All the glory goes to God! Without him, I am truly weak. With him, I have the ability to be strong.
This FKT is dedicated to my dad who passed away earlier this year. I felt his presence on trail. I know he was watching over me. I know you are proud of this one.
The following breakdown numbers are from my watch. They do not represent the actual totals from the trail. They include wrong turns, fetching water etc. The watch is also not always 100% accurate.
Day 1/Monday/Aug 18/13:11:48/38.47mi/3337ft/2.9mph
7 AM I got things going. I Love Tobermory! So it was nice to get started there. The peninsula section is beautiful, yet can be tough. The first day is usually pretty easy, so I just try to relax and enjoy. I made my way past the grotto which was already pretty busy. I was happy to get through there and be all alone for the most part. The day felt fairly warm and water had already become a bit of an issue. I was on my way out of the National Park and found some water. Another hiker came up and recognized me. As I was filtering my water, he proceeded to tell me he was going for the unsupported FKT. I told him I was also. I guess he started the same day, a half hour before me. How random and awkward. I had to keep moving though and I wished him well. The rest of the day went well and as night was approaching, I began looking for a good sleep spot. Although it was windy, I found a good spot and set up my tarp. So far, so good.
Day 2/Tuesday/Aug 19/15:27:21/38.55mi/5243ft/2.5mph
Let the rain begin! When I decided on a start date, the weather looked clear for a bit. However, once I made my plans definitive, that changed. It is what it is! Today I was looking forward to making my way through the Lion's Head Provincial Park. It is beautiful and rugged. It never rained really hard today, but a pretty consistent drizzle. Perfect time to test out this new poncho I got. I took full advantage of 2 public washrooms today in Lion's Head and Hope Bay. The day went well overall. I definitely had to be careful on the slippery rocks. I found another pretty decent sleep spot again. The feet were looking pretty wrinkly. Dried them off and went to bed.
Day 3/Wednesday/Aug 20/15:09:58/37.19mi/2559ft/2.5mph
It rained overnight and kept raining for part of the morning. The sun never came out though and everything stayed so wet. The vegetation was causing so much sloshing of water in my shoes. My insoles were moving around on me which was a real nuisance. I have no idea why I didn't glue them in! I ended up just taking them right out. I made my way through the beautiful Wiarton waterfront and once again took advantage of the public bathroom. I put on my dry socks but they would get wet shortly after anyway. By the end of the day, my feet were screaming at me. They were so uncomfortable from being wet for so long. The pain was getting to me and I was barely moving. I wanted to go longer, but there was no point. I set up my tarp and my body felt like it started shutting down. It wasn't cold, yet I was shivering. I took off the socks and my feet were a mess! They were extremely wrinkly, sensitive, reddish in spots and blistered. This is not where I wanted to be on day 3. I called Chantal and told her that I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep going tomorrow. She gave me the advice I already knew, but had to hear it. You never made these decisions at night. Tomorrow is a new day and you have to at least try. I fell asleep praying that tomorrow I would be able to keep moving forward.
Day 4/Thursday/Aug 21/16:01:27/38.76mi/2602ft/2.4mph
Just keep showing up and good things can happen! That was my motto for this FKT. I didn't feel too hot when I got moving this morning, but it was better than I thought. I can do this. Feet are definitely jacked up, but they can get better. Things will dry out eventually. I feel like I bounced back pretty well today. I was close to tapping out last night and now I was motivated to keep pushing. I had to keep surviving the lows and then ride the highs. I was also getting into a pretty good routine out there. I was doing all my chores and eating all my meals. I did go quite a bit without water but finally found a creek that looked good. A farmer came by on his tractor and warned me not to drink from there because of the beaver crap. I appreciated the advice, but I wasn't risking not having water again for who knows how long. So I filled up my 3 bottles and kept rolling. I made my way through Inglis Falls, but the washrooms were already locked. Oh well. I found a sleep spot not too long after.
Day 5/Friday/Aug 22/16:26:11/42.81mi/4045ft/2.6mph
Today I made my way away from Owen Sound and civilization. I knew I had a road reroute to do today. I didn't realize it would add 6km on top of what I would have done. I of course always have to follow the blazes and signage though. A landowner had requested that a section of the trail not be used so a road reroute was the only option. Unfortunately, it was full sun and also all on pavement. Road sections also means I can move quickly and not have to worry about tripping on rocks or roots. I made the most of it. I also had to go through Bognar Marsh today. This is one of my least favorite sections of the trail. It was dry this time of year though which was a bonus. I'm feeling like I've recovered from the trench foot some. My feet have been dry, and that makes me happy.
Day 6/Saturday/Aug 23/15:48:08/40.52mi/5394ft/2.6mph
Today I knew I was going to drop down into Beaver Valley. I know this section has an abundance of water, so I stopped filling up my 3 bottles and just went with 2. I knew this section would be less technical, but lots of ups and downs. It would be a nice change since I really enjoy climbing. I took advantage of the extra streams and stayed on top of my hydration. I went through the ski resort which is always fun. Today is also the day where I got some confidence and was thinking that I can actually do this. Mind you, you never really know. You could slip on a banana peel, more bad weather could roll through. I made it through 2 days of wet feet early on though, and that didn't stop me. So I was starting to think that it was possible. I just have to keep showing up every day and good things can happen.
Day 7/Sunday/Aug 24/17:33:16/43.65mi/7238ft/2.5mph
Today I would make my way out of Beaver Valley and head north towards Blue Mountain. That always kind of seems like it's the halfway point. And from there you start heading south in more of a straight line. First though, I made my way past Eugenia Falls which is always nice. Then up and over Old Baldy. I was getting close to the ski resorts and the rain came. I was prepared though. I was having trouble finding a good sleep spot. I am picky sometimes. I went later into the night tonight kind of throwing off my routine. I would just set my alarm a little later the next day and adjust. I set up the tarp in the rain and tried to get cozy. It was fairly windy where I set up also but it would have to work.
Day 8/Monday/Aug 25/15:26:28/39.89mi/6030ft/2.6mph
More rain today. More wet feet. I am used to this by now I guess. I went through Pretty River and made sure to fill up on water there. The rain ended up stopping around mid day I think. I finally got to the Devil's Glen Resort. I decided to do a full reset when I got to the Mad River. Soak feet, clean legs, wash socks and filter water. I could only keep my feet in for a minute or so. That water is cold! It did feel great to put on some dry socks again. I then climbed up the big ski hill and kept going from there. I then made it to Noisy River then decided to get some shut eye a little after that.
Day 9/Tuesday/Aug 26/17:26:51/46.02mi/7425ft/2.6mph
Today was the first day where I remember having a big mid day crash. I woke up and felt in the zone. I was moving great. Then mid day I just felt tired. I pushed through though and bounced back later and ended up feeling not too bad. This is also the day where I started to worry about whether I brought a big enough battery bank. Since I had to conserve, I was using my headlight on the dim setting in the dark. This meant I could barely see. Not really smart, but I had to make due and be sure not to run out totally. I still needed to charge my watch and phone also. I made it to Hockley Valley which is a nice and hilly section. It was time for bed not too long after that. Not the best spot to sleep, but I made do.
Day 10/Wednesday/Aug 27/14:57:55/42.19mi/6427ft/2.8mph
I woke up, got finished up with Hockley Valley. Then I headed down towards Mono Mills where you have to do a highway crossing. It was strange seeing all the cars and hearing all the noise. I'm definitely on more cruisy trails now which feels good. There was also a good amount of road today. I completed the out and back reroute of Forks of the Credit. Dark came and once again I am dealing with a dim headlight to save on battery. It was either go at night with a dim headlight or risk running out of my battery bank completely and left without a watch to verify or a phone to navigate. It was a pretty big mistake on my part, but I can make do. I was just hoping I wouldn't hurt myself in the dark on any of the technical stuff. Time for bed. I'm starting to think about getting to Queenston.
Day 11/Thursday/Aug 28/17:48:16/52.95mi/4912ft/2.9mph
This day would end up being my biggest day on trail mileage wise. I would cross the 401 highway today which is a pretty big milestone. Once again, lots of cruisy trails which works great for me. I rounded a corner and came within 20 feet or so of a big coyote. I didn't even stop moving forward since I knew it would see me and flee fast. Today later on there was a solid downpour which would be my last time having to deal with the rain. I conquered Mount Nemo and entered the more populated part of the trail near Burlington. I completed another road reroute, this time in the dark. It would also be my last real night of sleep. I set my alarm for 4.5 hours later.
Day 12/Friday/Aug 29/17:15:16/46.25mi/6512ft/2.7mph
Get up! The end is getting near. I got to see a lot more people today. It was a beautiful one! There were lots of people out in Dundas Valley Conservation Area. Today is the day I make the final major turn towards the southern terminus. There was a good amount of rail trail and paved pathway today which I tried to take full advantage of. Also, going on the escarpment stairs always feels iconic. There were also a couple major highway crossings. My plan was to hopefully take a short nap just after dark and then push all the way through to the finish. I made it to an ideal spot in Grimsby and didn't bother setting up the tarp. Set the alarm for an hour and 15 minutes. This is going to go by quickly.
Finish/Saturday/Aug 30/19:51:52/52.15mi/5942ft/2.6mph
Rise and shine. It's 10:30 PM and it's time to go. I figured because I conserved my headlights to dim so much, I may be able to turn them to a normal level today so I can actually see. What a treat. I always struggle through the night unless I am fresh. I certainly wasn't that. I did what I could but I decided to take another hour nap at around 3:30 AM. This would break it up a bit so I wouldn't have too much dark left before the sun would rise. It was also chilly. I wore my poncho for extra warmth. I knew this extra nap may not allow me to break 12.5 days, but I did what I had to do. I had the mid day crash again and was doing the math in my head and figured there's no way I could break 12.5. I kind of hiked aimlessly for a bit but then snapped out of it. I did more math and thought it was still possible if I put the hammer down for the last 4 hours. Yikes. Here we go. For this distance, that would be like a sprint finish. I gave it my all and it paid off. I knew I was going to reach my A goal for this FKT. I finally made it to the park and saw the girls who were looking out for me. They ran to the cairn and I followed shortly after. I actually did it. Now for my favorite park, the post FKT sit down in the chair in front of the cairn. My prize is that I didn't have to keep going and got to see my family after quite a while out on trail. I am truly blessed!
Stats:
Starting body weight-180lbs
Finish body weight-170lbs
Food weight-30.25lbs
Calories of food per day-5000
Weight of food per day-2.25lbs
Base weight-6.25lbs
Total pack weight-36.5lbs
Total mileage-559.42miles (900.3km)
Total elevation gain-67,665feet (20,624.3meters)
Backstory: I completed the Bruce unsupported back in 2022 and felt pretty happy with it at the time. The record got broken in 2024. I didn't think right away that I would attempt to go get it back. In fact, I had full intentions on working on this other project. In late 2024 I was out scouting this other trail out and part way through I just kept thinking about the Bruce. It was calling me. By the end of that adventure it was clear, I wanted another shot at it. I then trained all winter long and planned on starting in Queenston in May 2025. My parents were going to take me to the start, just like the last time. 2 days prior to them coming and picking me up, I was just finishing up my packing and received a call from my brother. My dad had a heart attack and wasn't going to make it. What a shocker it was. He was 73 but seemed in great health. He had swam, biked and hiked that morning. He had volunteered on a farm the day prior and was about to volunteer that night at a church function. I had 2 weeks off work for the trail and I obviously used that time to go home, be with family and help out with everything. It was really tough. I came back home and did a 2 day adventure since a 2 week one wasn't in the cards. I felt like I still needed a release after a winter of training. I then signed up for a backyard ultra. I always wanted to try one. Shortly after is when I thought I could give the Bruce a try in mid August. Maybe that time of year wouldn't work out for me. Would I have enough water? Would the heat get to me? I felt like I had to try though. I wanted to finish what I was supposed to do earlier this year. I'm very glad I went for it!
Thank you:
Chantal(wife)-I couldn't do it without you. You took me to the start. You picked me up at the end. You support and encourage my training and adventures. You give pretty good advice too!
Jubilee and Maelle(kids)-Thanks for being there at the end. It was so great to see your smiling faces excited to see me. You make the memories more memorable.
Rose(mom)-Thanks for all your interest and support. You and dad helped me out so much in the past and brought me to so many events. All of those things helped lead me to this moment.
Casey(friend)-Thanks for always inquiring and showing interest in what I do. Thanks for taking the time to message me back. You're a great friend.
Geda(massage), Paul(physio) and Chris(chiro)-Thanks for keeping my body working pretty darn well. I truly appreciate the advice, interest, and all of the efforts.
Paul(boss)-Thanks for you interest in what I do outside of work. Also, thanks for helping me out and being flexible with my schedule so I can chase my dreams.
Cody Taylor(inspiration)-I'm very glad you beat my record. It was meant to be. You truly inspired me to be better and to not give up. The sky is the limit for you if you want it.