Getting ready for Expedition Canada

Jason and I are about to take off for a crazy adventure... perhaps crazier than anything ever before. The kids will be cheering on our dot with Grandma at home as we take on a 100 HOUR ADVENTURE RACE called 'Expedition Canada'. 

https://www.expeditionracecanada.ca/course-details-disciplines

Wait, what is adventure racing?

Adventure racing is a little bit like a triathlon, in that you move from one element to another with 'transitions' in between to change equipment, and then you keep going. Unlike a triathlon, you have to navigate your way from point A to point B without a marked course. You may have to search for checkpoints along the way that aren't necessarily easy to find. The "short" races are usually about 8 hours. The medium distance races are usually 12-36 hours. And the "expedition" length races are anywhere from 3-11 days. Perhaps you've watched Eco Challenge, or "The World's Toughest Race"? That's the idea.

Our race will be done in a team of 4, and the 4 of us will stay together the entire time and we cannot split apart from each other. The team consists of myself (Meggan), Jason, an old field hockey friend I grew up with named Kristal, and her friend Laurel that we have only met on zoom. 3 females and 1 male. Our team name: "Ignorance is Bliss".

Our race is approximately 400km long in total. The totals for each element are: 235km of mountain biking, 110km of hiking/running/orienteering, 59km of canoeing, 2km of stand up paddle boarding, a ropes section (some kind of rappell/rock climbing element), and a 1km swim. We don't actually get any race maps until the morning of the race, but we do have some idea of how far in we might see a drop bag so that we can pack the right gear.

Have you ever done this before?

Jason and I have done a few of the short courses before. In fact, when I (Meggan) stopped playing on the national field hockey team, the first thing I did was sign up for a solo Mind Over Matter Adventure Race in Duncan. I owned a hardtail commuter-style 'mountain' bike, and ran beside it for the majority of a bike course as other people raced past me. But I did pretty well at finding my way around and had a blast... I was hooked. Jason and I have done two other in-person and one virtual versions of this same race since. But we have never done one longer than 8 hours... and I wouldn't say that our performances in these shorter races were worthy of impressing anyone, but we had loads of fun doing them.

Jason is just the kind of guy who goes big on all that he does. He signed up for Ironman as his first triathlon as a weak swimmer, and then rocked the swim. He did 1x 100 mile mountain run before his second and third were the HardRock 100 miles races. Just last weekend, he finished his 4th 100 mile run at IMTUF.

Kristal and Laureal have never done an adventure race before... but they are pretty amazing women and I'm looking forward to trying to keep up with them. Kristal is a tough, smart, and talented woman. She's a nurse, with a background in geography. She played field hockey, mountain biked, and rode horses all at very high competitive levels. Most importantly, she makes me laugh and understands how to push me but make it fun at the same time. Laurel is an equestrian athlete and has stepped up to the challenge of training for and preparing for this event like a boss. 

All 4 of us are parents. We all happen to have two female daughters.

Will you sleep?

Well, we hope so! But some teams will keep moving forward while others will stop to 'nap' on the side of the trail. The faster we go, the more chance we have to get some rest. But if we are slow and get lost often, we may only sleep a little. I'm guessing we will try to get 2-3 hours sleep per night. We do have to carry small sleeping bags and light tents with us the whole time. Our packs are decently heavy with mandatory gear, water, clothing, safety equipment, and food. Sleep deprivation is a huge part of the expectation and experience. 

The idea of continuing onward at night, through any weather, and navigating through the dark, while being very sleepy, is really the amazing part of these long races. I'm terrified and excited and curious about this part.

Have you ever exercised all night before?

Nope! Jason has. He has run through the night during several of his ultras. I have paced him through the dark but then went to sleep at 3am when I was done my pacing duties. I did the Grand Traverse Ski Race and that started at midnight and then went through the night and into the next day and lasted almost 16 hours. Jason and I hiked to the summit of Kilimanjaro and we started that at midnight and then continued to hike throughout the day for about 14 hours total. 

I remember the cold and sleep challenges and darkness during these events between 3-6am... but I also found this experiences deeply special... and sunrise each time has provided beauty and peace and renewed energy in a way I can't quite articulate.

Do you eat?

This is an 'unsupported' race. No crew. Nobody making you hot meals or hot cups of soup as you come into transition. I will be carrying dehyrdated food, a stove and a pot so that we can pull over and make some dinner at times... but that will also take up time and energy, and we won't want to do it too often. 

Why would you do this?

I've been asking myself this a lot recently. I have it on my bucket list to do an adventure race longer than 23 hours, and this happens to be closer to our home and more accessible than any 36 hour races because this isn't that popular a thing in BC. So we just signed up and went for it... and for sure 100 hours is feeling WAY more overwhelming than 36 hours, which now feels like it would be 'easy'. Ha!

I am a very goal-oriented person. Ever since I stopped playing field hockey at a high level, I have dabbled in other athletic challenges. I've done a trail marathon. I've done several triathlons, including a half ironman. I've done some long distance backpacking. 

I've watched high level adventure races with such awe and respect. I know two other women who are moms and professionals that are real people with real lives that have done this incredible races all over the world. I'm not at their athletic level at all... but they have inspired me to at least get out there and give it a shot.

Our 'A' goal is to complete the race and get an official finish. Our 'B' goal is to complete a shorter version of the race but still progress forward for 100 hours and get to the end, even if we miss a section because we were too slow for a cut off. 

I really hope that the four of us can find that balance of having fun, making each other laugh, challenging ourselves and pushing, and continuing onward toward the finish. I love the idea that the 4 of us have to progress together. We will only be as successful as our slowest member of the team and our navigation skills... and I love working together with others toward a common goal. I love the idea that we have to find checkpoints like a giant scavenger hunt in the woods.

I grew up in the wilderness of a huge property (in the Highlands of Victoria) and I spend my childhood chasing my brothers around in the forest. I feel like I was made for this kind of a thing.

How has the training been?

Well... I guess that's all relative. First, when I signed up I wasn't in very good shape... and it makes no sense whatsoever on paper that I'd be up for this. I could maybe run 5km. I wasn't a very good mountain biker, and have done it on/off over the years but have never really been good at it or practiced or been courageous. I don't canoe. I enjoy SUP and swimming. I'm terrified of heights and being in a harness on a rock wall, but I can do the basics.

Mountain biking is a huge component of this sport, and of this specific event. So I've been focused on that this summer, biking 1-3 times per week over the last 4 months. I'm WAY better than I was, and I'm much fitter than I was. I recently did an xterra (off road) triathlon. When I first looked at the course 3 months ago, I cried and tried to quit the race because it was a really hard technical course. But I practiced a lot throughout the summer and I was really proud to have completed it (even if I walked several parts). So regardless of the outcome of the entire thing, I am really excited to have this be something I'm now capable of.

I've been running some, and I'm in decent shape for me, but my longest run this year has been 10km... which for 'expedition' length standards is pretty minimal. My longest hike was a very mountainous 23km and it was hard... so the one section of a 38km mountain hike up and down to altitude and possible snow seems like a really daunting section that I'll be happy to finish.

Still... it's been outstanding to have a fitness goal and improve my fitness so much this year. Especially during the pandemic, when so many other things in life feel very small and routine. I have enjoyed being so focused on this race. The fact that it's so scary has motivated me to push myself out the door far more often than I would go without this goal.

But it's been hard on our kids. We haven't done as much as a family in the last 4 months as I would normally choose to do. Perhaps after the previous 12 months of being together SO much during the pandemic, this was a welcomed change at first. Grandparents have been helping watch the kids more so that we can get out and train. 

But many areas of my life have been shelved since May, and part of me is looking foward to re-connecting with the other elements of my world after the race.

How are you feeling?

Many people have been asking me that and I'm both excited and genuinely quite scared. I really cannot fathom going forward hour after hour after hour without sleep. I LOVE sleep. That's the part that I just can't wrap my head around and it feels gross to me. 

Maybe next time I'll have to find a stage race: something where you do all the activities during the day but you come back to a real bed and a shower each night before you go out again hard the next day. Right now that feels like the better choice...

But I'm hoping that those majestic sunrises and some race adrenaline and my fun teammates will help us continue forward toward that finish.

Can others watch our progress?

We aren't allowed to communicate with the outside world or use GPS or anything like that for the entire race. We are hoping that the race website will post our tracking map publically so that you can cheer us on and send us energy toward the finish line. We start Wednesday Sept 29 at 7am in Penticton BC and the course closes on Sunday October 4 at 12:00noon.

There are some pretty hardcore, experienced teams that will probably clear the course in 2-3 days, but we will expect to be near the back of the course, moving forward with a slow and steady pace.

https://www.expeditionracecanada.ca/2020-teams

Broughton Archipelago Kayaking Trip

Hello MOJO family fans! 

This is a trip report for the Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park, BC kayaking trip that Jason and I took in early June, without our kids.

The backstory...

In the winter, during the full lockdown of the pandemic, I was looking for a trip to take in the Spring/Summer that would be something to look forward to. I was working really hard toward a huge work goal that came to an end mid-April, and I wanted a reward. Also, my brother Tony turns 50 this year, and we wanted to celebrate in some way. Also, like everyone else, we have been stuck at home a lot in the last year+, and it felt exciting to be able to start getting out and adventuring.

In March, we booked a canoeing trip to the Bowron Lakes for early June, which is in the middle of BC. By early June, travel restrictions related to the pandemic remained, making that trip impossible...so we needed a plan B. Something closer to home. We were allowed to travel within our Vancouver Island travel region.

Tony: "Well, we could go kayaking with whales near Telegraph Cove."

Meggan: "ok" 

Vancouver Island. We live at the bottom in Victoria. The blue dot on the northeast coast is Telegraph Cove, BC.

The timing...

Did I mention that we moved house June 1? We took on the crazy real estate market and sold our family house this spring. So the way that schedules worked out, we moved in June 1 and we went on the trip June 5. It was the only time we could all get time away from work and, for us, time away from our elementary school girls. Tony ended up being in charge of all the logistics for this one because we were up to our eyeballs in boxes and trying to find the right gear was enough of a challenge.

The other amazing part was that my mom, "Nana," was kind enough to help us move into our new house, and then stay with the kids while Jason and I went out of town.

Saturday, June 5

Four of us: Tony, our buddy Sean, Jason and myself jumped in a car loaded with gear and 2 single kayaks and drove North on Vancouver Island from Victoria to Telegraph Cove (about 5.5 hours drive).

I haven't been North of Campbell River, BC in a long time and it is BEAUTIFUL! We saw a mama bear and two cubs cross the road just before we pulled into the cute village on the seaside. 

Tony had prearranged a rental of a double kayak for us, and it took some time to get our boats, load all of our gear in the pouring rain, fill up as many water bottles as we could, and load the very heavy / full boats into the water. I was relieved that our large blue plastic water container fit in our center hatch. We heard that there was no fresh water on any of the islands, so we would need to carry enough fresh water for 5 days. We were trying to give ourselves 5L each per day, so that ended up being a lot of water to lift on a heavy and sturdy double kayak.

Paddling out of town in the late afternoon was very peaceful - the water was calm, there was no wind, and we paddled south. We passed a few eagles and seals en route to Blinkhorn Peninsula Rec Site, where we camped for the night. The site was so-so. A few run-down tent pads and an old outhouse at the end of an overgrown trail did exist, but we opted to camp in a more open area where we could watch the water on either side. There was fresh water available, and mosquitoes were happy that we came to join their party.

Sunday, June 6

Tony used to be a paddling guide so he knows his stuff when it comes to tides, currents, kayak touring and weather. Jason and I were along for the ride on this one, and Tony was in charge of our timing. Currents in the area can be strong, and things can get gnarly if the weather or timing doesn't go well, so we were grateful for Tony's leadership. 

Sunday morning we woke early and packed up to push off, hoping to time things right so that we could cross Johnstone Straight toward Hanson Island and up the channel on its east side during slack tide. There was a little current and some waves to cope with, and I was glad we were in a sturdy double. Jason and I worked to learn to paddle together without any arguments, and Tony kept encouraging our pace and helped us ferry across the straight. I gave Tony a hard time about pushing our pace more than I wanted to do while on vacation, but he was right on, and we made it through the channel just in time. Tony was in a single boat that was pretty 'tippy', and it was a good thing he is a strong paddler as we went through some weird eddies and small whirlpools. I was pretty tired when we pulled over in a little cove of Hanson Island to see over 10 seals welcome us to our lunch spot. 

We had a good rest, food, got rained on, walked around the island a bit (which seemed to be a grazing area for sheep), and waited for the next slack tide timing. There was fresh water here also. We saw mink cruise along the beach from time to time, and watched an eagle try (unsuccessfully) to catch a mink for dinner.

After our break we paddled north a bit, and then at slack tide we started the next large crossing east toward Compton Island. We saw whales spout in the distance, which was very cool. The crossing was kind to us and went very smoothly without much hardship. We were headed toward Mound Island, but as we approached Compton Island, we noticed a beautiful white sandy beach that had excellent camping facilities, and decided to stay. The current coming in at the last minute was hard work, and Jason and I were really slow going anywhere for the last few minutes of the day. Thankfully the sun came out and we enjoyed laying out all of our wet gear on the beach to dry as we were able to relax. The island is actually First Nations land, but commercial groups often stay there on these lovely tent pads with an outhouse and a covered eating area. No commercial groups were out for the season yet, so we used the tent pads and enjoyed the sunsets from the beach. We even had weak cell service at the edge of the beach. I think we ended up kayaking about 20km that day, and it was tiring with some challenge to the timing, waves, current, etc. but overall I think we lucked out / timed it right because I bet it could be way harder on other days with other weather and timing. As Tony would say "we nailed it."

Mink here and there on the islands

Monday, June 7

We decided to stay for two nights at Compton Island and spend the day exploring the islands without having to move all of our gear. We paddled around and saw lots of wildlife. I especially enjoyed watching dolphins play in the wake of a boat in front of our kayaks. We also found a rope swing on one little island retreat and got out to play for a few minutes. We went to Ralph Island for lunch, and it was warm and sunny enough to have a quick dip in the ocean and play bocce ball before returning back. 

We heard there was good camping on Ralph island, but we were just there for lunch.

On our way back, we explored the camp site at Mound Island, which would be a lovely place to camp (room for 4-5 tents in the trees and well protected). I think we were close to another 20km of paddling today, but with flat water and no current issues at a much more chill pace.

We had a nice campfire hang out this evening and the rain held off until we were inside our tents for good. It POURED rain that night, and many many things were very damp from then on.

Tuesday, June 8

We packed up all of our very wet gear, and paddled out toward Flower Island. From there, we went east and inside the islands north toward our destination of Owl Island. The weather was kind to us throughout the day and our one larger crossing was successful. We saw a whale closer up and some more porpoises, a sea lion or two, and more eagles. It took us some time to decide where to camp on Owl Island. There was a less attractive option on the south side, but going around to the north side proved to be the way to do it. There was a lovely group site in the forest that could hold about 6-8 tents and had an open-air outhouse with a great view!

We spent the afternoon lounging in the sun on the beach and playing games and relaxing.

Wednesday, June 9

We decided to stay a second night at Owl Island and spend the day exploring the little islands all over the park. We heard and saw whales and more wildlife on our way to Dusky Cove on Bonwick Island. Our larger crossing went well and the wind and current were favourable again. Tony, once again, 'nailed it' in terms of timing and planning.

 

Watching whales...

Paddling all around the little islets and the colour of the water was lovely. The water was flat and it was fun to explore all the ins and outs of smaller islands. 

We stopped at Dusky Cove for lunch, but didn't find it too hospitable. There must have been better camping in another little cove we didn't find. We did see minimal fresh water, fresh bear tracks and fresh bear scat. 

This is where we had lunch. Perhaps another little nook nearby has better camping...

Our paddle back to Owl Island was also lovely, with a sprinkle of rain here and there. Tony and Sean caught some urchin to supplement our supper, so we taught ourselves how to prepare 'uni'... it was a fun experience but it wasn't my favorite taste.

Thursday, June 10

It rained again in the night and we packed up all of our wet things as the sun came out. 

Our destination of the day was Flower Island, where we had pre-scheduled a water taxi to pick us up and take us back. The weather and lack of wind made paddling on the west side of Swanson Island possible, and that was awesome because there was a lot of wildlife to enjoy along the way. Dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, seals, and whales were all around that day, and we didn't have to rush to get back.

Flower Island - a smal blue dot

We had time to relax on Flower Island watching dolphins and eating lunch before our boat came to pick us up. I was really impressed with the process for loading the kayaks on the boat and thankful my companions were strong enough to make that happen. Our boat captain, who ran grizzly bear tours in the summers up Knight Inlet, was fun to chat with as he drove us back to Telegraph Cove. The weather was changing, the winds were picking up, and the current and swell were starting to show their dark side. We were lucky to be exiting the park at this time before things became more challenging. 

We unloaded the water taxi and our gear, returned our double kayak, loaded up the car, and off we went!

We had an awesome dinner stop in Campbell River at a real restaurant (Beach Fire Brewing and Nosh House) with real people (not common for me since the beginning of the pandemic!), then home to Victoria for a clean shower and a soft bed before returning to the realities of family and household life the next morning.

If you get a chance to check out this amazing Marine Park, it was delightful!! Going early season worked out really well for us - we saw one other solo kayaker and a handful of small speedboats over the 5 days we were there. We are so lucky that my brother Tony had the skills and organization to make this happen, and appreciate being able to go out with him on this beautiful adventure.