Hiking in the Adirondacks: cross-training?

Last Saturday, I went hiking in the Adirondacks - more precisely, near Keene NY, on the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge from Big Crow Mountain to Weston Mountain - in a group of 10. It was beautiful! I found myself asking why it's taken me 15 years of living in Montreal to try hiking in the 'dacks.

This is a blog about cycling, so what's the connection to hiking? Well, I thought that from all the cycling I do, I would have an easy time when it comes to hiking. What I forgot is that when you move from one sport to another, even if the two sports use "roughly" the same muscle group, there will always be some small muscle that one sport fails to use. In this case, it was the outside part of my calves, which seems to have something to do with supporting the load when stepping down (as opposed to pushing up). I guess that makes sense, because in cycling you're always working at either pressing the pedals away or pulling them up, but not with absorbing your own weight. And I suppose that's why my calves still ache, 3 days later, but only when I go down stairs.

The other little downer was that my big toes were very sore by the end of the day. (My hiking shoes are a little tight there.) When I got home and took off my shoes and socks, I saw that I had two giant blisters, one on each big toe. The swelling has gone down but the blister spots are still a bit tender.

But blisters and aching calves aside, this hike was definitely worth it! I want to do more hikes before too long.

I've posted my photos on my
Picasa pages.

Cyclostravaganza 2008: Photos

I've recently finished posting my trip pictures in my Picasa web albums.

Cyclostravaganza 2008: Distances and stats

Date	Route	Distance	Time	Max	Average
7/1/2008	White River: VIA station to hotel	1.41	0:06:40	24.0	12.7
7/2/2008	White River to Wawa	92.30	03:55:55	47.0	23.4
7/3/2008	Wawa to Agawa Bay	91.62	04:52:07	45.7	18.8
7/4/2008	Agawa Bay to Pancake Bay	63.75	03:12:15	44.9	19.8
7/5/2008	Pancake Bay to Sault Ste. Marie	73.20	03:21:38	43.6	21.7
7/7/2008	Sault Ste. Marie to St. Joseph's Island	71.01	02:57:14	53.1	24.0
7/9/2008	St Joseph's Island to Spragge	137.22	04:56:18	53.5	27.7
7/10/2008	Spragge to Espanola	72.65	03:13:51	42.6	22.4
7/11/2008	Espanola to Tobermory	117.71	05:02:22	48.8	21.8
7/12/2008	Tobermory to Owen Sound	122.43	06:04:31	42.2	20.1
7/13/2008	Owen Sound to outskirts of Shelburne	98.83	04:21:52	60.2	22.6

Total distance: 942.13km

My average speed was usually between 19 and 22 km/h depending on terrain and wind - and maybe my condition and mindset? Two days were much faster:
(1) Sault Ste. Marie to St. Joseph's Island - D. had picked up my bags in the Sault, so I was riding without those extra 50 lbs of gear.
(2) St Joseph's Island to Spragge - the tailwind that day was nothing less than phenomenal.

Cyclotourist musings: on bugs, blueberries, and biodiversity; and on packing light

On my July 2008 cycling trip, the mosquitos were really quite bad. Mosquitos seem to like to land on my socks to bite through the fabric to my ankles... or on my spandex bike shorts to bite my posterior (sneaky buggers). At one stop, I watched a mosquito land on my spandex and try to bite the sensitive male... er... anterior. "Oh no you don't!" and I shooed it away. This led me to a later musing: biodiversity is important, but would the world really be worse off if we could just get rid of four kinds of flies: mosquitos, horseflies, deerflies, and blackflies? Apparently it might. I was told that blueberries rely on blackflies for pollination. Egads! This may be false, and if it's true then what's with apiarists marketing blueberry honey, but nonetheless, a world without blueberries would be sad indeed.

My luggage for this trip weighed just over 50lbs, including panniers, but not including the bike. Given the number of items I carried, 50 pounds of luggage translates to an average weight of a little more than 100g per item I packed. 100g is the size of a respectable chocolate bar - i.e., not very heavy at all. It's amazing how it all adds up. So the next time I pack, and throw in one more thing thinking "But it weighs nothing!", I will recall the story of the Everest mountaineer who removed the packaging and string-which-makes-it-easy-to-fish-out-of-your-cup from each teabag he packed.

Cyclostravaganza 2008: My packing list

This is my packing list for my 2-week, ~1000km trip.

Some notes about my trip and packing style:
* This was a camping trip, which meant carrying tent, sleeping bag, and more. That took up one large pannier (15L), and a small amount of stuff in other panniers.
* My gear weighed slightly over 50lbs. Many of the long-distance cyclists I saw actually had more baggage than me, often with a "bob" trailer.
* I like to be well-prepared. A more minimalist camper could shave off a lot of items from this list.
* Although I ate most of my meals in restaurants or by food in grocery stores, there were some stretches of my trip with no services for more than 100km, so I had to bring enough food and food-preparation equipment for that. I chose food that only required boiling water.
* These remote stretches also dictated some equipment and safety items I might not have needed in other locations.
* Other than some of the tools, spare parts, and safety/first aid items, there were very few items I did not use.
* Some of my campsites were in locations with bears or other wildlife. I had food and other items that shouldn't go inside the tent. The best option I could figure was to leave them in the dry sacks outside my tent, either on the picnic table or (better) hung from trees when possible.
* Astonishingly and very gratefully, I had no flat tires on this trip.
* One of the few areas where I was almost minimalist was with clothing. I only brought one jersey and one pair of cycling shorts. I hand-wished my laundry almost every night and hung it to dry (sometimes with a bungee cord rigged on my bike). It was usually still damp in the morning, but no problem, it would dry after I put it on during breakfast or while riding. For wet underwear or towels, I clipped them to my backpack or rackpack with the carabiners, and they would dry while riding (as long as it wasn't raining). Wet socks went into a mesh stuff sack, which I could attach as above.



Bike basics
* Bicycle
* Racks
* Fenders
* Cyclometer
* Heart rate monitor
* Rear-view mirror, handlebar mounted
   Bought while travelling
* Water bottles
* Pump
* Helmet
* Reflective tape on bike, helmet
* Lights for night-time riding
* Reflective ankle strips
    (for when occasionally riding at night or in pants)

Bike tools
* Wet ones
    For hand-degreasing
   [link to item description]
* Hand cleaner (de-greaser)
   This stuff is great - but did not use; Wet Ones were enough.
   [link to item description]
* Spoke wrench
* Chain tool
* Patch kit
* Spare tubes, 3
* Tire levers
   For removing/replacing tire in case of flat
* Multi-tool
* Additional allen-keys
   For racks, mirror
* Spare bolts and nuts for racks
* Chain lubricant
* Rags for cleaning chain
* Presta-to-Schraeder valve adapter
* Wrench, ratchet action
   For fenders

Baggage
* 1 medium pannier (rear), 15L
   [link to item description]
* 1 medium pannier, waterproof (rear), 18L
   Same actual volume as item above
   [link to item description]
* 2 small panniers (front), 21L
   [link to item description]
* rackpack (converts to backpack), 11L
   [link to item description]
* "wedgie" under-seat tool bag
   [link to item description]
* "bento box" (gel box) for camera, cell phone
   [link to item description]
* backpack, 13L
   Backpack made shoulders sore, back sweaty
   [link to item description]
* hydration pack for backpack
   Very convenient; for water only (no sweetened drinks)
* rain-cover for backpack
   [link to item description]
* Map-holder
   Mounts on handlebars

For packing bike
* Electrical tape
* Foam pipe insulation
   Use this to pad frame, derailleurs, pedals, and anything that sticks out. Cut to shape, tape in place.
   [link to item description]
* Pedal wrench
* large duffle bag, 136L
   For transporting bags on trains, buses.
   [link to item description]
* Bike box
   Buy at bus/train station
* Utility knife

Stuff sacks etc.
* 3 (mesh) for sorting clean/dirty clothes
* 2 (mesh) for towels
* 2 (mesh) for cosmetics
   [link to item description]
* 1 (mesh) for first aid items
* 2 dry bags for food, 10L each
   [link to item description]
* many ziploc bags (bring spares), various sizes
* compression dry-sack for sleeping bag
   [link to item description]
* Nylon foldable reusable bags, 2
   For groceries, laundry (not essential - but so small!)

Gear: bike
* Bungee cords
   For securing bags; also as laundry line
* "Turtle" lights, white and red
   For night biking AND for lghting tent
   [link to item description]
* Bike lock and cable
* Spare spokes
* Spare brake pads

Gear: shelter
* Sleeping bag, down-filled
   [link to item description]
* Sleeping bag liner (sheet), silk
   [link to item description]
* Inflatable sleeping pad (plus patch kit)
   [link to item description]
* Pillow, down-filled, small
   [link to item description]
* Pillowcase
   Brought 2, only needed 1
* Tent (plus poles, pegs, storage sacks)
   [link to item description]
* "Gear attic" for tent
* Ground sheet for tent (plastic vapour barrier)
   Buy at hardware store -Tyvek brand if you are fancy
* Seat cushion / trail seat, inflatable
   [link to item description]
* Tent whisk & dust pan
   [link to item description]
* Earplugs
   Campgrounds can be noisy

Gear: cooking
* Camping stove (MSR Pocket Rocket)
   [link to item description]
* Gas for camping stove
   [link to item description]
* Kettle (GSI)
   [link to item description]
* Pot gripper/lifter/handle
   [link to item description]
* Mug, lightweight
   [link to item description]
* Bowl, stainless steel - for eating or cooking (MSR)
   [link to item description]
* Plastic cutlery
* Waterproof matches
* Coffee filters, 1-cup (Coghlan's)
   [link to item description]
* Sponge for washing dishes
* Dish detergent (very small container)
* 2 small dishcloths (for padding metal items)

Gear: laundry
* Small scrub brush (also good for cleaning nails, etc.)
   For scrubbing stains
   [link to item description]
* Flat sink stopper
   [link to item description]
* Nylon rope (fine) for laundry-line
* Stretchy laundry line
   [link to item description]
* Clothespins: 12 standard, 12 tiny
* Laundry detergent, liquid (e.g., Zero)

Gear: misc
* Headlamp
   For campsite at night. Handsfree!
   [link to item description]
* 2 carabiners (for strapping and hanging things)
   [link to item description]
* Leatherman knife
* Plastic grocery bags
   For garbage at campsite.
* Plastic bag, heavy-weight, large
   Can be used for doing campsite laundry if sink unavailable
* Plastic tie-wraps
   For securing loose things (did not use)
* Combination lock
   For swimpool locker-rooms; for locking bike with cable when bike lock doesn't fit

Electronics
* Digital camera plus charger and cables
* Cell phone plus charger
   Doubles as alarm clock
* iPod, headphones, cables
   For bus/train rides; also doubles as address book

Clothing: cyclist
* Shorts (cuissard)
* Jersey, short-sleeved
* Arm warmers
   [link to item description]
* Leg warmers
   [link to item description]
* Wind vest
   [link to item description]
* Wind jacket
   [link to item description]
* Bike gloves, 2 pairs
   1 pair would have been enough
* Socks, bike-style, 4 pairs
   more would have been better

Clothing: non-cyclist
* Swimsuit + goggles
   For swimming
* Silk long underwear, 1 pair
   For sleeping or camp-lounging, when cool.
   [link to item description]
* Boxer shorts (for sleeping), 1 pair
* Pants, lightweight, fast-drying, 1 pair
   [link to item description]
* Bandanas, x3
   2 would have been enough, but 3 better.
* Sun hat for when not biking
   Could have done without
* Small toque (knit cap) for chilly evenings
* Socks: cotton style, 1 pair
   Not necessary, but nice for rest days
* Socks: woolen, 2 pairs
   1 pair enough. At campsite, mosquitos can't sting through wool.
* Underwear, 3 pairs
   2 pairs would have been enough
* t-shirt, cotton, for sleeping, x1
* t-shirt, synthetic, x1
   for daytime when not cycling
* tank tops, synthetic, x3
   both for not cycling and for layering with jersey when cold
* snap/button shirt, short-sleeve, synthetic, x1
   for daytime when not cycling
* long-sleeve zippered fleece, thin, x1
* light-weight fast-drying shorts (nylon), x1
* Flip-flops for showers, campsite

Toiletries etc.
* Soap
* Razor plus spare blades
* Shampoo
* Deodorant
* Nail clipper
* Sunscreen
* Insect repellent
* Contact lenses (plus spares)
* Contact lens solution + eyedrops
* Sunglasses
* Moisturiser
* Essential oil of lavender
   For making washed clothes (and me) smell better
* Toothbrush, toothpaste
* Dental floss
* Small synthetic towel (for after shower)
   [link to item description]
* Small face-towel
* 1 travel-size pkg kleenex
   Pick up napkins from restaurants en route
* Anti-histamines
   Also reduces reaction to insect bites
* Analgesics, anti-inflammatories
   Do not use while cycling ("listen" to pain)
* Calamime lotion
   In case of poison ivy, etc.
* Q-tips
* Waterless hand sanitiser (e.g., Purell)
* Vitamin C
* Anti-fungal cream
   Was recovering from athlete's foot from last trip
* Bag balm (small container)
   For saddle sores
   [link to item description]

First aid
* Small bottle iodine
   For disinfecting wounds OR drinking water
* Various sized bandages (band-aids)
* Tape for dressings
   For larger wounds
* Non-adherent dressings (such as Kendall Telfa)
   [link to item description]
* Gauze pads
* Gauze roll
* Triangular bandage
* Scissors
* Compression bandage
* Sam splint
   [link to item description]
* Antibiotic ointment (polysporin)
* Latex gloves
   Also useful for handling greasy bike stuff
* Emergency blanket (aluminized)
   [link to item description]

Paperwork
* Book
   For bus/train rides.
* Address book
   Hard copy of essential contacts and bike shop info.
* Maps, guides
   Heavy - discard or mail home when no longer needed
* Pens, sharpies, highlighter
* Small notebook
   For recording memories
* Emergency contact info
   Store in ziploc bags. Keep several: on bike, in bags

Food
* Ground coffee, 400g
* Canned milk
* Instant hot chocolate
* Instant oatmeal (just add boiling water)
* Nuts and raisins (for oatmeal)
* Ramen noodles
   Discard seasoning; add Thai tuna and peanut butter
* Canned tuna, Thai flavour
* Peanut butter, individual containers
   Liberate these from restaurants
* Energy bars
* Dried fruit bars
* Cheese
   Baby-bel (wax-wrapped) keeps well
* Canned fruit or ready-made jello
   Individual portions, easy to open
* Salt, pepper, sugar; individual packages
   Liberate these from restaurants
* Scones, butter tarts, muffins, etc.

Should have brought
* Spare tire
   Was biking in remote locations
* Can opener
   Could only buy canned foods that didn't need an opener.
* Rear-view mirror, helmet-mounted
   Limited view from handlebar-mounted mirror
* Something else instead of backpack
* Better pump
   Hard to get enough pressure with mine.
* Tweezers
   In case of ticks, splinters.

Cyclostravaganza 2008: Shelburne to Toronto (to Gananoque) to Montreal

Short version: I decided to take the train home (as a passenger) to Montreal; my train decided to take a crash. Fortunately there were no fatalities, there were a few injuries but they seemed non-life-threatening, I was unharmed, and my bike was undamaged. My cycling trip thus concluded with a certain amount of drama.

Longer version:

I enjoyed a lovely rest day with A and S (and Z) just outside Shelburne. They quite spoiled me with food, drink, attention, and the like. I even managed to convince them to give me a tour of their garden.

At this point, I was ahead of schedule: I had had a fantastic tailwind one day the previous week; cold rain made me cut the next day short, but I was still ahead; and I forewent two rest/play days on Manitoulin Island and at Tobermory National Park. So I was debating whether to extend my trip a bit, and cycle from Toronto to Kingston. Partly I was having a hard time choosing what roads to take, partly I thought it would be nice to get home to Montreal and have a few days there before going back to work, but mostly I had been feeling tired and headachey all day long. So rather than court illness, I decided to take the train back to Montreal on Tuesday.

A few years ago, I'd cycled from Shelburne to Toronto, and felt no especial need to repeat that. My uncle A very kindly offered to drive me from Shelburne to Brampton/Bramalea where, outside of peak hours, I would be allowed to take my train aboard the GO Train (commuter train). Things seemed to work out very well for me: bikes are allowed on GO trains only if they arrive in Union Station after 9:30; there was a GO train that would arrive at 9:36; that would leave me plenty of time to pack my bike up in Union Station and catch the 11:35 VIA train to Toronto; in the worst-case scenario, if I missed the first GO train, there was another train an hour later which would still leave me enough time to catch my VIA train. So that is how I planned things.

On Monday evening, I booked my VIA ticket online. Because it was a last-minute booking, the economy-fare ticket wasn't that cheap. It was only a few dollars extra to travel first-class, plus there would be a fancy-shmancy lunch. So I went for that!

On Tuesday morning, I learned something that could have changed everything. My aunt had been serving me decaff! That's why I'd been feeling tired and headachey. Maybe I was fit enough to continue the bike adventure (or would have been fit enough, with adequate caffeination). Oh well, the die was cast, as I had already bought my train ticket.

Other than the decaff, everything else went smoothly Tuesday. A and I left on time; we had a nice ride from Shelburne, through rolling farmland, over the escarpment, and then into the GTA. We got to the GO station, I bought my ticket, and A helped me lug my bike and luggage to the platform. Carrying 50lbs of luggage is one thing when it's in 4 panniers and a rackpack, mounted to the bike; but you can't check that many separate bags onto the train, so I had a very large duffel bag to hold them all; carrying one 54-pound bag plus trying to move a bike is not fun; so I was very grateful to have a hand with this. Getting from the parking lot to the platform involved an underground crossing of the track; again it was time to be grateful, as there was an elevator to take us down, then a very clean tunnel, and another elevator to take us up. Three cheers for accessible infrastructure. Once I got to the platform, A bid me adieu.

Taking my bike on the GO train was pretty straightforward. Some of the train cars had no-bike pictograms by the doors, but soon I found a car with a door that didn't expressly forbid bikes. (Everything that is not forbidden is compulsory, right?) I hoisted my bike up the steps, muscled in my duffel bag, and that was it. There wasn't a special bike rack, just a designated area by the door where bikes were permitted. I sat down, held my bike to keep it from falling, and off we went to Union Station.

More elevators in Union Station made it easy for me to get from the GO train's platform into the station, thence to the VIA baggage check-in. A had removed my pedals the night before for me, and the rest of the bike-packing was easy: remove and turn the handlebars, remove the seat, and put it into the box. Voila, that's it. To make things better, VIA only charged me $21.00 with tax for the bike transportation, and that included the bike box. (By contrast. Greyhound had charged me about $70.00 to ship my bike from Montreal to Sudbury, plus their box cost extra.) I had to remove a few items from the giant duffel bag because my 54-pound bag was 4 pounds too heavy, so I just plucked out one pannier and checked it as a second bag. Ah, everything with VIA was so easy!

I had plenty of time before my departure, and I was in need of caffeine. Since my ticket was in first class - a treat I had never indulged in before - I was able to use VIA's Panorama Lounge. Free coffee, free beverages, free newspapers, comfy chairs! (I had been hoping for free snacks and a computer with free internet access, but I guess you can't have it all.)

Unlike the GO concourse, the VIA concourse involved taking escalators. I didn't mind because my bike and most of my luggage were checked in.

When I looked at my watch, it seemed like we left Union Station a few minutes early. Perhaps that was why before we had even left the Toronto yards, the train reversed back into the station to pick up a few passengers who had missed the train. One of the VIA crew members seemed annoyed because this apparently meant the train would be at least 10 minutes late arriving.

First-class was very nice, I must admit, with complimentary beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), snacks, and a very nice hot meal for lunch. I declined the seafood choice due to my allergies, and was having a hard time between the spicy Asian chicken option and the mushroom-beef option; I chose the latter since I so rarely eat beef at home. Dessert was a white chocolate mousse of sorts with cranberries. The red wine was pleasant but a bit sweet and plonky. Drinking the wine and the coffee was a bit of a challenge; about half of the coffee splashed out of the cup due to the lateral movements (which we could politely call "rocking") of the train. Fortunately the food and drinks were served on a tray with a placemat of sorts to catch the spills. The crew came by frequently to refill beverages to keep ahead of the splashing. Ahh, life in first class is good.

But you were wondering about the train crash, weren't you?

We were passing through Mallorytown (east of Kingston) when there was a jolt. Instinctively I braced myself against the seat in front of me. The train slowed down. I looked out my window and saw a huge dust cloud. That's when I realised that the jolt was from hitting something, and the dust was from dragging something or maybe from having derailed. The conductor announced that we were in an accident. It took some time to figure everything out, but we'd hit a truck.

It seems that the truck's trailer (possibly a low-clearance trailer) had become stuck on the train tracks. The tracks in Mallorytown are apparently higher than the road. The truck driver had enlisted another vehicle to help pull it off, without success. When they saw the train coming, apparently they loosened the chains (from the towing vehicle to the stuck vehicle), and tried to signal to the oncoming train. The train could not stop in time. Fortunately the truck-folk were not in their vehicles. It was also fortunate that they had undone the chains between the two trucks, or else we might have dragged along two trucks intead of just the one.

It could have been quite bad, but I guess we were fortunate. One of the engineers injured his foot and ankle, and some people were taken to the hospital from having been bumped around, but nothing seemed life-threatening (as far as I knew). I was completely unhurt; my car was at the very rear of the train so I was barely jolted. The baggage car derailed, and perhaps the engine car at the very front, but all of the passenger cars stayed on the tracks. Paramedics came to take those who needed or wanted to go to hospital; they entered via the train, but removed passengers to the side, and transported them on an ATV to the ambulances that must have been nearby.

The derailed baggage car near the front of the train precluded us moving forward. There was another VIA train that had stopped behind us; although we were on a double-track section of rail, the derailed baggage car blocked both rails, so it too was stuck. After a rather long wait, that train was first able to connect to ours to provide some electricity beyond our own train's emergency power (providing some intermittent and very welcome air conditioning while we were waiting to get going going), and then later, it towed our train's passenger cars to safety.

It remains that the baggage car derailed, so I was pretty worried about whether my bike had been damaged in the toss-about. I was very relieved when I claimed my bike the next day at Montreal Central Station and found out it was undamaged.

The worst thing for me really was the inconvenience - instead of arriving at 5:17pm, we were still waiting on the tracks at that time. Eventually that other train pulled us back to the previous station (Gananoque), where buses took us on to our final destinations, and I got into Montreal around 10:45pm.

I did feel bad for the couple from the UK on our train. They had flown to Toronto for their honeymoon the day before, and were just recovering from jetlag en route to Montreal. How about a train crash to welcome you to a new country?

(I think there is some irony in the fact that while some of my family members were worried about me, and while I had some unpleasant moments while cycling on the roads, the accident that I was involved in on this trip actually had nothing to do with cycling.)

Cyclostravaganza 2008: Owen Sound to Shelburne

I cycled from Owen Sound to Shelburne. I met 3 cyclists on the road who were biking coast to coast to raise money for Alzheimer's - but they weren't carrying their bags, so I couldn't quite keep up with them.

It was another windy day, with a cross-wind to try to blow me into the traffic. In Flesherton (or thereabouts), I caught up with the Alzheimer cyclists, who had stopped to shake hands and kiss babies. (Well, there weren't actually babies...) There I met a kind local cyclist who suggested a side-road I could take from Dundalk to Shelburne. That made all the difference to my day. On highway 6, I had had to spend most of my attention on the poor quality of the shoulder and on the motorists speeding home from their cottages who really didn't want to be where they were at that moment and just wanted to get elsewhere fast... and the poor shoulder quality and proximity to traffic meant I couldn't really cycle that fast myself. The sideroad, however, was so nice and quiet, the road was actually better, and somehow the wind turned into a mostly-tailwind. It was smooth sailing as I roared past a fantastic windmill-farm (new to me, hadn't seen that when I was last in these parts) and into the town of Shelburne.

The reason for cycling to Shelburne was to visit my uncle and aunt A. & S. who live just outside the town. For supper, mean old A. & S. force-fed me wine, roast chicken, squash, potatoes, special broccoli, condiments galore (chutneys and hot sauces and relishes), strawberries with cream, rhubarb crisp, and brownies with pecans. The 5000-calorie life is really tough, eh? S.'s grandson Z. was also visiting (but not S.'s other boys). It was fun to see Z. - it had been a very long time.