5Peaks Trail Running Series, Southern Ontario

www.5peaks.com Having run a number of the races over the past few years, this year I have taken on a role as part of the organisation team of the Southern Ontario series. As Course Manager, I will be setting and marking the Sport and Enduro courses and managing the course part of the event on race days. Basically, it is a great reason to spend time outdoors, the best time being the day before the Saturday races when many hours are spent reviewing and marking the courses. Over 15 km of trails are marked for each of the five events during the year. Being a weekday, the conservation areas are usually quiet with few people. Last weekend we did a reconnaissance of the Dundas Valley Conservation area, the location of the first race in the series in late April 2010. With the wind chill, the temperature was below -20 Deg C, and in little time, the contents of our water bottles had frozen completely !

Frigate Bird Colony, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Frigate Birds (Fregata magnifiscens) have the largest wingspan to body weight ratio of any bird in the world. The males have wingspans up to 2.3m in length.

Bottlenose Dolphins, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Following the turtle sighting and almost exactly on cue, we came across a school of bottlenose dolphins in deeper water, already having been spotted by other boats. They surfaced frequently around the boats, in this case a juvenile and adult surfacing together.

Hawksbill Turtle, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Searching the shallow waters of the bay by boats, it did not take long to spot our first turtle, but the animal was determined to stay underwater as long as possible away from the boats. Very briefly it surfaced to grab a quick breath and then it submerged again - this happened twice. As soon as the boats moved off, and our attention was diverted, the animal surfaced for a longer time in the distance.

Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

A week's escape from the Canadian winter to the sun and warmth of the Riviera Maya included a day's trip into the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. A rough drive by jeep followd by an extensive boat tour through part of the reserve provided for an excellent day back into some spectacular natural areas away from the resorts and their crowds. Searching for turtles in the extensive bays with fringing mangroves, was followed by a bottlenose dolphin sighting, a trip to a frigate bird colony, and then some snorkelling above the local reefs.