Ready To Roll On Weeds

Day 237: Once again this year, the Invasive Plant Council honoured me with an award for being one of their top three volunteers. I was asked to pick my prize from one of three items, and opted for a Patagonia "Black Hole" day-pack worth (gasp!) $129. It has convenient sleeves in the interior to hold various small items, one of which will be used to contain the brochures I hand out to land managers when appropriate. I've already put in several patrols this year. While I can't exactly claim to enjoy finding invasive species, having my time and effort recognized in this fashion softens the aggravation and annoyance of discovering large patches of Yellow Archangel, acres of Knapweed and patches of Poison Hemlock or concentrations of any of the other "baddies" on the state's blacklist. I treat them when possible: pulling, digging out or clipping seed heads as recommended for each individual species, or if the situation is obviously beyond the scope of one person's ability to handle, filing a report with EDDMapS for referral up the chain. Say 'bye-bye,' you weeds! Crow is coming to get you.

Fitness Challenge "Iron Ranger"

Day 216: I have to say I'm proud of this achievement. Yesterday, I received an unexpected prize as the "Iron Ranger" of the 2014 Fitness Challenge in addition to a certificate of completion. Each member of our team was given a handy little backpacking spoon/fork (all eleven members completed at least 100 miles), but as the top finisher among all participants, I also was rewarded with a pair of Merino "Smart Wool" socks in a two-color Norwegian design and a gift certificate to one of my favourite stores, REI.

The Challenge was based on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, a 1200-mile traverse from the Continental Divide in Montana to Cape Alava on the Olympic Peninsula. It crosses five mountain ranges, three National Parks and seven National Forests. Teams participating in the Challenge were charged with accruing aerobic-equivalent miles to represent a hike of the complete trail between January 7 and March 30, 2014. After completing a few days of more than 15 miles, I was asked by one of my colleagues, "What, are you planning to do the whole trail by yourself, Crow?" At that point, I sat down with a calculator and saw that it was indeed possible. That was the goal I set for myself about two weeks into the Challenge. Between riding an exercise bike and walking/hiking, I finished the virtual "trail" with enough days remaining to add an additional 300 miles to my total, averaging 18 miles per day. I am happy to say that our team also took top honors.

"Iron Ranger." I like the sound of that. Not bad at all for a little old lady.