A day on the Juan de Fuca trail...

Let me begin by saying that I agree with you all, and yes we did it anyway ; )

  It all started as few months ago when I was chatting with a mate of mine name Josh, MJW to some. With the news of my moving north of Victoria but still on the island to a city(village) called Courtenay, we did some brain storming to come up with something completely awesome and out of this world to accomplish....we agreed on the one thing that both of our perspective partners told us we were absolutely crazy to do and in a way that kinda made them cross with us, only because they love us so much, well that's what we like to think anyway. What was this idea? You may be asking, it was to hike the Juan de Fuca trail...in a day, that's right all 47km in one glorious, fantastic, foot demolishing, knee crushing, soul draining day. Hahaha I think of it and it make me laugh that we had such a crazy plan and that it worked!!! Hahaha so fun : D

  To give some preface, we were thinking of doing it back in Januaryish time frame when we both had a bit more free time to drive up on a whim and pound out as much as we could. At the time we thought it would be fine, but probably because sub-consciously if we waited we would come to our scenes and not do it all. Trying to complete it then, on a whim, during days that don't have as much sunlight and WAY more rain wasn't the smartest of ideas so we looked at a more workable date...ie the day with the most sunlight and hopefully least amount of rain. This led us to decide on June 23rd and with one more like minded, ie crazy, fellow in tow we met up at the ungodly hour of 0345 in the effing morning to be at the trail head for 0500 and hammer out this trail.

  The reason why you have read this far! The Juan de Fuca trail. We started on the south end of the trail, Mystic beach, why here? you may ask.
               
                           Pro - It was the closer trail head so we didn't have to wake up even earlier to be on it by sunrise.
                           Con - The majority of the harder trail was in the southern end :  (
                           Pro - The majority of the harder trail was in the southern end AND we didn't have to make up earlier!!!!!

Soaker #1

  So mystic beach won! Hah. The trail it's self was very nice, the beaches were clean, trails were well marked and taken care of but understandably rugged, however the drainage, it could use some work but that isn't the fault of BC Parks only mother nature ;  )  After the first little while more and more puddles of mud were appearing and getting larger too!! Soon enough Jason got a soaker then Josh! And yes even eventually yours truly got some mud in my boots!, a wee footnote to those not in the know; as "soaker" is when water/mud/slush enters your boot and well soaks your foot, not very pleasant for the receiver but absolutely hilarious for those around to see hehe,   In all good fun we shook it off as all apart of getting your trail badges as it were and carried on, lets face it if you go through a hike of any decent length and don't get a bug bite, minor scratch, or the beloved soaker, maybe more adventuresome trails should be looked at.  7ish hours and 20km into our hike and we got to our first stop of the day, in the emergency shelter at the boundary for Chin and East Sombrio beach we had a quick change of socks and some food that pretty much consisted of Cliff bars, landjagers, and electrolyte supplements a lunch that any mother would be proud of.  Sitting there on the landing changing my socks and shoveling food down my throat there was a part of me that wanted to stay, have a solid rest and enjoy the fact that we were 20km into the wilderness with no reception and no civilization;  but very quickly I had realized that this was beginning to be more that just a hike, it had become a monster that we had to tame.  With little rest and protein rich food in our hands we pressed on and into Sombrio Beach, here is where we met most of our fellow hiking kind although they were on a more leisurely pace plus their sanity was a titch higher than ours too, we were grasping the magnitude of our challenge by the looks we were receiving, it did make me laugh some and still does hehe.

Soaker #2

Soaker #3

Moving along through Sombrio beach and nailing down the kilometers the distance is starting to take its toll, with feet getting sore, water and food running low and most serious of all a recurring knee injury on one of the fellows was as bad as it has ever been, at one point 1km took us 45min to complete, sadly we had already passed the last bail out trail by a few km's.  Pressing on we weren't counting up the km markers any more we were counting down the ones we had left, taking breaks when necessary and cracking jokes too, gotta admit even with all the tension in those last few kilometers we can still joke about who would be bear meat if one showed up.  The majority of the day I had thought for sure that we would crack on and get this challenge under our belts in 10-12 hours totally enough time to go to the pub and wait for our ride there! such was not the case, with the adversity of mother nature, minor lack of hydration, and injuries this little walk took us just over 15hrs 30min.  I'm sure that there are people out there that may have done it faster and with less problems, that is great I applaud them.  The point of an expedition like this is that you don't know what will really happen out there, talking and planning till you are blue in the face will only help you so far, eventually you need to get out there and do it.

 I am glad I did it, I'm glad I did it with two of my best friends, and when people ask me if I would do it again? I can't say yes and I can't say no...all I can think of is comparing it to Christmas or Thanksgiving, you have a great time laughing, eating, playing games and by the end of it you are so ruined that you say to yourself, "self never again!", some years you pay attention and feel perfect at the end of it, other times you throw caution to the wind and giver pig!

Cheers to my trail mates, cheers to you for reading and cheers to those who giver pig!
 















If you would like to see the rest of the pictures from the trail please follow the link to my facebook page,

https://www.facebook.com/jonny.parker.73/media_set?set=a.10152914095540577.1073741826.663300576&type=3

Oh what a marathon indeed!

On the fabulous day of May the 5th in the year 2013, it was beautiful on the west coast with not a cloud in the sky, sun shining with full intensity to break weather records in Vancouver and have a fantastic day on the beach! I ,however silly it may or may have not been, decided to run the BMO Vancouver Marathon. HAH! Take that you normal sane people sipping on your iced coffee and relaxing in the shade....oh how there is a part of me that is jealous to no end, let me enlighten you on the events of this race of mine that was one of the most difficult and painful things I have ever endured.....

First off since this race wasn't an out and back I spent the evening in a quaint B&B in downtown Van near to the finish line, as a result of this the wake up time to get my butt to the start line for 0800hrs start was a spirit lifting 0530hrs, I do hope that you are sensing some of this sarcasm here it's on pretty thick ; ). With the heat we were having I knew it wasn't going to be a cool run but I was not expecting to hit the 28 that it reached by a long shot, more on this later. On the walk to my subway there was an excitement in the air, you could almost wrap yourself in it as the more and more racers stared showing up on the sidewalk to make their way to the same subway almost like a right of passage, if you wake up before the sun and start walking while eating your bagel with cream cheese and make it to the start with out dodging into the nearest breakfast joint for some steak and eggs then your have earned the right to start the race (please note.....START the race)

It all was going according to plan, waking up in time, getting to the start area, staying calm and warm in the wee hours of the morning and catching up with of a few of my fellow crazy runners. At the start I was happy felt light on the feet of mine that I have been punishing since January and to top it all off I had some great conversations with a few perfectly good strangers whom I have never met and didn't see again, but I hope to again one day. As the kilometers dwindled the race was going fantastic then it hit, as I'm sure you all were expecting , the heat she had bitten and there was no stopping it there was only to survive. Here is the part where the pain begins on a level that I have never experienced before tho I'm sure ill many more fights with this beauty in my sporting adventures hahaha. With 16km or 10miles to complete on the race I had forgotten about the goal time I had been training for, and up to that point I was on pace for too, and concentrated on finishing this challenge. The emotions that ran through me from anger and frustration to sadness and despair, it took every last bit of strength to not give in to every fiber willing me to stop as a result from the heat exhaustion, tho I'm sure it was pretty close to worse. For 16 glorious kilometers I learnt the power of the human body and mind and much stronger they become when the counter part starts to wane, there isn't a better event that I could have chosen to to learn these things, I'm glad that this happened to me as I do not feel any doubt about what can be done, anything is possible with the right attitude and water hah!

When people ask me how the race went, I say "like $hit, but I can't wait to do it all over again!" I guess this is what happens when you have a crap race but an awesome experience, if there is anything that I can say to anyone doing anything, go do it! Push yourself get that experience of the lows and when you get the highs, and you will! They will be so much higher than you could have ever imagined.

On a personal note I was to thank my lovely girlfriend for supporting me, my training partners for enduring me, and my family especially my Mum for guiding me. This one was for you......the next one is mine tho ; )


PS finish time was 04:39:00

        Well, it's been close to a year since I have posted a new blog.  Much has changed, moved back to Vancouver island after completing school, drove west from T-Dot in roughly 3 days, took to the next level in running like a fish to water and started co-habitating with the lady!  Working everyday in 2013 plus training for a marathon in May all the while having great adventures, revisiting some of my favorite places and discovering new ones too. Phew getting kinda tired just thinking about it all!!  with some new breath and motivation to write about my tales, and there are some good ones coming up!, I'm excited to see what kind of fun aka trouble I can get into this year...hehehe should a great time, just like the start line :  D

ready feet?......and GO!

J

we are ready!!!

Evolving Culture of Food

            Our planet is the same size as it was 60 million years ago, it's appearance has changes over the ages with bodies of water shifting, the ice caps dwindling over time, and the population of man is becoming larger by the hour.  As this happens there are more and more mouths to feed therefore more space is needed to grow that food to keep every person, young and old, strong and healthy.  It is becoming more evident that we as a global culture need to realize that from mistakes made in the past with over fishing/hunting/farming that we are now approaching a tipping point of sustainability and a possible collapse of some species of fish that will vanish from our oceans for good. 

Current Fish Farm Layout.

             New ways of growing and producing the nutrients needed to survive that work in harmony with the wild population and the environment they share are starting to surface, forgive the pun I couldn't resist!  Recently a good friend of mine posted a link about a company by the name of Open Blue, this company is apart of a world wide fish farming industry, it is however unique in a way that they raises the fish.  Rather than the currently adopted technique of having open net pens close to shore where in my personal opinion there is negative impact into the local ecological habitat that they are installed both from the waste created by the fish to the structures that are there to help maintain the pens.

Method Pioneered by Open Blue

            Open Blue utilize a spherical shape floating mid water in the open ocean, by mid water I mean that the pen is below surface a few feet. What I really like about this method is that, to me, the fish get a chance to live in a habitat more real than the pens constructed close to shore along with the tidal movement in open water is more dramatic then closer to shore so the pens have a greater chance of staying clean and preventing the chance of bacteria or disease wiping out the school of fish and having the farmer start from scratch, like when a produce farmer gets over run by aphids both equally devastating.  Now this isn't a fly by night company the founder and current president by the name of Brian O'Hanlon (P.S. it's St. Patrick's day as I'm writing this, so happy green beer day mate!) and from some of the literature I have been reading about this company is that Brian is a 3rd generation fish farmer and from what I can see he listened to his father and grandfathers when it came to creating a business and keeping it sustainable.  

    I don't want this post to come off as if Brian and his company Open Blue are the cats meow and I am not a biologist or heavily involved in the fish farming industry either.  I do however have an opinion on sustainable businesses and truly enjoy seeing the ideas of our new age thinkers come to life and make a positive impact on the world and the way we live, it's people like Brian and his team that I applaud for their hard work and wish them all the best, if you are reading this and are as interested and passionate as I am then I encourage you to keep an eye on this guy and companies of the like.  Support them like you would support your local farmer because with out either of them our tables would be pretty bare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUwYV3AsS-c&feature=player_embedded

Food Blog Attempt #1....be kind ; )

        First I would like to say that I have an unequivocal amount of respect for the neighbour hood diner, the one place that you can go to, sit down in a simple relaxed atmosphere at a table that has mind blowingly simple food put in front of you.  Awesome quality ingredients, solid portion size's and just the place you want to be.

Two small bits of bread, a stack of smoked meat and a pickle
Priceless!

Caplansky's Delicatessen is a perfect example, walking in the door you are immediately bathed in the aroma of quality spices, coffee, and yes oh yes smoked meat....mmmmm that unique smell of a perfectly steamed brisket relaxing, waiting to be portioned up into a lovely lovely smoked meat sandwich.  Now I have done some traveling to different cities and countries..heck I've even lived in Montreal, home of The Smoked meat, and like every proud Canadian I have eaten my share of the coveted brisket.  Some very good ones but some mediocre and well some that you want nothing to do with ever again.


Back to the sandwich, it was beautiful, full stop.  Just enough moisture to soften the bread but not so much that it completely fell apart, the construction is almost an art! to have such a mountain of smoked meat stacked in such a way that any one that isn't used to this type of meal would probably go for a knife and fork..at which point I would hope that a concerned citizen would take upon themselves to smack the silverware out of their hands and give them a quick lesson..for a price..a smoked meat sandwich to demo on sounds fair!  It is more difficult than I thought to properly explain how a sandwich like this tastes mainly because any chef that does a proper smoked meat will keep their recipe closer to their chest than their heart, with the right amount of passion, herbs, spices and time it's really a feat to behold and cherish.   If you live in Toronto or think of visiting this is a must, the menu has a wide variety of other options to explore your pallet  that I for one can't wait to try but I have a feeling that I never will....and I'm just fine with that.

Happy to have had it,
Sad that it is gone.

You can find Caplansky's Delicatessen on College st #356 or caplanskys.com

Whirl wind of a trip!

Today is Saturday, it more and more feels like Sunday maybe because it's the only day I get to do laundry or a bit of shopping to keep the ice box topped up.  Today is a bit of an extra special day because while I do these Sunday like things on a Saturday I get to reflect on the week I go to spend back in my home town of Victoria BC, for those of you keeping track yes I was on reading week and yes again we were only back in class for 6 weeks after Christmas; all I can say is, I don't make the rules I just follow them ;  )  Back to the trip! it was so fantastic to be back in Vic, visiting my fellow islanders of the west coast.  For those of you that have not been to my little part of the world I highly suggest it, I would also suggest it at this time of year too as there is more of an island feel at this time, not the hustle and bustle of the summer time when the ENTIRE world comes to visit and Victorians start to adopt the attitude of "thanks for coming!....don't for get to leave... :  D 

At this time of year Dine around and stay in town is being showcased for a fabulous 4 weeks of dinning pleasure at roughly 40 of the cities best restaurants, pubs, and bistros.  The weather is fantastic, as long as you have a good jacket and a pair of Keens(Thanks Robinsons sporting goods!!!!) and you can witness some powerful storms and truly feel what power mother nature has or walk along the beach in the morning sun and it just feel perfect.  I was only able to get back for a few days and with meeting potential employers and BBQ's gone wrong with some of my best friends it was definitely a trip well worth is and a needed boost to get me through the last few months of school till I get back to move back to the island...sorry "Big Smoke" but you got nothing on "The Rock"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUq-Op9eHA4

PS

if you would like to read more on dine around my friend Kos is writing about many of the places she get to visit!.....Lucky!!

http://arumblytummy.blogspot.com/

What a Horrible Blogger I am : (

Hello World!

I must apologize for not following up with my original plans of keeping the many yet few of you out there updated in the life and adventures of living in Canada's largest City.  To be honest I haven't been all that fun and amazing with attending school, working, and co-coaching a 1/2 marathon clinic the adventures have been at an all time low....

As I am sipping on some gorgeous Fernwood Coffee that my glorious girlfriend brought me all the way from Victoria BC last week, yeah she is that awesome!, I have come to realize that a swift kick to my own butt is necessary.  One to get back into writing and expressing some ups and downs in life, maybe share some fantastic adventures, recipes, or just to check in with the world.  Two now that class has some what calmed down I have found myself with a touch more spare time..not much but just enough to try and find an adventure every once and a while, I make no promises as to how it may turn out but if one doesn't try they will never know.

I hope that you are all reading this in good health and have a fantastic day! it's snowed here in T dot lastnight maybe I can find something in the lovely white powdery stuff!! hehe

bye for now and be awesome~!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ49Sj6hlpI