CaptainOrange

Stats Completion Distance: 67 km Steps: 92,000 Walkers at Departure: Mike, David, Bri, Liz, Anthony, Shannon Support Team: Leora, Eric, Gary, Vin, Jodi, Dillon, James, Appa Walkers at Finish Line: Mike, Liz Departure was textbook this year. Everyone arrived at Bri and David’s and we were outside within a minute of our exit time. I have to give a huge shout out to their espresso machine (and whoever oversaw it’s machinations). There was a large and beautiful latte waiting for me as I stepped through the door. Not leaving from my house was a bit of a sacrifice, but the coffee made it an easy pill to swallow. As it so often is, 4:30-6 am is strikingly beautiful at this time of year. Spirits were high and we all enjoyed the joyous, silent, glow of the morning sun as it nudged aside night’s clouds to the east.* *Note to Wendy: I would say the clouds were most definitely NOT scudding. Much more of a lazy drift. Fate, it seemed, was waiting around every corner wit...

Here we are again. The universe is bigger than ever and that includes Saskatoon—both because of the expansion of space-time and due to the more pedestrian fact of population growth. We must make some plans. The Plan: Saturday, July 14th, 4:15 am at David and Bri’s house (if you don’t know, ask someone). 4:30 am departure. It is my plan to walk counter clockwise. This means no wet river crossing*. Leaving from a new location means that I don’t quite know where the lunch should happen, but I suspect somewhere out past the Shaw Center in the early afternoon. *Stay tuned for late breaking news about direction and/or river activity. I expect you fall into one of the categories below: Accidental Tourist : Google brought me here by mistake... <cough> Observer : You think the Hopefuls are idiots, but you love us anyway. In other circumstances you would consider being on the Support Team but it won’t work this year. You will observe from a safe distance in case our crazy is ...

I'm excited to announce that on Sunday morning, at about 4:30am, I will be departing on my questing marathon known as the City Walk. A brief history of how and why I started doing it can be found in a 2006 post just before I make my first complete circumnavigation. The score stands at Saskatoon 3 (1994, 2005,  2007 ) - Mike 2 ( 2006  and  2008 ). I'm out to even the score. As usual, you are all welcome to attend part or all of the marathon. I'll have my cell phone with me, so feel free to give me a call to meet up. Here is a map of Saskatoon with two previous trips on it, so you can have an idea of the route. Possible Itinerary:* 4:30am -- departure from Clarence Ave S (counterclockwise this year) 12-12:30 -- river crossing sans bridge (a first! Could save me 8-10km) 12:30 -- Picnic lunch on Spadina (hopefully... it will be near here ) 4:30pm -- North of YXE 7pm -- 11th St Esso 10pm -- Finish *later times show increasing approximation ;)

Of course I went. The Chariot (bike trailer) that I have been using forever has in recent months been converted for use as a cargo hauler. Leora and Anwyn are such competent bikers (and lets face it a little large) that they have been getting very few trailer rides this year. Anyway, 4 bolts are removed and the fabric seats, belts and a couple of bars can be rolled up and tied out of the way. The result is that it is capable of carrying a surprising amount of cargo. My bike also has a double sided pannier on the back. Wendy has a rack with bungee cords on the back end and a wire-frame basket on the front. What did we take on this trip? Large items included: (x1) Tent, tarp, cooler, axe (x2) sleeping bags, camp rests, pillows, folding chairs There was all the miscellaneous gear that you might expect: Clean clothes, books, rain gear, bug spray, water, ropes, food, coffee press, cooking stove, pots, pans, fresh spices and some of the best salt in all the shire. Moving on. Wi...

My eyes struggle to open. I've been up a little too late... again. What's my excuse lately? Let's recap on my sleep excuses -- starting from the beginning of summer: -- Cinderella (-- no, not the band, but a fine selection in video... land) Perhaps not the band, after all, but rather the play that I was in. You may have heard me talking/whining about it? I didn't post my show pictures? Well you should really trust me when I say that if you weren't in the show, you probably don't have a strong interest in seeing them. Since there may be those of you who don't listen, or who have lots of time on their hands to sift through pictures of people that they haven't met... here is the link to the album . -- Erin, Colin, James and Brad helped me and Wen and the girls build a fence. It was... educational. Jodi and Brad were my scapegoats for the next couple of weeks. Jodi kept me out to all hours playing pool and even when Brad wasn't directly keeping me...

I've done it again! Everyone has really been clamouring for details and it has become rather bothersome. I have taken the liberty of compiling an FAQ. I suggest you have a look at it. Q-What are we talking about? A-Saskatoon City Quest. A once-every-so-often physical challenge of titanic proportions. Q-And that is...? A-Essentially, it is a hike. I jog some, walk some. Visit when I have company and despair when alone. I take pictures when I can be bothered to carry a camera. The journey started out being roughly 55km (circa 1994) and now stands at 70km in 2008. Q-Why would you do that? A-Pleased to meet you. My name is Mike... Mike Diakuw Q-Can you give me that distance in miles? A-No. Q-Your time is slower this year, isn't it? A-You could say that. Q-Care to comment further? A-Not really. Why don't you try it and let me know where to shave off some time. Q-Did you hurt yourself again? A-Hurt myself? What would make you say that? Q-I'll be asking ...

City Quest 2008 is upon us. Grab your backpacks, fruit-bars, a bottle of water and a good pair of shoes. The date for this year is Sunday, August 3. Call or email me if you want to take part. You need not come for the entire day. Any distance is appreciated for the company. Departure time is estimated at 4am Lead-up and Break-down for last year. Or you can go straight for the pictures of last year and the year before...

It is time that you were training mentally and physically for this year's event. Here is the scoop on last year , if you need a refresher as to what City Quest is all about. I don't have a firm date yet, but it will definitely be after Cinderella is finished for Leora and I. That means after the first week in July. My summer will book up early, so if you want a say, speak now. As a primer, Leora, Anwyn and I are planning to bike out to Osler to see Grandma and Grandpa. It looks to be about 36km of backroads. Should be a good challenge in itself. Look for this to happen near or just after the end of school. I guess I would be remiss if I didn't plug the show. Leora and I both have small roles in the production, so no star value here, but if you like Cinderella (not the Disney version) and waltzes...

I had a lot of trouble sleeping the night before I was to embark on this years circumnavigation attempt. At 4am it was storming fiercely with high winds, lightning, rain, and hail. In a fit of depression, I phoned Jim K and called the walk on account of the weather and went back to bed. By 5am it was obvious that the storm had passed and I had failed. Failed the test of the weather. By 7:30am I was sulking something fierce and Ms. Orange told me to just get off my duff and go -- late or not. (Sadly, to no avail) I left a message on Jim's cell and headed out the door around 8:30am. And to everyone who wished that we could start at a more reasonable hour... IT WAS TOO LATE! Too Late to finish (for me, anyhow), but not too late to have a fantastic day. I walked a little over 12 1/2 hrs. I haven't mapped it yet, but I'll go on a limb and estimate about 40 km. I had a lapse in my mental game when I realized that it would certainly be after midnight before I could finish and cal...

The weather for the next few days looks crazy hot, but Saturday still looks reasonable. You should consider only light activity for the next few days. You will want to feel as fresh and strong as you can. Get such sleep as you can given your twisted and painful lives. On the evening before, you will want to pack a bag. Make it a smallish backpack. Here is what I will have on me and in mine... I will wear comfortable, snug, broken-in shoes with two pairs of socks. Put Vaseline on your feet before you don said socks. Just get some on your fingers and smear it around. It is a trick I learned when prepping for my marathon. It will help prevent blisters which are likely to be your greatest enemy! I will begin the day in light long pants, long-sleeve shirt over wife-beater followed by a windbreaker, shedding layers and putting on shorts as it gets hot. A wide brimmed hat and sunglasses would be wise. In my pack will be a camera (you are welcome to all my photos, but may be expected to shoot ...

I am hereby announcing my intention of doing another trek around the city of Saskatoon this summer. My proposed date is Saturday July 7th (4am-ish). I'm pretty solid on that date, but I would be willing to negotiate with anyone who is actually serious about coming along for the trip. There are two things I have learned from my previous attempts: Prepare. That is mentally and physically. If you aren't running, or at least walking (a lot) yet... START! With construction and all, we could be looking at 65 km or more. For perspective, that's coming up on 1.5 marathons. Involve such family as you have. People walking stretches with me and meeting for picnic lunches, etc... were both encouraging (trust me, it's a long day) and just plain fun. Wendy will be heading up my support committee. If you are going to come along you should have your people talk to my people. Here are the links to my trip from last year. lead-in , ramblings and pictures