I went out on my run and smashed it doing under 8 minute miles for a 5k and I felt fine when I got home. I pottered a bit, did JW workout, chores, fed everyone and shower.
Rob was supposed to go into the office but changed his mind at the last minute and stayed home.
I really wanted to get the boys out today and knew a bike ride just wouldn't go down well so I said we would go up the yard after lunch and not one moan did I hear. 👏
Up the yard Leo went in the JCB with Grandad, they ran around, played with the dogs, saw their cousins again, went on the quad bike and I helped my Mum a bit. Well I say helped, I drove the truck a few metres and that was it. I was freezing cold and I just got worse. I tried to warm up in the truck but that didn't work so eventually I said I had to go home.
The boys were good at leaving and we grabbed a Mc's on the way home so that I didn't have to do food as soon as we got back.
I went to bed. I put on my sloggies and got cosy under the duvet, almost dropping off to sleep when the Sainsbury's delivery arrived. 😬
Rob helped to sort the kitchen out and I did his dinner. I was still feeling shivery so had a nice bowl of soup to warm me up which definitely helped. I just hope I'm not getting ill, no temperature or anything like that. I think I just got cold to the bones. 😃
Where they to? - 3rd August Banff
We only bloody well did it, didn't we? Sulphur Mountain has a peak 7402ft above sea-level. From where the trail begins, the climb to the top is 2346ft. We were pretty reluctant to take on the challenge as we were both still suffering from the effects of yesterday's climb up Tunnel Mountain but there was this niggling feeling that if we didn't, at least, try then we may come to look back wondering if we could have made it. This time, we got some decent food down our throats beforehand and we carried a few litres of water with us which would prove to be invaluable in the heat. Our timing could have been better. Setting off just after 2PM meant that the sun was still high in the sky and the trees weren't providing any shade. We were overtaken by quite a few people as we started to climb although most of them looked experienced with them having all the fancy gear such as walking poles and belts designed to holds bottles of water. Our fancy gear consisted of some sticks that we found on the side of the trail and a Tesco's bag to hold our water bottles.
There are numerous bears living in the mountains around Banff and the risk of being attacked by a bear, while slim, is still very real; someone who was sleeping outdoors about a mile from our hostel was attacked in the night by a bear which was looking for food in recent weeks. Consequently, there is information everywhere on how to avoid bear encounters and, if you are unfortunate enough to be confronted with one, how to avoid being attacked. Strangely, one of the things you are advised to do is speak to the bear in a firm but deep voice. This is supposed to reassure it and also let it know that you are a human, something they wouldn't normally prey on. Wouldn't it be interesting to put Joe Pasquale in the woods with a bear, just to see what would happen?
We were about 30 minutes into our ascent when we both stopped dead in our tracks and looked up the hill to our right where we heard a loud roar. A few seconds of silence passed and we looked at one another as if to say "Did you hear that?" And then it came again, another roar. We were scared, very scared. I immediately started trying to recall the advice on what to do if there is a bear in the vicinity. "Leave an exit route." they said. Well, there was a whole mountain to choose from so that point was covered. "Bears don't want to meet you so make lots of noise to let them know that you are there so that they can avoid you." Ok, lots of noise, I can do that. I don't know whether it is the conventional call or not but, at the top of my voice, I broke into a chorus of "Oy oy, saveloy." Probably not the wisest thing, to announce yourself as a foodstuff, but I made the assumption that the bears were French speaking Canadians. Then, it came again, just as before, another loud roar. It wasn't getting any louder but neither was it getting any quieter. There also seemed to be a pattern to the roars - about 10 seconds apart. And then it dawned, we had almost reached the first support tower for the Gondola, a glorified chairlift for those sensible enough not to try to hike up the mountain. Each capsule, it turns out, is about 10 seconds apart and, as they pass over the tower, they make the noise that we'd been convincing ourselves was a bear. Whoever designed that Gondola was having right old laugh. I bet the chairlifts in Switzerland don't make bloody bear noises.
We pressed on. Mush's groin strain from the day before was really aching and I was finding every step more gruelling than the last. We found again that Mush's optimum speed was somewhat faster than mine which was frustrating for us both as, while you want to walk together, once you've found a rhythm, you don't want to break it. Again, this meant that Mush was walking ahead and then waiting occasionally for me to catch up.
One thing that is infuriating about these trails is that there are no progress markers. You can't see the top or the bottom through the dense forest and therefore you have no idea how far you have to go. I eventually spoke to someone who was on his was down and, secretly thinking that we were about three quarters of the way up but trying my best to sound humble, asked him if we were a quarter of the way up yet. My heart sunk when he cheerily broke the good news "No, you're waaaay past a quarter up. Maybe even a third or so." Could we do what we'd just done again, twice? We agreed that we probably couldn't but that we could still go a bit further and maybe try to get to halfway and hope for a clearing in the trees to get some photographs.
We'd slowed noticeably and the breaks were becoming more frequent but we pressed on, Mush singing songs in her head and marching to the beat. We reached another gondola support tower, having been going for about an hour and a quarter. From here, we were on a raised plateau and we could see the full length up and down the gondola wires. It turns out that there are only 2 gondola support towers and, working on the assumption that they are evenly spaced, that meant that we were two thirds of the way up. This was a big boost and was the first time we started to think we might actually make the top.
Our paces had a new-found spring in them but that only lasted about a minute or so until we began trudging again. The next 40 minutes passed painfully and slowly but we didn't consider turning back as even the hike back down the hill no longer seemed trivial and we could always get the gondola down from the top if the rest we had when we got there didn't rejuvenate us enough.
Seeing the building at the top for the first time was an uplifting moment. There was no way we weren't going to make it now. Like marathon runners seem to do when they have the finishing line in sight, we found a second wind. We soon found ourselves stepping onto the ridge of the mountain and taking in the views over the other side. Miles upon miles of glorious lakes, trees and mountains but the fact that we'd just achieved what we had to see it made it all the more momentous.
We took some pictures and I stood on tip-toes to hold the GPS tracking gadget aloft, making sure that it logged the full elevation gain and didn't do us out of a foot or 2. We also had a look around the old weather observatory that has stood there since the turn of the last century.
A sit down, a cup of water and an overpriced cake later and we felt able enough to make the descent under our own steam, saving the £10 it would have cost to take the gondola. It took us half an hour to get to the bottom and it was a gratifying, if a little heartless, feeling to see so many people struggling on their way up knowing that we'd been there and done it.
We stopped in town for a bite to eat and went back to the hostel for a well earned shower and early night. Neither of us have quite settled into the hostel way of life yet and we both had our second poor night's sleep in a row as we had it in the back of our minds that there were 2 blokes were barely knew sleeping barely 3ft away from us. I think we'll get used to it with experience but it just takes some getting used to.
We're up earlyish tomorrow to get the Greyhound bus to Calgary so there is no danger of any last-minute mountain climbing. When we told a travel agent in Vancouver that we were staying for 2 nights in Calgary, her reply was "Oh, I'm sorry." You'd think that a City that hosted a Winter Olympics 17 years ago would have something about it so, I'm hoping that she just had a personal issue with Calgary. Regardless, the Greyhound is booked and the hostel is booked so we are going there anyway. If nothing else, we've heard that there's a good zoo so that should fill the only full day we have in town.
----------
I did my blog and went back to bed. I think I could possibly do with a day off. Might take the 2 man tent to my chill field 😂
Got a busy few days ahead. Have to make Ellis' birthday cake tomorrow and he has his friend coming over at some point, presents need wrapping, got to find his card and put up decorations. Also need to pick up his balloons from the shop, jog, workout, shower, feed everyone, clear up and take photos/videos, blog at some point and sleep maybe if I can. 🤷 That's all just tomorrow! Think getting an early start tomorrow will help.
No comments:
Post a Comment