Garibaldi and the Chief from Darrel bay

Garibaldi and the Chief from Darrel bay, originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

I spent a lovely day on Saturday at Henrietta Lake. We took the ferry from Darrel Bay to the Woodfibre pulpmill, then walked 6km on a logging road to access a bridge. The trail from there on is beautiful - mossy, with old trees nearby - and ascends quickly to the lake.

There's still snow on the lake, yet, with warm temperatures and longer days, it will soon be gone.

We never saw anyone on the trail - complete quiet. A perfect way to decompress from the week's stress.

a steady presence

inukshuk
Originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

Somedays when deadlines descend upon me like a tornado, it's good to run away for forty minutes, and run as fast as I can to kick that excess adrenaline out.

I usually take refuge on Vancouver's seawall - the most beautiful waterfront in the world.

Here's the inukshuk that greets me at the 1.5 mile turnaround - the Vancouver Inukshuk, erected in time for Vancouver's World Fair show in 1986.

For me, it's a marker - a distant milestone that I strive to reach, in ever-decreasing time, a happy presence with historic value, a monument that I've seen and touched for fifteen years of my life in Vancouver

It gazes peacefully upon the open ocean, while I retrace my running steps towards home, a smile on my lips.

jesper kenn olson and I

jesper kenn olson and I, originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

Meet Jesper Kenn Olson.

On January 1, 2004, Jesper started a round the world running journey from Greenwich UK, and ran from England to Scandinavia, from Scandinavia to Russia to Siberia... then across Japan, and across Australia (from Perth to Sidney) then from Los Angeles to British Columbia Canada.

He arrived in Vancouver today.

Tonight, a small party was organized at a friend's house, to honour Jesper Kenn Olson's dream and his achievements. Jesper Olson plans to run from Vancouver to Montreal, and from there he will end his journey in New York.

What an amazing human being - he runs 50km a day, pushing a baby jogger that contains his trip belongings. He is self-supporting in this adventure, his objective is "One Earth - 26000km - 2 years - 1 runner"

More about Jesper Kenn Olson here

under a mushroom sky

under a mushroom sky, originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

Another wonderful run - this time around Buntzen Lake. Rain greeted us in the parking lot - by the time we reached North Beach, the clouds were merely sprinkling now and again. By the time we reached the floating bridge near South Beach, the sun was out, caressing our cheeks. Lovely morning for a run - 8km and 100m net elevation gain

bear paw print

bear mark
Originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

this young bear tracked the trail of a man who hiked up here, a week ago.

Within each of the man's (older) footprints, there was a (recent) pawprint of a bear. The bear was quite careful about placing his feet into the footprints of the man before him. Never once did he stray.

We followed the trails until the bear's trail disappeared in the forest.

Bears have very large territories, so in all likelihood this bear was already a few mountain ranges away when we tracked *him*

antler fungi

more antler fungi
Originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

Sometimes it's the smallest of beings that are the most beautiful. To wit, these antler fungi. No taller than two centimeters, they sprout small white flowers during the summer.

[ Near kilometer 12.5 on the Alouette Mountain trail ]

rainy majesty

rainy majesty
Originally uploaded by seawallrunner.

mossy trees at Pacific Spirit Park today

Running Training Has Begun Again

1:45 hours in Pacific Spirit Park today, in the driving rain. I'm surprised at the upgrades on the trails, my favourite puddle-farms now feature almost cement-like gravel fillings. The trail from the bottom of Sword Fern and Marine all the way to the beginning of Spanish is now filled with little rose pebbles, worn stiff by daily commuter cyclists. Cleveland, Salish, Sasamat... all are filled in and feature nary a puddle in sight. I almost felt cheated. But the views didn't disappoint - lush moss-covered trees, deep dark evergreens, the smell of fresh earth drinking in the morning rain. Did I mention the rain already? Driving, relentless, cold and refreshing. Just what a reborn runner really needs