Q is for…

On April 20, 2016May 12, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Bruce Trail Adventure, Health TransformationLeave a comment

…Quads (of steel!)

Quadricep muscles of steel are what I am trying to earn through all my physical activities of late. Also, hamstrings of steel, calves of steel, and – might as well put it out there: buns of steel – would be great too.

Between hiking up and down and all around the Niagara Escarpment for my Bruce Trail hikes, and my 5K Learn-to-Run class, I should be well on my way.

Developing my lower body in this way would be a nice complement to my ever-present upper back, shoulder and neck muscles of steel. You know the ones we modern humans get from being hunched over our electronic devices AND from carrying the troubles of the world on our shoulders …the ones I pay a registered massage therapist to ~~tenderize~~ ~~beat into submission~~ work on, on a monthly basis? Yeah, those.

If only I could learn to carry stress on my butt instead of my shoulders. I’m not saying it’s a Kardashian-worthy butt. There will be no champagne glasses resting comfortably back there any time soon. But there is junk in my trunk. Definitely enough to carry some stress back there instead of in my neck and shoulders, for some respite.

In the meantime, I will continue to forge me some legs of steel.

Rock on,

The WB

N is for…

On April 16, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Bruce Trail Adventure, The Great OutdoorsLeave a comment

…Niagara region of the Bruce Trail.

Today was Hike #6 of 8:

I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the area. I mean, before this, when I thought of Niagara I thought of the falls, of course, and Niagara-on-the-Lake, and figured the rest of it looked mainly like this:

Although it can be densely populated in areas, and we did walk through or look down on many suburban neighbourhoods, we also were in many wild areas, like this:

And this:

And we came upon many splendid waterfalls like this:

Ball's Falls. Notice the Canada Goose in the water at the edge of the falls. — Ball’s Falls. Notice the Canada Goose in the water at the edge of the falls. Also – sun’s out; guns out…hehehe.

What a badass bird. Casually grooming itself at the edge of peril.

Closeup of said badass fowl. Or is it a fowl badass?

Sign at Ball's Falls — Sign at Ball’s Falls

Two more Saturdays of hiking and Mizz J and I will have completed our end-to-end of the Niagara section of the trail. Someday I would like to come back and explore this area further.

Rock on,

The WB

H is for…

On April 9, 2016April 9, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Bruce Trail Adventure, Health Transformation, The Great Outdoors2 Comments

…Hiking! And Health, and Huffing & Puffing around Niagara region again today.

Behold:

Yet another waterfall. Stop. You're killin' me. — Yet another waterfall. Stop. You’re killin’ me.

Well, at least someone thinks it's actually spring! — Well, at least something thinks it’s actually spring!

Another great day hiking. Is there any other kind?

I continue to work towards becoming a healthier Badass. I recently got “fired” as a patient from the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic. They told me to begone and trouble them no more. Well, alrighty then! Happy to oblige. Dietitian said the same thing, basically.

Continuing to take my meds, with a high degree of petulance, eye-rolling and sighing thrown in. Blood pressure is good but I want to lose a lot more weight before I kick those pills to the curb.

Next weekend I am on the schedule for an overnight sleep clinic. Should provide good fodder for the blog. Just sayin’.

Did I mention I saw an Ear-Nose-Throat doc for a bump on my lip and he said I had a deviated septum? Will wonders (of finding new things wrong with my body) never cease.

That’s all for now, folks!

Rock on and walk on,

The WB

F is for…

On April 7, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Bruce Trail Adventure, The Great Outdoors2 Comments

…Falls!

Last Saturday’s hike (Short Hills parking lot to Decew House) was the most gorgeous yet. Although we were ankle deep in mud and sliding (and falling) all over the place at times, we did manage to come upon 3 – count ’em – 3 waterfalls during the course of 2.5 hours!

Forgot the name of this one. Terrace Falls? Falls #2 — Forgot the name of this one. Terrace Falls? AKA “Dry Falls” as that’s the condition it is usually found in. Falls #2

Falls #3 - by an old mill. Sorry, forgot this one too. — Falls #3 – by the Morningstar Mill.

I predict many more falls to come as we head north on the Bruce Trail. Er…I mean waterfalls…not literal falls. Hopefully.

Miss J and I as foreground to the beauty of the falls. — Mizz J and I as foreground to the beauty of the falls.

Mizz J and I invested in gaiters after this walk. This spring is proving to be cold and wet and I’d rather not put the Bruce through my washing machine every week, thank you very much.

Rock on and walk on,

The WB

A is for…

On April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Bruce Trail Adventure, Home Improvement, MBA7 Comments

…several things actually…Adventure, Attitude and being Alone.

Last year on April 1 I wrote about Adventure and this year the Adventure continues! Since last April I have gone through a few things including the palliative care and death of my mother…and a TIA. I have taken up recreational kayaking and I just purchased a second, two-seater kayak. I guess that means I now have a “fleet” of the durn things, hehehe. I visited Barbados for the first time (and hopefully not the last!). And I FINALLY completed my MBA studies. I recently started a new challenge – to hike the 885 Km Bruce Trail, section by section, in its entirety. Wonder what I will be writing about at this time next year?

Every year has 365 days, and those days pass whether we like it or not. Some people don’t like looking back but I find it very useful and gratifying…especially when I see that things I talked and dreamed about, like the Bruce Trail quest, are actually coming to pass.

Life is full of changes and surprises, not all welcomed. However the one thing – the only thing – we have complete control over is our attitude about life. And to be present for what life throws at us. Taking my mother into my home for the last 3 months of her life, to care for her and to give her the death at home she wanted, was not easy but I couldn’t imagine not doing it. It was an incredible experience to be present for. I was blessed to become reacquainted with my aunt and my 2 sisters as when they came to live with me and help out during this time. The special quiet times with my mother as her life wound down were also a gift and joy to all of us.

So now, everyone is back to their real lives, my mother is gone, and I am alone once again. At first my home seemed so much larger and emptier than it has ever been. Now I treasure my solitude once again. I understand that a lot of people can’t bear to be alone. That has never been my experience. I am often lonelier in a group than I have ever been by myself.

Feel free to comment with your thoughts about adventure, attitude or being alone. I look forward to reading them!

Rock on,

The WB

Bruce Trail Journey, thus far…

On March 20, 2016March 20, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Bruce Trail Adventure, The Great Outdoors4 Comments

The start of my Bruce Trail journey. March 5, 2016.

Three hikes under my belt now. I have come as far as Decew House, in Thorold from the start in Queenston Heights. Here are some snaps and data from the journey, to date:

Data from Garmin Forerunner 10 - 1st hike — Data from Garmin Forerunner 10 – 1st hike. This is going to become my trail log.

Exposed limestone — Exposed stone (limestone?)

Data from 3rd hike – forgot to turn Garmin on at start so first 15 minutes are missing. Damn.

My daughter, Mizz J, is on this journey with me. That is her right in front of me, in the last picture.

So three hikes in and here are some of my thoughts on the process (in no particular order):

the people you meet while hiking are wonderful – happy, friendly, caring and sharing types
trekking poles are a godsend. Where have they been all my (hiking) life?
nature really IS the best medicine – obviously for the body, but especially for the soul
it is an integral part of human nature to quest, journey and explore and we are built physiologically and psychologically to do this. This is why this hike challenge is so satisfying on so many levels for me.

Next week there is no “official” shorter end-to-end hike scheduled as it is Easter weekend. However, there is a 90 minute Bruce Trail meditation walk being organized for Easter Sunday morning that Mizz J and I plan to attend.

Rock on and walk on!

The WB

The Next Challenge…

On March 4, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Bruce Trail Adventure, The Great OutdoorsLeave a comment

Well, that didn’t take long. It hasn’t even been a week since I finished school and I am undertaking my next challenge – to hike the Bruce Trail end-to-end!

This is something I have been dreaming of doing for many years, and this dream roared to life again while I was stuck indoors, working away on various assignments over the past couple of years since Jeff died. It was never a dream of my husband’s – his OCD made any kind of fun outdoor activities challenging to schedule and challenging to perform, to say the least – so onto the back burner it went, along with so many other things I wanted to do.

But all that is behind me now, and I am realizing MY dreams, for a change. I really didn’t plan to start this quest quite so soon. I was hoping to be build up my stamina and leg muscles a bit more with walks around the Village trails first. But the universe has other ideas, as usual!

My membership package from the Bruce Trail Club came in the mail a few weeks ago.

And in it was a newsletter from my chapter, the Iroquoian.

And in that newsletter was pages and pages listing planned hikes for the spring.

I was idly rereading it 2 mornings ago when it finally registered – this group is hosting a series of guided short (9-10 km) hikes for the first 8 sections of the trail, starting this Saturday at the trail head. Oh my. Shit became real all of a sudden, as they say these days.

I cannot NOT do this. The universe has spoken.

So, weakling status be damned – on Saturday morning you will find me at Queenston Heights with (hiking) boots on! Let the adventure begin…

Rock on,

The WB