trail travel... the road was OK other than alder in the avalanche paths and the the forest was manageable. Could possibly make it into the alpine in a couple hours from the truck.