Day 14 - April 25th

km: 0
bottles/cans: 0
cups: 0

Money spent: $17    to date: $97

Temp: 3C overcast, light to heavy rain

Cooking breakfast
Catching up
Re-fitting Oskar
The last supper
Planning ahead

Day 13 - April 24th

km: 30                       to date: 429
End point: Bishops Falls Tim's on the TCH
bottles/cans: 76       to date: 1205
cups: 63                     to date: 495

Money spent: $0       to date: $80

Temp: 5C overcast, slight easterly winds

Morning talk at the school
Cruise control running
Lunch on the go
Steep bank scrambling
Late start and early finish

Day 9 - April 20th

km: 40                   to date: 306
End point: Joey's lookout above Gambo

bottles/cans: 126      to date: 820
cups: 37                      to date: 224

Money spent: $2        to date: $78

Temp: 2C sunny, strong North Winds

Need to catch up on:

Sunny morning priorities
Against the wind
Needs of the many
Peace with the weather man
Ups and Downs
Lawrence the Park Ranger
Afternoon coffee break
More tough winds
Barbara the Park Saviour
Struggling past Gambo
Even later finish

Day 8 - April 19th

km: 51              to date: 266
End point: Tera Nova Park - TCH 1 km past the route 301 turnoff

bottles/cans: 165        to date: 694
cups: 63                        to date: 187

Money spent: $2          to date: $76

Temp: 1C overcast, medium North winds

Need to catch up on:

Late start but good breaky = good pace
Bob on highway food from Jeannie
Rubys store see you again next fall?
Terrible Tera Nova
Beauty Sunset
Late finish

Day 12 -- April 23rd

km: 31                      to date: 399
End point: TCH - CNWM facility

bottles/cans: 122        to date: 1129
cups: 43                        to date: 432

Money spent: $0          to date: $80

Temp: 2C overcast, no winds

Having the right tools
Cruise control running
Old grudge at the info centre
Questions asked and answered
Great tour of the new WM facility
Central Newfoundland home base

Day 11 - April 22nd

km: 24                         to date: 368
End point: Appleton

bottles/cans: 187      to date: 1007
cups: 165                    to date:  389

Money spent: $2        to date: $80

Temp: 8C sunny, moderate winds

To catch up on:

Great nights sleep
Late start = good energy
Fun with the clicker counter
A lot of time in the ditch
Gander close to the heart
More familiar faces
Quick update in Tim's
Warm running zone
Easy half marathon
More great food/conversation

Day 10 -- April 21

km: 38            to date: 344
End point: Gander

bottles/cans: 85      to date: 905
cups: 27                    to date: 251

Money spent: $0      to date: $78

Temp: 2C sunny, westerly winds

Need to catch up on:

Early start...maybe too early?
Strong like Rambo
Small world story
Still cold winds
Heartbreak hill?
Optimistic estimate
Great company, lodging and food

Unconditional Love

I fell in love at a young age. As a child, I had the privilege of enjoying long road trips through northern Ontario. Looking out the window at all that beauty; the mountains, the forests, the rivers and the lakes, I would often dream of all the adventures and wonderful experiences that await anyone willing to take that first step off the beaten path. The possibilities were endless. I fell in love with Canada.

Then came Terry Fox and his marathon of hope. Capturing our attention in such a great way. Giving us all a sense of national pride and unity.

The threat of Quebec sepetation aside, I was fortunate enough to grow up in an era where it was pretty awesome to be here. I loved Canada and it seemed the whole world loved Canadians.

Sadly, things are a little different now. The world doesn't think so highly of us anymore. We are falling far behind other developed countries when it comes to green initiatives and clean living.  Depression and anxiety in our youth is at an all time high. Look around and it's easy to understand why. Our once beautiful country now resembles a garbage dump. Nowhere is this more evident than in Canada's national parks. Sometimes I get really down running through these areas.

Maybe I'm the weirdo. Maybe I'm wrong to think that our parks most of all, are areas that we should take good care of. So that future generations can enjoy them with their children. So that for years to come, any young boy or girl looking out a car window might fall in love with their country too.

Running through Tera Nova Park Sunday and Monday was full of ups and downs. Both physically and emotionally. The steep hills and difficult winds threatened to break my stride. Worse however, the sights I saw threatened to break my spirit.
I was greatly disturbed by the amount of roadside litter. Clearly not everyone shares my desire to keep our country beautiful.

That's what this run across Canada and back has become all about. Seeing as much of the country as possible up close and personal. Slowly and in detail. Long term goals are to strive for mini victories. Like getting more garbage bins and recycling bins in all of our parks plus encouraging and educating people to use them. I've been in touch with a few people from Parks Canada and the wheels are hopefully in motion. Change comes slowly though and never without obstacles.

Thankfully I'm a patient man. And have many miles to go before I rest on this issue. Also the great people I've met in each and every province and shared my thoughts with give me faith. Faith that no matter how bad it looks out there, no matter what the odds, there are a few of us who care about our parks, our country and our planet. Today and everyday, those few need to try their best to encourage and inspire the rest.

Happy Earth Day Canada

I'm still in love with you despite the occasional heartbreak.

Day 7 - April 18th

km: 42                to date: 215
End point: TCH exit 26

bottles/cans: 140     to date: 529
cups: 57                     to date: 124

$ from empties: $5      to date: $5

Money spent: $18    to date: $74

Temp: 5C sun am, colder & snow pm light winds

Had a pretty good sleep last night (midnight straight through til 7am) and a very vivid dream. Later in the afternoon, I gave the dream some deep thought and mighy write about that in another blog. Perhaps not to be published quite yet though. I have a feeling the dream has a lot to do with what I call the battle of Newfoundland so best not to jinx it until I'm safe on the mainland again. : )

Sleeping straight through was definitely a bonus....usually I wake up cold or uncomfortable  a few times per night while tenting. That too will change when I  get used to it however.

Was on better terms with the weather man this morning. He was wrong again but in a positive way. Sun was shining and dare I say it even felt kinda warm. Comparatively anyway. Foot and knee felt better too so I made great time into Clarenville  (26km away). Once in town my first stop was to see the good folks at the recycling depot. Like the staff from Irving, they remembered me from last year so it made for a warm welcome. I think I'm going to really enjoy this aspect of the return trip!

I'll also make more of an effort to return bottles and cans to these depots whenever possible. Then will keep track of, and donate the proceeds to charity once finished. That being said, if Oskar is overloaded with hundreds of empties with no depot around, any method of proper disposal will suffice (giving them to people who donate to thier own local charities or the good ol reliable Tim Horton recycling bins). Much can be said about this Canadian turned American company when it comes to the environment but in just about every town all across the country if there's a Tim Horton's I know I can drop off recyclables there. Even if no other businesses or residences around that particular community recycle.

Sorry got off on a bit of a tangent  there....occupational hazard.

After getting some friendly goodbyes and a few extra recycling bags from the depot staff, my next stop in town was the local salvation army to buy a beautiful (lol) five dollar orange rain jacket. I've been pushing my luck not having one for the first week. This is Newfoundland in April after all!

Next was grocery shopping - $11 on some more rice, tuna, oatmeal, 3 apples and a bag of carrots. This, along with my supply of great supplements from Isagenix (protein shakes & bars, sports drinks far better than anything else out there, etc),  will get me through the next 3 - 4 days of little or no services.

As much as I like interacting with great Canadians on a daily basis, there's always something adventurous about stocking up and preparing to go into the wild for a stretch of time. Even if 'the wild' is really just a provincial or national park with no stores, restaurants or gas stations for many miles.

Last stop in Clarenville was McDonald's. I don't frequent the fast food giant to eat meals while running across Canada but it is a handy place to go for their coffee and muffin special ($1.69), use free Wi-Fi and most importantly stock up on drinking water.

That all taken care of, I headed back on the highway around 4pm. Just as it was  starting to snow. The morning sunshine gave away to cloudy and cooler afternoon so some kind of precipitation was enevitable.
I was in great spirits and continued on for another 15km quite content. (For the record, snow is indefinitely more enjoyable than rain is on the road).

The earlier sunshine did power my phone back up so I was able to take a few more pictures and even made a quick singing video which will be shared later. Yes I'm becoming that guy again! Just a fun filled product of a wonderful environment.

'Battle of Newfoundland' or no, I'm back in my happy place again!

Pictures Day 7

Day 5 -- April 16th

km: 16            to date: 148
End point: behind Megan's store/gas just past Southern Harbour exit

bottles/cans: 11        to date: 274
cups: 4                        to date: 21

Money spent: $5        to date: $49

Temp: -8 partly cloudy, strong N winds!

Tuesday I wanted to ask a meteorologist a question. Today I wanted to punch one in the face.
Not a female meteorologist mind you, no pretty lady reporting on the news or anything. I pictured a man working for the weather network, sitting in a comfortable chair, in a warm office, looking at satellite pictures and graphs on his monitor and coming up with numbers with the same logic as a gambler betting on a roulette wheel. They were calling for winds of 30km/hour today. I'd be willing to bet it was more than double that. So as the day went on, I just thought about walking up to this imaginary weather man and saying a friendly "hello", right before punching him in the nose.

Speaking of nose, mine's in pretty bad shape. Red and blistering from a combination of sunburn and windburn I guess. I taped gauze over it today. Didn't help my looks but I wasn't expecting to run into anyone. No one in their right mind would pull over in this kinda weather. Best to stay inside a warm car....hurry on to a warm home.  (Sigh)

A little harsh? Haha.. maybe the bitter winds are rubbing off on me. The day didn't start off like that though:

I slept in late (even for me) and was in no hurry to leave my comfortable tent. I could hear the winds howling outside and dreaded the thought of facing them. I considered taking a rest day. My legs, feet and back seemed to agree that this was a marvelous idea.

Thing is, I was out of water. Also the site I picked to pitch my tent last night protected me from the winds at the time.... but not the change of direction and increased velocity of today. As sturdy as my new tent was, I didn't want to risk any poles snapping.

So I finally worked up enough courage to begin the fun task of breaking camp and packing everything up before losing feeling in my hands. A frustrating hour later I was on the highway heading north. Directly into the wind.

Stopping for water at a fast moving stream, I managed to fill up two of my bottles before the third slipped out of my numb fingers. I watched helplessly as it sailed away out of sight. I tried to comfort myself rationalizing that the stainless steel bottle isn't as harmful to the environment as a plastic one would have been. Still, it bothered me. There I was.... littering.

Back on the road I had a tough time. I could run the downhills despite the fact that the wind kept trying to push Oskar back up (he's not very aerodynamic). The flats I could manage a slow trot at great cost of energy. But on the uphills my pace slowed to a crawl.

I remember as a child being out on cold winter days that it helped to walk backwards into the wind from time to time. Keep your face from freezing off and catch your breath for a few minutes. Anyone else do that?

I had to resort to this several times toady going up one long hill in particular. I wondered if anyone had ever crossed Canada walking backwards. And if so how many times they fell? To prevent any falls today I would walk forward a hundred steps scanning the shoulder ahead before turning around and walking backward a hundred steps knowing the coast was clear. I stuck mostly to the gravel as the rumble strips on the pavement were still annoying.
Finally reaching the top of this monster hill I could clearly see the other mountain that I had camped on last night. Judging the distance and glancing at my watch, I figured I'd travelled about 4km in an hour and a half.

To keep my mind busy, I worked out some calculations. At that rate, moving 8 hours a day, with no breaks whatsoever, it would take about 430 days to reach the West coast. That would put me into Vancouver middle of June 2016. Just in time to begin next summer's clean up run! : )

I was startled out of these wonderful thoughts by my own heavy breathing and sore legs. Somehow I was climbing another steep grade although I didn't remember any corresponding downhill.
I struggled on, head down against the cold, not bothering to keep an eye on the oncoming traffic. It was pure misery.

I thought back to some of my tough times in my earlier running events. The ones where I didn't train enough or the hills were brutal like in the Seattle Marathon. During those moments I would often fantasize about a car swerving out onto the course and clipping me. Not enough to do any permanent damage though.... ..just a bad bruise or scrape to take me out of the race. Maybe lie down on a cot or hospital bed and be allowed some blissful rest.

Alas, in the countless marathons I've run in no such thing ever happened. And somehow I  managed to finish all but one of them. Perhaps it was this knowledge that not only kept me going up that last hill, but gave me the strength to raise my head as well. Or maybe it was the understanding that a 'clip' from a car at highway speeds would end in a cold, painful demise on the side of the highway rather than a warm hospital bed with pretty nurses fussing over me.

On and on, one step at a time. Like the 40 Grouse Grinds in seven days to celebrate my 40th birthday week. I was a man of extremes. I could do this.

Eventually, I came to a gas station and went inside to ask the gentleman working there if I could pitch my tent behind the building. He called the owner and got the thumbs up. I set up the tent with the usual frozen hands, blew up my floor mat wIth the usual shortness of breath, and crawled into my sleeping bag wondering how long it would take to stop shivering.

All in all I had come 16km. It was the toughest challenge in recent memory. I would say the toughest ever... but then again it's been a long and interesting life so far. And each hardship I face, no matter how extreme, always gives me that much more confidence for the next one.

Tomorrow is going to be a good day. If for no other reason then the fact that I'll wake up knowing I made it though this one. And that's likely to bring a smile.

Day 6 - April 17th

km: 25                to date: 173
End point: Goobies Irving

bottles/cans: 115        to date: 389

cups: 46                        to date: 67

Money spent: $7          to date: $56

Temp: - 5 partly cloudy, med SW winds

I need a clicker. Those handheld counters that a doorman might use to keep track of how many people have entered the club. I used to keep track of the bottles and cans fairly easily and accurately but now with the added coffee cups I could use a little help. : /

Clicking counter and some mesh bags (like I had last year) to better hold the recycling. Two things to look out for on the road ahead. Then the clean up numbers will get much better.

Wind in my favour for a change - today the wind was at my back for the first time this trip. It was still cold out but at least my face wasn't assaulted like yesterday. I slept in a bit as usual and didn't hit the road until 11:00. That's when the store opened so I was able to go in and thank the guy once again for letting me camp out back semi sheltered from the winds. (Hmm....I think I use the words wind and winds too often in my writing. Maybe I should think of a few synonyms.)

Once in motion, I felt like I needed to make up for lost time. Probably ran a little too quickly with too few breaks for stretching. My left knee and right foot started acting up a little. Same culprits that plagued me over the final 500km of last year's run. I eased up right away and instead of focusing on distance I spent more time on clean up. The steep embankment on the side of the highway here makes it difficult to get at a lot of the litter but I'm make up for it in areas where it's more gradual or the ditch is closer. 

With the foot & knee warning, plus the promise of another cold night, my goal became the twin of Goobies just 25 km from my starting point. More specifically, the Goobies Irving Big Stop. What separates a 'Big Stop' from a normal gas station/store/restaurant is that it has a trucker's lounge where drivers far from home can chill out, relax, shower and even do laundry if necessary. Last November, in the home stretch of my West to East run, I arrived at this particular oasis on a cold rainy evening. The staff were kind enough to let me bed down in the lounge for the night which was awesome. 

This time around I arrived with a few hours of daylight left so I offered to 'earn my keep' by cleaning up the litter around the building and parking lot. A few of the staff remembered me from last fall so all was good. It pays to have friends in warm places! I bought a calling card, an apple and an orange from the store feeling like I should support the business as much as my budget would allow. 

In the lounge I was able to take better care of my feet and legs though light stretching and self massage. Something I clearly hadn't done enough of the last few nights. My usual motto when getting into the tent after a long day of running is 'feet first'. So far this year however it's been 'get warm first'! 

The other great thing about the trucker's lounge is that there's a pay phone. Calling card in hand, I was able to let my family know that despite the challenges over the first few days, Andy is healthy and happy and heading in thier direction. Slowly but surely. : )

Day 4 - April 15th

km: 38           to date: 132
End point: top of a cold mtn! (2km past the 120k signpost)

bottles/cans: 79       to date: 263
cups:  17                    to date: 17

Money spent: $2       to date: $44

Temp: 2C overcast then sunny, westerly winds

Rained pretty hard overnight but my new tent passed the test. Got up and on the road by 10:15 (takes a good hour to stretch, tend to the feet, get dressed, pack and load up Oskar). Was overcast/foggy and cool to start the day but the sun burnt that all off in no time.

I stopped in to Montys Esso and restaurant near Whitborne where the friendly female server was kind enough to lighten my load of recyclables. (They donate theirs to MS). Running across Newfoundland last fall I found the best way to unload all the bottles and cans is just ask whenever I stop by a gas station or restaurant. Most of them go to a good cause like children's sports groups and school lunches etc. It's worth noting though that the first service of any kind running West on the trans Canada highway is 90 km out of St. John's.

I thanked the server and was on my way. I asked around about the possibility of finding some mesh bags (like the ones used for firewood) but had no luck. The blue recycling bags are okay but not very durable for my kind of traveling.

Not having any service last night, I decided against my better judgement to stop for a quick coffee at the Tim Hortons and use thier Wi-Fi. I was glad I did. Got a nice message from a lady who's part of a Facebook group called 'Trash Walking Moms' They clean up roadside litter on their walks and are now cheering on my efforts too. It encouraged me to start picking up coffee cups that litter the highways as well. Not sure if I'll include them in the bottles total but hey it makes out country a little nicer to look at when they're not all over the ground! A slow start to the cup clean up today but that willimprove once I figure out a better way to store them in between trash and recycling bins.

Winds weren't quite as bad as yesterday but still enough to make it hard on the uphills. Legs felt good though and I was able to get some decent running in on the flats and downhills. This despite the fact that he rumble strips were back in all thier glory. (Definitely not my favourite surface to run on. Oskar downright hates them!)
If memory serves however, it's only for another two days that I'll have to deal with them.

I took quite a few pictures today and was glad for the sunshine. Last October and November I encountered mostly rain and didn't have a chance to see how beautiful this island really is. Part of me will be happy to see the warmer days that May in Nova Scotia will bring. Still another part will miss the epic scenery and friendly people of Newfoundland.

Was going to stop after 35km but I  decided to climb this one last big hill first. Was exhausted by the time I reached the top and found it colder and more windy up here. Setting the tent was tough and I was shaking and hyperventilating by the time I crawled into my sleeping bag to warm up. Guess I'm still not in my 'game shape'!

That too, will improve as the days go on.

Tommorw the highway turns north towards Clarenville. As luck would have it, forecast is calling for winds out of the north with a chance of mixed precipitation. Hmmm...maybe a snow bath will be in order. : )

Day 3 - April 14th

km: 34              to date: 94
End point: TCH 6km East of Whitborne exit

bottles/cans: 52    to date: 184

Money spent: $0    to date: $42

Temp: 7C sunny, strong SW winds

If I ever get a chance to talk to a meteorologist, I have one burning question:

Is it possible to have a temperature of 5C with a windchill that feels like -25?

That was my constant thought for the first few hours of day 3. I wasn't always going straight into the wind, sometimes it hit me from the side after crossing open fields and over frozen lakes. Last I checked, this was supposed to be the warmest day for the next two weeks. : /

Winter is still abounding here in Newfoundland! But in a way that's a good thing. After a lazy five months off I could use some toughening up.

After only about 5km, I stopped by a river to filter some water as I was running low. I boiled some for my breakfast of oatmeal and then was on my way about an hour later. I spent the next few km wondering if I should take the time to boil the other water I got from the river before drinking it. Better safe than sorry.

Near the turnoff to Avondale, I got my first roadside visit of this trip. Two gentlemen returning from a morning of fishing stopped to see what I was up to. They seemed excited for me and shook my hand repeatedly in between handing over some leftover snacks from their morning outing. I was super happy and it helped boost my spirits. It wasn't until they pulled away that I realized I should have asked them about the water situation.

No need to worry. About 45 minutes later a truck pulled up in front of me and there was Albert, the one in the passenger seat from before. Guess he had gotten home and told his wife about meeting me on the road and she sent him back out with more snacks and some apple juice too. I thanked him and mentioned my concern about the water and he assured me not to worry:

"All de water across Newfoundland is as good as yer ever gonna taste" he told me.
Smiles, thanks handshakes and exchanging of emails and off he went.

I felt great running the rest of the afternoon. (Wind or no wind). I was reminded of all the awesome people that I met on the first trip across Canada and was look forward to seeing them again as well as meeting many more.

Around 5:00 I started looking for a place to camp. The heavy winds and rain clouds gathering meant my site needed extra care. Somewhat sheltered but on realitivly high and dry ground. After some backtracking and checking on both sides of the highway I found one that would have to do. It was a little close to the highway and visible to passing motorists but at that point it didn't matter. I'd deal with the noise and the occasional honking.

Overall a good day. Mileage is getting better and went to slept quite content.
Still lacking in the clean up department but that will improve when the rest of the snow melts and more bottles and cans become visible.

Homemade wood burning camp stoves

First trip across Canada I used a canister stove and it worked great. My roadside meals are always simple and only require boiling water for oatmeal (breakfast), rice (lunch & dinner) and tea on occasion  (cold nights).

Problem is the canisters are not refillable and its difficult to find places that dispose of them properly.

I only used about 6 or 7 canisters for the whole trip across the country which isn't bad at all. Still, I think I can do better. My goal this summer is to get by with only one canister, (Back up only).

For the majority of my meals I'll use a wood burning camp stove. Now you can buy a 'biolite' stove for $200 that does the trick and charges your phone at the same time. Or you can spend  $100 on a 'kelly kettle' which boils water quickly by having the wood burning flames go up in the middle of the kettle quickly heating up the water around it.

As the goal of this cross Canada run is of a minimalist nature, I decided to make my own out of an ordinary can. It takes some practice and you definitely want to have plenty of dry grass and twigs before starting but so far so good. Instant rice over the 'simmer for 30-40 minutes' kind os definitely a must though! : )

Day 2 - April 13th

km: 30       to date: 60
End point: TCH just West of Exit 36

Bottles/cans: 44       to date: 131

Money spent: $0       to date: $42

Temp: 0C sunny, westerly winds

I said today was going to be better.  I was right and wrong. Sun was shining all day! If it wasn't I'm not sure where I'd be. Still cool and going against the wind a bit but that's to be expected running East to West this year.

Using my solar charger and only taking a few pictures here and there I was able to get one battery fully charged and theother up to 20%. With limited use tomorrow and more sun in the forecast should be all set for awhile  (expecting rain Wednesday).

Highway clean up was brutal today as my old legs were a little sore and couldn't handle bending down to pick up litter too much. Let alone climb up and down the steep banks on the side of the highway.
Shoulders were smooth except for one 10km stretch of rumble strips. I remember more of these ahead and am dreading them. Makes it difficult to run on and is hard on Oskar too.

Had trouble breathing a few times today. Also dizzy spells twice that made me stop to find a spot sheltered from the wind for a quick sit down / lie down. Took some walking breaks todayespecially on the uphills. Managed another 30k but that was it. Sure the days will get easier once my body adjusts.

Tent set up better late this afternoon (20 mins). Had my first warm meal using my homemade wood burning stove! Will get a picture and talk more about that tomorrow. Also will try for more distance and have an idea that will help with the clean up!

10pm here = bed time

Pictures Day 1

Day 1 - April 12th

km: 30      to date: 30
End point: Mount Pearl area

bottles/cans: 87        to date: 87

Money spent: $42    to date: $42
(Not counting initial costs, tent, shoes, etc)

Temp: 0 C , cloudy, westerly winds

4 hours sleep and a light breakfast of cereal and tea before heading down to the Terry Fox Memorial downtown for 9am.
About 30 local runners showed up on a run of their own. Participating in the 'Celebration of the Marathon of Hope' a Canada wide event put on by the Running Room stores across the country.

(I just found out about it late last night and decided to begin by running up to the local Running Room to dedicate my first 42km and a  $42 donation).

Always planned on this starting day and location as I knew it was 35 years ago to the day when Terry began his run. Recently finished the book 'Terry Fox - His Story' and brought it along to read again while on the road.

After a few pictures, many high fives, handshakes and well wishes from the awesome group of runners, they were off and on their way. Next came the telephone interview with CBC radio  (local Weekend AM show). Thanks to the Host and producers and to Ben Dalton for talking me into reaching out to the media but I'm not much of a press guy I guess. Terrible at public speaking and have mixed feelings about most forms media... especially when it comes to anything that concerns the environment. Will leave it at that for now.

Funny side note: when wrapping up the interview the host mentioned to the listeners that they can follow me on my Million Dollar Pledge Facebook page. I get that a lot.

A few more pictures with a more local runners and it was time to head up the road. Up a steep hill at first but then leveled out a few blocks away from the water. Some snow flurries on the way to Running Room but only lasted a few minutes.

At the running room I went inside to sign up my planned 42km and to make my donation. Word had spread and a lady asked if I was the one running back across Canada. When I said yes she introduced me to the Fox family. I was near speechless. After my donation I hesitated but eventually worked up the nerve to ask for a picture with them. Glad I did. Definitely a lasting impression.

Feeling great I continued on and asked a gentleman for directions to the highway. Trying to save on power, I'm hoping not to use my phone to much for things like GPS, Google Maps, Facebook and anything else that requires a signal. The cold weather really affects the life of the battery and the use of my solar charger. Drawback is not being able to constantly confirm directions. Perhaps still caught up in emotion from the morning meetings I  took a wrong turn somewhere and ran about 5km in the wrong direction. Seeing the downtown and bay getting closer I finally broke down and used my phone for a few minutes to get myself on track

A tough climb up Avondale rd and it was past noon before I got on the TCH
I could tell it wasn't going to be easy as a strong cold wind blew was in my face. I stopped for a lunch break (apple, muffin and protein bar) plus a half hour of stretching.

Continuing on for another 10km I may have ran the uphills a little too much but didn't want to take any walking breaks. Eventually some pain in my right quad forced me to do just that. More stretching helped a bit but I knew my running was nearing an end for day 1.  Of course walking breaks just made me feel colder and I was a little worried about a sore throat and cough that had developed in the afternoon.

Decided to call it quits around 4. Wanted to set the tent up before it got too close to evening. New tent took almost 30 minutes to set up with cold hands and the wind blowing hard. Finally got inside and in the sleeping bag shivering. Changed into dry clothes and did some stretching, reading and reflecting on the day. Tomorrow will be better. Each day should get warmer and sunnier for awhile.

Dinner consisted of four chewable vitamin C. Might regret that later but it's all I felt like eating. Made two family  phone calls and started this blog. 10:00 now and time for bed.

Today's few pictures and posts drained my first battery completely and has the second one at about 60%. Not sure how much warm sunshine I'll see over the next few days so really need to cut back. 

Only managed to clean up 87 bottles and cans today. Will also improve on that.

Food for thought

Equally important as putting some thought into what we eat, is being more selective about where we eat. In the summer of 2013, when I left Vancouver to begin the first run across Canada, very few restaurants were practicing recycling AND composting. It really hit home when visiting a wine maker from California told me how shocked he was at this lack of disciple in the B.C. hospitality industry. Granted there were restaurants leading the way in bringing about these important changes, Fable and Forage come to mind,  but no where near enough in my mind.

As someone with over 25 years under my belt/apron, I've seen first hand the tremendous amount of waste prevalent in most restaurants. Many years ago, a young and hard working line cook, I would take pride in being able to lift dozens of garbage bags (weighing almost as much as myself), up and over into the huge bins out back each and every night. These commercial waste bins are still being hauled off to the landfills on a regular basis. 

I like to think we've made some progress since then and am looking forward to being pleasantly surprised at the scene in Vancouver when I finish the retun run mid December. In the meantime, I'll just cut down on my restaurant visits for this trip and be sure to inquire with the staff about the establishment's recycling and composting efforts.

Action begins with discussion. In this day and age, the paying customers should exercise their rights by asking questions about the behind the scene operations of the businesses they are supporting. Likewise the staff and management of each business should be knowledgeable, (and hopefully proud!) enough to answer those questions.

Offline thoughts

I see two big advantages to writing a daily blog on here rather than focusing on
Facebook posts.

1. I can write something using the blogger app on my phone even if there's no service (which in turn saves on my data).

2. It might be wise to do the majority of my writing each night, full of the thoughts and emotions of running all day, then sleep on it and see if I really want to share those thoughts in the morning : )