A few wanderings

a calorie gainer weekend - Kenduskeag -only gained 3 pounds

SAR weekend -only lost 8 pounds

Wow - It does bring up the question Just how much can we put our bodies through?

Saturday wasn't that bad a day. The only problem was that it had been preceded by 60 mm of rain on Friday.

I kind of like these compass thingies. When you find the control point it is a real good feeling that you have read the map correctly, taken into account the declination, and bingo there it is- just where you expected to find it. Of course that is the way it is supposed to work. The first control point, #16, was just off the road, according to the map, and there it was. that was easy. The second one,#1, was only identified by the coordinates, but by our (Mountain Goats and Viking), calculations was on a point iof land. Piece of cake just go through the woods to the lake shore head left to the point, go out the point and bingo control # 1 .

One small problem, The point was a point when the water level was much lower than today. I was in water laden slush that was up to my waist and only about 25 metres of this to get the control. and less than an hour into the race. Now I am cold and wet. Now we are slighly different from other teams we don't hold each others hands Mountain Goat didn't get wet he stayed on dry land talking to a couple of kids one of whom had been in this cold water up to his armpits. A nice way to start Control; # 3 follow the road around the hill, then go about 4 or 500 metres along the south side. I found an old trail ,very wet, and followed it till I could see a huge rock with a couple of teenagers sitting on it. I waded around it, 2 feet of water, and boom there it is the elusive control nad he point. Back up the trail to meet Mountain Goat and there in the middle of nowhere the sun god himself trying to bushwack for the same control.

I meet Mountain Goat and he sets off for the next one on the side of the lake about 4 or 500 metres away. 15 minutes pass and 3 more groups have gone down the same trail after Mountain Goat. The two wet kids from before show up and off they go down the trail. 15 minutes later they are back. "Did you get that one?" I ask. They answer " where are we?" they are actually lost- not a clue where they are. I show them and back down the same trail they go. Finally Mountain Goat shows up. (I am not sure whether it is easier to wait and get cold or to hunt for the control)

Next we off heading for a control on the shore of Pockwock Lake. We follow the main road for quite a while til it crosses a stream and put down our packs and head into the woods. Now when I am looking for a control that is on a shore line or something like that I try to head intentionally one side or the other of the control so that when you get to the shore you now know which way to turn. We head left of the control so that we know we have to turn right. On shore we do a little triangulation to check we are., then turn right for what I think should be 2-300 mteres max I go a least a K and finally give up.

Back to the road and our packs. We meet a couple of kids ( those younger than 30 years old) that had done the first eco challenge They tell us the control was another 2 or 300 metres behind the island. Oh well we walk together for a while heading for the next control. It is on the "southeast of the hill" according to the brief description on the map. We follow the road turn right and head up the hill through the woods. When I can see the top of rise I head right to find the control and find another group sitting there.

The kids catch us The first group heads north to find a road they are also heading for the same control as we are. We head east to the nearest road and the kids head back out the same way we came in. Just as we head into the woods for the next control the kids catch us again, this time we are heading right of the control, when we hit the shoreline we head left and the kids head right. Not very far and we find the cove head inland 100 metres and there it is. I try to get Mountain Goat to Ssssh up so that we can get out of there without making it too easy for the kids. Back to the road and our packs and now # 5 supposed to be the toughest. Ha, just a short walk up a steep hill and there right on the side of the road not even hidden.

We time ourselves back to our packs At the 20 minute mark we pass the kids heading for # 5 looks like we picked up 30 or 40 minutes on them. That is the end of the good part We are tired we are wet we look with no success for two more but can not find them. I stop while Mountain Goat goes chasing the next one and cook supper, hoping that that will cheer us up and give us strength. No such luck.

At 9:00PM we start back out, one wrong turn ( did I say we were tired and wet and sore) that only added an hour to our time and we are out at midnight. Snug in bed with my wife and dogs (Note the order) by 1:00 AM very sore very tired and worn out.

Am I too old for this? Or too stupid?