Grab a paddle & let's skedaddle

You'll be spared my driveling for a bit, because I'm buggering off into the woods again - Tanker and I are going to explore a new-to-us park!

Though well-known places do have their appeal, like running through the sunset at GORBA last Saturday.

Tomorrow morning we'll load up our awesome canoe and head up to just South of French River and launch into the (hopefully) smooth waters of Grundy Lake for our first look at the Provincial Park of the same name. I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend of easy paddling and maybe an easy, short trail run to stretch my legs and explore the park a bit. The trails seem to be fairly short (the Beaver Dam seems to be the longest at around 3.5km), but I'm happy to do a couple of extra loops to catch things I missed the first time 'round, and I don't need to get a long run in anyway. Whatever fitness I'm taking to Haliburton has already been built - the priority now is just to stay un-injured and get some rest to absorb the 284km of running I put in through the month of August. I'd happily just hike the trails with Tanker, too, if the weather or trail conditions look too sketchy for running.

They're calling for rain - what else is new this year? - but we have good tarps and an excellent tent, plus temperatures are supposed to be quite mild. I'm just hoping the frost advisory for the area last night killed off the mosquitoes!

We haven't been into the backcountry in awhile, and while I've enjoyed our glamping trips this year, I can't wait to leave everything behind to go play in the woods for 3 days. This should be the perfect way to really dive into my taper before the Haliburton Forest 50mi next Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to sitting around a campfire with my sweetheart while the lake and forest breathe new life into my soul.

My idea of heaven.

Of course, reading these stories beforehand might not have been my best idea. I wouldn't suggest sneaking up on me or making any funny noises in the night unless you're looking for a sizeable hunk of highly sharpened steel to be implanted somewhere in your body under highly unsanitary conditions.

There probably won't be a blog post next Friday as I'll be traveling and setting up camp in the Haliburton Forest, but if I don't turn up at the start line can someone please go check the Northwest corner of Grundy Lake to see if there's a pile of jewelry-studded bear droppings?

If you see a staircase, though, just turn around and go.