#sasamat lake

[scrapblring]

Max Zedler | @maxzedler

[dirtanddistance]

King of Pain and Festival Ready: Diez Vista 50k 2024

10 years ago, I decided to run my first 50k. As all good running ideas are, it was a suggestion from a friend and running partner. While she did not end up on the starting line with me, it was the beginning of a path that would lead me to the start line on Sasamat Lake, far from alone this time. The 50k distance has always been special to me. It was the race that made me an ultramarathoner, it introduced me to trail running. Every 50k I’ve done has been so deeply impactful on who I have become as a person; from that first race in Florida, to the 50k I ran while I was in podiatry school in Ohio that showed me that I had no idea what a trail race actually entailed. The 50k back in my hometown, a repeat of my first that I signed up for because I knew that I needed it to force myself to keep eating, keep taking care of myself while my dad died right before I graduated. I can still feel how disconnected and lonely I was out there that day if I think about it for too long. How miserable, numb. I won my gender division and felt nothing. I didn’t touch a 50k for years after that. Partially because I was in residency and had no time for that level of training, but also because I just… couldn’t, not after I dragged myself through it just to stay alive that last time. It wouldn’t be until last autumn that I would tackle that specific distance as an event again, this time with a group of fearless friends in my local running club on their run around the perimeter of Burnaby, BC. While I never mentioned it to any of them, getting to run that distance with them, sharing the joys and the pain, helped put together a few little broken pieces I’d forgotten about deep down in my soul somewhere. And along this path, I was delivered at the moment when I would ask Elise if she would like to run a trail ultra.

Convincing Elise to sign up for a trail ultra was actually a pretty easy sell. We’d done some exceptional leaf-peeping trail runs earlier in the season, and a pretty spectacular group trail run up to Panorama Ridge the summer before. We’d gone backpacking together and determined we could wander around in the backcountry for days on end without it getting too weird. More importantly, we’d bonded over our mutual burnout for road racing. It was nerve wracking, worrying about paces and times, comparing ourselves to others and to previous versions of ourselves who we knew deep down shouldn’t be emulated but damn, they put down some good times. Trail runs were a chance to escape that. You’ve never run this course before so you can’t really decide what a good time for you is. It might be the same distance as another one you ran, but the terrain makes them completely incomparable. Only the top three people get awards, so as solidly average runners there’s no need to wonder if you could have nabbed the podium in your age group. Most importantly, it’s far enough of a distance over challenging enough terrain that simply getting to the finish line feels like accomplishment enough, time be damned. So on entry day, one morning in I think December, I woke up an extra few minutes early and texted my running buddy, and signed up for the 2024 DV50. Minutes later, I got a text back confirming it. We were both really in it now.

As an aside, there is nothing I enjoy more than getting to do someone’s first [insert race distance here] with them. Even better if we’re running it together; I highly recommend trying this strategy for joymaxxing your race. You get to turn your competition brain off. Your only job is to shepherd your companion along this journey that you’ve gone on before. You don’t really think about whether or not you can do it or how you are feeling at any given moment. You’re concerned about how they’re holding up, if they’ve got enough water or slept well the night before. Some of my most treasured running memories are watching a friend finally take a crack at a race. You know you can do it. And you know they can do it, and that you’re gonna do it with them.

Race day dawned without a raindrop to speak of. Apparently this was only the 3rd time in the 26 year history of Diez Vista 50k that there was ‘good’ weather on race day #luckygirlsyndrome. I was infinitely thankful for this, if only because I’d already spent hours upon hours trudging up and down Diez Vista completely saturated and covered in mud while training for this race and emotionally I wasn’t sure how much more of that I had in me. We arrived pretty much in perfect timing to park, apply face gems (one must be festival ready when your race falls on Coachella weekend) get our drop bags situated, hit the bathroom, and take a couple photos before the starting gun (except there is no starting gun. This is British Columbia not a Florida high school track meet). As we started to pick up our feet and cross over the starting line while AC/DC’s Thunderstruck blasted, it really, well, struck me that we were really in it now. 

First half of the race was well trodden ground after Run Ridge Run a little while back. We fell into a groove, the mass of participants still fairly thick as we crossed the bridge and started our ascent. We ended up near another run acquaintance I hadn’t had a chance to chat with since before Squamish last year, which broke up the first bit of the climb before we all became a bit too winded to do much more talking. The DV climb, which had been the bane of my existence up until today, went by faster than I could ever recall it passing on previous jaunts. There was nothing but the relentless desire to be done with it, to be over the (big) hill and on with the rest of the race where we could actually chat and enjoy ourselves.

Finally, we were past it and pulled up to Aid Station 2. AS2 had impeccable vibes. First of all, we ran into our friend Keri working as a course marshal on the way in, and seeing a familiar face is always a surefire morale boost. There was Dua Lipa playing on the speakers. A woman dressed up as a shark complimented our festival-ready face gems, and another volunteer told us we looked fresh (if anyone reading this has ever wondered what you should say to a runner when you’re volunteering at a race, anything along the lines of ‘you look fresh/strong’ is 10/10). We loaded up on snacks and headed back on our journey around Buntzen Lake. 

The toddle to the third aid station was uneventful; once more we were rewarded with a volunteering friend sighting (hi Clarence!) and the Big Fuel waiting in the drop bag - a PB&J and some apple sauce. This aid station had everything, and it was far enough into the race that I was starting to want exactly none of it. Fortunately, the PB&J went down the hatch without much protest and there was a real bathroom on the way out of the aid station to boot.

The next chunk of the race was a bit uneventful; these miles kinda just slipped by, along with aid station 4. We finally ran into another pair of pals course marshaling before the split to head out along the powerline trail, bright eyed and optimistic. We’d run this trail by accident before, not realizing it was actually part of the course. It had been pouring rain that day, in contrast to the blazing sun spilling over the undulating path ahead of us, visible snaking infinitely into the horizon. With no concept of what was about to happen to us, we plodded off in decent spirits. We got to the point in the course where we saw everyone ahead of us passing back and coming back; the quantity of ‘way to go’, ‘looking strong’, and ‘good work!’s that were offered to increasingly bleak-faced compatriots ticked up and up, punctuated with bursts of more heartfelt excitement when we saw faces we recognized charging back towards the finish line. It was during this trudge that I was asked by a physically unflagging Elise, ‘what do you do when the mental game goes south? Asking for a friend.” I realized I was deeply lucky to not be too deep in a psychological rut despite the never ending uphill trudge we were on. The answer to that question is that there really isn’t an easy way to force your way out of it when you have that much race left to run. I let my brain empty itself out and start offering me its very questionable Pandora channel, flicking between songs whose places in my brain I couldn’t even begin to explain. Sometimes it kinda works, but more often you just kinda hang out there and then it shifts. And soon after that conversation, the uphill trek shifted back downhill and the passers by in the opposite direction began to say, ‘you’re nearly there!’ with a sincerity that was not to be questioned. Two course marshals with more enthusiasm than an entire high school cheer squad were all the confirmation we needed before we turned the corner to the shouting and a massive “Swift Kelce 2024” flag. 

When I say that Aid Station 5 was a transcendent experience, I am not exaggerating in the least. I hadn’t been so excited to see more people I knew since the last time I’d seen one of our friends on course and the taste of the Sour Patch Kids and peach rings I ate out there will never be matched by any other candy experience in this world. I had no idea how far the power line trail went on before I got to that point, but finally could rest knowing that it did in fact have an end and that we could now spend the next few miles floating back downhill. Which we did, but maybe a little bit more stiff than graceful, filled with candy and lifted spirits. Spirits that were light enough to muster up a jump-for-joy when we ran past the course photographer again. Spirits that were ready for the final push to the finish line.

The final section of stairs before the finish line was definitely an insult but was certainly less than the 200 stairs that were described at the pre race briefing. At the top of the stairs, I caught sight of my husband parking his motorcycle (or doing his best to in the busy labyrinth of the Sasamat Lake parking lots) and remarked that he wouldn’t make it down before us as we made the final descent towards the lake, looking out onto the beach and holding back tears as I said “we did it, we made it!” to Elise. We dodged the children on the beach as we traversed that final gauntlet to cross the finish line together, hitting Gary with that double high five and reuniting with all of our run club friends.

While this was one of the less intensely-trained-for ultras I’ve completed, it was by far the most fun one I’ve done and mentally the strongest I’ve had. An emotional redemption of this distance, and an unforgettable experience with a beautiful friend. There is nothing quite like sharing months and miles together working toward a goal, and getting to cross the finish line with someone who knows exactly what it took to get there. With our sparkly face gems intact, we finished as the kings of pain, and also ever festival-ready.

[mhalachai]

more thoughts on vacation planning

thanks to everyone for your vacation suggestions! I have some plans now… lots to do :D

I thought I'd share the suggestions here compiled for your reading pleasure - might be some ideas in here if you're looking for a bit of a break this summer (amid the heat, forest fires, and other climate disasters):

First, some ideas if you're local to the Vancouver area (or planning on a visit)

Vancouver

Day trip! If you want a quick ferry ride, try Bowen Island or Salt Spring Island, or if you want to stay on the mainland, try Sasamat Lake

Maple Ridge tree walk or zip line (or axe-throwing!)

White Rock beach and pier (bonus - taking a double-decker bus from Vancouver down)

Lonsdale Quay (featuring the ever-popular ride on the seabus)

Honey's Donuts in Deep Cove

Granville Island before 12pm on a weekday

Fireworks! But make friends with someone who lives in the West End who will put you up

Lynn Valley suspension bridge (and the local trails – very nice, very free) (and honestly, you can skip the Capilano Suspension Bridge theme park - it's super expensive and not really worth it)

Try the new Michelin star restaurants in Vancouver and then go to the other restaurants you know that are better and enjoy those too

Lastly, if you want some more organized nature, try the Van Dusen Botanical Garden

Now, onto general suggestions!

Self-care

Sleep for a day or three

Do all the hard stuff that a 9-5 gets in the way of - go to the bank, book that eye exam, etc.

go get that warning light in your car looked at, i mean it mhal

Do as much gentle housecleaning as interests you

Spa experience - massage, mani-pedi, other spa things

Bubble bath/hair mask/other home spa pieces

Do a thing

local zoo or aquarium

Art galleries, science centres, and museums

Botanical gardens

Events hosted your local library

Local events/fairs

Trip around to the vintage/antique/flea shops

Check out local second-hand record stores and/or bookstores

Do a thing (+ Effort)

Touch grass/sand/water/trees/flowers. Bring a book and read in nature

Hiking

local walking tours

Kite flying

Activities(tm) - such as paddle board, horseback riding class, go-carting and so on

Maker space - pottery or print making or woodwork

Eating

Every restaurant you haven't tried but want to

Local breweries/wineries

Hit up the local city page on reddit and see if there are any restaurant rec places - they can be hit or miss but sometimes there are some gems.

And this one from @krchov is so cool I'll paste it here in its entirely:

Dedicate time to making a map of the food carts/cheese shops/etc in a specific area of your city. Compare the quality of similar wares in each one. Collect data. In the end you will have a cool map/dataset, new favorite food place and on your wandering you will probably happen upon some before unknown interesting places.

happy vacationing!

[katriinamary]

Vancouver, BC Canada

7 October - 10 October

Time to explore in Vancouver. After bike packing and relaxing in the morning. Got a ride into town in Shea's flash BMW, and did the BCMC trail, and got to see two grizzly bears! They were pretty sleepy though. The trail was tough! Big steps, hard on the knees and soul heading down.

Very chill the next day - the weather was very average. We went for a walk around Sasamat Lake with Shea and Jackson which was nice, then we went for dinner at a pub, and watched an ice hockey game, to quickly teach MOC the rules.

Chill morning, Shea swapped his rental car, then we went back to Chilliwack to pick up the Corolla, and had our first chilly boy drink at A&W and a nice walk along the river, before heading back to Vancouver for the Canucks game.

It was a pre-season game, but the atmosphere was still super high! Great to go with L+C and Courtenay's parents. The game was super close, and it didn't go the Canucks way, but it was super fun.

Next day we drove towards Whistler, and did the Stawamus Chief Trail - all 3! Really amazing views, progressively getting better. Fun clambering up to the top. The downhill from peak 3 was very tough on tired bodies and legs. Back in Vancouver for the night.

[newsakd]

[ad_1] Descrease article font size Increase article font size Police in Port Moody, B.C. are reminding the public about the importance of water safety following an incident at White Pine Beach Sunday night. Just after 8 p.m. Sunday, witnesses heard screams for help.Fadi Jabo was there with friends and family. He told Global News a girl was going under and her father went running into Sasamat Lake to save her.“Sadly her dad doesn’t even swim they were both drowning in front of me,” he said. Story continues below advertisement Jabo said he’s not a great swimmer either but didn’t think twice, going in first to get the girl.“I took the girl out, then halfway someone came, took the girl, and then went back for the dad” he said. Trending Now Girlfriend of man killed on Halifax waterfront speaks out, says attack was random An exodus from Canada’s priciest provinces is driving many to plant ‘New Roots’ The 30- year- old barber told Global News he’s glad he could help.“After, the feeling was super good that I tried to help them. And I did.”His heroics made a difference, and a tragedy was averted.“Each incident is a reminder just how dangerous the water can be and a reminder to folks to use extra caution when out in the waterways,” Port Moody police Const. Sam Zacharias said.Paramedics took one person to hospital in stable condition. Port Moody police say the girl and her father have made a full recovery.   &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. [ad_2] Source link

[oldsuperstition]

missing Canada and my friends so much lately

[workingonmoviemaps]

Batwoman #309 “Meet Your Maker”

Pam draws Mary to her in an attempt to restore herself to full power and Ryan, Sophie, and Luke take an ill-advised trip into the woods.

Pam drags two illegal fishermen into Sasamat Lake but is still feeling weak after her resurrection.

Ryan visits her mother Cora’s grave in North Vancouver Cemetery for guidance and later Luke visits his father’s.

Mary is rejoining Alice with smoothies in the alley set at Buller Studio when she gets a splitting headache courtesy of Pam.

I still need to identify the cabin in the woods.

[studio-fitzgerald]

[benngie]

Sasamat Lake. 

[arcadians0ul]

a 0°C mid-day walk somewhere within Belcarra Regional Park

[expressions-of-nature]

Sasamat Lake, Canada by Dasha Kern

[lloydkbarnes]

The Other Side (at Sasamat Lake) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZDX3dsJ63X/?utm_medium=tumblr

[samanddeanwerehere]

Locations Identified in Season 13

This season gets trickier to compile this list because there are several locations that I know where they are but I don’t know WHERE they are, meaning I know the general location but not the specific spot. I’ve opted to include the ones where I am pretty confident that the coordinates would get you close enough to find the right spot, and left off the ones where I really need to visit to narrow it down a bit. 

13x01 - Lost and Found

3405 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby

13x02 - The Rising Son

Next to rear of Ivanhoe Pub 1038 Main St, Vancouver (49.275326, -123.099286) - This is the same location as Motown Meats in 14x01.

Tamboline Rd to Frew Rd, Westham Island, Delta (49.080679, -123.157154)

Farm at the end of Frew Rd, Westham Island, Delta (49.077587, -123.165085) - The coordinates here are approximate as the location is private property. 

Horseshoe Bay Dr, West Vancouver (49.374243, -123.269515)

Horseshoe Bay Dr, West Vancouver (49.374926, -123.269431)

13x04 - The Big Empty

219 3rd Ave, New Westminster

13x05 - Advanced Thanatology

Brooksdale Environmental Center, 1620 194 St, Surrey (49.03245, -122.68695)

Gabriola Mansion 1531 Davie St, Vancouver - This is the same location as Dr. Visyak’s house from Like a Virgin. 

Barn at Brooksdale Environmental Center, 1620 194 St. Surrey (49.034032, -122.688960)

Horseshoe Bay Dr, West Vancouver (49.383247, -123.262452)

3667 Nicola Highway, Spences Bridge (50.418689, -121.346414) - This footage is used in multiple episodes

13x06 - Tombstone

N Fraser Way and Glenwood Dr, Burnaby (49.194236, -122.970187)

13x07 - The War of the Worlds

Next to Anvil Centre 777 Columbia St, New Westminster (49.201589, -122.911922)

Panther Paintball 19022 16th Avenue, Surrey - Yet another return to Panther Paintball!

13x08 - The Scorpion and the Frog

Vista Doro Farms & Winery 346 208th Street, Langley

13x09 - The Bad Place

6112 Willard St, Burnaby (49.203122, -122.969207)

28th Ave, Delta (49.053724, -123.092119)

13x10 - Wayward Sisters

4080 Irmin St, Burnaby

28th Ave, Delta (49.053724, -123.092119) - The same location listed above from the previous episode.

13x11 - Breakdown

North 40 Park Reserve Ontario St, Delta (49.083631, -123.016889)

Baits Motel 3717 Riverview Ave, Spences Bridge - Footage of this location also appears in an earlier episode.

3667 Nicola Highway, Spences Bridge 50.418689, -121.346414 - This footage has been used multiple times.

13x14 - Good Intentions

Near Sasamat Outdoor Center, Belcarra Regional Park (49.324087, -122.895325) - Coordinates are approximate but the round building in the first shot is part of the Outdoor Center

13x15 - A Most Holy Man

Starlight Casino New Westminster, 350 Gifford St, New Westminster

13x18 - Bring ‘Em Back Alive

Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve Fisheries Enhancement, North Vancouver (49.39094, -122.98956)

Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, North Vancouver (49.4001, -122.98645) - Coordinates are approximate

Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve Gravel Pit, North Vancouver (49.38322, -122.9985) - Coordinates are approximate

13x19 - Funeralia

River Rd, Richmond (49.187781, -122.999902)

River Rd, Richmond (49.187497, -122.999300)

Formal Rose Garden VanDusen Botanical Garden 5025 Oak St, Vancouver (49.238865, -123.130765)

13x21 - Beat the Devil

Trail around Sasamat Lake in Belcarra Regional Park (49.324975, -122.894269) - Coordinates are approximate

Quarry in Belcarra Regional Park (49.311855, -122.893097)

Panther Paintball 19022 16th Avenue, Surrey - Back again!

13x22 - Exodus

Panther Paintball 19022 16th Avenue, Surrey - Same set as the previous episode

13x23 - Let the Good Times Roll

Private dock near Allard Crescent, Langley (49.187003, -122.590460)

Trans Canada Trail near Edgewater Bar Campsite, Langley (49.20772, -122.6145) - Coordinates are approximate

[glennyloves]

weekend recap

morning run at sasamat lake, carbs & coffee at gabi & jules, quick stroll through Port Moody.

[fifineller]

1) Autumn in the Rockies" 🍂

Location: Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

2) Framed By Nature" 🌿

Location: Sasamat Lake, Canada

3) A Slice of Paradise" 💧

Location: Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park, Canada

4) The Grand Finale" 🔥

Location: Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

5) The Beginnings of Twilight" 🌙

Location: Canmore, Alberta, Canada

6) Soaring Through the Sunset" 🕊️

Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

7) A Burst of Colour" 🎨

Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

by Zach Doehler

[dompiatkowy]

.Visiting.