Hike Mount Albert Edward

Let's go on an adventure!

New Adventure up on The Outbound Collective!  Read on for details on hiking the striking, Mount Albert Edward.

Happy Trails,
SS

Research: Injury Rates in Runners Wearing Traditional vs Minimal Footwear

Better late than never!  Thank you for your patience as we have been working through the ins and outs of conducting our first pilot study as well as publishing our first research paper over the past (very long) while.  We hope you enjoy reading about the study and our findings. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and resources to help us make this project happen.  From the practicioners doing the before and after testing to the volunteer subjects for joining the study.  Thank you so much.  Enjoy!

Sarah and Kim

A comparison of incidence of injury between runners wearing traditional versus minimal footwear during an introductory run:walk program.

Kim Senechal

Sarah Seads

Augerpoint Traverse Run Report

Magical moments in the mountains. Heading up Albert Edward.

This August, alongside two super gals, I finally ran across the spine of Vancouver Island.  The Augerpoint Traverse had been on my list for a while but not in the traditional sense.  Most people take 3-5 days to hike the Traverse, but I had my mind set on finding out just how quickly I could cover it.  I spent a few trips scouting out the route from both ends this summer to get a better picture of the terrain and approximate times for each section of the route.  Once I had it pieced together, I waited for a free day and a few crazy friends and we went for it! 

ELM Runners are 'Ultra' Fit

  Ultra runners, running to the finish at the Fat Dog in Manning Park.  Image: Brian McCurdy

ELM RUNNERS ARE 'ULTRA' FIT

Over the past two weeks, 6 local trail runners have made their mark on ultra distance trail running events around the Province. Coached by Kinesiologist and owner of Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM), Sarah Seads, runners are finding a new challenge and sense of accomplishment with ultramarathon distances.

Videos: Weekend Film Fest is back!

It's baaaaack!

I have been playing around on my computer on this rainy weekend, editing images, writing down words, and re-arranging my blog.  And I came across some of my favourite blog posts...the Weekend Film Fest Videos!   Short films just keep getting better and better and I absolutely love learning about new places, faces and wild spaces.  This is the perfect weekend to cozy up inside and watch a movie, so here are a few that I think you will find inspiring!


ICELAND by Drone. ICELAND from modern-atelier on Vimeo.
Oh how I want to go to Iceland!Thanks to the Adventure Blog for sharing this one.

Rachel Atherton's Winning Run - UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2015

Inspiration for your next ride.  I think I'm gonna barf

BALANCE: 2014 Western States Champ: Stephanie Howe 

BALANCE: A film about Nathan Sports ultra runner Stephanie Howe from TRINE Films on Vimeo.

Recipe: Maple Almond Trail Balls (or Bars!)

No bake.  All good.

Maple Almond Trail Balls (or Bars!)

Secret Trails

Hands on thighs I push onward...desperate to see the view from the top.

W O N D E R

I wonder what is up there.  I wonder what views await me.  I wonder how much further it is to the top.

I can see the light breaking through the canopy now.  More light.  Less darkness.  I can feel it.  I'm so close.

Snack Attack: The Best Foods for the Trail

Need some ideas to help you plan your next 'Backcountry Menu'?  Check out my latest article on The Outbound Collective to get your creative juices flowing!  

Not a member of The Outbound Collective yet?  Get on over there and join this awesome community of outdoor enthusiasts!   The Outbound is loaded with trip reports, articles and amazing images that will help you plan your next adventure.  Happy Trails!
SS

Image: Sarah Seads

Snack Attack: The Best Foods for the Trail

What is the best food to eat on the trail? The answer is, of course...it depends!

Singletrack Mind

"If you know wilderness in the way that you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go." 

~ Terry Tempest Williams

This feels like the first moment that I have stood still in two months.  My laundry is folded.  I have groceries in my fridge.  My house is (as good as it gets) clean.  My shrivelled up plants have been watered and are returning to life.  The last of the blueberries are picked.  My big toenail finally fell off.  I'm ready to sit and ponder and reflect for a moment. 

July and August have been a wild and wonderful ride. I need to take a moment to unload the thoughts and images that have been rolling around in my singletrack mind...  I have been posting snippits of mountain moments in the little square boxes of my Instagram account (LOVE my new insta family!)...but I'd like to revisit some of them and reflect on this fantastic summer spent playing in the dirt...so far... Here are some (not so deep) thoughts, by Sarah Seads, on this lovely August afternoon... 

Fat Dog 50 mile Race Report

Fat Dog you've been a long time coming. 

My Fat Dog initiation was an epic adventure complete with monsoon rains, wasp stings, a Lynx encounter and a suprising finish.  It was quite the wild ride, but it was well worth the wait.  If you want to read the last page, you can check out the race results here and photo galleries building here.  If you want to avoid doing chores or some boring data entry task, then feel free to read on.  Warning: my race reports are my personal journal and a way for me to relive the adventures...80k is a long run so get comfy...

Review: Delorme InReach Explorer

Solo adventures can be the best adventures.  Home for the night, on the Augerpoint Traverse.

Do you like to 'get away from it all' and 'get off the grid' for your kicks?  Do you seek the high alpine, the far back country or the distant peaks?  Do you crave adventure in truly wild spaces?  Or... do you know someone who does?  This post is for you.

IAG Mountain Skills Course

 

Mountain mornings are good mornings.

Well, that was pretty awesome.

The Outbound Collective: 7 Leave No Trace Principles

I am excited to share my most recent article from The Outbound Collective- be sure to follow the link below and head on over to this great online resource for inspiration, education and motivation to help you plan your next outdoor adventure.

Enjoy!
SS

7 Leave No Trace Principles to Respect the Wild

Take only pictures, leave nothing but footprints

Best month ever?

Loving life on Mount Matchlee

It seems like a dream now, but I am pretty sure I really did fly in by helicopter to Mount Matchlee a few weeks ago to learn how to lead climb on ice, build snow anchors and travel across glaciers...then I ran around the province with 11 other women...then I ran across Vancouver Island...haha.  Seems surreal now... but I have the photos, so it must have really happened!

What a wild month it has been.  I have been working and playing overtime in the mountains since the last week of June and I need to get my adventures and images on 'paper' before the lines blur.  Here is a catch-me-up to catch-me-up:

Run BC Project

Girls + Mountains = Rad

Over the past week I have driven 1800kms of winding roads, run close to 130kms of pristine alpine single track and climbed a super dose of elevation in the mountains of BC alongside 11 rad women. The inaugural Run BC Project was an epic road trip to remember and I am grateful to have been a part of it!

Backcountry Running: Tips and Gear List

 

 Fastpacking Mount Septimus

Can you hear that?  The mountains are calling your name!  

If you are like me, you hear the call of the wild as soon as the snow begins to melt and the days start to stretch out.  Personally, I can't get enough of moving through the mountains and exploring new terrain, off the beaten path.  The further from the road you go, the less human distractions there are to detract from the raw beauty of the wild.  In the back country, the sky appears bluer, the air tastes cleaner, the sunrises are more delicious and the space is intoxicating.  Like I said, I can't get enough.

The Outbound Collective: Hiking Mount Becher

I have just started contributing articles to the Outbound Collective and hope that you will come on over and join the community!  If you are looking for inspiration, motivation and direction for your next outdoor adventure, then this is the place to start.  A collection of people, images, stories, tips, maps and many other resources awaits you on the Collective.

Please head on over to check out my first submission complete with images, trip details and tales from the trail: Hiking Mount Becher.  Hope to see you there!

Happy Trails,
SS

Backpacking: Jack's Augerpoint Trail

 "All good things are wild and free." - Henry David Thoreau

Ain't that the truth.

Last week I had the pure pleasure of living in the mountains and on the trails of Strathcona Provincial Park.  With a week off and my other half out fishing the coast I decided to pack up and try to cure some of my wanderlust.  It was a full on 'dirt bag peak week' loaded with adventures and I need a week off from my week off- but wouldn't have it any other way!

Here is how I spent the first few days...

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:).

Backyard Bliss: Mount Albert Edward

**Interested in Backcountry Running?  Be sure to read my article for the tips and gear needed to get you there safely!


 Ready to go on another backyard adventure?  Follow me!

NE aspect of Mount Albert Edward.  1700m, May 30

Mount Albert Edward is hard to miss.  If you have ever driven up to Mount Washington you will remember the unique profile of this mountain to the west of Raven Lodge.  Its long drawn out scree ridge ends dramatically in a ski jump style peak before falling off into the abyss below.  The Grinch himself would surely be proud to call this summit home.  Mount Albert Edward is one of only 16 peaks belonging to 2000m+ club on Vancouver Island.  At 2093m, it is the 6th tallest peak on the Island and it stands guard at the eastern entrance of Strathcona Provincial Park.