City Walk - Canada Day Edition

I announced on various social media that I would be engaging in my Saskatoon City Walk again this year. Canada Day is quite a bit earlier than usual. I've always wanted to go on the summer solstice to maximize my daylight hours. The Strawberry full moon would have been an awesome addition to the festivities, but the timing would not have been good for anyone still in school, or who works for a living. So, July 1st is the compromise. Participants will be able to enjoy almost the maximum amount of daylight possible at this latitude--16h 38m... about 7min less than max.

Be Prepared**

**you don't need to carry everything below with you. Wendy (and possibly Jim) will be available throughout the day to drop off extra clothes, food or supplies. Also to pick up people who can go no further or drop off people who don't plan to walk the entire route. So, select everything you think you might need and only take what you know you will need at the beginning. Everything else can be left at my house when we leave.
  • Clothes
    • Have a good pair of shoes that you can walk forever in. Almost every failed attempt at this distance can be traced back to blisters. A smaller portion are due to unforeseen knee or hip pain. You can walk through the blisters for 5, 10, or 15km, but the pain will become agonizing. Don't get blisters! A second pair of really comfy sandals might be nice to switch to during easy walking times. Have several pairs of socks for when they get wet.
    • a few light layers of clothing. We start out at 4am. It will be cool for a bit and then way too hot.
  • Food
    • Bring a water bottle or 2 (we can re-fill on the way)
    • trail mix or granola/fruit bars. Any compact, high energy food.
    • We will feed you an awesome picnic lunch sometime between 11am and 3pm
  • ***No Swim***
    • As of Monday, the current plan is to travel clockwise. This will negatively impact our ability to swim the river. Having chosen Canada Day to include as many people as possible means vastly more eyes on the river. We don't need to get several hundred dollars worth of tickets while trying to be awesome adventurers. Sorry, Henry. I know you were particularly excited about this part. 
  • Weather - If we are lucky, it will be nice and dry for walking. Hat and sunscreen are not optional. Have rain gear available and spare clothing. Just in case.
  • Sunny 27°C

July 1st Details for potential participants (all times post departure are approximate)

  • 4am - Arrive at Mike's house.
    • We will say good morning, apply Vaseline to our feet and say goodbye to the comfort and privacy of the bathroom.
  • 4:30am!!! - Departure we will try and keep a quick pace to start but with hourly stretch breaks.
  • 8am - coffee/tea/hot chocolate at the end of 22nd St.
  • Noon(ish) - Husky Gas/ Tim Hortons(on google maps) near SaskTel Centre
  • 3pm? picnic on the riverbank Near Meewasin Park
    • It will be a major victory to reach this point. A walking marathon of roughly 40km.
  • 7pm?? - Rosewood
  • 10pm??? - Home (last year it was close to midnight, so this is probably quite ambitious).
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

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