top of the charts

Woo-hoo!

Yesterday I set out to hike for a minimum of six hours and 18 kilometres (11 miles). Why? Because I am stubborn and my, usually not too dominant, competitive streak got the better of me.

what? snow in june? nope, just a butload of pollen

it reminds of of moscow and st. petersburg

Since I I got my new phone a month ago and changed over to Map My Tracks as Google had retired My Tracks and I could not put it on my new phone (although, I think I can if I search long enough on the interweb; that is how I found the "discontinued" Google camera app) I have been watching my status compared to other hikers. A feature I was not looking for, but took a mild interest in. I climbed rapidly up the ranks. Then, I hit number one for the week and bounced up and down a bit and number two for the month. I could not top the ranking for the month.

yellow lady's slippers by the trail

some more lady's slippers

So, as yesterday was the thirtieth day of actually using the  app. I decided I would get both top slots no matter what. However, this would be easy. I knew full well that I would cover more than 18 kliks over six hours So, I stopped to take pictures and look at items of interest. I also took breaks. You have to if you are hiking for the better part of the day.

old barn off the trail

this would have been the hq and campsite for the rideau challenge journey

had it not been postponed

So, in the first two hours I covered however many kilometres and I got to a hikers' shelter where I paused for a drink, snack, and short rest. However, I made errors getting there. Once I crossed past my designated maintenance section of the trail (for those who do not recall, the boy and I are trail maintainers for the Rideau Trail), the trail is fairly rough. I do not like this stretch to this hikers' shelter. It is overly twisty and muddy, and has big sections that are often washed out.

the end of my section and the start of the mud and washouts

Well, there was an atv trail that forked off and I thought it came much closer to the shelter than it really did. I had confused it with another atv trail. You see, mapping of the trails really sucks. It is difficult to find anything with decent completeness. Google maps actually is quite inadequate for this. Or at least the standard version, as Map My Tracks (MMT) uses Google Maps, but most of the Rideau Trail and many atv trails show up while using the app, albeit faintly and the zoom function is somewhat limited.

this section is nicknamed earthstar trail

the boy and i will need to come up with something catchy for our section

Anyway, this atv trail actually veered away from where I wanted to go, It would eventually have led me back to the trail, just much, much further along than I wanted. Well, using MMT I could see where I was and where the Rideau Trail (RT) was. No worries, I will just bushwhack and then take my break at the shelter. Well, as I bushwhacked, I periodically checked the app for my location relative to the RT. I was getting closer. Good stuff. Then, it was just like in those war movies where our valiant heroes suddenly find themselves in the middle of a mine field. In my case, it was a bog. I had had some good luck moving through, then I must have reached the heart of it as I started stepping in to deeper and deeper wet sections. Then it happened. My landmine. I stepped in to a deep spot. Over the top of my boots. Both boots. Super-duper.

some coniferous tree, i thought it was pretty

I kept going though. Well, I was wet now. I could see these "tufts of land" and I thought I was really close to the RT. Well, the tufts were very deceiving. I kept sinking, then even deeper. That was it. I knew if I kept going I would end up to my waist, maybe ruin my phone, which in what I was in now, was my main means of navigation. Plus, I was alone. I knew I had been foolish enough and realised most likely had not even crossed halfway through the bog. I turned around and headed back. Well, as the ground was saturated and I left no visible tracks, actual backtracking was out of the question. I just used MMT to guide me in the general direction out. I could have done it without MMT, but it just made it "easier".

 a cool looking old burnt tree

it looks like part of a totem or giant tupilaq

Then I set an intercept course with the atv trail back towards the RT. I now definitely needed a comfy, familiar place for a break. I hit the RT and made my way though the windy, muddy, washed out stretch. Ah, at the shelter. A snack, drink, and rest. On my way, further down the trail. I found the atv trail I knew about here, which I originally thought was connected to the other one that veered me off course, I bypassed some more twisty, muddy, washed out sections.

the shelter, just when i needed it

When I merged back to the RT, it was hard-pack gravel. Easy hoofing now. On I went, past the outhouse on the trail (in Hamilton, we used to call them blue rockets). On past the blue side trail down Heaphy Road, where the boy and I hiked a few weeks back. I just kept going. I knew I needed to hike for about three hours before turning around.

coming up on the rocket

the rocket, up close

Well, when I was just shy of three hours, I had reached the southern reaches of the Marlborough Forest. 12.6 km (nearly 8 mi.) and 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 2 seconds from where I started. Time to turn around. Plus, when I looked at where the trail was taking me, it was a field of very tall grass and who knew if it was flooded out, full of snakes, ticks, whatever. Not in the mood. No matter which way I headed back now, I would easily bust the 5.4 km (about 3.5 mi.) I needed for distance. The hard part was going to be time.

the halfway point stats

I had been pushing myself too much. Hiking too fast. For all my taking it easy and stopping to check things out, taking pictures, do loops and side bits, actually resting, and getting "bogged down" (man, I am funny), I was still hiking at about 4½ km/h. At this point I did slow it down, finally. Although, I had to constantly check myself and slow my pace down.

just outside the southern fringe of the marlborough forest

So, I turned around and explored my options. I could go down some of the old roads and have an easier go of it. It would be shorter, but also, I would be more out in the open. So, hopefully fewer mosquitoes and deerflies. Well, the first attempt, fortunately a short spur, led me to a "road". The "road" was overgrown, submerged, and washed out. I could see tracks from enduro bikes that had turned around because even they thought better of it. So did I.

no way out, not much of a road

now if I had a canoe....

Doubleback and head back towards the shelter the same way I got here. No worries. It was a nice slow, for me, hike back towards the shelter and the washouts. Made it in good time. Too good. Stop for another break. There is a blue jay that hangs out around this shelter. He was there when I stopped the first time and a few weeks back when the boy and I stopped here on our hike through here. He even followed me for a bit. He was here again and followed me the other way too. He kept mostly high up in the trees so I could not get a picture of him, but he looked pretty big and sturdy.

the view out from the shelter

At this point, I had to go through the crappy section again. When I got up to the road and the hop over back to my section of trail, I decided to hang a right and hoof it down this stretch of the aptly named Flood Road. More for a change of scenery than anything else. Plus, after three enduro guys passed by me from that direction and they were clean and dry, I knew there were no washouts. Less bugs too again.

some little red flowers

My pace had settled in quite well. If all stayed the same, I would be pretty close to my time goal when I got back to my trailhead. Worst case, I would just pass through the trailhead and keep on the RT heading north. I finally got back down to the Cedar Grove loop and relaxed and slowed down even more. I was on my home turf and in familiar territory. Anyway, I got to "my" shelter on "my" loop.

my little shack

I got online and looked at my stats for the app. It cannot be done from the app when tracking, which is too bad. Anyway, I had been pushed down for both the week's and month's stats. I did some math. Sure thing, I will clean all their clocks. I was going to leap back to the top when I was done. I was just glad no one dumped a really long hike, for time or distance, from a few days ago. Someone already did that. I was on track for my fifteen minutes of self-fame.

a mushroom!

the same mushroom

slightly different angle

one of the last trillium of the season

Finally, at the trailhead, perfect timing. I was in no rush though. I sauntered over to the truck. I slowly got in. I terminated the tracking and uploaded it. What?! It will not upload. My data is on my phone, but it keeps crapping out. I drive down the road a bit and try again. Yes! It uploads.

my whole route mapped

total time and total distance

Woo-hoo again! Since I am stopped at the side of the road I check the "Leaderboard". Yeah baby! Number one for the week and for the month. Thank-you, thank-you very much. I am please and impressed with myself, but as the hours pass it means less and less to me. 

top of the charts!

once again, different angle

Knowing that I did do it. Sure. Great. I know I will be knocked down off the top of the heap soon enough. In fact, I lasted only twenty-four hours. Well, on my phone. On the website, I am still number one for both the rolling week and the rolling month. MMT aggregates data somewhat funny at times and obviously not in the same way on their website and their app portal.

Anyway. No worries. Today, I actually took it pretty easy. Stopped and chatted with someone for about twenty odd minutes on the trail. Then I met one of the other maintainers for this stretch of trail and we chatted for twenty odd minutes too. 

The only thing I am looking forward to now is completing my century on the loop, which should be done in about three weeks. If it takes longer, then so be it. I just hope Denis does not want to race the loop. blbbl

the start and end of  my journey

the actual trailhead