Thursday Night Women's Trail Run!

The Man In the Arena

Theodore Roosevelt

April 23, 1910

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Absolutely one of my most favorite quotes of all time! This quote sums up exactly how I felt after I left the parking lot last night at the end of another epic ELM trail run. As we started our run along the famously named trails in the Cumberland woods the air was humid and it started to rain a little. There was no complaining. The sounds of bear calls and women laughing filled the trails. We were free to climb, descend, trip over roots, rocks, and share our most profound thoughts of the day and of our lives.

Sarah Seads (owner of ELM) building an Inukshuk while her trail runners put their map reading skills to the test! Our goal tonight was to tackle the steepest climb to get the most spectacular view of the Comox Valley and beyond to the Georgia Strait!

Arran enjoying a fantastic view of the town of Cumberland. The area of buildings that you can see in the distance is where our cars are parked.

Goose Spit in the distance!

Making our way back down the rootsy, knarly trails! Whoo Hoo!!

The fantastic women of ELM!!!