Paddle to Coca Cola Falls

A few Sundays(October 27,2014) ago I joined a group of adventurous paddlers with the Winnipeg Hike, Bike and Paddle Meet Up group (http://www.meetup.com/Winnipeg-Biking-Hiking-and-Paddling-MeetUp/members/).

That Sunday we set out to explore a section of Manitoba that I had only heard about but had never visited, Coca Cola Falls. This is a beautiful area of Manitoba, a real gem.

We set off from Winnipeg and drove to Drifters Inn, Lac du Bonnet where we met up with Adrian of Wild Harmony Canoe Adventures (http://www.wildharmony.ca/). He took us out to a launch site a few kilometers from the Mcarhur Hyrdro Dam. There we set off and crossed the Lee River to the start of the Coca Cola creek ( I believe that what it is called). Within a short time we where there, exploring and snacking on launch. It was a beautiful area and it was wonderful to come by canoe. However looking at the trail that went around the area, it was marred by ATV tracks which were full of water which was an unpleasant sight and made it difficult to get around.

After the restful stop at Coca Cola Falls we headed out to an old gravel mine. It was really beautiful the clear water. Our guide Adrian told of us of the fish that would come to the surface of the water if we sprinkled bread on the water. We then hiked the short way back to the canoes for our final journey back to the canoes.

As we went up the Lee river we notice dark clouds on the horizon and even saw a few lightening strikes. We knew it was time to get off the water. As we approached our destination where the cars and trailer where we came to a bit of white water and other rapids. Since the water had gone down a few meters the rapids had emerged. The majority of us on the trip were not familiar with white water or rapids and this was a bad time of year to start to learn as the water was very cold if we fell in. Adrian and others surveyed the area and the best route was to launch after the white water rapids and avoid the other rapids further down the stream the paddle to the spot where the cars where parked.

After a full day of paddling my muscles were quite tired and I am not a very experienced paddler. So I and my friend started off from the rocks and began to paddle out into the current just as Adrian had advised. The current was strong and pushed the little canoe about, pushing us closer to the rapids that would have tipped us or pushed us further away from our destination. I looked back and saw the rapids, Adrian from on shore urged us to paddle harder, I yelled to my friend in the stern to paddle hard and using all my strength, which after a whole day of paddling was really on its last legs, paddled for all that I was worth, pulled the canoe away from the rapids that would have spun us around and then some, safely to shore.

I was quite an experience, one that I hope in the future to do again.

Links:
http://travelingluck.com/North+America/Canada/Manitoba/_5924596_Coca+Cola+Falls.html

Photos:
http://www.meetup.com/Winnipeg-Biking-Hiking-and-Paddling-MeetUp/photos/25454612/

Meet Up:
http://www.meetup.com/Winnipeg-Biking-Hiking-and-Paddling-MeetUp/

Biking to the Beach

For this August long weekend I decided to get some exercise and enjoy being at the beach. 

Early in the afternoon I headed off from Osborne Village with a full pack of water, towel (don't forget your towel), and snacks. I traveled along Boardway and up Main to Henderson Highway. From there I took one of the side streets to make my way to the trail along Gateway Road. 

The trail along Gateway Road is the Northeast Pioneers Greenway and a beautiful bit of urban trail that is the converted Marconi Spur rail line. This trail continues over Chief Pegasus and terminates at the Perimeter Highway. Unfortunately there is no proper crossing to continue on into East Saint Paul.  

Once in East Saint Paul, I traveled through Silver Springs Park which is a former quarry and is consider a hidden gem (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/former-quarry-a-hidden-gem-163983336.html). It's was fantastic cycling along with water on both sides of the trail. Care should be taken when cycling in and out of the old quarry as it can be quite steep. 

From the quarry I headed north on the Duff Roblin Parkway Trail (http://www.floodwayauthority.mb.ca/po_recreation.html). The trail was in great condition with little traffic.  Moving along the trail you can see pelicans, other wildlife and great hay bails. This trail connects to Birds Hill Park via a floating bridge that spans the floodway and then crosses highway 59. Following the trails through the park and on to the roadway, I headed to the west beach to cool off after a great bike ride. 

On my return trip I decided to continue further down the Duff Roblin Parkway Trail. There was no traffic along this part of the trail. It was just myself, the birds and the bugs which didn't bother me at all. It was wonderful just bike along such a nice bit of gravel trail. As I went I startled birds that flew along with me as I biked. I even had the pleasure of coming across a hawk or falcon who flew up and then sat on a hay bail to have his picture taken. I continued along this trail until I needed to get off which was at the Highway 1. My only disappointment is that there was no nice way to get off the trail to the road. I had to bike/walk to tall grass then scramble up the bank to the highway to get back to the city. I'm pretty accustomed to highway cycling but it would have been nice to hook up to some trail back to the city rather than bike along the highway with all of the broken pavement and pot holes. 

Link to a map of my route from Downtown to Birds Hill:

http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/675927071

Hike from Old Pinawa Dam

Saturday June 14th 9:30am, I and a group of 11 hikers set out from the Old Pinawa to the Pinawa Golf course. The day was cloudy, the grass was wet from the rain in the early morning and the mosquitoes swarmed around us. Thank goodness for bug spray.

The hike took us through grasses, trees and along the water. It was great to get out of the city to explore nature, Manitoba history and listen to bird songs over the murmur of fellow hikers. We saw rapids and wetlands; deer and ducks. But when the trails turned towards the shared trail with ATVs, I and a few others took a different path, one yet to be made and explored what could be. 

Romeo Bernardin took my friend Sarah and I through 3.5 kilometers of bush to see a potential new route that the Friends of the Pinawa Trail are considering.  It brought us close to the water and to wonderful vistas of the area.  I hope in the future that others will have the opportunity to see them and do not have to bush-wack for 3 kilometers.

As an aside, if you are thinking of heading out this way, please remember to bring bug spray (I used Ben's and only had a relatively 'few' bites) and dress in proper clothing to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and ticks. When I looked at the backs of other hikers I could see what could have been hundreds of mosquitoes trying to bite through people's jackets. 

But all in all a great Manitoba trail.

Training - After Kilimanjaro

It's after the climb and I still want to keep in shape. The workouts that I did for the climb had me at the gym 1.5 hours three times a week plus hot yoga every other day. It was a huge time commitment. Now that I'm back I have a reduced my workout provided by my personal trainer to an hour with 30 minutes of cardio every other day. It's nice to have a bit more free time.

However, rather ease up I'd like to more on take on new challenges. What are those new challenges? I'll have to do some thinking. One of them that I'm thinking about is the Actif Epica. I've even gone so far as to buy a new mountain bike. Yet I still am having issues getting my self in the proper mind set to train, especially run. Given my lack of resolve, the only solution really is to sign up for a run. A half marathon or 10 km should do the trick. The MEC Race Series (http://events.mec.ca/node/11388) looks to be the perfect thing. It shouldn't be so bad as I have already completed a fully marathon last year. This should put a level of fear in me to get myself going while training. 

Kilimanjaro - Training

Over the past six months I have been busy training and gear up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro early April 2014. 

This was an amazing once in a lifetime experience and it was done in support of SOS Children's Villages (if you would like to donate you still can, please visit https://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=31663) which we later visited.

The training was more intense then I did for my cycling trip across Canada in 2012 and it needed to be as there would be long days and night of climbs (one step at a time) all the way the mount which was over 19,000 feet. The majority of the group that I went with were based in Ottawa and had a building over 30 floors available to them to complete their training. I was on my own and so I came up with my own training schedule. It involved a lot of leg strengthen exercises. But as date of the climb got closure, I started to feel that my training routine wasn't going to cut it. I found a trainer and in the last 4 weeks really kicked it up a notch. If also help that in those last four weeks I wound down my fundraising activities and really devoted my efforts to training. 

My training schedule included the following exercises which I completed 3 to 4 times a week:

Work out #1:
- Machine Squats
- Leg Extensions
- Hamstring Curls
- Lunges
- Leg press
- 21's with barbell
- Triceps extension
- Dumbbell front raises
- Dumbbell lateral raises
- Wide grip Lateral pull downs
- Lower back hyper extensions
- Decline abdominal crunches
 - 30 minutes on the stair-master 

Workout #2:
- Straight Leg Dead-lift
- Lunges
- Leg extensions
- Hamstring curls
- Glute kickbacks
- Standing bent over reverse fly
- Seated incline chest fly
- Overhead extensions
- Rope press downs
- Rope Hammer Curls
- Crunches
- Side Bends with Dumbbell
- 30 minutes on the stair-master

Workout #3:
- Machine Squats
- Heavy Good Mornings
- Leg press
- Calves on leg press
- Mountain Climbers
- High Bench Step-ups
- Double Kickbacks
- Dumbbell 21's
- Machine reverse fly
- Machine chest fly
- Cable crunches
- Side Bends
- 30 minutes on the stair-master

First Post

Hello there!

My name is Marissa and I have gone from being a couch potato to an outdoor adventurer! 

Here I'll be posting some of my adventures, thoughts, pictures, and some of the things I've learned and am still learning as a novice outdoor adventurer.