Thanksgiving in Algonquin

For the Thanksgiving long weekend we took the Friday off and made it an extra long weekend.  For a number of years we have been going up to Algonquin Park to see the changing leaves and to hike.

This year the leaves were mostly down, but the hiking was still good.  Nina up-ed her game.

On the Friday we went to the Ragged Falls outside of Algonquin Park.  I was pretty short, but pretty none the less.  This picture is from that trail.  It was a beautiful day.

The next day was also beautiful and we went on this trail on the far side of the park.  I can't remember the name of it now, but it was quite long and arduous.  We took stops along the way to get "power-ups" and Nina fared marvelously.  In the afternoon we went on a canoe trip and circled around an island that we called Halloween Island.

Sunday was sort of rainy, but we went out anyway to the Track and Tower.  This was also a long and tricky trail.  All of us made it but it was a hard hike.

On Monday before we went back home, we did one more smaller trail - Hemlock Bluff.  It was longer than expected, but a pretty trail.  With these three hikes, Nina surely earned her badges.  Next year we may try the Centennial Trail.  I took a number of nice pictures this year and I think I will start a separate blog for the Algonquin trips.  Stay tuned.

Finishing with a Smile

Nina had her first cross-country meet on Tuesday.  They had been practising three times a week at the school for about a month.  She would trot at her own pace and manage to do several laps without stopping.  Slow and steady.

Leading up to the race day she was saying that she was nervous.  It was a beautiful autumn day for the race.  There were separate races for boys and girls and for different grades.  At her school there were nine girls in her grade going for the run.

The principal gathered the girls and told them what to expect.  One of the girls said "You have to go and follow the rabbit".  The principal snapped "No. You don't go out there and follow the rabbit - you go out there and catch the rabbit!".  It was a good pep talk.

At the starting line, the girls from the different schools lined up together.  Her school was allowed four spots, so they lined up four - four - one, with Nina being the one at the back.

When they took off from the starting line, Silvina said that she saw Nina leaving at the end of the pack and was worried about the outcome.

I was at the finish line watching all the girls come in.  The first girl was pretty tiny with red checks and was smiling as she sprinted in far ahead of the others.  Like a Poisson distribution the other girls filed in. A couple of Nina's classmates finished near the front, but no sign of Nina.

I looked towards the end of the pack, but before I got there I saw her running spiritedly across the hill.  As she rounded the bend I saw the  determination in her face to get to the finish line.  She was running hard, and passing some girls who had lost their steam.

Although many of the girls had crossed the finish line before her, she crossed it running, and I was proud of her.  She even beat a couple of her classmates.