The Full LaCloche- Promising Beginnings Followed by Stark Reality

The LaCloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney Provincial Park... to be referred to henceforth as the LaCloche!

I have hiked portions of this trail before-in both the East and West directions, but up until this point I had never contemplated hiking the full thing.     I remember the first time I saw this sign... so ominous and foreboding and definitely a warning that this trail is not for the faint of heart!

Photo Credit- S

A little history- My backpacking experience over the last 10 years has mainly consisted of hiking into a designated spot and then staying put for a few days.  Truly it is more like a Backcountry Spa experience than backpacking- complete with hot stone massages and opportunities to practice meditating in natural surroundings.... sounds great right?

It is!!!!!

In fact, there have been many occasions when I sat dry and snug under a tarp eating my pancakes and bacon and secretly laughed at thru-hikers- walking in the gloom of rain storms.   Who would want to do that????

Well apparently I do.....

Believe me... no one was shocked more than I was, when I decided on my last trip to the La Cloche that I wanted  to challenge myself and do a thru hike of this trail.   It took another year before I felt ready to commitment to this adventure.

I began my preparations for this hike in March 2018 by watching YouTube videos about the LaCloche trail while working out on the elliptical carrying "Wee Angus" my mid- size pack.  Once I exhausted all the LaCloche video's I moved on to other trails-  The Appalachian Trail; The Pacific Crest Trail; The Alps; The West Highland Way; The John Muir Trail, etc, etc.  How I looked forward to my nightly trips around the world.  Hands down the best 45 minutes to 1 hour of my day.

Side note:  If you choose to use this method of preparing, disappointment may occur on the trail, as you will not be able to finish the trail in 45 minutes to an hour.... there is way more walking, carrying way more weight... (insert sad emoji here).  Future disappointment aside- YouTube ended up being a useful tool, as the videos contained helpful information about the campsites, where the last water stops were for miles and about the terrain that I could expect to cover.

My good friend S decided she wanted to join me on the trip.  Our first obstacle was negotiating how long this trip was going to take.  I wanted to complete the trail in 8 days and she wanted to spread it over 10 days.  A compromise of 9 days on the trail was reached and for once we were able to book all the sites we wanted.  S and I felt like we had won the lotto as this hardly ever happens when booking campsites in Killarney's backcountry... be prepared to do some quick rejigging of your plans.  On my last trip I ran into a woman who couldn't get the site she wanted which meant she had to walk 22 km in one day to get to the next available site. 

S and I were feeling good about the trip.  Most days had manageable distances with the longest day being 12.6 km.  We spent the months leading up to the trip kinda freaking each other out.  I trained with the pack and S worried that I would be more in shape.  S started running and riding her bike longer and longer distances, I freaked out I was going to the be the weak link.  All summer long this non-competition/competition played out.  It stands to reason that all this pushing would result in the inevitable injury.  S was recovering from a frozen shoulder.  She was happy that the shoulder was starting to unfreeze when her other shoulder decided it did not want to be left out of the fun and it started down the path of freezing as well.   Me-  Well I ended up with plantar fascia pain and a recurrence of shin splints in my left leg. We were two weeks away from the trip and both of us were humming and hahing if our bodies would be up for the challenge.... me more than S.  S was game to give it a try.  I was a little harder to convince, but after some sessions with the AccuHealth my foot and shin pain were manageable and I decided pain or no pain I was in as well.

As it turns out, my leg and foot pain might have been a gentle warning that the La Cloche was not for me. But did I listen.... of course NOT!  The universe, fearing for my safety, tried to warn me in other ways.

Here was the fortune that I received in my fortune cookie three days before the trip.

I will admit my superstitious side was starting to freak out and lead to my purchase of both a splint and compass... both of which I have never felt the need to backpack with.  My spidey senses were alert and I decided I needed more cosmic wisdom and consulted  The Book of Answers on the matter.

Q:  Will the camping trip go okay?
A:  "Starling events may occur as a result!"

AHHHHHHH!

Definitely not the reassurance I was looking for before heading out on the trail.  What could happen?  When would it happen?  Would I come out of this alive???????

Day 1-  Stalkerazzi- Wilderness Style

On the drive to the Park, S and I decided that if we could, we would change our campsite for the first night to one further down the trail.  We wanted to lessen the distance we needed to travel on Day 2 as it was supposed to rain. 

  

We were second in line to check in.  Our jaws dropped as we listened to the three Dudes who were in front of us talking about their plans with the Park Ranger.  The Dudes planned on doing the full 78 km in two nights/three days...... How??? WHY!   Like I mean WHYYYYYYY! I thought I was pushing the envelope when I had suggested doing the trail in 8 days, as the literature recommends 7 as the minimum number of days to do the trail. 

"The Dudes" became a staple in our conversation. What would possess someone to do a 7-10 day trail in three days?  Did their camping permits get stamped high risk as indicated on the maps and trail information packages? How long were they going to walk each day?

S & I would talk about what we might encounter, about what was happening, but somehow the conversation would drift back to the Dudes.  This topic was usually introduced with a- Why?  That was all that was needed to know what would follow- the Dudes.   It would take us three more days to find the answers to our questions.

  

We were about 3 kms in on the trail when a familiar feeling over took my body.  Heat rose from my feet and started to overwhelm me.  Whooshing started to sound in my ears and my vision started to get spotty.  The urge to shuck my pack and lie down was strong.  If I didn't get it off and get down low I knew that it wouldn't be long before I lost my vision. 

I shimmed my arms out of the arm straps and let Atholl (my big pack) drop like a stone to the ground.  I wasn't far behind in planting my keester.  Then the focus was on my breathing..... in.... out..... in.... out.  Eventually my swimming vision wasn't so swimmy and I felt like I could redon Atholl and continue onward as long as we could stop and rest a little at Acid Lake.  Here was the view.

Acid Lake

We made it to our camp site in good time and H6 on Cave Lake was spectacular.  The ground was so soft and there was a lot of flat rocks to lie down on... and that was the first thing that I did once Atholl and I parted ways.  The next step was getting my sweaty boots and socks off.  There is nothing as delightful as shedding 60 lbs in a matter of seconds.  The only problem is it takes a bit to get used to the immediate weight loss.... enter the drunken staggering.... not drunk from alcohol but from freedom! 

Cave Lake- Initial views

In the backcountry- the doffing of the pack and boots is  quickly followed by setting up camp.  I grabbed a hold of the end of my tent and flicked my wrists to begin the unfurling. End over the end the tent unwound until it was lying flat.  As this was happening I could hear a rattling ring which baffled me.  What was that sound and where was is coming from?

It didn't take long to find out.  As the tent reach the end of the roll something small and round flung out the end and started rolling down the rocks.  I leaped up and ran after it, managing to catch it in some pine needles a few paces away.  As I opened my hand  I started chuckling.... the cat had booby trapped my tent.  He obviously heard my rant about only packing the essentials so he sent his prized possession with me.

Just what I didn't want, useless weight that I would have to  carry with me for 8 more days.  But the first rule of backpacking is packing out what you pack in so this dingle ball was going on an adventure of a life time.

Tents up, it was time to get the rope up in the tree for bear hanging the food.  This chore falls to me as it seems it is one of my super powers.  I credit my lucky rock from Lake Superior, but I suppose skill could also be involved.   S was amazed that I was able to get the line up in the tree on the first try..... she obviously forgot about the lucky rock and about my mad rock throwing skills!

All the chores completed... it was time to explore.  Cave Lake is called Cave Lake because it has a.... wait for it....  a cave!  Can you make it out on the distant shore? 

Can you spot the cave?

I loved this site and really could have stayed here for the full duration of the trip, except for two things-  a school of freaky translucent fish and one giant-ass cat fish.  The translucent fish were freaky.  They followed your every move.  I had to resort to tricking them to scoop water i.e. feint right and quickly dart to the left.

Luckily the cat fish did not show up until the next morning.  I don't trust cat fish as they have a look of pure evil about them... it has to be the whiskers.... why do fish need whiskers????... they don't!  It's just not natural I tell you!.   I feared for my foot and toes which hovered just above the water holding the line for the water pump in position.  What if the cat fish launched itself out of the water and nabbed my toe.

Don't laugh!  You saw my fortunes pre trip.... it could have totally happened and then I would be down one or two toes and have to limp the rest of the 70 km.  I jumped up at least twice retreating away from the edge of the water as far away from the evil fishies as I could get.  Once my heart rate returned to normal I would plop back down to resume pumping but it didn't take long for the little suckers to return and scare me away again.  Friggin' Fish! 



Don't let the calm surface fool you.... freaky fish dwell in that there water!

Day 2-  Slaughtering the Pig, Drowning In a Upright Position and  a Side of Bear Attack

We were prepared for a full day of rain.  That was the forecast going in and one of the reasons we decided to hike an extra 3kms on the first day.  The rain started at 5:00 am but by 7:00 am it had quit.  We quickly packed up camp and ate breakfast before hitting the trail.  We couldn't believe our luck.  There was no sun, but no rain.  S & I hoped our luck would hold out and we could make it to our next site before the rain hit.

There is an infamous hill on the LaCloche.... called the Pig.  It is the longest and highest portage for those that are canoeing.  For back packers it is a long and tedious cobble hill that keeps going and going and going.  At one point the Pig splits into a Y.  S & I were unclear which side we needed to travel on so S went right and I went left.  This of course remained me of a classic Scottish tune and it was a long time before I could get this song worm out of my head "So ye take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland before ye!."

As enduring and motivating as Scottish ditties can be I had to resort to  psychological tricks to get up the rest of the hill.  Enter my fav trick-  just walk 10 steps.... because anyone can walk 10 steps!  Using this technique I can usually make it 100 steps before I need a break to catch my wind and psych myself up for another 100 steps.

That's how the Pig was slaughtered on Day 2....100 steps at a time.

Now once you get past the Pig there is a short cut that can be taken at the base of a dam.  It cuts about 3- 3.5 km off the trail.  Sadly S gets nervous with river crossing.  We discussed it on our break at the top of ridge after the Pig and decided that we would take the actual trail, so that we were not cutting short our LaCloche experience.

Let me tell you.... if you can..... TAKE THE SHORT CUT!

The section of the trail past the short cut is by no means technically challenging but it is the longest and boringest section of the trail.  My grump was growing exponentially with every footstep.  When would the torture end.  It didn't... it just kept going on and on.   There is no redeeming scenery or views.... nothing to end the monotony.  It is what it is-  a path.  Luckily the yellow campsite sign popped up before my grump spilled over and my caustic thoughts spilled out of my mouth.

We stopped at H8 for lunch.  We hadn't been grazing long before I spotted a deer... the first non-frog/snake sighting of the trip.  A short while later we were treated to the grunty squeally call of an animal that neither of us had heard before... whatever it was it was talky.

I was just starting to feel human again when the rain started.  At first it was a mist, then it started coming down harder.  It lifted for a few minutes but then returned.  Our luck had run out.

I covered Atholl with the pack cover and swung him into place and head back out into the wilderness.  We had walked about 20 minutes when the skies opened up and the real rain came down. It came down so hard I started longing for the gentle rain of minutes before.   It soaked through the remaining dry spots in my clothing.  It ran down my legs and filled my boots.  Within seconds I was a walking talking river of wetness!

What can you do when you are caught in a deluge with no hope of drying off any time soon.... well you do what the folks of yore did... laugh hysterically and keep on laughing.... as the only alternative is to cry and that just makes you wetter.

Before you start feeling sorry for me let me fill you in on a fun fact... rain has a plus side!  It saves you time as you don't need to stop to rehydrate, as all you need to do is lick your lips to replenish fluids.

It wasn't long before my glasses were so spotty it was like looking through a kaleidoscope.... pretty but hard to see safe places to step and to locate blazes on the trees.  We were about to start up a little hill when S stopped dead in her tracks and says what no hiker wants to hear- "Is that a bear?"  Blind me asks- "Where???..... WHERE????"  She points and I'm frantically trying to rub the droplets off my glasses but as soon as the drops are wiped off the rain replaces what I removed.  I couldn't tell.  It could be a bear.

When in doubt play is safe.  I start blasting the air horn, we start talking to the bear telling it to leave.  S looks and says-  "It didn't  work.  It just stood up!"  We start the process all over only this time we begged the bear to leave.    Three to four minutes of talking and honking and the bear was still there.  That's when S realized it was a stump .  A tricky stump that when you stood one way it looked like a bear on all fours and when you moved to the right it looked like it was standing up.

Whew!  Bear attack survived we continued down the trail.

100%- Whatever! 

I would love to say the rain let up but it didn't.  It fell and fell and fell. The rain tested the moxy of our 100% Waterproof pack covers.  Sadly the covers failed and our packs were as wet as we were.   There was a brief moment when it was slightly lighter rain and we used that time to quickly set-up our tents and pump water on H16. Then we retreated into our tents to begin the process of changing out of our soaking clothes into something dry. 

It was hard to keep the water out of the tent.  Thank goodness for plastic bags, towels and separate tents.  Each of us had a dry side in the tent and a wet side.  I wrung out my clothes, would wait a few minutes and wrung out more water.  It was horrible.  We didn't have time to hang the food, thinking that the rain would let up again and we could hang it then.  But the rain had a mind of it's own.  We add our lunch food for supper as the rain was too heavy to go out and use a stove to cook a meal.  At one point a brave chipmunk, looking for food and a dry spot to dine in, ducked under my fly and tried to steal my food bag.  Cheeky little bugger!

Realizing that the rain was going to keep on going, I finally donned my rain gear and went in search of a tree to hang the food from.  The lucky rock was not so lucky today, as the line was wet and kept getting hung up on the branches.  It took three times to finally get the line up on a branch.   Too boot it wasn't a perfect branch to hang food from as the bag ended up being about 6-7 feet from the ground....  but it was up and my dryish tent was waiting.  I huddled into my sleeping bag and prepared for sleep while listening to the weather report for the next day.  Great more possible rain.  Nuts!

Day 3-  Loonie Tunes a la Pepto

Day 3  started with the need to make an important decision.....  to wear my soaked clothing or my only remaining dry clothes????  I chanced it and went with fresh clothes.  As I was packing up I became aware that my stomach was doing flip flops and the thought of eating made me want to hurl.  Although happy that the incessant rain had lifted, every bone in my body screamed turn back.  It isn't worth it! There are way better ways to amuse yourself than to continue on!  Sadly S was rejuvenated.  Even our bear scare wasn't enough to dampen her spirit.  She was raring to get back out on the trail and convinced me that I would be fine.

Within an hour we had broken camp and were on the trail again.  The talk reverted back to "The Dudes" as this would be the day we would be passing each other on the trail. Both S and I hoped we wouldn't run into the Dudes too soon, as it would mean they were hiking faster than we were.

It was about an hour into hiking, I had my first fall.  I was walking down a rocky slope and my feet shot out to the right skidding at a right angle to the direction I was travelling.  I went down in a baseball slide and managed to walk away with no bruises or scraps.  Whoo hoo!

It wasn't long after that we ran into a woman who was hiking solo.  She had planned to hike the full trail but after the rain of the day before she decided it wasn't safe to be on the trail alone and she was heading back to the campground.  We wished her well and I secretly wished I was travelling back with her.  So long!!!! Farewell!!!!

We were about two campsites away from the turn off to H21 when "The Dude's" announced their presence.  They obviously weren't expecting company, as they were talking about ball chaffing.  The Dude who had the chaffed balls apologized. I was going to point out that next time he should consider packing some Monkey Butt or talc.... but then thought better of it... who wants to talk about ball health with a stranger! 

Of course we had to ask them our burning question-  WHY!

As it turns out The Dudes are a fan of this extreme sports guru who does ultramarathoning and vlogs about it.  Their hero apparently did the full LaCloche in 9 hours.  The Dudes wanted to do the LaCloche in as little time as possible.  Well good on them.  Now if you are a male reading this and are now inspired by the Dudes just learn from their mistake.... plan for ball first aid.... as chaffing is a bitch!

We stopped at H20 for lunch and not a moment to soon.  My queasy stomach had turned into a griping gut and I needed the thunder box aka the privy in the worst way.  Now the privy on this sight is up a big hill.  In fact it is perched on the edge of a big hill and it looks out over the camp site.  Nice views... but not for the others in the camp site.  Poor S looked up just as I was dropping my drawers... she quickly looked away.... poor, poor S!

The one advantage of Day 3 was the weather turned out to be beautiful.  S and I took advantage of the sun laid out our wet clothing and boots trying to get in some drying time while it was available.  Given the shining sun we chanced listening to our iPods for the rest of the walk.  I laughed when the first song that came one was "Happy Idiot" by Seeds.  It seemed fitting, as I was really beginning to question my idea of fun.   

After what felt like an eternity we finally saw the yellow blaze that indicates a campsite.  We knew from the map that we had at least 1 km to walk before we got to the site, but we didn't know that it would be a scramble over rocks with lots of ups and downs.  Not something that you want when you are weary and your concentration is waning.  I was prepared for more wipe-outs, lucky for me, my ability to find good footing held out and we made it to the sight.

H21 was probably the best site out of the whole trip.  Had a sheltered spot for the tents, that was relatively level, great water access and no creepy fish!  The loons were out in full force and I was able to bear witness to a loon to loon rumble...  man are they loud.   There was sun and a breeze which aided in the speedy drying of our clothing and boots, with the exception of the socks I was wearing on Day 2... those puppies were perma-wet for the rest of the trip.

A little slice of heaven...  Three Narrows Lake

Unfortunately my stomach and my intestines were still rebelling.  I started popping Pepto and Gravol and hoped for the best.  Whether we turned around and went back or kept on going was all going to be dependent on how I felt on Day 4.

Day 4-  Torture with A Side of Bliss and a Gallon of Water

Decision Day!!!

I woke-up to find that my gut rebelled at the thought of oatmeal for breakfast but was really interested in beef jerky.... go figure.  I took this as a sign that we were meant to carry on.

We packed up in record time and faced the climb out of this site, had we known this was going to be the easy part of the day, we both might have decided to turn around.  It wasn't long before the climbs became "CLIMBS" and the downhills became "ARE You FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!!!!!".

S and I both stopped at the first big downhill.  This Mother Fudger went down.... way down and at a 80-85 degree slope.   The path was a mixture of loose dirt, rocks and a tree root here and there.  Definitely not the most stable footing.  S decided she would descend this beast facing down hill and as she slowly picked her way down the hill, I decided I would go the way of the bear.... turned to face uphill and lumber down backward.  My technique paid off.  I was down the hill in record time and patiently waited for S at the bottom.  It was hard not to be in awe of this hill and to know that we made it down unscathed carrying heavy packs.

When we got to the bottom and looked up we said in unison "Glad it wasn't raining while we did that!" (This seemed to become the catch phrase for the rest of the trip).

It wasn't long before we came to the water fall.  All my You-Tubing prior to the trip paid off.  I knew that this was the last predictable & accessible water spot until we hit our campsite for the night.  To save time we decided to scoop and chemically treat the water... our first attempt for the trip.  Loaded up with a fresh supply of water we continued along the trail.  That is when Surprise #2 happened.

Now I knew from the You-Tube videos that we would be walking beside the water fall what I didn't know that for part of it we would be walking in the water fall.  If you have read any of my back-packing blogs before you know that water + rocks+ my boots are not.... so NOT.... a good combination.  I had visions of tumbling a$$ over tea kettle down the waterfall back to the starting point.  Thank goodness luck was on my side and all that I suffered was the occasional boot slip that had my heart racing and adrenaline pumping.

We continued along..... long ups followed by steep downs until we got to H23.  I begged S to stop so that I could stretch out my abdomen, as my stomach was rolling again and my innards were complaining.  I made a trip or two to the privy and it was upon my second return that I realized my Fit Bit was MIA!

When was the last time I saw it??????

FUUDDDDGGGE#### - At the privy.

I headed back to the privy dreading the thought that I would have to make a decision.... scoop the Fit Bit out of the depths of the privy OR to bid it adieu.  The whole walk there I scanned and scanned the ground, hoping against hopes that I would find it lying there.... but alas there was no Fit Bit on the path to the privy or lying beside it.

I said a silent prayer as I lifted the lid of the privy and peered in at the murky mess that it held.......

WHAT????

No Fit Bit!  What the HELL!

More scanning of the ground...... packing and unpacking of the pack..... patting of all my pockets...... nothing?

S commented- "Are you sure it's not in your pocket?"  I was vehemently replying-  "I've CHECKED TWICE!!!!!"  as I felt the dang thing in the pocket of the pants I was wearing under my splash pants!

Hand to forehead!

We continued along the trail knowing we had about another 5 km of ups and downs before we would be remotely close to our campsite for the night.  It was foggy... it drizzled.... it rained a little harder.... it fogged in more.  With each step my spirits fell lower and I questioned the WHY??? of this trip over and over.

I ventured to attempt a picture during one of our rest breaks.

At long last we saw the yellow blaze (by the way yellow became my new fav colour on this trip).  A happy dance ensued, but as it turned out we celebrated way too soon.  There were small slopes to scale, streams to jump and open rock faces to cross.  We finally reached the first campsite and I pleaded that we stop at that one, but S insisted that we needed to keep going until we got to the site we reserved for the night.  I will admit I had some really not nice thoughts about S going through my head at this time.  Lucky for her she was speedy and pulled ahead of me.... leaving me to stew in my bitterness.

Now H32 is gorgeous but you have to wonder about any campsite that needs seven.... yes seven cairns to point out the direction to the privy.  Did I mention that this was all uphill????? And a rocky hill at that!!!!!

CHRIST!!!

No person should have to go through that to have a pee..... so I didn't.    I ended up squatting and peeing wherever I felt like it..... take that impossible campsite!

By Day 4, S's blisters were so bad she had to wear her sleeping socks as a buffer between her fragile skin and the straps of her sandals.  My blisters were equally large, but luckily not in places that affected my ability to walk.

Although the distance to the privy is a disadvantage for this site... this site does host a bonus-  There is a rocky ledge that you can sit on to you soak your feet in the lake.  We did this while eating our supper and it made for an enjoyable meal-time.  It didn't hurt that the sun finally came out for the day and blessed us for a bit before the storm rolled in.  

SUN!!!!!  Lake Shigaug

It didn't seem that long from the time we retired for the night before the lightening started lighting up the sky.  I quickly unzipped the tent and ran outside (okay it was more of a creaky stand and fast pace hobble than a run) to have one last pee before the rain came down full force.  S hearing me commented- "Are you bringing your pack in?"  My response was "Noooooooo-  But that is a great idea!  You might want to wait a minute before coming out!"  Neither of us needed a repeat of the H20 experience.

We made it back to the "comforts" of our tents before the storm hit and boy did it hit.  The tent lit up every few minutes and the wind ripped at the flies.  The rain came down hard.  This all lasted a while.  It would break for a bit and then it would start all over.  Thank-goodness for shelter, no matter how flimsy it might be.  By this time I was starting to regret all the mocking I had done of Lake Superior thru-hikers.... my mirth at their displeasure was coming back to haunt me in spades.

Blogger Note:

It has taken three months to make it this far in the adventure and this story is starting to turn into a book vs a blog.  With that in mind and my anxiousness to get this thing posted I am suspending the story at the end of Day 4!   Tune in next time to find out the dramatic conclusion of our adventures!'

Hopefully it will not take me three months to write up the second half!

The Gambler Folds

Kenny Rodgers said it best- "You gotta know when to hold 'em; know when to fold them; know when to walk away, know when to run."  Well I ran, okay it was more like a fast paced waddle, out of Killarney park yesterday.   About an hour and a half after setting up camp the first day I started to feel not so great.  That's when I started making deals with myself.  If "XY and Z gets better by bed time I will continue on with the original plan."  When that didn't pan out I made a new deal "If by morning this is or that symptom is better I will go to the next stop and then play it by ear from there."  But the deadline for each deal passed and my stipulated conditions were never met which left me with a tough decision.  Gamble and continue on, with the risk of things getting worse or play it safe and return to hike another day.  My heart really, really, really wanted to stay but the reasonable part of my brain won out and I hiked out.  So my GRAND Killarney adventure consisted of driving 4.25 hours, hiking 2 hours, sleeping over night, hiking out and driving home dejected and feeling worse by the hour.  I normally start hankering for burgers and other delightful food items as soon as I start hiking out of the bush.  Not this time.  All that consumed my mind was my bed..... getting under the covers, curling up in a ball and delighting in the feeling of deluxe foam support.

With that said I did manage to pack in a fair amount of adventure in the short time frame I was there and lucky for you I am willing to relive it from the safety and comfort of my living room.

First off the drive there exposed me to a new fav song-  "Fireproof" by Coleman Hell.  It is a great little ditty that had me car dancing and looking forward to the next time the radio station would play it.  I am listening to it as I write this..... you would think that I would know by now that "chair" dancing while sitting on a therapy ball is very risky... but I just can't help it.... the music just has a beat that requires expressive movement... even if that movement ends in a splat!

Killarney Provincial Park

Daunting.... no?

There is nothing like the anticipation that builds as you get your permit and head to the day use parking area.  Off with the sandals, on with the wool socks and boots.  One last check of the pack.  Locked and loaded you start the walk up to the trail head.  

Killarney is Killarney.  Killarney does sugar coat what you will be in for.  It relishes making people work.  If you do your part and stick it out it will slowly share its' beauty and secrets.  You will become part of the Killarney club and you will find yourself wanting more.  

But first you have to make it up the entrance to the trail.   It starts with a monster scramble up what seems like a never ending hill that ends on an expansive rock face.  

In fact there are many sections on the trail where you end up traveling over open rock faces with no blazes to follow.  In these sections you look for rock cairns to point you in the right direction.  Well this year not more than 3 minutes into the hike I got lost.  Not LOST, lost but lost enough to have me muttering "Where the fuck are the bloody blue blazes."  If you should ever encounter this type of situation here is what you do.....  back track to the last blaze that you saw.  Stand there and look around until you find the next blaze.  After back tracking I realized that someone had built a "faux" cairn to the left that had tricked me into thinking that was the trail.  In pure Bugs Bunny fashion....  I should have taken a right turn at Albuquerque instead.  Back on the path I  continued on my merry little way.  

It did not take long before I had my first clash with the rocks.  I truly, truly love rocks.  I collect them.  I cherish them..... they are my preciouses.  Rocks do not share the same love for me.  Rocks insist on taking me down.   Rocks are not satisfied unless I am broken, battered and bleeding.  When I purchased my hiking boots I specifically asked about the grip ability of the soles, knowing that it does not take much for me to skid down a rock face.  I was told that the boots had supreme grip..... maybe for others... not so for me.

It really was an innocent looking little rock embedded in the dirt.  I stepped on it and before I knew it my foot started skidding over the surface of the rock.  I went down hard landing on my knee.   There was an immense stinging where the flesh had been rubbed raw from contact with the ground and a bruise had already started forming, but there was minimal blood and nothing seemed broken so I got up and walked it off.

That was about 10 minutes into the hike.

It left me very cautious on the other sections that required me to walk down steep rock faces.  How steep?  A guess would be anywhere from 50 - 75 degree incline/decline depending on the section and the direction you are traveling.  

If a small little rock on a relatively flat section could cause some damage.... just imagine what a gigantic rock on a steep pitch could do.  For these sections of the trail I opted to use the "bear lumber" walk I perfected last year.   I head down the hill backward with my weight dispersed between my hands and feet.    Four points of contact with the ground seems to work the best for me.   Not the most attractive hiking position in the world but it was effective in making sure I stayed on my feet.

This is the view from the first panoramic vista you come to on the trail.

Can never get enough of this view

I chuckled yesterday when I came upon a family that had reached this section of the trail.  The Dad spread his arms wide when he came to this point and was looking back over his shoulder at his family.   His look said it all.... "This is the absolute ultimate.... it is worth every ache in my lungs and legs to be able to experience this."  His actions are exactly how I feel when I am walking this trail.  I sometimes get despondent and question my sanity for carrying a heavy pack (which ended up being 58 lbs) over rugged terrain but when I get to spots like this I am  reminded of why I am doing it.  Being out in nature..... getting to see sights that many never will experience... challenging myself to go further to see more..... to enjoy life.   This can all be surmised with a grand sweeping open of the arms and raising of the chest to the sky.  LOVE!

The view of the other side isn't bad either

This is my third time on this section of trail. I  should know it like the back of my hand but I found myself continually surprised by "new" hills.    When I would get to these sections my first thought was "Hey, when the heck did this get put here?"  Then I would vaguely recollect a I had a similar response the last time I was there.   Really!!! How can my memory be so selective about hills?

I ended up meeting a couple on the trail who had been hiking the full LaCloche and had been on the trail 9 days.  They reported the nights had been getting chillier but it was a welcome change from the blistering heat and humidity of the day.  We laughed about long range forecasts and how they really don't mean much... the couple thought they would have nine days of sun.  Not so much.  They had one night in a major storm and got to hike down "The Crack" in constant rain.  It is fun meeting new people and hearing about their experiences on the trail.

My plan is to one day hike the full trail.  How long is it? Well that part is a math mystery.  One sign says it is 100km.   Another says 78km and when I added up the distances on Jeff's map of the park it tallied a total of 68 km and that was taking a side excursion to hike up to Silver Peak and back.    Which is it I wonder?   All I know is, it is recommend to take 7-10 days to walk the entire trail.

SEALY LAKE

The Leaning Tower of Tree

I made it to Sealy Lake in the time indicated on Jeff's map, even with the getting lost and taking time to chat.... high-five's all around!

Before setting up the tent I spent a fair bit of time trying to decide which direction this tree would fall if the rest of it decided to come down.  After much deliberation I chose to set my tent up to the far right of the tree, well out any path of destruction.

Home for a day

The Lucky Rock & it's new safety sack

I was super excited to try out my newly fashioned rock tossing bag.  See I have this lucky rock from the shores of Lake Superior.  This rock has a 98%  success rate in helping me get the rope to hang the food bag from,  in the tree, within one to two attempts.  I typically just tie the rope around the rock, but last year I came close to losing the lucky rock when it fell out rope basket I had fashioned for it.  This would not be a problem if I was on the shores of Superior, as there are plenty of replacement rocks to choose from.  In Killarney there aren't many small loose rocks around so to loose the lucky rock would mean the food could not be hung.... which is an invitation for scavenging and bear encounters.   This year I decided to make a corduroy bag to house the rock.  The bag gives me something to attach the rope to but securely houses the rock minimize the risk of loosing it.

SUCCESS.... got the rope up on the first try..... THANK-YOU Lucky Rock!

Once the tent was up and the food hung I decided it was time to get out of my sopping wet clothing.  I hoped there was enough of a breeze and sunlight left for it dry out before nightfall.   Sealy Lake is a nice little secluded spot so if you want to walk around in your underwear..... you can.  Another bonus of hiking alone.... you don't have to worry about being decent at all times.

With camp all set up I had a bunch of free time to fill until supper.  To pass the time I took a few pictures.

Mid-day view of Sealy Lake

Reflections

Lillies

It was an active cloud day

I find weird things interesting

When I got bored of taking pictures I decided to bask in the sun on one of the rocks.  That is where my very white belly attracted some curious dragon flies.  It became a landing strip until I couldn't hack the tickling sensation any longer and headed into the tent.

Once indoors I read  a little.....  marvelled at how roomy the tent is sans dogs....  figured out the route I will take when I hike the full trail and did some math figuring out distances and walking times for this route to make sure it would be manageable.

It didn't take long until I felt the need to stretch my legs again so I took a little jaunt around the site.  I sat and meditated and at one point I started missing the dogs.  I decided to use food to distract myself from impending melancholia and started the ritual of preparing my evening meal.

In a blink of an eye it was suddenly bedtime.  About 30 minutes after lights out there was this horrible shrieking coming from the bush.  I sat up, heart racing.... "What the hell was that."  I listened and nothing.  I laid back down and started drifting back to sleep only to be awakened by the shriek again.   This time it was a repetitive 4 shrieks.   After my heart stopped pounding in my ears I recognized the "Who, who." call of an owl was happening after each of the shrieks.   So either it was the owl shrieking or it was the prey.   My second "encounter" with nature came the next morning.  I had just collected the food bag when I heard a ROAR in the distance.  A few minutes later there was another roar.   The best I could figure, some bears were having a polite conversation or  a territorial dispute.  Either way I was glad that it wasn't close.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of sitting on a rock in the brisk morning air with the rays from the sunrise warming your arms and your face.  I sat there and took in the moment.  Simple..... majestic.... it filled me with gratitude for having this opportunity, even if it was just for a short while.

Sunrise at Sealy Lake

My heart was not ready to give up on the plan to hike 35.4 kms.  I continued to make deals with myself all morning, but by the time I had packed up camp I realized that the best decision for me was to head out.  I said good-bye to seeing what the elusive H49 and H48 sites looked like and made a mental choice to enjoy each and every moment I had left in Killarney.  I stopped at a lovely spot to have some food and read a chapter in my book before continuing on my journey out of Killarney.

I sidled up to the edge for this shot...

The shot above was taken from the edge of the cliff on the point on the right. 

I don't know if I have blogged about this before, but for 2016 I have been keeping a daily gratitude journal to help me focus on the positive things that happen each day.  Here are all the things that made it to the gratitude list on Aug 28th:

•  I found the trail again.
•  I did not badly hurt my knee when I fell.
•  I got to catch my breath while enjoying the view of the first vista.
• The first vista has cell coverage to allow me to send out final texts and pictures.   
• My tent is cozy
• The delightful refreshing feeling of lying down and stretching out after carrying something heavy.
• My pack was only one tier which allowed me to limbo under the fallen tree blocking the path.
• That I was tall enough to be able to sit and rotate over another fallen tree blocking the path.  
• That the muddy sections were not so muddy.
• The bear hanging rope went up and over in one shot and the rock bag worked.
• Sunbeams..... basking.... sunbeams!
• No issues with the water filter.
• That I had arrived with lots of time for my clothes to dry.
• I had brought a thought provoking book.



The Limo Tree

Sometimes plans don't work out the way you think they should.  Sometimes they don't have to.  I had a delightful escape from daily life for 24 hours and I cherish every hour that I had at Killarney.

Before I headed home I took this picture as proof of the trail distance discrepancies.  I tried squatting to get a better angle.... I did not account for the slight downhill in this area.  The weight of the pack pulled me back and I ended up on my derriere.  I took the picture from a seated position and then began the process of  returning to an upright standing position.  Very glad there wasn't anyone around to witness that.

The dispute over the exact distance of the trail continues....

I don't know if I will get to Killarney in 2017 as I will be travelling to Scotland.  However in 2018 I am bound and determined to hike the full distance whether it be 100, 78 or 68 km.  This hike will help prepare me for when I hike the West Highland Way with my brother in 2020. If you ever have a chance I would recommend a visit to Killarney.... just don't tell the rocks I sent you... they might hold it against you.

Bonus Fit Bit Facts-  The hike to Sealy Lake is 5.4 km and is the equivalent of climbing 62 sets of stairs.  On the way out I had reached my daily 10,000 steps by 10:30 am.  





 

I'm Just a Rambling Woman....

As is the theme of my life... what I should be doing at any given moment, is not what I am doing.  What I should be doing is finishing up packing my back-pack and tidying the house so the house/cat care sitter does not feel the need to enter into the witness protection program out of fear that I will ask them to sit again.

But where would be the fun in that!!!!  Life would feel too calm if I was  not up until midnight frantically washing floors and vacuuming.  Therefore I sit here and blog.

I will be heading back to Killarney Provincial Park to hike "The Crack" for a third year in a row.  What started my downward spiral into slothfulness and blogging today was the conflicting long range weather forecasts for the upcoming week.    All week long I have been checking the long range forecast multiple times a day and rejoicing or wincing based on the changes.  At first there was to be all day rain, but then that cleared up... hooray.  Then there was to be thunderstorms when I would be on the high ridges.... Boo.  Then the thunderstorms would only be happening at night..... hooray.  Never in all of these forecasts was there a hint that the night time temperature was going to dip into the frigid zone.  I had already packed my clothes based on this assumption, but when I saw the Environment Canada forecast today I cried a little.  Environment Canada is now predicting night time temperatures of 9 degrees.   Environment Canada-  your doom and gloom weather forecasting is breaking my heart!

Nine degrees is damn cold when you are in a tent by yourself and don't have a dog to canoodle with for warmth.  I was just going to sleep in lightweight thermal long johns... now I am debating packing the polar fleece bottoms and an extra jacket.... both of which add a lot of weight and bulk to the pack.  The Weather Network is still predicting nicer nights with a low of 14... brisk but practically tropical when compared with 9 degrees.

Do I choose to believe The Weather Network or pack for the worst case scenario?

Now don't be thinking The Weather Network is off the hook.  They, and only they,  are predicting thunderstorms the day that I am high, high up on the exposed Crack section of the trail.  Ahhh there is no winning.  I have now spent the morning "refreshing" my memory on how to tell how far away a storm is and what to do in case you are outside in a major storm.   This has left me confused and pissy.  The main formula that I found is the simple enough i.e count the seconds between thunder and lighting and that tells you how many miles away the storm is.

This is great if you can tell how long a mile actually is!!!!!

I can not!

I am vaguely better at telling how far a km is.... but that formula involves math... a lot of it and that just hurts my head to try and figure it out.   Just picture it.... a storm is brewing and I am whipping out my trusty calculator and furiously inputting numbers only to forget to hit a frigging button and then WHAM! Struck by lighting!!!!!!

What I have chosen to take away from all my afternoon Googling about storms is this..... lighting and major storm cells....

BAD....

AVOID......

If I can't avoid..... I will start praying to all that will listen, will cross my fingers and hope I am a lucky son-of-a-bitch.  Just typing that out I think I like my formula the best.... no math involved, jut pure blind faith!

This trip was booked six months ago to ensure I did not have to walk 25 plus kms to get to a camp site. You think I am joking, but I am not.  Killarney campers are very serious about getting their preferred sites and will do anything to get them.   I met a woman last year who booked her sites last minute the closest site she could get was 28km from her first stop on the trail.  You don't mess around with booking Killarney!

As it turns out booking 6 months in advance still did not guarantee that I could hike where I wanted to.   The plan was to hike out 30 km and come back the same route,  over a 5 day period.   I could not get the sequence of sites that I wanted to follow for this plan to happen.  So I am now doing 35.4 km in the same time frame.  The one unique thing this year is I get to stay at the illusive H48 camp site.  For three years I have been trying to book this site but it and the H49 sites are "reserved" for hikers doing the full 78km LaCloche Trail.  Imagine my surprise when it was open.  I had my choice between the two and chose H48.  A choice I am now slightly regretting as according to "Jeff's Map" access to the water is steep which means pumping water may be a little on the tricky side.

Who is Jeff?

Well Jeff is a dude that hikes Ontario trails and adds helpful comments to original maps and then sells his version of maps to others.  There is great information on Jeff's maps like-  "Caution- don't make a left turn at Albuquerque"  although he words his like this "Watch out- make sure you are going the right direction here."  I obviously did not have the map handy when I booked as I confidently said give me H48.  Fingers crossed Jeff exaggerates and steep is not STEEEEPPPP!

Sealy Lake

Day 1-  Will be a lovely little 5.3 km jaunt in to Sealy Lake.  I remember the first time I did this part of the trail I thought it was the longest 5.3 km known to man kind.  Last year I laughed at myself as it felt like I blinked and I was there.  Sealy Lake is nice camp site with plenty of options for bear hanging your food.  The only drawback is the water is a little reedy so finding a spot to pump can be a challenge.

Day 2 is "The Crack" day.  It is the part of this trail that offers the most spectacular views but the views come at a cost.  The trail is a gruelling uphill climb made all the more gruelling by the stark contrast to the tra-la-la flat trail that you start off on from Sealy Lake.  You cross a creek and there it is "the wall" of up, up, up.  It reminds me a little of "The Friendly Giant" look up.... look waaaaaayyyyyy uuupppppp!  The minute you do, you regret it.  You wish you could unsee what you have seen..... yes it looks that daunting.  The first year I hiked it, I wore warm layers under my clothes as it was the fall and chilly that day.  I regretted my choice of wearing thermals about 10 steps up this section of trail.  I ended up stripping down to my skivvies on the side of the trail so that I could remove those dastardly thermals.  It felt so good to have cool air hit my burning flesh.  Ahhh!

This section of trail kinda lulls you into a false sense of security.  As you reach the peak of the section you are climbing you think  "Glad that is done, bring on the flat or the down hill."  But then you look up and you realize there is more up, followed by more up, followed by...... "For the love of the LORD when will this up ever end."

As mentioned there is a great pay off at the top... the first pay off is the view, the second pay off is the feeling of victory that the climb didn't kill you and the third is knowing you can head to the gift store on your way out of the park and you can buy a commemorative t-shirt to celebrate and brag about your win over nature.

I will be ending Day 2 at Proulx Lake.  I am hoping that I am able to make it there with all bones in place.  Last year I had a nasty fall by the turn off for this camp site.  I thought I sprained my ankle but a month later found out that what I really had done was dislocate two bones in my lower leg.  How is that for hard core...  walking over 20km on dislocated bones!!!!!   In total Day 2 will have me travelling  6.4 km of trail.  A short section that packs a lot of ups and downs into it... both literally and figuratively.

Day 3-  Brings the unknown.  I will be hiking out to Bunnyrabbit Lake.  It will be a slightly shorter hiking day as it is 6 km from Proulx Lake.  It will be interesting exploring a part of the LaCloche trail that I have not been on before.  I wonder what it will have in store for me?  Well crap.... just looked at Jeff's Map and this site is supposed to have steep access to the water as well.... NUTS!  

Day 4-  Will be a mystery.  At some point I will be hiking 1.9km back on the trail to my next site at Heaven Lake.  The mystery will be what I do before I head back.  I might just have a lazy morning or I might just try a day hike to Silver Lake  first (about 10km).  If I do decide to go to Silver Lake I will get to hike over Silver Peak which is the highest point in the Park.... which also means I can purchase another bragging rights t-shirt at the park office.   We will see how energetic I end up being.   At least I know Heaven Lake does not have steep water access... Thank goodness for small wonders.

Day 5-  Brings the return of the "Crack".... but it is the Crack in reverse as I will be going down not up.  It will be a killer on the knees and feet, but my lungs will love it.    I have two options on Day 5- I can hike out the full 16.1 km, get a refund for the last night and head home to a shower, comfy bed and meat.... glorious, glorious meat or I could stop at the site I reserved on Wagon Rd Lake which cuts 2.4km off my travel for the day.   Given that Wagon Rd Lake is adjacent to beaver dam and a little on the swampy side I am sure I will decide to walk out vs risking getting Giradia.

Why do I do trips like this????

Solitude.......

The Crack Tree's

The scenery......

View from Heaven's Lake

and last but not least the WHOO HOO feeling of accomplishment

Trail to the Crack

I'll post about my adventures when I get back, until then take care y'all!

Cracking' Up in Killarney- O' Solo Mio Style

It all started last Thanksgiving.  My back-packing pals and I decided we had so much fun hiking the Pig Portage in Killarney Park the year before, we were heading back to hike "The Crack".  The plan was to hike 5.3 km in the first day and stay at Sealy Lake.  The next day would be a 10.7 km hike through the Crack up to Heaven Lake.  We would return back to Sealy Lake the next day and hike out on the last day.

As with any well laid plan there was a glitch.  We made it to Sealy Lake and my friend started questioning if she could make it to the Heaven Lake the next day.  I knew that I had it in me to make it to the Heaven Lake, but questioned if I could make it back the next day.

Could we or couldn't we?   That was the question.....

We couldn't- was our answer.

The never ending climbing.....

We hiked back to the main campground the next day and  "Cracked" it day-hiking fashion using the Crack Access entry point (yes, that really is the name of this road ).  Entry via the access road reduces the overall km's one has to walk.  We were all about reducing walking distances on this trip.

The beginning of the access trail lulls you into a false sense of security, it is wide it is fairly even, it is a treat.  Then you pass a creek and you look up and dread fills your soul.  As far as you can see the trail keeps climbing and climbing.  When you emerge at the top you realize the climbing is not done. Nope.... you have at least another 20 minutes of up and down before you are even reach the "Mid"-Crack.  Rugged would be an understatement.... but the views and peacefulness at the top are well worth the pain of getting there.

View of OSA and Killarney Lake from the top of the Crack

We spent the night at the main campground- car camping, minus the luxuries of car camping.  Then we headed home.  Incidentally that was one of the coldest nights of my life.  I had on all my clothes and jackets, a toque, mitts and four Hot Paws activated in my sleeping bag and I still shivered all night.

Enter the Jar of Possibilities.  When I was coming up with my challenges for the Jar I knew that one of the things that I wanted to cross of my bucket list was to hike the Crack with my pack on.  To accomplish this, would prove that I am more resilient than I think I am.

Lake George and Freeland Lake

Challenge issued, challenged planned.  When I drew Challenge #3-  Plan and book a trip for the future-  the Crack was the trip that I planned.  I could not convince my back-packing crew to join me on this adventure, so solo trip it would be.   All I had to do was wait for August to arrive.

Now I am fresh back from my trip.  Battered,  bruised and walking with a slight limp, but I survived.  If I had started typing this post on the night that I came back it would have had a very different tone.  When I left Killarney I did not look back.  I was over the moon thrilled to be getting out of there and be on my way back to the land of the Timmie's Creamy Chocolate Chill.   When recounting my stories to my brother he said "And you do this for fun??????".  Trust me that same thought ran through my head a bazillion times during my hike on the shores of Lake Superior and again on the La Cloche trail.  The only thing that kept the Beast from appearing on this trip, was the knowledge that I was not a canoer.  I ran into a few Mr. Canoehead's on the trip and all I could think was.... you poor, poor sucker.  First you have to carry a canoe up and over this crap and then go back down and carry a pack over it again.

No

Thank

You

Any desire to canoe has been permanently eradicated from my mind.  Not gonna happen.  No sireee.

Trees-  Nature's Clotheslines

But it is now another day and I have experienced the transformative powers of a hot shower and a sleep in my comfy bed.   If someone asked me to hike Killarney today I would probably say yes.  In fact, I have started planning my next solo Killarney trip.

I could not have asked for better weather for my trip.  It was a perfect temperature for hiking and there was a breeze.  Most of the rain happened over night and didn't last long in the morning.  The route I was taking was the same route that we planned in the fall.  On the walk into Sealy Lake I thought "Why did we think this was so hard in the Fall???".

I had plenty of time to set-up camp, bear hang the food and pump water before retiring to an enjoyable evening of reading Harry Potter.   I also found an unlikely bonus of hiking alone.  You can strip down to your sports bra and tra-la-la around,  as there is no one else around.  Clothes dry so much faster when you get rid of the layers.

Sealy Lake-  my playground the first night

By 8:30 pm I started nodding off, only to be awaken by lots of splashing in the lake.  Was that a large hoofed animal that was coming onto the site?  I couldn't bring myself to open up the tent flap to find out.  Then there was what sound like foot fall on the other side of the tent..... Was someone there?  Crap why did I leave the knife in the pack.  In the twilight of night my fears were heightened.  Too heightened to sleep.  It is a good thing that I had the company of Mr. Potter to help pass the time.

I awoke at the first light of dawn and packed-up camp.  I was on the trail by 7:30 ready to attack The Crack.  I knew what the first 3.3 km had in store for me-  an easy trail trot followed by km after km of climbing up hills, up rocks, up more rocks and then finally the top.  At the crest I stopped to admire the view and to have a break from the pack.  The breeze was delightful.  All in all I felt victorious... I had conquered the Crack.  Now on to explore new territory.

Pre- Crack warm-up & up & up & up

What would the rest of the trail be like?

Hard!  Very, very hard.  There continues to be lots of downs followed by up, up, ups.

At one point the trail leads right up to a ledge, that from a distance, looks like it has a sheer drop on the other side.   There is a cairn at the edge indicating the trail continues on the other side.  I tentatively sidled up to the edge and peaked over.

Are you FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!!!!!!

I don't recall any notes on Jeff's Map or in the trail guide that indicated the need to include Bat Man's utility belt as part of your camping gear.  I would have paid good money for that belt or at least the grappling hook.  I will admit I was nervous.  It was a long bumpy way to the bottom.  I was half tempted to roll my pack down the hill so I wouldn't have to contend with its tendency to pull me off balance, but fear that I would break the stove or water filter stopped me from going through with that plan.

It was time to choose a path, say a prayer to the trail gods and start descending.   I was glad I was on my own, as I would have been embarrassed as all hell if anyone had witnessed my lumbering bear walk/Ninjaesque skulking down the narrow ledge to the next level.  This 4-point walking mania continued until I reached the bottom.

I know that I am prone to exaggeration, but this time I don't even think I could come close to embellishing this experience.  Here is my photo graphic evidence.  PS if you are hiking the La Cloche trail this section is directly before you get to the turn off to the Little Superior Lake campsite.  If you don't like heights you might want to rethink your hiking plans.  When I reached the bottom I shuddered, knowing that I would have to climb this the next day.

UGH!

The Top notice the cairn to the left

The middle

The last 15-16 feet-  there is more up there.
It was too steep to fit in the picture

Before I continue there is something that you must know.  My mother has the ability to place "curses" on her children.  The curse is usually disguised as some sage piece of advice, you don't heed it, what she says happens to you.  Don't believe me.... here is an example.  In Grade 3 I received a pair of jeans that had a shiny silver star on the back pocket for Christmas.  How I loved those jeans, they made me feel special.  So special I felt that covering the star somehow diminished the power of the jeans.  I was prepared to suffer, not to let that happen.  My plan-  I would not wear my ski pants at recess. Who cares if it was -35 degrees Celsius with a windchill.  I didn't!   The star must been seen.  Now my mother guessed my plan and said to me that morning- "You better wear your ski-pants at recess".  I looked her in the eye and said I would, all the while fully planning not to.  Well recess came and I boldly exited the school sans ski-pants.  Ohh the thrill of doing something that you're not supposed to.  I was giddy with the power...... and that is when it happened.  I tripped and fell.  As I stood up I looked down and there was a gaping hole in the knee of my jeans.  No more special pants and a lot of inventive story-telling to cover-up my walk on the wild side.

 Mother 1-                   Max- 0.

Will you be climbing on any rocks she asks?
Just a few.....

The night before I left for this trip my mother asked "Will you be doing much hiking over rocks?"  When I responded yes, she said "Well walk carefully so that you don't slip and fall."

Do you see where this is headed.....

Yep.

La Cloche Trail /Mother- 4-       Max-  sore..... I mean 0.

It was not like I was doing cart-wheels or daredevil balancing on one leg.  I tried to be very cognizant as to where I was placing my feet with every step.   But whether my legs were just too tired or I lost concentration for a brief second... it just seemed to happen. I fell and I fell lots.  As the falls continued I realized that downhills are not my friend.  I would far prefer, sucking wind, climbing a hill vs trying to go down them.

The first fall was on a short steep decent.  I had just lifted my left foot to take another step when my right slipped out from under me.  I saw the jagged edge of the tree trunk heading for my torso and I instinctively rolled my body to the right, landing on my back, wedged between the tree truck and the rock.  I felt a momentary pain in my hip and realized I must of hit it on something on my way down.  The pain was quickly replaced by the laughter the welled up in me.  Picture it.  I am lying there facing the blue sky, feet dangling not touching the ground with a 58 lbs pack strapped to my back, sandwiched between a rock and hard place.  I could not get the picture of a topsy turvy turtle out of my head, especially as I struggled to get back to an upright position.

I dusted myself off and continued on.  The next two falls resulted from my feet sliding out from under me and end with me on my ass... thank goodness for bubble butt padding.

The last fall of the day was the substantial one, it could have been a game changer.  I was half-way down a hill and my right foot started sliding while my left foot stayed planted.  The pack weight shifted and I went down at an odd angle.  I felt a pop as I heard a snap.  I couldn't feel my left foot.

Crap, Crap, Crappity,  Crap........ did I just break my fibula?

No.  I refused to accept that I had a broken  bone.  It was not happening.  I tried but could not move my left foot.  I tried again and saw some movement of my boot.  That was around the time the searing pain set in.  It burned...  it let me know that yes in deed,  I did have an ankle and that ankle was not happy with me.  I slowly stood up on my right leg and tested putting weight on the left foot.  It hurt, but the leg didn't crumple under me, so worse case scenario it was a sprain.  I was just thankful it wasn't a break.

See the next closest peak... I was there a few hours before

I ended up taking on some interesting roles on the trail.  The first role was messenger.  I was stopped by two dudes who asked me to deliver a message to their friend who was hiking down from Silver Lake.  They were supposed to meet him but were unable to make it to the lake, but wanted to let him know that they were okay.

See the yellow blaze... yellow blazes= home

The next role was benefactor.  It seems that Heaven Lake is aptly named because hikers who make it here are too exhausted to take another step.  I know when I rounded the corner and saw the yellow blaze I started weeping, at least that's what I would have done if I was not so dehydrated  (and to think I drank over 3 liters of water while on the trail).  

Later on that day when I went to hang the food pack I saw someone laying on their pack guzzling down water.  It was the other solo woman back-packer that I had met earlier in the day.  She had taken a wrong turn and walked 3.1 km in the wrong direction.  This meant she had 27.1 km to walk that day and from my site she still had 20 km to go.

She looked at me and said "I am just sooooo fuckin' tired.... can I camp here tonight!"  I agreed and then we were two.

About an hour later a group of 5 teens showed up.   I was in my tent reading Harry Potter.  I thought they were just replenishing their water but later on I found out that they too were to tired to walk to their stop which was 1.9 km further up the trail.  They asked if they could camp on the site-  I of course agreed.... they had about 30 minutes of daylight left and a storm was coming in fast.  They just got their tents up when the rain started pouring down.

And then we were seven.

Heaven Lake

I was hoping that sharing Heaven Lake would buy me some good karma for the walk over slippery rocks the next day.

As it turns out it was lucky that I agreed to let them stay on the site.  Without those tents I would not have been able to find mine.

Yes-  I lost my tent.

I had to pee in the middle of the night so I meandered over to a quiet locale to pee (you had to walk about .2 of a km to the privy on this site and that was not going to happen).  I was just finishing up when the batteries in my flashlight died.... too much reading by flashlight.

What the hell!

Okay don't panic, you can do this.  Sure it is pitch black and you can hardly see and you are having trouble putting weight on your foot but you can do this.  Slow and steady.  Use Lefty to feel the ground and direct you.

I could vaguely make out the ledge that dropped down to the campfire area... I quickly backed away from that.   I knew there as a rock section before my tent and then some grass followed by rock again.  I could feel the difference under my feet and saw the vague outline of the tent, I bent down to undo the fly and that is when a small voice said......"Is this your tent?".

I thought I should check first.   Nope not my tent.  It was one of the other hiker's tent.  I reoriented my body squaring off and then headed back across the rock toward where my tent should be.

I found it.... I found it....... 30 second dance party (arms only as my ankle and legs were hurting too much to participate).

I took this as a good omen

Everyone was up by 6:30 the next day.... I probably instigated that...oops it is hard to be quiet when you are stuffing things into a stuff sack.  I was packed and ready to head out by 7:15.  That is when the trail gods decided to send us all a sign that it was going to be a fantastic day on the trail...... a double rainbow.  It was bright and vivid and so close it felt like I could touch it.  Definitely a good sign.  I waved good-bye to the crew and set off to head down the Crack.

Upon my return trip I became a trail guide.  A large group of teens were headed out.  I met up with them will I was standing at the top of a slick rocky section, contemplating how I was going to get down it.  The teens came prancing up- dee do doolly dee dee dee and practically skipped down the slippery rocks.  Well at least the first two did, the third took an epic wipeout.  After that it seemed every second or third teen was down on the same section.  I will admit I was laughing in the inside.  I am not the only one who falls on downhills.

Well the last teen was the weakest link.  It did not take long for her to lag behind the group.  At one point she turned off the trail and started up the side of a hill.  I pointed out she was going the wrong way and directed her back to the trail.  This happened two more times.  One of her friends eventually came back to find her and took her pack.  I did not see them again.... the teenage herd was moving too fast for me.

I don't know when I got it in my mind that I wanted to hike out but once the seed was planted I could not stop thinking about it.  The plan had been to stay at Sealy again and hike out the last 5.3 km the next day.  I had visions of all the things that I could do if I hiked out-

• I could go buy apples. Yum- crispy crunchy apples.
• Mmmmm- Timmie's Creamy Chocolate Chill
• Burger's a Harvey's-  a post Killarney tradition
• Washing in a sink- finally getting rid of the multi-layers of salt, perspiration and grime.
• Clean clothes.
• My bed

All of it sounded delightful.  I made a deal with myself- if I made it to Sealy Lake by 2:00 pm I would hike all the way out making my grand total km for the day a whopping 16 k.  I reached Sealy Lake 2:02 pm.... close enough.  

The last 1.5 km were the hardest.  By that time my toes were blistered and I don't know what burned more- my feet, shoulders, neck or ankle.  I had "Just one more step, just one more step, just one more, one more, one more step" looping in my head.  I made it down the last hill and was euphoric.  I did it, I am steps away from the truck and freedom.  I made it out.  

The first thing I did was dump my boots and sit on the tail-gate letting the breeze whip at the soles of my stinky, stinky feet.  I feel sorry for anyone who was down wind, but I was not prepared to move at that moment.  

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Next stop-  Harvey's for a Bacon Cheese Angus burger, followed by Timmie's drive through for beverages.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Three hours later I was home and content.

A just cause picture

Maybe this might be a safer way to camp in the future.

Till next year Killarney-  I bid you ado!