Dirtbag Peak Week

 So many peaks, so little time...

Wow.  Just wow.  I need a week off after my week off!  I am totally spent and completely filled to the brim with mountain stoke.  Over the past week I have been hustling from one adventure to the next, making the most of my time off and dirt-bagging it out of my back pack for most of the days.  After a week straight of hiking, running and biking, I woke up at 5am on Saturday morning in the BC Parks Forbidden Plateau Ranger Station cabin (yup, that's right) and realized I was done.  Physically maxed out, mentally toast, covered in bug bites, blisters and sunburns...I was dirty, exhausted, ready for a real meal and overflowing with trail stoke and mountain bliss.  I couldn't be happier:).



I will be posting detailed trip reports on the routes and adventures from my week, shortly.  For now, here is a quick recap of my dirtbag, peak week.  I hope you have been outside, enjoying this amazing weather and getting dirty too!

Dirtbag Peak Week: 

• Friday- Cumby Ride?  I can't even remember the details now haha!  Late night packing and prepping for the mountains!
• Saturday-Girls Mountain trip to Jack Augerpoint Trail.  So fun.  Hiked in via Buttle Lake, set up camp in the saddle, summitted both Syd Watts (1850m) and Augerpoint Mountain (1857m) before returning to camp.  11 hour day.
• Sunday- The girls hiked out and I enjoyed another big day of hiking on the Augerpoint Traverse.  Out and back to the base of Albert Edward via the stunning Ruth Masters Lake.  Scouting the Traverse for a future fast and light adventure. 7 hours hiking and a lovely solo night in the mountains.
• Monday- I packed up and hiked back to the car, then set up camp at Ralph River Prov Park.  Explored a few short loops and easy access trails from Buttle Lake- Shepherd Creek, Wild Ginger and Upper Myra Falls Trails.  5 hours hiking/running.
• Tuesday- Trekked up to Phillips Ridge via Arnica Lakes to revisit the first kms of the route to the Golden Hinde.  Trekked up and ran back down for another 7 hour day.  Great to meet up with a friend on the trail for a few of the kms together!
• Weds- woke up to rain...boo.  The mountains were socked in so I packed up and drove home to reconfigure my gear (and have a shower!).  Switched from sneakers to wheels, and made it home in time to meet up with Gen for our weekly 'Grinder' ride...
• Thurs-Another fun ride in the trails...and the rest of the day playing with photo's, updating the new blog, cleaning up my gear.
• Friday-BIG 50k Grinder on the BCBR 2015 race course!  The course was flagged and I was feeling inspired to give it a go!  Tired legs oh my!  Crazy heat oh my!  Maxing out! 3hours 48 minutes was my time on the course...with nothing left at the end.  Should likely have gone home, gone to bed and started catching up from such a busy week but...I got invited to sleep over in the Forbidden Plateau Ranger Station Cabin!  So... I packed my overnight bag and ran into the Park just before dusk, via Paradise Meadows, on a quick 6km jaunt to the Ranger Station for my sleep over.  So awesome. 
• Saturday- Woke up at 5am to the alarm...and hit the wall...hard.  Mentally and physically done.  But we had plans to summit Albert Edward and I wasn't going to miss out on one last peak for the week.  Big, but very slow, day- we trekked up to AE (2093m), then I ran all the way back to my car.  8 hours on feet. 
• Sunday- Rest, recover, laundry, catch up, cheer on the local girls at the BCBR in Cumby!

Girls + Mountains = RAD!  On the summit of Syd Watts with Sarah H and Gen B.

Stand by for detailed trip reports on a few of these fun adventures!
SS