Elbow Grease: The great homemade mayo attempt

 Hello everyone!

The last time we touched base was during the quarantine sourdough baking times. I've since made another loaf or two, as well as sourdough potato rolls. Alas, there's only so much bread you can eat..

Recently, the mayo jar was emptied and I couldn't be bothered to go to the grocery store to simply get another jar. Why not attempt making it? I have a friend who shudders at the thought of Kraft mayo, because, growing up, she was spoiled by the presence of a Danish grandmother who made her own mayonnaise. 

I rolled up my sleeves and gave it a go. From Sticky Fingers to Elbow Grease, it's like that song we sang as kids - hand bone's connected to the arm bone! 

Attempt #1: Use the first recipe from the Google search results, published by Chatelaine. Sounded easy enough: egg yolk, lemon juice, Dijon, salt, olive oil. Whisk the egg yolk first, then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk away.

Result: mayonnaise soup. It looked like I'd mass reproduced liquid egg yolks, because the whole concoction was yellow. Also guessing that the emulsification didn't quite take place.

Looks like custard? (No filters used here)

Also of note: do not use olive oil from those large jugs bought at Costco. It contributed to the yellow colour of the "mayo", and also made it taste like economy olive oil. It was all I had to use for a quick potato salad; however, after a couple of days in the fridge, I couldn't find any dressing coating the cubed spuds. It's like it slowly dissolved.

Attempt #2: Find another recipe that suggests using a neutral oil like grapeseed, canola, or safflower oil. Half can be substituted out for olive oil. This time around, I had a lighter, fruitier olive oil, so hopefully no overpowering taste.

Signs of potential failure: the randomly found, half-used bottle of grapeseed oil squatting on the counter next to the stove emits this old oil smell when I open it. I taste it, and it tastes alright (does a neutral oil taste like anything??), so I start whisking away. And keep whisking....

The new recipe mentions the mix thickening and starting to emulsify when approximately 1/4 cup of oil is whisked in.

...really? Looks like I've got a liquid mess on my hands, with the appearance and consistency of watered down orange juice. Serves me right for doubting my nose! 

Result: Abort! Abort! 

Attempt #3: Use same recipe (from here), have canola oil along with olive oil. Again, it looks like the same runny mess with about 1/4 cup of the oil mixed in, but when I start to pour it out, I notice it indeed looks creamier. Third time's the charm, go time!

What no one ever tells you when making homemade mayo by hand: you have to go at a Tasmanian Devil-type frenzy with the whisk to start getting the emulsification. This goes on for much longer than you think. 

What no one tells you, part 2: whisking doesn't necessarily mean going around in circles. Rapid zigzagging works as well. 

Still worrying a bit about the mixture all coming together, the recipe's troubleshooting section has a few suggestions, like mixing in a squirt of yellow mustard to help it along.

Don't knock that mustard idea until you try it. It works! And, the mayo gets a bit of a tangier taste.

Result: Does it look creamy enough?

Answer: Yes!

**Story time: after my first year in university, I'd gone on a trip to visit the southwest of France in July that year. On a beautiful summer evening, we gorged on mussels and fries. Slightly surprisingly, the waiter plopped squirt bottles of mayo on the table, and it came out a creamy, slightly yellow colour; not cloyingly sweet, and delightful with French fries. We were proud our party of 5 emptied 1 of the bottles.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Kraft's mayo has an anti-gravity consistency that could rival a Dairy Queen Blizzard treat.

This 3rd attempt looks creamy, has a hint of a mustard taste...I'll take the win and run. 

Signs you're relieved at making some successful mayo: you start licking it out of the bowl after scooping most of it in a jar.

After a couple of nights in the fridge, the mayo still has a nice consistency. 

The taste test: make a BLT toast and lay the condiment on thick. The creaminess is still there, and the slight tang from the mustard also comes through.

Conclusion: is house mayo worth it? 100%. It's pretty cost-effective in terms of ingredients...BUT, from now on, I'm going to use the food processor. I got a workout from the hand whisking.

  

Sticky Fingers: Baking sourdough bread, Part 2

Breadventures.

A client coined this term earlier today and it makes a lot of sense. I likened this experience to a Lord of the Rings-esque journey, because it definitely isn't straightforward. A few battles are to be fought, some twists and turns here...no mention yet of the undead, or talking trees.

This past week alone, I attempted 3 batches of sourdough bread. (Thanks, social distancing.) Recall I initially made a wet, sticky mess, then tried again.

Turns out, the amount of water is way more important than imagined. So is overworking the dough. Guess what happened - I baked up something in the shape and height of a Frisbee. Still edible, though.

Hmmm, biscotti, anyone?

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again..

A few other things I learned along the way en route to the latest attempt so far:

- sourdough starter is a very messy relationship. It's kind of like papier-mâché in the sense that once it dries, it's probably stuck on forever. Oh, and mysteriously enough, a swath will be drying on the underside of your forearm, unbeknownst to you.

- try and wash your hands? It'll stick to the sink in little blobs.

- after feeding the starter and mixing a new batch of dough, I changed t-shirts...and later found a sizeable streak of starter on the clean shirt, despite not having gone near any of the dough, or the jar.

- those hinged lid jars from IKEA are pretty and all, but a pain in the @$$ to clean, and to pour stuff from...especially sourdough culture.

- it's also possible that despite your best efforts, the active starter starts to die. Because you likely drowned it by miscalculating the ratio of water to flour during a feeding.

Have we gotten to the third book of the trilogy yet? Where it's just an all-out battle and the little Hobbit is struggling to throw that 1 thing in the fires of Mordor (in this case, the proofed dough into the oven)?

It's not perfect, but it's a start

Oh yes, and the first slice from that loaf^ pictured...eaten with butter, of course.

Never fear, folks! I'm finding this whole process quite amusing, and not frustrating in any way. It may just be that I'll be chomping on a lot of sourdough toasts in the near future, not that I'm complaining.

Sticky Fingers: Baking sourdough bread, Part 1 - Lord of the Rings kind of journey?!

Oh hi there, quaranteenies!

(Sorry, I just had to say that)

Dusting off this blog and seeing the last post was made at the end of September of 2019, well..let's chalk it up (in part) to a non-existent race season.

In March, didn't we all have these grand plans of catching up on reading, tidying up like Marie Kondo, learning how to properly forge a railroad spike from scrap metal, and binge watch all the seasons of TV from the past two years?

Nope, nope, scratch that! At least, we're comedians in that sense. I think my bedroom may have remained in the same, semi-chaotic state during the whole ordeal so far.

What didn't change for me: coffee consumption, hee hee hee

There's also been a surge of people trying their hands at baking sourdough bread, and lo and behold,  pictures on social media of golden brown loaves, nicely scored (the slash on top) to make our mouths water.

I was recently given a jar of starter from some good friends of mine, as well as some basic instructions on how to keep it alive (no mentions of bringing it into outer space, however), and a few links to recipes.

First attempt - listen to said friends' easy-sounding method that didn't seem to take too long, excitedly bake up a loaf and...get a result of a very dense middle, not too much rise, toasted up a bit odd the next morning.

Informing myself on sourdough starters for baking bread, and the process (*ahem* patience) involved, got me on this unexpected journey that may have me considering renaming my starter to Bilbo. Or One Ring.

The actual culture requires time and a bit of TLC for it to be active. Leave it out of the fridge. Feed it once, twice a day. Watch the bubbles and hey, why not call it Precious since it's going to be the make or break of your bread!

This week (second week of June), attempting a batch with proportions that are reflective of proper bread recipes, as well as allowing more time (overnight!) for the active starter to do its thing...

Behold: Wet Goop related to Flubber

...and I literally get something resembling slop, or a dough-coloured Flubber when poured out of the bowl and it slowly oozes out of shape. Not to mention it's quite the sticky mess that literally sucks my fingers in. You shall not pass!

Oh, and when I attempt to lift half of it out (what's in the picture above), it stretches like a mozzarella cheese monster, and my floured tray is suspended almost in mid-air by tendrils of dough.

As I'm typing this, I've got another loaf in the making, different amounts but still respecting the baker's math. Here's the thing - I can picture, and taste, that beautiful slice of sourdough toast; it will be done justice only by applying a lashing of butter.

To be continued (part 2)

Is this ride over? I'd like to get off - Ultra-Trail Harricana 28km

Please do not interpret the title of this post. (Got your attention, didn't I?)

I'd wanted to run Ultra-Trail Harricana for several seasons, except something annoying called the Killington Spartan Beast would fall within the same month. 2019 I would not be denied to return to the Charlevoix region - a beautiful region in Quebec - and run Harricana. I've heard only good things about it.

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" - Robert Burns

...I'm not a man, so that makes me a mouse! Yaaa!

First of all, during the first half of the summer, I was dealing with foot pain. As in, I'd run a short, easy 5K; afterwards for the rest of the day, feel like I was walking on Legos and glass shards taped to my soles. Was pretty much unable to accumulate any kind of serious long distance...a shoe change and some manual therapy helped me out, but we were already in mid-July. Had I not already learned previously about cramming running for a race??

Start corral moment courtesy Lawrence Colsell

If only my finish line race was like my start line face..

What happened, you ask?

First part of the run (about 13km), a nasty up and down, legs feel pretty good.

Second part (next 7km), pass by a huge sign that says La Montagne Noire (The Black Mountain), this was where the race took a huge chunk out of me. Enough little ups and downs to break my rhythm.

Last part: 8km's of downhill, downhill...oh hey, downhill.

After thinking back and digesting this less than ideal outing, some of my thoughts:

- I could have definitely gotten a couple of more long 21+km outings before Harricana.

- stairs. Maybe more stair workouts. With my 50lb Wreck Bag.

- weekend off running because of my cousin's wedding is not ideal, but post-wedding pizza at 2am with more cousins = NO RAGRETS 

- even though everything else was pretty much on point - nutrition, hydration, sleep - your body can and will play a trick or two on you, on race day. 

Usually, I'm a cerebral DJ and play songs in my head (ranging from Disney, to epic classical, to classic rock of course), but when it's a shitty outing that's not getting any better...

Legs: This sucks.
Brain: This sucks.
Running Brain: Hey! Shut up you two..
Legs + Brain: THIS SUCKSSS
Running Brain: ok let's try this: one foot in front of the other!
Legs + Brain: Left-right-left-right-STILL SUCKS-left-right-left-right...

You get the idea. I wasn't able to really dial in any tunes in my head to block the suckage out. I was reminded of my last crappy race which happened in 2015 (a Spartan Beast...that's a long time of "This Sucks")

I avoided looking at the kilometer markers simply because I would backwards calculate how much was left of self-imposed misery....until it came to the last 2km. Then I was definitely keeping an eye out!

Did not make my projected 4h10 finish, but that's ok, next time (hopefully next year) I'll be able to redeem myself.

Trail runners, please have a go at Harricana. The trails are a real treat to run on, with very little rocks or boulders to navigate. There are really good runners from different countries, which is inspiring to see. A Belgian by the name of Raphael Daco conquers the 125km, then runs the 28km. He breezes by me at the 7km mark, none worse for wear, and I do not see him again as he saunters off.

Bonus: showers for the racers! (Another bonus: finding out you chafed! OUUUUCCCHHHHH)

That sock and flip-flop life after the showers. Hell yes.

It seems I'm in the Quebec City/Charlevoix region about once a year, so I make my pilgrimage to Ashton and chomp on a poutine before the last part of the drive home. Harricana finishers spot me (wearing finisher medal) and we share a grin. 

It's not easy, but a great outdoor experience. Highly recommended.

Will Run 4 Ice Cream - Brain Freezer 5K (Cookies extra?!)

The world record beer mile holder is a Canadian.

No one is really surprised...

...considering how hard it probably is, chugging a carbonated beverage as fast as possible - without it exiting your nose - and then resuming running around a track.

How difficult is it really to eat and run/run, then eat? We've all made this mistake before, eating too heavy, or too much before physical activity. So last year, when the Brain Freezer 5K came up on my radar, I figured I'd have a go at it. It's summer! Ice cream! Flat run!

The format: run 2.5km appoximately, eat a pint of ice cream, run the remaining distance for a total of 5K.

Famous last words: What could possibly go wrong? Hmm, "I'll puke it back up" comes to mind...

If I fail to plan, I plan to fail. So the plan basically went like this...

Several weeks leading up to the Brain Freezer 5K, start eating something sweet, or rich, or both in increasing quantities before run.

A single-serve vanilla Greek yogurt.
Greek yogurt pancakes (recipe) with lots of maple syrup.

 Epic cookie (3 different kinds of choco chips!) from Café Névé. Standard coffee mug for scale.

**That^ almost became my "eat-this-rarely-cos-it's-a-cheat-meal" thing until I stumbled upon an even better cookie served at Structure Coffee Roasters. Fight me.**

And then, because I like to come into these things quasi-prepared, began to incorporate ice cream eating partway through short runs.

Example: run 1 mile, eat 1/4 pint of ice cream (Divine Vanille by Bilboquet), run another mile.
Next outing: run 2km, eat 1/2 pint of ice cream (Les Givrés' vanilla offering), run a mile-ish.

Then I figured I'd go for some richer ice cream just to get used to the feeling, because what if on race day it was only deluxe flavours like Rocky Road, or S'mores?

Ta-da! Vanilla caramel swirl
(stock photo from lesgivrés.ca)

Other things I learn while trying to perfect binge-eating ice cream:

- Les Givrés is a much better quality (and tastier!) local product

- when the edges of the ice cream in the tub have softened enough for me to dig my spoon in, farting sounds emanate.

- despite your best efforts, your hands will get sticky from the ice cream.

- running with a frozen mouth and tongue afterwards is kinda funny.

- after supper on a sweltering July evening, I got curious and attempted to speed through a small bowl of lemon sorbet...instant brain freeze after the first spoonful.

Event day arrives, it's sunny - perfect weather for ice cream. It's also a fun run, even though I want to do this as fast as I possibly can without hurling on the sidewalk. Some people have brought their own ice cream scoops!

The halfway point is smack in the middle of downtown Burlington, the Church Street Marketplace.

Running sucks hahaha

Besides ice cream (by Island Ice Cream), there's also sorbet offered as an alternative. See, this is why I try to plan things, right? I know sorbet is not going to be a good decision!

I do have to decide between strawberry, and chocolate supreme. Uh-oh, I didn't train using any fruit flavours, but strawberry it is. I was hoping for vanilla...turns out the volunteers hadn't put the cartons out on the table when I got there. Luck of the draw!

Despite having practiced running and eating a whole pint of ice cream, the remaining 2.5km feel ok except that I feel like I've swallowed a heavy meal, say like turkey and mashed potatoes. 

My official time is 33:19, now I only wish I could have timed how long it took me to actually eat the ice cream. 

Would I run this again? Probably not...been there, done that, got the finisher shirt. I'll enjoy ice cream as dessert, or a summer treat. And I'll pass on the strawberry flavour!

*If you're up for it, please tell me, which café has the better chocolate chip cookie? (DO NOT ADD A THIRD CHOICE! My rules)

Café Névé (151 Rachel E, Montreal, QC H2W 1E1)
Structure Coffee Roasters (460 McGill, Montreal, QC H2Y 2H2)

Infinitus - My first trail marathon and how not to train for it

"Pick a goal you cannot achieve, then plan for it, train for it, and destroy it" - Kirk Deligiannis

Don't do what I did..

..which is cram training for a marathon for about 6 weeks. This may be doable if you're Meb, or a horse.

I've rucked a marathon, but this would be my first in more of the running aspect. Could I do 42km? Or in this case, 27 miles?

In short, I do indoor group circuit trainings with my coach during the cooler months. Once it's May, he is unavailable (ie the workouts are on pause), so I try to squeeze in every last training right up until the second week of April (Infinitus taking place on the first Saturday of June). So this gave me 7 weeks to shoot myself in the foot repeatedly train the best I could.

*ducks head to avoid getting smacked* Before the questions - I didn't do any couch-to-42K trail because I'm fairly certain no such folly exists. I'd gotten used to running 4 times a week, 3-5 miles per outing so I wasn't totally behind the 8 ball. Plus, the GORUCK HTL I completed back in March helped solidify my feet for the long periods of pounding and major ouch.

Infinitus is one of the trail races in a series by The Endurance Society. There are several distances, many of them in the ultra territory, and are completed by runners running on two closed loops that make you think of an infinity symbol. Last year I ran the short loop (which is actually 7 miles...did I mention the race director, Andy Weinberg, also used to be involved in plotting the Spartan Death Race? Like any diabolical race director *cough Norm cough*, he's one of the nicest people on the planet.)

FYI, Infinitus' signature event is the 888K, which means runners will complete the infinity symbol twenty times with a few extras, in 240 hours or less.

One goal of mine was to beat last year's time on the short loop, which I did by over 10 minutes (yay!) I'm fairly certain it was a different course plot, but the elevation gain and drop probably didn't change much.

Ok whoa horsie now, stop running like a kamikaze and settle in to run the big, 20-mile loop.

People told me to get ready for a lot of power hiking during longer-distance trail runs...I can power hike!

One thing I quickly learned, but wasn't outright warned of, is you will be alone for long stretches at a time.

Race photos taken on course only show a small fraction of what is going on; we twist our faces into smiles for the camera and make it appear we're enjoying ourselves running.

During the 1st loop still looking fresh (photo cred: Jennefer Paquette)

In truth, there's tripping, stumbling & subsequent cursing, snot rockets, a fart or two..I also get an answer (more than 1) quickly enough when I wonder if I'm adequately hydrated.

During some of those alone times, you yell at the bugs buzzing around your head, some flying too close to your ears.

You decide to wage war on said bugs by going for the bug spray stashed in your pack...

...and find your sneaky race buddy has planted a build-it Minion toy! This made me laugh.

This was the final product

Resume bug spray war.

At times, take in the scenery.

And on other occasions, watch my step. How do these newts survive if they are this flaming orange colour that can be spotted far away?

I reach the 1st aid station 1/3 of the way into the 20 mile loop - still feel good, legs keep going, I think I can do this! While things are still going well, I foolishly think, "Maybe I can attempt a longer distance next year..."

I'd say I'd gotten in about 23km when BAM!...

...my cramming didn't totally pay off and my legs are screaming at me to stop running. The power hiking is ok, but every time I encounter a downhill it's harder and harder, because the legs are increasingly vocal about the agony.

Whenever a runner passes me on the trails, I momentarily get a little boost and trot for a short bit...then resume power hike mixed with clumsy jogging that makes me resemble a pirate with a peg leg.

"Shut up, legs!" only works for so long, so I start telling myself, "Make it to the next aid station! There's food!"

A cheerful volunteer greets me at the aid station, and asks, "What do you need?" I don't answer right away because there's 3 or 4 things I want to do right there and then. I finally muster, "Something...salty..." I spot at least 3 open jars of peanut butter on the table, along with saltine & Animal crackers, sliced sandwich bread, and Smucker's jam.

**to quote my buddy Randy - what I learned during this ordeal, is have a few salty snack options to go along with the sweet ones.

What else did I learn? While slathering Animal Crackers with peanut butter (try it! Delicious), I only butter the heads.

The funniest moment right then and there: a racer waging war with mosquitoes. He's sprayed himself with the bug spray, and then 30 seconds later we hear: *smack*. *Smack* "I just put bug spray!" *Smack* "WTF!!!" 

A little further down the trail - *smack* <cursing> *smack* "HEY!"

The last part of the 20-mile loop merges with the short loop, but I don't really recognize any of the landscape, just following the coloured race tape. I know we pass by a creek with running water just before the end of the loop, but I'd heard something like it earlier and was misled. Lo and behold, the finish!

There's some after-race balm by Dr. Doug at the main lodge that I slather all over my feet and lower legs, and it feels blissfully soothing. The actual limping and stiffness doesn't show up until the next day, where I can probably re-enact the "Walk this way" scene from Young Frankenstein.

I end up pit crewing and waiting for my running buddy to finish her 88k. She did!!

Final thoughts:

- I was able to cram training for a marathon in about 7 weeks...it just wasn't pretty at times, especially near the end.

- even though the hill climbs weren't as annoying as say Spartan Race ones, at some point they feel that way because the legs are tired.

- one network of trails we ran are on Mount Moosalamoo...MOOSALAMOO! hee hee

- people leave strange things on the trails. 1 of the 250-mile runners (picture a guy with a beard and built more like a football player) returns from a loop wearing a tiara that says "Princess", that someone had left on a trail sign.

- would I run this again? Probably. At least I know I should give myself 3 months to prepare.

The Inaugural GORUCK Expedition 6 & 12

"Get out of the hood, and into the woods..." - Cadre Cleve

When the term "survival" is used most of us think of extreme situations - The Revenant, Bear Grylls eating grubs and using a snakeskin to store liquid, Les Stroud's Survivorman series.. I was a bit disappointed GORUCK didn't add Navigator events to their calendar this year (it involved using a compass, surviving in the wilderness for up to 24 hours). But a new series called Expedition appeared and I jumped at the chance to sign up.

From what I understood, Expedition 6 (6 hours) and 12 were going to cover basics of surviving several hours, or maybe a night in the wilderness if lost. The packing list does include interesting items like iodine tablets (for purifying water) and a non-serrated folding knife. No weighted rucks which meant very different from our typical GORUCK event.

Our Cadre are two ex-Recon Marines, Cleve and Mickey, and they are thrilled to be in New Hampshire and teaching us. Everyone's a little nervous because we've all had one (or both) as event Cadre before, but as the day goes on, everyone relaxes. We are noobs here to learn.

Continuing along the lines of the new AAR style, here's what I learned during GORUCK Expedition 6 and 12:

- 6 hours feels like, and is, a very short time frame for learning and applying survival basics...and it's still very tiring. Those of us signed up for the 12 had no idea how we'd get through the night.
- being in the woods (in this case, a scout camp) calls for serious bug repellent. It does happen to be tick season..
- ticks are ugly motherf*ckers.
- you can legitimately say, "NOT TODAY SATAN, NOT TODAY" when flicking a tick off of your pants.
- in order to be comfortable finding your way out of the woods, you have to voluntarily get lost in the woods, over and over again.
- you don't feel so bad emerging from the woods a good 20 minutes' walk from the rendez-vous point when you see another team has done the same.
- the same woods look very different at night. Wait, what's that sound?
- a hand-drawn map (not to scale) that appears to be a photocopy of a photocopy is not reliable at all.

- the bigger the ferrocerium (firestarter) rod, the better. Your fingers will thank you (easier to grip)
- getting a fire started without matches or a lighter is not as easy as the outdoor survival people make it look on TV.
- the jubilation seen in Castaway (or in SpongeBob Goes Prehistoric) is real when you finally get a fire going.
- when you're wet and cold after spending 5 minutes in a lake, you can get a fire going quickly. Mindset is key.
- overheard during the 5 minute lake session: "Is it safe to say I'm too Mexican for this?"

Last thing to do for Expedition 12 at 6am: get wet!

- I realized a knife is something I shouldn't cheap out on, as the one I had dulled quickly after a few passes with the firestarter rod and some swipes at a tree branch. Solid construction, high-carbon, and a bigger blade goes a long way.
- ...so does a contractor bag
- a running windbreaker is not a substitute for Gore-Tex.
- that being said, a dumb move is putting on said windbreaker even though it's raining, and then finding the wet soaking through after standing in the rain for less than 20 minutes.
- an even dumber move is the Gore-Tex jacket is still in the trunk nearby.
- a lucky-ass move is getting to change jackets during a short break in the action.
- Cadre Cleve: "Merino wool and Gore-Tex go a long way" (aka LISTEN TO CADRE CLEVE)
- a Salomon hoodie, even though it's damp, keeps the wearer warm. Gearheads, take note.

- what happens when the rain finally stops? Out come the mosquitoes.
- raingear and long pants are enough of mosquito deterrents, so what's left for them to attack: your face. Maybe we shouldn't have wished for the rain to stop?
- the packing list included gloves, but shouldn't be limited to 1 pair. Once gloves get wet, they stay wet forever.
- watching Cadre stoke and get a smoldering fire going while it's raining is extremely entertaining. I don't think we really followed what Cadre Mickey was talking about.

Trying to dry off (and stay awake) after the overnight around the fire

- "If you can't tie knots, tie lots!" Easy to wind paracord any which way in setting up a stick dummy, but hell when it comes to cutting through the mess to disassemble it.
- you can put together a makeshift stretcher using two sturdy branches and cotton t-shirts...but the last thing anyone wants to hear is a loud SNAP when trying to carry someone (me!) on said stretcher.

Other little things learned between the 6 and the 12 (we had 3 hours):
- cold pizza is the best food. Period.
- a way to keep warm: make a cup of tea. (I had the luxury of an electric kettle where I was staying, so I filled my Stanley thermos with hot water, left it in the trunk and it was still piping hot many hours later)
- Cheez-Its are becoming my Kryptonite

These being the very first Expedition events, I know Cadre welcomed any kind of feedback and will use it to build and teach better courses in the future. I can't wait for the next one.