Smiley Kobi
It’s me again! There’s been so much going on I haven’t had time to update you on my adventures up in this neck of the woods.
Back on June 20 we held the first annual epic Summit Run-It – a 12km run in the Northern Rockies. We had 30 runners show up and 10 dogs. Not bad for no advertising and it was held the day before the solstice which up here means nearly 22 hours of daylight. I also ended up making race medals with a caribou stamped on them. I can be crafty.
Views from the Summit Run-It
Nifty little race medal hey?
Okay, onto other epic-ness. I did my first backcountry hike a week ago. It was 3.50 days and 3 nights. I was with four others who knew what they were doing which was good because I didn’t. I also brought Kobi. We hiked an area called the Wokkpash. Google it if you’re interested, it’s kind of cool.
View of the Wokkpash River
My pack weighed a mere 55lbs. That’s 40% of my body weight. I was pretty certain my hip flexors were going to snap under the strain during the 2 hours of the 5 or 6 km we covered the first night.
Our first campsite
The next day Kobi had her first near miss with a porcupine. She was on a leash after that as the e-collar didn’t slow her down fast enough. By now my hip flexors were a little more understanding, not so much my hip bones. The hip belt on my pack was digging in pretty deep by now. I named my pack Cruella that day.
Shortly after I named my pack Cruella
Wokkpash Lake. It was only 7km long and we had to walk to the end
Day 3 was more hip pain, back spasms, an insane climb up a mountain as well as more porcupines. Kobi’s feet were showing some wear so I tried putting her boots on her feet, but they just immobilized her, that wasn’t very helpful. Kobi was also unimpressed that I did not bring her princess bed along. I was also wishing for a princess bed.
Cool rock
That little brown blob in the rocks is a baby porcupine. Mamma took off up the hill.
Day 4 was only about 23km worth of valleys and small mountains as well as four river crossings. My hip bones were causing so much pain after the first 2 hours I could only use my shoulder straps on Cruella. Thankfully I had eaten 8lbs of my 8.5lbs of food by this time so my pack was maybe closer to 48lbs. Easy peasy.
Night #3. Kobi is already in the tent on my bed.
Day 3, smiling through the pain
With only 2 km left, my right Achilles decided to betray me and I caused a bit of a teary, pathetic scene. Thankfully one of the trekkers in our group is ridiculously strong and carried my pack as well as his pack the rest of the way while I hobbled along feeling sorry for myself. I did give him the rest of my peanut M&M’s for his help and reduced Cruella’s weight by another 300g. Not that anyone noticed by this time.
Are we done yet?
I will admit I had a few “dark” moments with myself on this trip, but that happens when you’re hungry, sleep deprived, experiencing significant pain, and haven’t showered in 3 days. Reflecting back on this trip now that I’m all clean and not so hungry, it was pretty cool (except for the hip bruises which are still very painful). I haven’t given up on backpacking and will do a trek somewhere else again, just not next week, more like next summer.
The end
Ever backpacked in the back-country? What are your thoughts on porcupines – cute Ewok type creatures, or mother-natures nasty surprise (for dogs)?
July 10, 2015 at 10:50 am
You and Kobi are amazing. It is so rugged and beautiful there. Porcupines are definitely nasty – though the baby falls into the cute ewok category. Way to go!
July 10, 2015 at 11:10 am
It is very rugged out there for sure! They are little Ewoks, but Ewoks in disguise. Kind of like the cute bunny from Monty Python.
July 12, 2015 at 5:49 pm
What GORGEOUS pictures!! Kobi looks sooo happy, she is really living the life! Hope you heal up soon, what a great adventure to have completed though!
I work with a porcupine named PJ at the zoo. YOu can hand feed him and pet his nose. I thought he was cool until one day I grabbed his water bowl to clean it and got pricked by a stray quill (apparently they shed them). It didn’t even go in far enough to remain embedded but it hurt like nothing else. For a split second of pain it packed a punch- glad Kobi didn’t get quilled!!
July 12, 2015 at 7:47 pm
Thanks so much! Kobi was pretty happy every day. She has no clue on how to pace herself though. She was exhausted by the end. She recovered within a few days though.
That’s so cool you work with a porcupine! They are quite cute and are very interesting little animals. I can’t imagine how bad it would hurt to get a face full of quills. I was so happy she didn’t get quilled too!
July 21, 2015 at 10:56 am
You’re crazy! But all the uncomfortableness must’ve been made up for by the views! Simply amazing!!!!
July 21, 2015 at 1:14 pm
Yes! The views made up for everything! Kobi was even pretty cool with things despite not having her princess bed!!
July 24, 2015 at 4:14 pm
So glad your summit run went well for you Angie, and the medals look amazing.
Also very happy that you were able to get into the backcountry. Where I live in Ontario, there is not really backcountry, as there are roads every 1 to 2 miles away. But the roads are good in a sense, offering security, as I like to get away for a few days solo each year. But I do miss and crave the isolation of backcountry wilderness as described in your post. It does have challenges, but really makes oneself stronger.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
~Carl~
July 24, 2015 at 8:37 pm
Thanks for reading Carl! I was very happy with the Summit Run. Everyone looked pretty pleased. I sometimes would like more roads and that secure feeling but I do like the fact that you can experience the wilderness and not see another human for days. It does make you stronger mentally and physically!