Brunette River

A few shots after the Friday, November 10, 2023 windstorm

We had a windstorm blow through the area (as windstorms do) on the night of November 10th, a few days ago as I write this.

I went birding the next day and captured a few shots of the destruction while walking down the Brunette River trail.

First, the pretty. The wind yoinked a bunch of leaves off the trees, making the trail resplendent in fall colours:

A jogger in red heads down the yellow leaf road

And the destruction. This was the largest piece of debris on the river trail I saw, and definitely not something you would want clobbering you on the head at 70-90 km/h:

This was right near the entrance off North Road, so I saw the worst right up front

This rare non-run day shot from the top of the Cariboo Dam shows that the morning after the storm was actually pretty decent:

All quiet now, save for the mad dashing of squirrels gathering food for winter

Birding (mini), November 5, 2023: A quick trip along the river

Where: Lower Hume Park (New Westminster), Brunette River Conservation Area (Burnaby)
Weather: Cloudy, 12°C

The Outing

I didn’t want to spend all day cooped up inside and the weather was better than expected, so with the usual Saturday birding cancelled, I decided to head out for a mini-birding trip along the Brunette River today. My unofficial goal was to shoot a heron.

And I did!

I also shot fall scenery, some mallards, crows and a surprise hooded merganser.

I almost shot a black squirrel, but the light was very bad. The light in general was very bad, so the photos are a bit grainy. I might try fiddling with settings more, because it’s probably going to be a long, grainy winter.

In all, a quick outing, but with better-than-expected results in the bird department.

The Shots

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • None!

Waterfowl:

  • Great blue heron
  • Hooded merganser
  • Mallard

Common:

  • American crow
  • Seagull (seen but not captured)

Raptors:

  • None!

Non-birds:

  • Black squirrel

Walk 101: Put one foot ahead of the other and repeat

Reflections in the pond, Brunette River trail

I would normally run on a Friday but due to the Xtreme™ run on Wednesday, I decided to alter my run schedule and give myself a little more time off before running again, as my knees are feeling the effects of the 7.5 km run. They’re not exploding or anything, I am just being cautious. I am tentatively planning on running on Sunday, which gives me three days of non-running.

Today I walked to the lake and back. The weather was sunny and pleasantly warm. Curiously, my pace on the return route was a fair bit faster, with two km coming in under the 9-minute mark. I have no real explanation for this.

But it was nice, and I was listening to Hall & Oates, who are collectively probably 300 years old now. But they rocked my socks between 1980-84, and they still rock them even today (except for “Open All Night” which has perhaps the most cringeworthy lyrics ever in a Hall & Oates song).

Rather than split the walk in two, I’ve just smooshed in both sets of stats below.

Stats:

Walk 101
Average pace: 9:24/km and 9:06/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 4.03 and 4.03 km
Time: 37:53 and 36:38
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 21 °C
Humidity: 57%
Wind: light
BPM: 107 and 109
Weight: 167.1 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 754.44 km

Brunette River, October 5, 2023

A few shots around the Brunette River, taken in late afternoon light at Lower Hume Park.

Mirror-like reflections and an apparently abandoned beaver dam
Looking to the north, fall colours coming in

And a bonus heron. It left before I could get a closer shot, alas.

Walk 100: Off and walking

View just west of Cariboo Dam, mid-walk

After a slothful day yesterday, I got off my butt and went for a walk today.

I did the same route as last time, but only paused briefly at the lake, so kept it to a single walk for epic stats. Or something.

I was a little faster and BPM was a little lower, but it was also a little cooler, too.

No complications ensued, and I risked not wearing sunscreen due to the copious canopy along the route. I believe I escaped burning.

Stats:

Walk 100
Average pace: 9:26/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 8.45 km
Time: 1:19:40
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25 °C
Humidity: 47%
Wind: light
BPM: 116
Weight: 166.3 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 746.38 km

Walk 98 and 99: Testing the knee

Brunette River, as seen from Lower Hume Park, partway through the first walk

I decided to go for a walk today to see how my right knee would fare.

Good news: It was fine, no issues even as I walked at a very brisk pace at times. This is not to say the knee is better, as it is clearly not, but it does hold some promise for doing a run tomorrow, maybe. Possibly.

I actually split the run in two. When I got to Burnaby Lake, I puttered around for a few minutes, getting a drink at the fountain, and taking some photos. I then headed back on Walk #2. They were very similar.

Unlike yesterday, it was pleasantly warm and sunny. It was nice, and no dogs misbehaved, despite several being off-leash.

Stats:

Walk 98/99
Average pace: 9:12/km and 9:11/km
Location: Brunette River trail/Burnaby Lake
Distance: 4.47 and 4.29 km
Time: 41:05 and 39:21
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25 °C
Humidity: 58%
Wind: light
BPM: 118 and 119
Weight: 165.6 pounds
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255
Total distance to date: 738.63 km