Mnt Hamel, Part 2: Conquer the Mountain; Overcome Fear

"The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future.  

It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present

and may not ever exist."

That is near insanity!!  

Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real,

but fear is a choice" - Will Smith

After the grizzly bear encounter on Mnt Hamel on July 7 on leg 4 of the Canadian Death Race, I will admit; I was quite apprehensive to run that section of the course on race day.  (If you missed that blog, go here for the full story.)  I felt the only way I would or could overcome that fear and run past that place on race day was to face it head on, and re-visit the spot ahead of time.

"Back at the vehicle, Lisa and I stopped for picture.
A memory of how fortunate we were."

With only three weekends before the race (and one of those I was racing Sinister 7) I didn't have too many options to do this run.  I was also supposed to start my taper after the July 7 run, but the run was cut short because of the bear encounter so I still needed to fit one more long run into my schedule.

A friend from Fort St John also wanted to train on leg 4 of the race and had a group that was planning to do it on July 14.  It was the only day that would work for me, so I agreed to join them on the run.  I checked with Lisa, and she was also able to join us.  We could face our fears together, and win part of the Death Race before it even started!!!  

Two nights prior to the run, the emotions of the bear encounter hit me again.  As I was lying in bed trying to find sleep; I remembered vividly, the image of the Grizzly bear's face, just inches from Lisa's feet while she was laying on the ground, unable to get away.  The sound of the bears growling at us resonated in my head as I fought the mental images and the terrifying memories of what we had gone through on the mountain.  I knew this run would be challenging physically, but the real challenge for me would be the mental part.  Finally, I was able to push the thoughts out of my mind and fell asleep.

"I took this picture during my 30 km night time
solo run.  Just the day prior to the bear encounter
I wrote this meme while I was waiting
in an airport.  I didn't realize how true it was!!"

The next day, we sorted out the usual logistics for a long run in Grande Cache.  Lisa and I wanted to run leg 4 and 5 while the rest of the group was only planning on running leg 4.

The morning of the run, Lisa and I traveled to Grande Cache together.  This was the first time we had been able to visit since the encounter.  We both had questions about some details of what had happened and why it all happened.  We hoped that today would give us some answers to both questions.  By 8:30AM we had the vehicles positioned at the end of the trails and the group of runners were ready to start leg 4.

It was a cool morning, but the sun was shining and the light breeze was just enough to keep us from over-heating as we started up the power line and into the bush.  The steady climb of the first few kilometers of the trail set our pace; but the conversation in the group soon turned to the bear encounter that had happened two weeks prior.  Everyone in the group was wearing bear spray and even though we were in a large group, the frequent "WHOOPS" and hollers were a sure sign that everyone was alert for bears.

The south facing slope was very bright, but the thick under brush restricted the view of the surrounding areas near the trail.  As we continued up the mountain, Lisa and I ran together and were in the front of the group, but we all stayed close together.  The closer we got to the place of the encounter, the mountain and trees seemed more foreboding.

Several times, I looked at Lisa as we got nearer to the spot and asked if she was doing okay.  It was more to calm my own apprehensions.  The closer we got, every step seemed to take a little more effort and our pace slowed.  Finally we came onto a short straight section of the trail and we both agreed that the encounter had happened just ahead on the next corner. 

"The bear encounter happened at the
end of this straight stretch."

We walked in silence the last few meters.  I could hear my heart thumping in my head and the memories of the life-changing encounter started to come back.  I pushed the fears aside and kept moving ahead cautiously.

When we stopped in the road at the exact place where it all happened, the surrounding area seemed brighter than I remembered....  Even though only two weeks had passed since we had left that spot, the grass seemed greener and brighter.  The mountain flowers seemed to be blooming more and were more prolific.  It was actually a beautiful spot!!  We spent a bit of time with the group rehearsing in real time how it all happened and I realized again how fortunate I was to be able to come back to this spot and take a moment for final closure to this harrowing experience.

We started to look for my Go Pro camera that had fallen out of my pack during the encounter.  It wasn't long before Lisa spotted it in the tall grass near the spot where she had fallen down.  It turned on and seemed fine, but a closer inspection revealed a crack in the lens.  I must have stepped on it after it fell on the ground.  

"The place where all the action happened."

"Lisa, looking at the bush she fell into with the bear was at her feet.  Dakota,
seems to remember this place too and doesn't look too impressed!!!"

The disappointment of the damaged camera definitely didn't dampen my spirits. I had more important things to be thankful for.  As we left the spot of the bear encounter and continued up the road to the summit of Mnt Hamel, it felt as if a very scary and fearful experience had been corrected, and made much better and more accurate.  The place of the encounter was no longer a fearful and dark spot; but a place where I was given a second chance at life - a place where my life was given more meaning. 

"The summit of Mnt Hamel."

"Running down the ridge from the summit."

"Passing the fire lookout at the top."

That spot on the mountain will always be very important to me.  The last two times I have been there, it has made a life changing impact on me.  The first time, I realized that it wasn't my time to die and that I still had a purpose in life; but this time I realized that I had the courage and the fight to overcome any fear or challenge that would come between me an any of my goals. 

With the 125 kilometer Canadian Death Race less than three weeks away, a big challenge is on the horizon; but somehow, it seems slightly smaller and it seems like I have already won the important part of the race.

"Fear is not your enemy.  As long as you strive for growth,

it is a stepping stone to success."

- Akshay Xnanavati

"Courage doesn't mean 

you don't get afraid.

Courage means 

you don't let fear stop you."

- Unknown

Mnt Hamel - Mother Nature, and Mother Grizzly

Most days when I wake up, I have a plan for the day. I know what Im going to do and roughly how the day will end.  Usually, the day goes as planned but sometimes the days seem to be out of our control.  When this happens, my tendency is to try to fix things and get the day back on track; but sometimes there are higher powers involved and we are left as just a piece of the puzzle that is life and destiny.

"Lisa Lauzon and I at the end of a day with a little too much
adventure!!  Glad to be able to take a selfie with each other"

Today started out as a normal weekend running day for me.  The 125 kilometre Canadian Death race is four weeks away, so todays plan included a 55 kilometre run on leg 4 and part of leg 5 of the race course.  This would be my last long run on the course and I was looking forward to getting some estimated running times for this portion of the course.

As with all long runs with our running group, we met at Tim Hortons in Grande Prairie at 5:45AM to car pool for the 2 hour drive to Grand Cache.  When everyone had arrived at Tim Hortons, there were 12 of us in the group and Dakota, a Border Collie/Lab cross.  There were some new faces in the group which always makes the long runs more enjoyable.  New people to share the old stories with!!

Several of us in the group are soloing the Death Race and some are running legs in the relay, so everyone's pace and goal for the day would be varying slightly.  Typically, the large group spreads out on the trail in smaller groups of 2 or more runners.  Very rarely does anyone run by themselves when we go for a group run.

"The whole group of us at the start!!
What an awesome bunch of running peeps right there!!"

Once we arrived at the leg 3/4 transition area and had the vehicles parked at the end of leg 4 where we planned to end our run, we started to run up the highway, to where the trail followed the power line into the bush.  Lisa and I were in the front with her dog which she mostly kept on a tether to prevent the dog from running too many extra kilometres and wearing herself out before the day was finished.

The first portion of the leg 4 trail up Mnt Hamel is a steady climb up a quad trail that is no longer passable on an ATV.  The aspen and willows created a good wind break for us as we continued to climb.  The trail is a clay/dirt trail, and I noticed that we were following some very fresh elk tracks and the odd deer track, but there was no bear sign.  It took us 55 minutes of power-hiking to reach the mine road and after a picture or two, Lisa and I continued on.  The next several kilometres follow an old mine road and are mostly downhill or level, so it is very runable and we were able to make up some time.

"This sign simply states the obvious....
maybe a little too obviously for today..."

After passing a red gate that is locked to prevent vehicle traffic from continuing, the trail started to climb again.  This time, in thick black spruce and balsam trees.  The rain storm that had passed through the night before, enhanced the unforgettable smell of the balsam trees and the sub-alpine flowers that were in full bloom.  The smells brought back fond memories from nearly 30 years ago, of hunting moose with my dad and brothers when I was growing up in the Yukon.  It seemed like many of these trips, I was just along for the good time and to get out in the woods... I wasnt yet old enough to shoot.  But dad always took the time to teach us how to hunt and survive with Mother Nature.

"The red gate"

As Lisa and I continued to climb, it got colder.  As the trees got shorter and the underbrush thicker, the cool west wind got stronger too.  The surface of the road was covered with large loose stones, and because of the steep incline, we were back to a steady power hike.  As we neared a sharp left hand corner in the road, we were just discussing stopping to put on our wind breakers.  The road bed was only ten or fifteen feet wide and cut into the side of the hill.  To the left, there was about a 2 foot cut bank up, then thick alder bushes which lead into the stunted spruce trees.  On the right hand side of the road, it dropped off steeply.  In most places, there was a small berm of dirt on the edge of the road, but here there was not.

Just as we were about to stop, we both heard a shuffling sound to our left, about 12 or 15 feet off the road.  The brush was much too dense to see what was making the noise, but we both suspected it was a bear.  Within a matter of seconds, the distinctive brown head of a grizzly bear rose up from the alders.  It looked at us for just a moment then started to run towards us through the thick underbrush!!!

Lisa and I both started to instinctively back up from the bear, close to the downhill side of the road.  When the bear came out of the bush, Lisa was behind me.  We were both yelling at it and I had my bear spray canister out and the safety lock removed.  The bear didn't even slow down!!!  When she was 4 to 6 feet away from me, I let off a  blast of the bear spray directly in the its face.  It veered sharply to the left of us and started to circle around behind.

"This was very close to were the bear
encounter happened.  It may have actually
happened at the far end."

Right after the sow came out of the bush, two of her cubs came out just to the right of us!!  They were not new born cubs.  There back was about waist high on me.  As they came towards us, I gave each of them a blast of the bear spray, but it didn't seem to deter them.  Now the sow was on our left and the two cubs were on our right!!  I instinctively realized that we were in a bad situation and tried to get the bears together while trying to stay close to Lisa and the dog, who was luckily on a short tether.  

At this point, it was just mass chaos!!!  The three bears were running in circles around us - never more than 10 or 15 feet away.  Whenever one of them would come close enough, I would give them another shot of spray.  All the while, Lisa and I are yelling at them and waving our arms, trying to back away from them.  Thats when Lisa slipped off the edge of the road, did a summersault, and landed in a bush, on her back with her feet pointing downhill.  The two cubs were on the road facing me so I didn't see it happen.  With one last blast of bear spray, I noticed that I was running out...I figured I had one more shot so I better make it count.

Still unaware that Lisa had fallen, I was asking for her bear spray because I was out.  Between the two of us yelling at the bears and swinging at them with my poles, she told me it fell out of her pack when she fell....she didn't know where it was!!!  Thats when I turned around and saw the predicament she was in!!

She was laying on her back with her head and shoulders just off the road.  Her lower body was between two scrubby spruce bushes, and all I could see was the sows head sticking out from under a spruce tree mere inches from her feet, and hear the sow moaning and growling at her....a sound that I have only ever heard in movies, but I will never forget!!!  

My attention was now completely off the two cubs.  I don't recall exactly what they were doing at this time, but I think they were still be running behind and around us.  The bank that Lisa was laying on was too steep for her to climb up backwards.  Because of the steep angle, while I was standing at the top, the bear was too far away from me for an effective blast from my dying bear spray canister, and I knew this would be my last shot with the spray.  Dakota was down the bank as well, near her feet.  With all the racket, I cannot remember what the dog was doing, but Im sure she helped IMMENSLY.  

The cubs were still running around and the situation was not improving for us.  I remember thinking to myself, "When will this END...when will they go away??"  My voice was starting to go hoarse from yelling at them and the sow just wouldn't get away from Lisa.  Finally, I realized I had to make a move as best I could to get the sow away.  I leaned over Lisa as far as I could and sprayed the last of the bear spray into the sows face which was right still right beside Lisa's feet.  

Some of spray must have gotten to the bear because she backed off, but I remember seeing the red peppery mist settle on Lisa and Dakota too!!  It seemed in slow motion....I thought I had made the fatal mistake of spraying them too!!!  In the lull of the commotion, I recall apologizing to Lisa and Dakota for spraying them.  Lisa assured me that she was ok.  

The lull didn't last long, the sow circled to my left and came back up on the road and came at us again!!  Lisa was now climbing up the bank onto the road.  As the bear neared us, I swung my pole at the bear and hit her in the neck, just behind her head.  I was out of bear spray and this was now our only defence.  The Black Diamond carbon fibre poles are lightweight, but I remember hearing the distinct "whoosh" of the pole when I swung it through the air as hard as I could, then felt the pole break when it hit the bear.  Lisa was now up on the road and was throwing large rocks at the bear as it veered to my left again.  

This time, it went back into the bush where it originally came out from.  We both picked up more rocks and threw them in the bush as we made our way walking backwards down the road.  For about a 100 meters, the bear followed us, just in the thick bush.  We continued to yell and throw rocks at it while we made our hasty retreat out of the area.  

Finally, there was silence....I looked a Lisa and she looked at me....her eyes were starting to water and swell from the bear spray and my throat was starting to restrict.  (Apparently, I inhaled some bear spray at some point.)  I could hardly talk, not to mention, yell any more.  We continued to walk backwards down the road and talk as loudly as possible.  Both of us were still carrying rocks.  Once we got some distance between us and the family of bears, we stopped and got our thoughts together.

We confirmed that there were no injuries other than over spray and Lisa had some bumps from falling down the hill.  For just a second we did consider continuing on back up the trail as planned...but then we both came to our senses and agreed it was best to find somewhere else to run.  

We started walking back down the road to meet up with the other group...all the while, rehearsing what had just happened.  

Everything had gone as good as possible for the circumstances:  We were both talking loudly even before we got to the bear.  Neither one of us had bear bells on, but I don't think that would have made any difference.  Im sure the bear heard us talking for a while before we got there.

We commented on how calm we both felt throughout the whole ordeal.  I was amazed at Lisa's calmness while the bear was literally at her feet.  She was definitely yelling at the bear, but I think I would have been screaming like a little girl if I had been laying there!!!  

That was my first time using bear spray on a bear.  It does have its limitations, but I believe it is very effective.  We both agreed that it is important to make SURE that your bear spray is ALWAYS very handy (and in a pocket that it won't fall out of if you do a summersault!!)  In the future, I will be carrying two bear sprays while I am running solo.  Typically, the bears that are going to come at you will be a sow and cubs, and one canister isn't enough for more than one bear.

After meeting up with the group we told them what had happened and headed back down to the highway.  Once at the "safety" of the road, the adrenaline seemed to wear off.  Lisa's eyes started to burn immensely from the bear spray.  We flushed them out as best we could with water from a hydration pack, but then decided it was best to taker her into the clinic in Grande Cache to get her eyes flushed properly.  

Because we were planning on ending our run on the other side of the mountain, all the other vehicles were about 7 kilometres down the highway.  So we headed that way.  I began to process what had just happened.  How close we really were to the bear, and how fortunate we were for that outcome.  I realized that today was not our day to die.  I looked at the stats on my running app and the whole encounter only lasted about a minute and forty five seconds.....but it seemed eternal!!

I often talk about the bond that runners get from spending so much time together....this is a perfect example of that.  Lisa and I worked together as a team with calm and methodical actions....but someone much more powerful than us was looking over us today.

Just yesterday, I was sitting in the airport in Edmonton, waiting for a flight home, and the thought came to me "Running will change your body; running trails will change your life" so I made a meme of that quote while I waited for my flight.  Little did I know how true that was....

Canadian Death Race Training, 62 Kilometre Run

The day was not hurried or spur of the moment.  We had been planning this run for several weeks.  My training plan that was built by my running coach and run group leader, Krista, was slowly getting me ready for this distance.  With this 65 kilometre run being eight weeks before for the 125 kilometre Canadian Death Race, it seemed like quite the daunting task for me.  But I have learned to trust the coach....she has a plan!!

The route planned for the day started in Grande Cache and followed legs 1, 2 and 3 of the race course.  On race day, cut off time for the start of leg 4 is 11 hrs and 45 minutes.  So todays goal was simply to finish the run ahead of the cut off time....or as closely as we could!!  For me, it was also a familiarization run.  I had only been on a small portion of leg 2 last summer, so was excited to explore the trails that I would be facing during the Canadian Death Race.

"Legs #1 and #2 of the Canadian Death Race consists of
two mountain peaks with 1,879 meters of elevation gain."

My training and nutrition for the two weeks prior to this run had been dismal, to say the least.  Two weeks prior to the run, I was volunteering at the local Grande Prairie Stompede.  During the five days of rodeo and chuckwagon races, I spent 14 to 16 hrs a day on my feet, wearing cowboy boots.  I averaged 25,000 to 30,000 steps per day, but sleep and nutrition were very low on the list of things to do for the week.  Needless to say, I lost over 10 pounds during the week and didn't get in any training runs!!

This left me with one week before the long run to catch up on sleep, hydration and nutrition.  Mentally, I just wasn't feeling the upcoming run!!  I had to FORCE myself to eat!!  Hydration was relatively easy, but I couldnt find enough time (in the day or night) to catch up on the sleep I had missed the previous week.

Two days prior to the run, I was chatting with a friend who was also on the Stompede board of directors with me.  I knew she was a Thrive distributor and I had heard of the product before, but I am sceptical of most of these types of products.  At this point though, I was willing to try it out, so she offered me a few samples to try on the run.

The run was planned to start at 8AM; the same time as the actual race.  The end of leg 3 was about 10 kilometres out of town, so we had to position vehicles at both locations so we could get back in to town after the run.  With the 2 hour drive from Grande Prairie to Grande Cache this meant that I had to leave town at 5AM in order to get ready to run at 8!!

I had been making a mental list of everything I would need for this length of a run; but this was longer than I have ever run before.  The 60 km Golden Ultra that I completed in September of 2017 was my longest run so far, so I was mentally preparing myself for a similar day.  I kind of knew what to expect.

The 65 kilometre course took us over 2 mountain summits.  The forecast was calling for up to 10 mm of rain for the day; but at altitude, who knew what we would be facing.  I was planning on starting the run wearing shorts and tee shirt; but I packed a wind jacket, hat and gloves, long sleeve shirt, and running tights, just in case.  As with all my long runs, I also boiled my favourite mini potatoes and filled a zip-lock back with dates.  Desert was double stuffed white Oreo cookies and gummies with salt tablets as the appetizers!!

"When preparing for a long run,
never pass up the opportunity
to eat!!!"

At 11PM, I finally was all ready for morning.  After a quick shower and I crawled into bed, set my alarm for 4:15 AM, and turned out the light.  Then it hit me.....I was HUNGRY!!!  I knew this was no way to start out a running day, so I got out of bed and quickly made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Then chased it down with a banana and a liter of electrolyte water!!  Bed time #2....this one turned out to be the final one, and I quickly fell asleep.

My alarm went off way too early, but I somehow managed to roll out of bed and land in my running clothes that I had piled on the floor less than 5 hours earlier.  In the kitchen, I had set out my breakfast of Stoked Oats and planned to get a bagel and muffin when I picked up another runner at Tim Hortons at 4:00.  In an effort to multi task and save time, I was transferring my post-run food from the fridge to the cooler while I was cooking the oatmeal in the microwave.  With the job half complete, I noticed an odd sound and could see an oatmeal FOUNTAIN forming in the dim glow of the microwave light!!!  By the time I got things under control, about half the portion of Stoked Oats was in the container.  The remainder was dripping from the roof and running down the door of the microwave.
I made a mental note to leave a message on the counter for Cheri (who was still sleeping), promising to clean up the mess when I returned that night.....  I forgot to write the note....

Finally, I had gathered everything I needed for the run and headed out the door.  The meeting place at Tim Hortons was less than 10 minutes away.  As I pulled into the parking lot, I realized I had forgotten the Thrive patch!!  The way the previous few weeks had been, this may be the final link in the success of my run!!!  Fortunately, Erin wasn't waiting for me yet so I returned home and found the patch laying on the counter in front of the messy microwave.

When I returned to the meeting spot, Erin was there and ready to go.  I quickly grabbed a bagel and coffee for the road, then we headed south to join up with the rest of the running party.  The 2 hour drive to Grande Cache was anything but dull.  We discussed running strategies and the upcoming races we had planned.  And of course we talked of the mental side of running.  How it is technically a solo sport, but it is so important to be part of a team!!

As we arrived in Grande Cache the rain started to fall...apparently, the forecast wasn't too far off after all!!  We quickly stashed our gear in the appropriate vehicles then transferred the vehicles down the highway to the end of leg 3 which was about about 10 kilometres out of town.  Back in town, all 11 of us were ready to hit the trails and it was 8:05AM, after a quick "pre-run" picture, we were on our way!!

"Left to Right:  Robin, Doug, Michal, Darryl, Coach Krista,
Erin, Shari, Yasna, Jessica, Me, and Christine"

The first few kilometres of leg one wind through town, then cross the highway and start up a slight grade into the bush at the base of Grande Mnt.  Most of the trail follows a quad track, but there are many rocks, roots and muddy portions to navigate through.  It didn't take long for the faster people to get ahead of me; but for a while, I could still hear the distant yells from Krista as she tried to scare the bears deeper into the woods.

Most of leg one was gradual hills.  The up-hill sections, I power hiked and the downhills, I tried to run; if it wasn't too muddy.  Five or 10 kilometres into the leg, all 11 of us were spread out on the trail.  Three or four people were ahead of me, then I was in a group of three, then the remainder were just a short distance behind us.

On one of the rocky portions of the trail, Doug, who was running just behind me, slipped on a wet rock and twisted his ankle.  He kept up the pace for a while, but soon realized he was not going to be able to finish the first leg and decided to call for a ride when we crossed the highway.  It was a grim reminder to me that injuries can happen to anyone, anywhere.  I passed the time by focusing on foot placement and body position....anything to prevent an injury!!!

"Nearing the end of leg One"

The remainder of leg 1 was pretty flat.  It wound its way along side a lake, then a couple kilometres along a gravel road and back into the woods to a rail yard.  Most of the trail was marked with faded flagging, and faint paint markings could be seen on the odd rock or root.

At roughly 2 hrs into the run, we were at the rail yard.  The transition area, for legs 1 and 2.  Four of us met up there and without delay, we started leg 2....the ascent of Flood Mnt!!!  After crossing the highway, the trail followed a very dusty logging road.  The incline was too steep for me to run, so I settled into a steady power-hike pace with the 3 others.  When the logging road turning into a quad trail, our group of 4 was once again all stretched out and I soon found myself alone.

I had never been on this portion of the trail before, so when I was with the group I tried to ask as many questions as possible so I wouldn't get lost.  I was told there was a creek part way up Flood Mnt that would possibly be our last water source for quite a while.

"There is nothing like drinking from
a mountain stream...."

I run with a 1.5 liter water bladder, but it is very hard to tell when I am almost out of water and need to ration it, so I also carry a 500 ml water flask as a reserve.  Running out of water is a very mental downer for me, so I try to avoid it at all times.  Sure enough, at roughly km 20 a beautiful mountain stream crossed the trail.  I stopped and refilled my water bladder, and also drank right from the creek!!!  The smell and taste of the mountain water always takes me back to my childhood, when I would spend many days each summer, hiking and hunting in the mountains of the Yukon.  We never packed water with us, so we drank from every small stream we came across.  If it was clear and cold, we figured it was good to drink!!

I probably spent too much time at the creek, but feeling much more refreshed and with a slight belly ache from drinking too much,  I continued power-hiking up the trail.

The early morning rain showers were still trying to stick around, but they were having a hard time performing.  The steady breeze kept the bugs away, and the odd spatter of rain, kept me from overheating.

At kilometer 22.5 (by my watch) the trail takes a hard right off the quad trail and starts the loop to the summit of Flood Mnt.  At this intersection, I caught up to Shari and Christine who were just finishing a snack.  They asked how I was feeling and I confessed that I was water-logged and did not feel like eating at all....I was behind on my nutrition.  They sternly told me to EAT or I wouldn't have the stamina to finish the day.  So I sat down for a bit and ate some of my rations...Oreo cookies, gummies, dates, and a couple salt tablets.

Just as I was finishing up, Daryl, Krista and Robin finished up the loop and started down into Slug Fest, the swampy portion of the trail between Flood Mnt and Grande Mnt.  After a quick chat with them, I started up the single track to to top of Flood.  It didn't take long before, my nutrition kicked in!!  I had energy and I seemed more alive!! Maybe it was the view from the top of the mountain or maybe it was just the fun of running along the summit trail; but the 2.5 km loop was a very welcome break from the slow grind coming up the quad trail.

"Thanks Tips....."

Back at the intersection, the decent started into Slug Fest.  This swampy portion of the trail lasts for about 4 kilometres and is marked by numerous muskeg sections and a few small creeks, none of which I determined were good enough to drink from.  In between the wet sections, there seemed to be a never ending supply of very steep, relatively short declines.   The steep down hill portions of the trail jammed my toes to the front of my shoes that were soaked from the swampy sections.

A cynical sign nailed to a tree reminded me that "Black toe" isn't just a state of mind....  Well then, what was it??  Up until this point in my running career, I still have yet experienced that phenomenon; but I had this funny feeling that after today's run, I would no longer be a "Black Toe Virgin".  Shari and Christine were usually with in yelling distance, but I could sense that they weren't too eager to discuss the legendary "Black Toe" with me, so I continued hiking....in silence.

After what seemed like an endless repetition of bum-slides, swamp, then short climb, followed by the same process all over again we came finally came to nicely flowing creek.  The ladies assured me that this was a good creek to drink from, and after drinking from it (again, too much) I agreed with their decision.

While I filled my water bladder once more, the ladies continued on.  I didn't mind too much, because I figured I would probably be running a great deal of this trail by myself on race day.  This was as much mental training for me as it was physical.

After the creek, we followed an old abandoned road for several kilometres then hit an access road where I caught up to the Shari and Christine again.  We power hiked the last 4 kilometres to the summit of Grande Mountain.  Near the top, the wind increased and it started to rain so I stopped and put on my waterproof wind breaker.

The ladies seemed to have a sense of urgency to get off the mountain so while I enjoyed the view for a bit, they headed down the mountain on the power line for the final 6 kilometres into Grande Cache and the end of leg 2.  I wasn't long into my decent off the mountain when I was sheltered from the wind and the sun came out...so I had to stop and remove a layer of clothes.

"Nearing the summit of Grande Mnt"

This portion of the trail I was more familiar with, I had hiked it once with run group the previous summer and I had a very vivid memory of the constant decent littered with loose rocks and deep dust.  I have always heard how this section of the trail is a quad killer and I was beginning to experience it first had.  My right knee started to tighten up and with each step, I could feel a general pain which started to worry me.  In the distance, I could still see Shari and Christine, but my instinct told me to slow down and take it easy rather than risk an injury on a training run.  I didn't know how to get from the 2/3 transition in Grande Cache onto leg 3, so I tried to keep them in sight as best I could.

"Yes, there was sweat dripping
off my nose and chin...."

Running back into town, as I neared the rec centre where our vehicles were parked, I called home to my wife to let her know I was still alive and preparing to head out on the final leg.  When I got into the parking lot, I could see the ladies were still there, but they were about ready to leave.

I had been on the trail for 41 kilometres and nearly 8 hours so I needed to restock my food supply.  The steep decent down Grande had also proved to be too much for my shoes.  Both of of which, were showing signs of distress to the extent of failure; so I changed into a new pair that I had used for less than 50 km.  While I refilled my water supply, I enjoyed some watermelon and tested out some fresh pomegranate.  They were quite sweet, but still very refreshing.  I wasn't too sure what the excessive fiber from the pomegranate seeds might do to me, so after sucking the juice off the seeds, I spit them out.  (Im sure the birds thanked me.)  I also grabbed a bag of boiled potatoes (which I had forgotten to take with me on the first leg) and snacked on them as we headed out of town on the third and final leg.

My watch battery was very low at the transition so I plugged it into my battery pack which I had with me.  Unfortunately, while it is charging, it doesn't track distance, so I had to rely on the ladies for mileage updates.

After a quick downhill portion out of town, then a kilometre or so of uphill, the road narrowed to a quad trail which was cut into the side of the river valley.  The majority of the trail seemed to be on a gradual decent, but many sections were strewn with loose, jagged rock, making running impossible...not to mention unsafe.

A half hour or so after refuelling at the 2/3 transition in town, I once again had a crazy amount of energy!!  Yes, my body was fatigued, but the trail was easy and the river valley scenery was spectacular!!!  In amongst the rocks that were strewn across the trail, there seemed to be numerous piles of bear droppings as well.  None of it seemed too fresh, but the thee of us agreed to stay together regardless.

As the trail got lower and lower into the river valley, it also seemed to be never ending.  I knew from looking at a map the day prior, that the trail crossed a bridge at the coal mine, then we had to go several kilometres back up the river to the end of leg 3, but the bridge just wouldn't come soon enough!!

Ten kilometres into the leg, my watched was fully recharged, so I turned it back on to GPS tracking.  With a simple calculation I was now able to keep track of the distance remaining to the vehicles.

FINALLY, the bridge was in site.  I had heard about the final 3 kilometres of leg 3.  They used to follow along the side of the road, but a few years previous, someone got really adventurous and decided to cut the trail into the side of the hill above the highway!!!  I have to admire that persons dedication and tenacity.  Several sections have ropes to assist with the STEEP inclines or declines and large sections are cut into the side of the mountain by hand with a path only as wide as a single track.  One step out of line and it would be a LONG drop onto the highway below, and most definitely the end of the race....

"Leg 3 started way up on the horizon, then followed the left side of the river.
After crossing the bridge, the transition area is on the right side of the highway just out of sight."

"One of the several rope sections
in the final kilometres"

In the last few kilometres, the trail followed closely to the highway in several sections.  In one of these areas, Dary and Coach Krista who had already finished leg 3, pulled up beside us in their car and shouted encouragement to us, cheering us on!!  We still had nearly 45 minutes in order to make the target cut off time and we were less than a kilometre away!!  I mentioned to Daryl that I felt good enough to start leg 4, up Mount Hamel; but he said I was most likely delirious and I should just stop after finishing this leg....  The last kilometre was one of the most technical.  Two rope descents, chewed at my puffy sweaty hands, and my toes that I hoped were only black from the trail dust, were jammed into the front of my shoes.

In the distance, we could hear horns honking and the shouting of the rest of the group!!  It sounded like there were 100 people there cheering us in.  We waited at the bottom of the final rope near the edge of the clearing for all three of us to get to the bottom, then we ran in to cheers and high fives of the rest of the group.  It wasn't much of a sprint, but the effort was there for sure!!

As we sat there reflecting on the highs and lows of the day, I couldn't help but be amazed at how well I felt!!  I really did feel like I could continue on running if I needed to!!   Starting the run, I wasn't even sure I would be able to finish leg 3, not to mention, finish over 10 minutes ahead of the 11 hrs and 45 minute cut off time.  Maybe it was the Thrive patch, maybe it was the constant hydration from all the mountain streams...??  One thing was for certain, everything worked together this time, and I can only hope for the same results in 7 weeks on race day....and the myth of the black toe still eludes me.....!!