New Blenkinsop Loop

Today I tried a new variation of my usual route, heading from Mount Douglas toward the meadows and looping along Blenkinsop Road instead of the well-worn Lochside Trail. It had rained overnight, so the forest felt fresh, and I kept a steady Zone 2 pace, pausing now and then to snap photos and sip my homemade blackberry sports drink. I’d recently serviced all my bikes and hit six days without alcohol, which left me feeling sharper, hungrier, and more energized out on the trail. Along the way, I met a friendly runner with his dog and recalled a past encounter with a man who once told me, “*I am the dog*,” which always stuck with me. I wrapped up the run at the Hiker’s Bridge, where I usually begin, feeling grateful for this midweek reset.