Bedford Basin in a Blizzard? No thank-you

The Gonzos had planned to run the 28 km Bedford Basin loop on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, we were hit with a blizzard Wednesday that really hampered New Year's Eve festivities. I woke up early. The blizzard conditions continued and the roads were a mess. I decided to bail on the run and emailed the group. Spent the rest of the day shovelling out my house and car, and retrieving my daughter from Halifax.

Now, I run in cold, nasty weather, I run long distances and I run un-plowed, icy sidewalks. What I don't do is all these at once, particularly the running on roads in blizzard conditions. What would that sound like in a news bite if someone got hit by a car. Not a lot of sympathy coming our way under those conditions.

As we get older, we tend to be more fearful and less inclined to try new things. One of the best aspects about being a Gonzo or a member of Banook is that there is a group of people around to help push away any encroaching lethargy.

But there is a nasty side to this group-think. What if the group decides to do something just too far outside your comfort range? No one wants to be the spoil-sport and put up with the abuse, but realistically, groups can head off into activities that are not really defendable, should something bad happen. What about these snowmobile guys in B.C. last week. Surely, there were some mixed opinions about whether they should head out in bad avalanche conditions. I would love to hear the inside story on just what sort of reservations existed inside the group. We may never know.

Anyway, the decision to not try the Bedford Basin loop in a blizzard was a good one, and one I'd repeat everytime.