April’s epic birthday hike: Mount Albert Edward, Strathcona Provincial Park

Mt Albert Edward, Strathcona Provincial Park (photo: Kevin)

Leave it to April to come up with the best birthday “party” ever. While the rest of us might suggest something typical, like “Oh, let’s meet for dinner at the sushi bar,” April says: Let’s go up to Strathcona Park and hike Mount Albert Edward!

So of course we are all in. And bonus, the summer has just been going on and on and on. (Sorry, this is being posted late, I’ve been busy – we actually did the hike a month ago, on September 22 – but it was still pretty amazingly hot and sunny weather for late September!).

Last run in the sun: Port Alberni Candy Store to Hole-in-the-Wall to Knutklacker to Scorpion and return!

Port Alberni’s Iconic ‘Hole-in-the-Wall’

This is our last sunny run in our amazing endless summer! I decided to take Jackie on a trail system she has not been on before, the twin trails up to the Mt. Arrowsmith road at the top of the Hump.  Don’t try to do this route without taking someone who knows it as its impossible to know where the trails are and which turns to make without knowing the entire area well.

The first bit is easy to find, Port Alberni’s iconic ‘Hole in the Wall’.  We parked across from the vet above the Candy store, took the first right, then the next left and followed the trail to the Hole.  If you were wondering about why the Hole in the Wall is there, it was

Dave and Jackie go on a date!

Dave and I do lots of fun things. But we never seem to just slow down to have fun. We needed some slow-paced quality time together… so we decided to go on a date! To one of our favourite places: the lookout on Copper Mountain, our mainstay running route.

Dave carried the big pack – full with a bottle of wine, real glass glasses, pasta, pesto (that I had just made fresh that afternoon from basil from my garden!), a fresh garden salad (also home-grown), and the camp stove. I carried the little pack – with a fleece blanket, a dog blanket, some dog bikkies – oh yeah, and the creme brulées that Dave had just freshly made!

Port Alberni Turkey Trot 2012: Running and walking for the Food Bank

Jeannie and me

Hey, now that was a fun morning! (It helps when this October weather continues to be so beautiful!)

A few dozen of us runners and walkers all met up at 10am this morning for the Turkey Trot, a 5k run/walk/ride organized by local runner and news reporter Kristi Dobson to gather food donations for the Food Bank. Registration was free – all we had to do was bring a food donation.

The morning was crisp but sunny, and we all set out from Ozzie’s Cycles on our 5k loop through town. It was great to get out and meet other runners! Dave and I mostly are out there on the trails on our own, so it was a good chance for me to get out there and connect. And I was thrilled to find out that there is another ultrarunner in this town – Mary, who just ran her first 56k race this fall, and is now training for a 110k race for next summer. Mary’s daughter Megan, age 12, ran the whole 5k too – very impressive.