Beavish

 We had one more Saturday full of fun to end off the 2022 race season!

Not that I was racing, but that's beside the point

Of course, this meant getting up at stupid o'clock to be there well ahead of the 7:45am 25km early start for The Beav.

Heading into the burgeoning sunrise

Just barely enough light when we arrived to make our way from parking lot to start area

Said early start had been moved back 15mins from last year, presumably to allow the sun a little more time to have itself a cup of coffee and a stretch before sending off the first wave of 25k runners. While headlamps had been necessary in 2021, that extra quarter hour meant I could safely leave mine behind when I crept into the back of the start corral.

Definitely a clear view now - the 50k would start at 8:30, with the 10k an hour after that, and the standard 25k start at 1pm

Race Director Jeff was saying stuff up at the front that I couldn't hear, but I just barely caught the countdown, and then everyone was off!

Fast people being fast - I wasn't through the starting arch yet!

In a reversal of the usual fortunes of this race, it was actually an unseasonably warm morning - 16c/61f at start time, predicted to go up to 21c/70f for the afternoon. I was comfortable with bare legs even before I got moving, and the sky continued to amaze through the first couple of kilometers.

This is always a great spot for a photo

Conga line up the escarpment

Wide open views past the stile

The climbs certainly hadn't shrunk since last year, and the proliferation of maple and oak leaves on the forest floor concealed most of the roots and rocks with which the trail is strewn.

The trees were as bare as I ever recall seeing them

More than one person stumbled or fell around me as we made our way up the Bruce Trail into the park proper - fortunately everyone I saw was ok, but I think it was an eye-opener for a few people!

You can get a bit of an impression of the concealed hazards here

A quick dash along the groomed park trails, then a left turn to head through one of the most spectacular parts of the course - I saw a couple of runners ahead miss the turn and yelled at them to come back, but I don't think they heard me correctly, or understood what I was saying.

Their loss

Cloudcover had rolled in muting the sunrise, but the view from the upper falls is always gorgeous!

Even if the falls themselves are a bit difficult to see

I had hooked up with a lady named Dawn from Michigan who was actually running the 10k - she was happy to have someone who knew the way down to the main falls (where she'd have to pick up her Beav button to prove she'd gone down the staircase and back up again), and I just hoped I wouldn't hold her back too much!

..while taking a ton of photos along the way.

It's just such a stunning course!

We eventually made it back out onto the groomed park trails, then to the aid station at 4.5-ish kilometers.

..where they already had the fire going, so I requested the wonderful volunteers have a s'more ready for Dawn when we got back up from the falls

Down the stairs we went, and I was unsure if the falls would even be flowing - it's been such a dry summer and autumn, with water levels as low as I can ever recall seeing. Fortunately, though, there was enough flow to give is a charming view!

Whether a torrent or a trickle, it's always worth a trip down to have a look

There are some neat rock formations that are only visible from down the stairs

Dawn grabbed her button (and I took a photo of her with it in front of the falls), then we headed back up.

It was nice to have some company, and with her sporting a sore knee I was just about able to keep up!

Back up top again, we paused to take in the beauty of the landscape of roots and rocks.

Such a special place

Then Dawn - grabbing her s'more that the aid station staff had kindly prepared for her - headed back toward the start/finish, while I filled my little water flask and meandered off further along the course.

Which gets decidedly interesting past the 5k mark

I'd forgotten quite how rocky the next couple of kilometers were - I hadn't actually done this section since the first running of The Beav in 2018. 

I'm glad I wasn't in a hurry

I could only run little bits here and there, because I am a clumsy oaf and didn't wish to fall and crack my head off a chunk of rock.

The shoes I'd worn were not giving confidence-inspiring grip on the dew-wet stone

They did, however, match my outfit - priorities, people!

I bopped along as best I could, basically walking all the technical stuff and running bits of the groomed trails, while popping my last handful of fuzzy peaches in my face. I still wasn't feeling what I'd call recovered from the 24hr three weeks prior, and knew that Tank had help at the start/finish aid station (where there wouldn't be much demand for food or drink until the first 25k runners finished anyway), so I could afford to take things a bit leisurely.

Including checking out some new improvements to the Beaver Dam trail for which the race is named

Eventually I spotted the little hill in the hardwoods that would lead up to the other on-course aid station.

Known as Russell's Roost

I'd actually come out to see who was working, as we hadn't seen Dion's name on the volunteer list. I was delighted when I discovered he was there anyway, captaining his namesake aid station as usual!

Louis with the photobomb!

I stayed to chat for a few minutes while I filled my little water bottle again and ate an Oreo, then ran off into the woods again to finish the Beaver Dam trail loop - I had no intention of doing the full 25k course, and figured this route would give me a solid 10 miles of the prettiest parts of the trail.

With a bit of wan sun beginning to emerge from the cloud

I walked and trotted along on varying surfaces, finally coming to the other end of the stream for which the Beaver Dam trail is named.

Again looking the driest I'd ever seen it - a far cry from last year, when it was underwater, or that time I ran through it while it was flooded with meltwater a few years back.

Such a lovely view

Despite being one of the "main" park trails, the Beaver Dam trail is far from the groomed, crushed gravel that most of the others offer.

Slow going, so I had another cookie

There are some runnable sections, though, so I tried to take advantage.

As the 25k leaders began to come flying past me - I kept out of their way!

There are a couple of boardwalks over streams before you come off the end.

One of which has a highly stimulating approach

..then you're back on to Bruce side trail for some more rocky, rooty wandering.

Absolutely gorgeous, and at least it wasn't icy this year!

I might be completely pants at covering it in any kind of hurry, but I adore this kind of trail!

Soon I found my way back to the first aid station near the top of the stairs to the falls, where I was able to fill my water bottle once more for the final 5k back to the start/finish. From there it was pretty easy cruising on the park trails, but I was walking a lot anyway as I was starting to tire a bit, and also feel a rising need..

Fortunately Hilton Falls Conservation Area trails are full service!

After relieving myself, I ambled off again through the woods.

Autumn's colours still blazing, even though most of the leaves were down

Not much further up, I saw a familar figure on the the side of the trail aiming a massive chunk of glass at me!

Nothing quite like ending up in the official photos for a race you're running very unofficially -
thanks for making me look good (well, as much as possible), Sue!

Sue Sitki had found herself a lovely backdrop to capture all of the racers coming through, and I stopped to chat with her for a bit to see how she was doing. It turned out she was having a tough day, so I hung out for awhile to see if I could help cheer her up a bit.

I'm not sure whether I did or not, but it was lovely to visit a bit anyway

When I finally got moving again about 25mins later, I'd got a bit chilled and things had rather stiffened up: something in the inside of my right leg was not at all happy about my attempts to run, but it eventually eased off enough that I could trot a bit here and there.

I didn't follow the course exactly, taking another pass by the upper falls instead of sticking to the groomed trail

Slower but definitely prettier!

I even found this lovely little remnant of summer

Another stretch of groomed trail, then back onto the Bruce side trail to begin my descent.

The fastest 50k runners were beginning to pass me now

I was actually running a bit, though!

I always think of the final kilometer or so being all downhill, and end up mildly surprised when I come to the small uphill that has always been there.

It didn't feel small to my legs, so I walked

A couple of 50k runners were starting to come back the other way from the start/finish for their second lap, but I had the stile all to myself this time

Wheeee!

One final little descent, then back across the bridge at the bottom of the reservoir into which the upper falls drain.

It almost feels weird to see it without frost these days

I finally got back to the start/finish area just before 11am - I'd taken nearly three and a quarter hours to cover just over 10 miles! After popping in to the aid station to make sure Tank knew I was back, I got myself changed up into dry clothes and spent the rest of the day with my sweetheart passing out food, drinks, and encouragement to the actual registered runners.

I'm pretty terrible at keeping my banditry a secret

It was great fun cheering on friends and strangers alike, and getting to see some people I hadn't encountered in quite some time. There's no better energy than an aid station at an ultra!

We stayed until the last of the race materials - tents, the finish arch, and even the course markings (brought in by a couple of sweepers) - were all loaded into the truck and the sun had sunk once more. I was exhausted by the end, but can't think of any way I'd rather have spent a warm, windy, beautiful autumn day!

I even got an extra hour of sleep that night (thanks to the time change)

Hope you all have an amazing weekend!