WT Course Insights: August 15 Newsletter
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
 SIX WEEKS TO GO The pieces are falling into place for an epic WT course. Bob always has options A, B, and C in mind when course planning, but we're excited that the stars have aligned for option A. In 2025, our course included travel through Killarney, one of the crown jewels of Ontario's park system. Get ready for some time in the OTHER crown jewel park, Canada's oldest provincial park...
If you're reading this and you haven't signed your team up, what can we do to help? Need teammates? Pep talk? Coaching? Let us know and let's get you on the WT2026 start line. Registration closes August 27th so don't miss out! INSIDER SCOOP! Some longtime WT racers will be absent for 2026, choosing to take on the world at the Adventure Racing World Championships in Corsica. We'll miss them at the WT startline, but as they train for ARWC, we enlisted them as WT2026 course testers. We'll be cheering for Team Attack from Above (Pete Cameron, Leanne Mueller, Chad Spence and Sean Roper) in Corsica and Pete shared some insights on from testing:
TREKKING: Foliage thickness is pretty light so teams will be able to gun it when they’re clear on their directions of travel • Surprising heights of rock, steep bits, and precipitous drops along the high points of land • Classic marshland travel … step through the transitioning vegetation cover with care, otherwise you'll be up to your neck • Deer flies were hungry •
PADDLING: Classic Bob Miller • Honestly, one of the nicest sections I’ve done in a while • Get ready to portage … a lot … paddle for a few k max … get out fast and clean … canoes up, gear in hand … and hammer the trail to the next out-in … repeat. So good. |
A highlight of their testing session included a rare sighting of an elusive mid-size member of the weasel family, the FISHER. Some pre-race reading to prepare you if your team is lucky enough to make a new friend on course:
https://blog.ontarioparks.ca/beware-the-fisher/
TLDR summary: Despite rumors, fishers are not bloodthirsty, cat-eating devil beasts, just elusive, oversized weasels who don't even eat fish, preferring dumpster diving and munching on porcupines.  LET'S CONNECT We'll have more information for you in the weeks leading up to WT2026, but we're trying something new: we've created a WhatsApp group for WT2026 participants. This is a place where racers can ask questions, etc. and maybe even do a little trashtalking.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/E3BYtmjmHds7SLpnC3TsIE
If you're not on WhatsApp, don't worry. We will still be providing full information through our website and race update emails. WHO WILL BOB THE BEAVER GO HOME WITH? Oh sure, Fishers may be cool, but our hearts belong to beavers. With defending champions 4 Hr Fuel also racing in ARWC Corsica and 5 of the top 7 teams from WT2025 not racing, Bob the Beaver will very likely be heading home with someone new after WT2026. It promises to be an exciting, wide-open race for the podium!  CHANGE TAKES A TEAM Once again, we are proud to support Outward Bound Canada as our "Race for a Cause" partner and the life-changing wilderness experiences they provide for young Canadians. If you are able, please consider adding a fundraising element to your Wilderness Traverse experience. Support a good program, earn some swag and maybe you can even race for free! Learn more about the program on our website. LOOK WHO'S BACK! For 2025 Wilderness Traverse, we were fortunate to have Brian Gatens from The Dark Zone, an Adventure Racing Podcast as part of our race coverage. He had such a good time, he's coming back to bring his knowledge and passion to help tell the story of the race. August. Time to keep pushing with your training, iron out your race details and finetune your gear. We'll have more info in the coming weeks, but enjoy the rest of your summer, get signed up if you're not already, and as always if you've got questions, get in touch.
- The Wilderness Traverse Team |
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