I have decided that no Rogaine can occur without a drama.
Our drama was our water pipes bursting on Friday due to the cold, and us having no water for the day. Add to that the pressure of a very big day for both Mat and I - he had some big machine that needed something done pronto, and I was part of a busy team that was serving hundreds of kids and their parents at the kiosk during a winter sports carnival. It was rather non-stop!
Follow that with a going away event for a very lovely lady from work, whom I shall miss, so I wasn't going to miss the going away party... but had to get home at 6pm to hold the torch (flashlight) for Mat so we could repair the water pipes. As it turns out, getting home at 6:30pm (oops) wasn't a bad thing because Mat didn't make it home until 7:30pm (oops)!
So I was packing and preparing so we could leave by 6:30am Saturday morning, but I was so tired and rather challenged by the lack of water. I was considering pulling out. I just didn't think we could be ready on time. I didn't want to leave without the pipes fixed because the first thing you need when you get back from a Rogaine is a shower... and there are a million dishes and all the laundry to do as well! And we didn't get the pipes fixed until 8:30, but luckily Mat did a great job of repairing that and water was restored! (You just don't realise how much you depend on instant water until it's gone!)
When Mat got home from work he came up with the BEST idea ever! We would take our own car! What a novel idea! I was so wrapped up in the idea that we had to be ready for our ride that I couldn't see our own sitting there in the driveway. I felt such a weight off! The pressure was gone! *big sigh of relief*
So we got the pipes fixed that night, and the next morning we got packed and left at a bit of a leisurly pace. The event started at 12:00 noon and we arrived after 1:30pm. We registered, set up the tent, had lunch while we considered our route.
The original plan was to go out for 4 hours and be in by dark, then go out again in the morning for another four hours or so. But that was if we left at noon. It was nearing 2:30 and dark was going to hit us soon! So we changed course, as you do, a bit mid-stride. We changed because the terrain was much more challenging than we had even anticipated... those HILLS! So we decided to use the roads in the dark.
We did alright, but couldn't find one 20 pointer, the bush was so thick and we probably just didn't go quite far enough (a common problem, particularly at night), but we just thought to not waste our time, get in to the Hash House and have something to eat and a rest. We decided we'd come back for the 30 pointer we passed on the way in, and never mind the 20 points.
We were out for about 6 hours, and although Mat's feet hurt (he needs better shoes), I was feeling pretty good. The hills were tough, so I really felt my butt working on the way up, and my knees working on the way down, and my feet were wet and soggy, but I was really still feeling strong and fresh. The pace was easy and we weren't lost! There was lots of moonlight - and a Lunar Eclipse! Neat!
We must have crashed out around 10:30 or 11:00pm because we heard Ella and Marianne come in, but didn't hear them come back from the Hash House. We got up and headed out again around 9am, I guess, and went up for our first target, #45. Well, we didn't do a very good job navigating to it, just using landforms and no compass. So we decided we better put our compass to use for 101, a big one up the big hill! I was the navigator leader and guess where we ended up? Right back at 45! What the heck!? I walked us in a circle!! Using a compass!
Honestly I was so disgusted with myself and so upset about it that I wanted to bail right then and there. My competitive nature, the part of me that wants to do it all well and not make mistakes and be 'better than' and all those things I strive for just smacked me in the face and threw me into the dumps. I was so downtrodden! This is supposed to be fun and I wasn't having fun anymore!!
So Mat accepted that the fun had just ended and we headed back to that 30 pointer we passed on the road on the way back to the Hash House. But we went down the wrong track and couldn't find it either! We weren't alone, there were others searching for it too, but to find it involved one of those "pacing" exercises. There were a lot of little bush tracks off the main road, and only three marked on the map. We just picked the wrong one by, once again, just not going far enough.
We came in after about an hour or so on that trek, and sat around, eating, considering our map, and wondering what went wrong, when Marianne and Ella returned triumphant!
They ended up placing 3rd in the Women's category, with over 1500 points. Mat and I were very near the bottom of the list with only 390 points. We were aiming for about 800. However, on the up-side, we did get 40 more points than our last Rogaine, and it was a BEAUTIFUL place to walk around! We had a nice stroll and got to spend some time together!
Mat drove Ella's car home and I drove ours because the girls were in no condition to drive - they had only 4 hours rest (they didn't completely sleep) in the whole event. They walked for about 19 hours pretty much non-stop! Now that's impressive!
Lessons learned from this event:
You probably just haven't gone far enough!
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