Author: James MacDonald
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Lakeland Circuit Review: Gorgeous, Gritty, and Worth It
I just returned from a three-day loop on the Lakeland Canoe Circuit in northeastern Alberta—a stunning, remote, and often underappreciated backcountry canoe route. It’s Alberta’s only official canoe circuit, and while it offers a good mix of challenge and serenity, let’s just say it could use a little love in a few spots. We launched…
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Running with the saints: days 56 to 73 and the end
I did not plan to leave posting about the saints for so long. TIme passes so quickly when you are having fun, and running ultra marathons. In retrospect I should have put Bartlett’s entries up daily on the Facebook group devoted to the descendants of William Despain. These posts could have then been more supplementary…
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Canadian Death Race: enduring the suck with joy
I’ve been thinking about that pesky interview question, “what would you say is your biggest weakness?” As much as I dislike answering this question I love to ask it, or a variation of it. What am I looking for in the answer? I want to know if the person in front of me is self-aware.…
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Running with the saints: days 52 to 55
Let’s get straight to Bartlett’s journal for July 22 through 25. Monday 22nd We started at 6 AM for a long drive. The road was hard and gravelly. We stopped for a few moments at Willow Spring for a drink and rest, but there was no feed. We passed over Prospect Hill, where there were…
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Running with the saints: days 41 to 51
It has been an eventful 10 days. Ultimately, it has meant that I’ve not given this project the time it deserves. It is hot here in Alberta. I don’t have air conditioning and forest fires have popped up all around us. The air quality is terrible. Still, these are quaint hardships compared to those the…
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Sail
What does it mean to fail? Lisa tells me it is simply the “first attempt in learning.” Those were the encouraging words she gave me when I failed to complete the Sinister 7 Ultra marathon in 2023. I went back this year for another attempt. How do we frame a second failure? The acronym might…
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Running with the saints: day 35 to 40
I continue to push through this odyssey. The saint’s lead has grown from 93 kilometers to 135 kilometers. Since June 1st I’ve run just shy of 600 kilometers. This deficit is unfortunate but couldn’t really be helped without too much risk of injury. I should catch up this weekend. I am running the 100 mile…
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Running with the saints: day 33 & 34.
A happy Independence Day to all my American friends and cousins. I have the great fortune of being a citizen of two nations (Canada and the United States). Really this means I get to pay taxes to two governments. Still, I find that I am truly blessed beyond measure to count myself among two great…
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Running with the Saints: day 31-32
It sounds like the Saints had a couple of pretty tough days: Monday, July 1 We set out at 7:20 AM. The roads in the morning were very good, hard and gravelly. The bluffs were rocky and covered with pines on the opposite side. We had dinner at a point where the bluffs approach the…
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Running with the Saints: day 30
We are a month into this adventure and I’m taking the day off again. I’ll fall another 20 kilometers behind. Sundays are generally my rest day. I find myself simultaneously grateful and irritated when reading Bartlett’s record. A man was shot Bartlett, but I am left without a name, or even whether that shooting was…
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