Brother's Creek

Another hike on the books.  Last Saturday it was a gorgeous day out.  We ventured out to West Vancouver ... according to Wikipedia:

West Vancouver is home to some very large and expensive properties and houses. Occasionally, houses have been priced and sold at around CAD$30,000,000. As of 2011, West Vancouver's average house sells for over CAD$2,000,000;^[7] 95% of the houses or close to 16,000 homes are worth over CAD$1 million. West Vancouver is often referred to as one of the wealthiest municipalities in Canada.

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Houses at 30 Million!  Yikes!!  I knew it was VERY expensive to live there, but WOW.  Honestly many of the homes are quite dated, though they are starting to upgrade.  The views from some of these lots though are amazing and certainly must contribute greatly to the price of these homes.

Here is one of the views at the beginning of the hike (which is right beside some of the most expensive homes in West Vancouver).  I could imagine waking up to this each day.  The home below us has been demolished and is in the process of being rebuilt.

Unlike our last hike, this was the only view of the ocean and cities that we were to see on this hike.  This was more of a "nature" hike.

As this was an easier level hike, we took along both dogs.  They had a blast!  Here are Heike and Tia exploring one of the many bridges.  The dogs were in heaven on this whole hike.  I was happy to be able to take Tia on this one.  I don't feel right about taking her on the longer, steeper hikes.  She would do it, but I don't want to hurt her.

I loved how most of the bridges are handmade, but still quite rustic.




















The first half of this hike was, in my opinion, kind of boring.  The above pictures look decent, but they were certainly of a better portion of the trail.  Most of it was on a rather wide path, with either a dirt or rock trail (see pic below).  Some of the forest was pretty, but some of it got kind of bushy.  I think ideally you'd want to have some good conversation while getting through this section.  There are a few side trails that we didn't explore this time.  Perhaps that would add a bit more interest.

Heike having a little rest break

It wasn't a steep climb up, just steady.  Suddenly we came upon the crossing of Brother's Creek which had a lovely bridge across it.  We stopped here for a little rest and some pictures.  We had set up the camera on a little ledge and just as it went off, this cyclist rode across.  Poor guy felt so bad.  He couldn't see the camera and didn't realize what we were doing.  Afterwards he took a few more pictures for us to "make up".  I actually think it's kind of funny that he's in this picture.  Honestly, everyone you meet when out in nature are super nice.

I still can't believe this guy, and his 3 buddies, rode their bikes up there.  The direction they came from is fairly challenging terrain to hike.  I can't imagine how you'd possibly bike it.  Though, when we saw his friends they were carrying their bikes, so maybe they did a lot of that (still freakishly hard!).

As you can see, there is a little bit of snow just behind us on the right.  Apparently there is a trail from here that goes to a lake and it still has quite a bit of snow.  We debated taking it, but decided not to this time.  I've since looked up information on that trail and it seems like it would be worth trying.




The hike down the other side of the loop was AWESOME!  Waterfalls, interesting terrain, beautiful forests, LOTS of gorgeous bridges to cross.  I just loved this part of the hike and it made up for the monotonousness  of the first half.








I just realized I did not get ANY pics of the actual trail on the way down.  I will make sure to do that next time I go ... which could be very, VERY soon.

On this particular bridge that crossed over the main creek, there was a "pool" under one side and it just screamed "WISHING WELL" to me.  And Lord knows I could use some wishes to be granted these days.  So I dug out a couple quarters and my daughter & I both made our wishes and tossed them into the water.  After I threw mine I was kind of puzzled.  I turned and looked at my daughter and said, "Can you see that?" ... which she did.

My quarter got stuck between two rocks and was sitting there plain as day.  You couldn't make that happen if you tried!  My pessimistic view was that my quarter got stuck so now my wishes will not be carried away by the river to be granted.  However my husband said that perhaps this meant my wishes weren't being washed away, they were firmly planted and would come true.  I wished for an awful lot though so I don't know ...

This hike was wonderful to take the dogs on.  There were SO many water sources for the dogs to drink from or walk in.  As we got further along I noticed Heike was opting to walk through the water rather than over the bridges that were over the small run-off creeks.

It's REALLY hard to get a good picture of a solid black dog...  Luckily my sweet little Tia has lots of grey hairs like her Momma so we can find her in these pictures.   She had SO much fun on this hike.  It wiped her out for the day, but she loved every minute of it.

The final portion of this hike is along the Baden Powell Trail (a 48 Km trail through the North Shore Mountains, named after Lord Baden Powell, founder of Scouting).  This section was gorgeous, and easy hiking.  I could have taken in the surroundings for hours.  On such a warm day it smelled so much of pine that it reminded us of fresh Christmas trees.

I have every intention of going here again.  It was an easy enough hike that most people in reasonable shape can do it.  I have tentative plans (hinging on weather) to go up in the very near future with a small group of friends.  Maybe I can convince them to explore some of those side routes, or perhaps venture further up the trail to the lake.

Heidi

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Diez Vistas - Completed and with a special encounter in the woods

This is a bit of a boring post because there is a complete lack of pictures.

Saturday I went up to Buntzen Lake again and hiked the Diez Vistas trail (same as last weekend).  However, there were a few differences.  First, I went with my son this weekend.  Last weekend I went with my daughter, which is a more easy-going hike.  She feels no urgency to complete anything in any hurry - driving me slightly crazy, but I'm thankful to be out and also to be spending time with her.  My son on the other hand is go, go, go .... mo rest for the wicked!

Our mission was to complete the entire trail and see as many viewpoints as we could.  My daughter and I only visited the first two.  Unfortunately this weekend it was MISERABLE!  I knew rain was on it's way in and when we arrived at the trail it was mostly cloudy with just the odd raindrop.  By the end of the trail it was WET!  As such, the view points left an awful lot to the imagination.  But, we saw enough that we would love to do this hike again on a clear day.

My daughter and I took a good hour and a half to get to the first viewpoint.  With my son we got there in an hour, and between the dog and I, we were most definitely holding him back.

Even though we didn't get the best views on this hike because of the weather, we did have some excitement.  About 20 minutes into the hike, the dog suddenly stopped then ran off the trail into the bush a few feet.  She had seen a black bear!  It was maybe 50 feet from us, standing up against a tree, just watching us.  The dog wanted desperately to go after it, but I called her back to us.  I thought if the bear went away peacefully then I didn't want the dog chasing it.  She LOVES to chase bears, and has done so quite successfully on hunting trips with my father in law.  She was known for running away from camp and treeing bears.

As it was, the bear just took a little look at us, then scampered off in the other direction.  The dog wanted to go after it and kept trying to head in it's direction, but I wouldn't let her and eventually she forgot.  To be honest, I was kind of excited and relieved to have encountered my first bear ... and happy that my son was with me. I knew there was a great possibility of encountering one out in our forests, and I'm was very pleased to see my dog's reaction.  One of my big reasons for bringing her is for some added security from animals and humans.  She did her job just right!

Further on the trail we were coming down a hill and heard a VERY loud CRACK!  We were certain it was another bear as there weren't any other humans nearby.  But, after stopping and having a very good look, then, proceeding slowly and cautiously, we never did see anything ... and the dog wasn't even remotely interested.  Perhaps it actually was just a branch breaking on it's own.

The entire hike took us a good 4 1/2 hours, and we rarely ever stopped.  A couple times we tried to take some pictures but they were just all grey.  The viewpoints weren't worth hanging out at for long with the weather, so we plundered on.  I definitely could have used a few rest breaks, but my son likes to plow on.  He was rather bored with my pace - hahhaa.  

The last hour and a half were quite boring.  For a good half hour we had to detour off a closed trail, and had to follow a road.  SNORE!  Eventually we got back to the original trail, but it was a very popular trail that was very well groomed.  It was a beautiful running trail, but not quite what for a hike I enjoy a more challenging terrain.

This hike was TOUGH!  I definitely got whiny as the trail progressed.  You climb up steep, rocky sections for about an hour or so ... then down the same kind of stuff for about 2 hours.  I am rather clumsy so must pick my footing VERY carefully.  By the last hour I was sore, wet, and tired.  My feet were killing me and, well, pretty much every other body part.  My son actually pushed me up some of the hills at the end. :D.  With the detour we had to take, I would estimate this hike was approximately 17 Km.  The main trail is, I think, 14Km, but we had to take quite the extra loop.

If you are interested in a much more picturesque blog report of this particular hike, check out VANCOUVER LIFE - DIEZ VISTAS TRAIL.  I came across this blog while researching local hikes and this blog is very thorough and informative.  I have been combing over it extensively the last week in search of new adventures!

Sunday I had planned to hike with my daughter but it was absolutely POURING out.  A little drizzle is one thing, but this was pelting against my bedroom window.  With my soreness from the day before, plus my daughter fighting a cold, we thought it best to postpone this one for another weekend.  Little trooper said she would go if I wanted to, but I didn't think we needed to subject ourselves to that.  Hopefully next weekend!

Heidi

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Hiking - Diez Vistas

Recently I've been reminded that we shouldn't let life slip by.  Do the things you want and love to do as often as you can do them.

With this in mind, on Saturday my daughter and I ventured out for a hike.  Wanted to do this last year, and it just didn't happen.  Partly because, to be completely honest, I'm a little scared hitting up trails like this without my husband.  I am somewhat directionally challenged and really just afraid to try new things on my own, but he's just too busy and it's not an option to wait for him to be available.  I have to figure this out on my own and hope sometimes he can come.

For this hike I chose a trail that was expected to be in good condition (many of our local mountain trails still have a good layer of snow on them).  It also was to offer some spectacular views and a reasonable challenge, without being too difficult.  My daughter has never hiked before and I wanted to really encourage her and have her enjoy it.

The trail starts at the beautiful Buntzen Lake in Port Moody.

I had never been up here before, but it is beautiful!  Of course it was a gorgeous day too.  There are a variety of trails around here and I would love to come back here and check them out.  Even some that are flat enough for some trail runs.  There is also a rather large off-leash dog section of the lake to allow the puppies free play in and around the water.

The hike starts out with a steady, but easy climb on a fairly open, yet wooded, trail.  The perfect tree cover for either a hot sunny day, but would probably also offer good coverage on a rainy day.

We took along our big dog, Heike.  In the woods like this there is always a very good possibility of bears and apparently she is a fantastic bear chasing dog (I hope to never have to test this!).  Heike is actually my father-in-law's dog, but I have kind of adopted her in the last year or so and she goes everywhere with me now.  When she was younger she did a fair bit of Schutzhund Training.  I definitely felt more protected taking her along.  Although, as we got further up the trail, she was pretty tired and I'm not sure how much protection she could have offered. ;)

As it was, because it was such a beautiful day, we passed a fair number of other hikers and I think the risk of a bear encounter was probably on the slim side.

The forest we climbed through was absolutely gorgeous!  For the most part it was a well maintained trail, with some quite steep, challenging sections ... and then a nice mix of flatter rolling hills.  It was nice to have the variety.  There were a few times I had to give the dog a "lift" or "tug" to help her through a technical section.  My daughter didn't handle the steeper sections so much.  I said to her at one point, "You do realize that every time we have to climb you get whiny?".  She said, 'I know."  hahahah  But at the end of the day she liked it and said she wants to do it again.  I look forward to taking some of her and/or my friends out on hikes sometimes.  But this was really nice to do for just her and I.

The name "Diez Vistas" translates from Spanish into "Ten Views".  Apparently there are ten viewpoints along the trail.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to complete the round trip and just visited the first two viewpoints and then came back down the trail.  I'm hoping to get up there this weekend with my son and we will complete the whole loop and see how many viewpoints we can find.

When we got to the top poor Heike was pooped!  I learned some lessons on this hike.  I never thought about bringing a doggie dish for her.  I had treats for her, but nothing to put water in.  I guess I was expecting to find some creeks, which we did but only on the lower end of the trail, not up top.  As it was, I poured water into a baggie and she drank from that.  I'm going to see about getting a little backpack for her and she can carry some water too.

At the top we had a couple snacks and took a good 20-30 minute rest break, taking some pictures and just taking in the view.  Even had cell reception up there so got a call into my husband and a couple of texts with friends (Hi Tamara!).  I probably could have sat there for longer.  It was so peaceful.

(just one of the MANY views looking out over Metro Vancouver)

I don't know why I look so red in this picture.  I actually wasn't overly hot at all.  I think it's a lighting thing.  It also looks like I was right on the edge of a cliff, but I can assure you that I was not and it was very safe.  I wouldn't risk that!

Overall it was an absolutely wonderful hike and I actually worry a bit that I may have set the bar too high for future hikes. :)  But more adventures will follow to determine that.  I can not wait to get out there again.  

It was a good practice run and I have a few things to pick up to make future hikes even better:

• collapsible doggie dish
• doggie backpack
• better shoes for my daughter (hers were bothering her so I swapped shoes with her ... then proceeded to twist my ankle - grrr!)
• bear bells (just in case!)
• bug spray - this hike was OK, but it will get worse as it warms up

Also, it would have been better to have had more time to complete the full trail.  As it was I had plans for a girls' night and had to be back in time for that (where I proceeded to dance way too much on my twisted ankle - including jive dancing when my husband showed up).  It was a FULL weekend.  My son turned 18 last week and hosted a party at our house on Friday, got up early and out for the hike Saturday followed by a late night out with the girls.  Sunday was blissfully quite.  Other than getting my girl off to work, I spent the majority of the day on the couch with an ice pack on the ankle and desperately trying to rehydrate after a day of hiking in hot weather followed by perhaps a teensy bit of alcohol - hahaha.  It was actually a GREAT weekend!

Heidi

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Pumping Iron

I'm still plugging away with the treatment of my plantar fasciitis.  There is improvement, but it's a slow process.  I am down to just once a week visits.  Hopefully they don't last too much longer.

In the meantime I am allowed to run "IF" it feels OK.  I had planned to run on Sunday, but after doing a bunch of yardwork on Saturday all my muscles were tight and I thought it best to scale back to a walk instead.

I did pick up my new insoles a couple days ago, and so far so good.  You can certainly tell there is something in your shoe.  It's oddly comforting yet uncomfortable all at the same time.  Not painful uncomfortable, just different.  I REALLY want to try running in them soon.

There is some exciting plans coming up in my world ... but I'm not quite ready to reveal them.  I want to be certain this stupid foot of mine is going to heal up and let me get on with what I love.  Yes, it does involve running.  Yes, it does involve a race.  But it's NOTHING like I've ever done before and I'm really excited to try it out.

I decided last night that since I've had to cut back on running and am not allowed to attend my favourite fitness classes ... then it was time to turn back to an old love/hate of mine.

That's right ... pumping iron baby!  I found a program I think I can live with, and since I have all the equipment I need right in my home, it's awfully silly to not do this.  The best results I've ever seen were when I was lifting weights regularly.  No matter how much cardio I have done, the weights is the one thing that has consistently changed my body shape and burned off the fat.

Yesterday was Day 1.  Hopefully I can report some positive changes in about a month or so.

Heidi

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Limited Running :(

Figures ... just when I'm finally getting a desire to run and have actually been enjoying my runs ... I get told I have to limit them.  GRRRRRRR!!!!!

Last week I ran 7K on Wednesday and Saturday.  I included lots of walk and/or stretch breaks, gradual warm-up with stretching before and lots of stretching after, and I walked all hills to minimize use of my calf. Yes, this did increase the tightness in my calves & feet, but I felt like I was easing into it.

The doctor told me to limit my runs to just once a week for now, and less distance is better.  Also no Bosu Ball class.  This is not what I wanted to hear.  But I've gone to him long enough to know that he does not give me this advice lightly and he supports continuing with activity whenever possible.  He's always told me when I can and can not continue to run through my treatment.  So I have to trust him.

My next appt is on Friday, so I plan to do a run on Wed as my "mid-week" run.  I did run a bit on Sunday, but less than 2K, very slow, and walking hills.  I have however been doing a fair bit of walking, which I hope is OK.  My heels are tender after walking, but my calves don't feel as tight.

Upon the doctor's recommendation I have placed an order for a pair of Soles:

order from:  https://secure.yoursole.com/ca/footbeds/softec-ultra/

These are supposed to be really good and I remember a fellow blogger once posted very positively about these insoles as well.  I hope they help!  

The more people I talk to about this I am amazed how many have suffered from plantar fasciitis.  I didn't realize it was so common.

Funny how when something is taken away from you, it's the first thing you want to do.  If the weather would smarten up I could maybe add in some cycling, but at this point I'm not eager to do that in the rain. :(

Heidi

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Gua Sha (the evil, wonderful tool!)

The tool that my massage therapist (chiropractor / ART ???) is using on my foot is called a Gua Sha, or maybe the method he is doing is called Gua Sha and this is one of the tools of the trade.  I'm not sure.  But either way, this is the tool he is using.  Below is an image of it (the item on the right).

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The first day I believe he used it on the narrow edge, kind of like a knife, and rubbed it along the bottom of my foot (holy mother of bright rainbows!!!!).  The last two times he used the flat wide edge, like a plate.  That way is not quite as painful, but still hurts a ton (yes Mother, worse than childbirth, but thankfully not nearly as long).  I am generally a pretty tough chick and can suck it up if I know it's going to hurt, but I still have the odd tear sneak out and have resorted to things such as biting my arm, gritting my teeth, and even SINGING to avoid screaming out.  I do not sing in public!

After my 2nd appointment he suggested I try a different shoe and strongly suggest I check out Asics.  However, at my last appointment he told me hold that thought a little longer.  He said he wants to do some manipulation with my arches and then will give me some shoe recommendations.  He's trying to avoid me having to get orthotics which I really appreciate, and he doesn't believe that's the best route if we can avoid it.

He's also suggested that I back off the Bosu Ball classes I've been taking until we get things going well again.  I realized the other day that I've probably had the most pain during these classes than during any other type of exercise.  Which makes sense considering your foot is very, very unstable and the foot is prone to over-stretching the arch on the bosu.  However I'm clear to do any other types of activity as long as I don't see and increase in pain.

As such, and in honor of a few rare rays of sunshine .... I decided to go out for a run after work.  I've only got 10 days until my 10K run.  I'm calling it a run, not a race, because to me it is not a race. I decided to take my big dog and go out to my favourite trail.

As luck would have it, on my way home from work we got hit with a nasty little spring shower - complete with thunder and lightning.  I waited a bit, then drove out there, and ended up sitting in the car for about 20 minutes waiting for the storm to pass.

Eventually it did, and we managed a nice 6-7K run, with a rest and extended stretch session halfway through. It was nice.  While my feet felt good, my calves were noticeably tighter.  Will have to mention that at my next appointment.

Anyhow, it was a nice run and I felt good about it.  I also have a couple runs planned with friends this weekend too.  Love this feeling!

Heidi

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Dates with the Devil

I know I haven't been around here in a while.  Thank you Fran for checking on me. :)

All is pretty good in my world.  Here's a bullet point list of what's going on with me:

* Had one glorious day of warm sunshine in March and took the doggies on a 3 hour walk.  Exhausted them, but we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly!

* Went away for the weekend to visit my husband's friend for this 70th birthday.  It snowed a couple inches ... April Fools!  This spring has been weird.

* Also went camping for 5 days over the Easter weekend.  Weather was gorgeous and I went out for lots of walks with the dogs.  Despite the typical camping diet, I somehow managed to drop a couple pounds.  This seems to be typical for a while now.  Perhaps something is telling me I need to vacation more????

* Haven't attended as many fitness classes this past month.  Lots of stuff getting in the way and other pressing matters that had to be attended to.

* However ..... have done a couple runs (5K-ish).  A friend convinced me to try out a run club she found.  I've gone once.  The people seem nice, even if it did just end up that my friend and I ran alone.  I'll go to a few more before I decide if the group is for me or not.  But the positive thing is I've done some running!!!

* I'm strongly considering entering a small race.  The above group hosts a little run at a location I've never been to, but always wanted to go.  It's only $10 so I figure why not go and just do it.  I'm not in 10K shape so will be taking it slow and walking as necessary.  You're not even allowed watches for this race as they do a  prize for whoever can guess their time closest.  I will surely be well over an hour.

* The biggest positive .... I have FINALLY gotten myself into the massage therapist!  I've been struggling with significant foot pain for quite a while (a good year).  It's the same issue I've had for a while and if left it just gets worse and worse.  However, funds didn't allow me to go for most of last year so I pushed it aside, and also didn't do any self treatment which was downright stupid.  Recently it's been really bad and I was struggling to get through short walks, runs were excruciating, and had to stretch frequently during fitness classes.  My therapist said I'm developing plantar faciitis. If you look at what causes it, there are many factors that I fall under, including:

- very tight calf muscles
- overpronation
- not wearing supportive footwear at all times (yes I run in good shoes, but my daily shoes are crap)
- overweight (duh, this seems to be a no-brainer)

I've been in for a couple treatments now and have at least a couple more to go, but I'm already seeing significant improvement.  My therapist did use this tool (I'll have to find out what it's called) as he said I have a fair amount of scar tissue in my arch.  Let me tell you ... this thing is the DEVIL, but an Angel at the same time.  The first time he used it I literally bit my arm and held in the biggest cursing spree ever.  It was easily the most pain I have EVER felt.  The 2nd session I was a little more prepared, but it still hurt SO much.  I told him repeatedly how much I hate him.  He smiled :).  But whatever that tool is, it seems to have made a big difference because I'm in way less discomfort already and have minimal to no pain in the morning for the last few days.

I know once I get through this more intensive treatment I will have to go in on a regular basis for maintenance. This shouldn't be a problem from now on.  I have a date with the devil today ... yay! ( <---- sarcasm)

So that's where I'm at right now.  I am still desperately seeking that running spark, but at least the flame is still there.

Heidi

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