Monday, May 13, 2013

A Weekend in the Rockies

Saturday

Dave and I went to our usual crag at Grassi Lakes in the Rocky Mountains this weekend. This is a popular crag with beginners and experts a like because of it's quick and easy approach and proximity to Canmore.

On our way up to Grassi (we took the easy route from the bottom) we were passed by two emergency vehicles full of rescue workers.  When we arrived, we learned there had been an accident. It's not really clear what happened, but a girl had fallen from the anchors of one of the climbs onto some dirt.  No more information has officially been released about the accident, so I'm not going to speculate on what happened.


We watched a rescue helicopter fly in three times. The first time, it seemed like, was to ensure the helicopter could fly in safely without hitting overhead power lines. The second time, a rescue worker dangling on a rope below the helicopter was dropped off with gear. The third time was to pick up the girl who had been hurt, again attached to a rope dangling below a helicopter.  They all worked quickly and efficiently, and I hope the girl has a speedy recovery. It was definitely a good reminder of how dangerous climbing can be and to not become complacent!


We climbed at Graceland first on Elvis Lives (10c) and Graceland (10d). Dave made a sweet video of the 10c.





Moved onto Gardener's Wall, where I did my first lead of the season. This is where the accident occurred and I was definitely being extra cautious. I top Roped 10a in the right hand corner afterwards and then we called it a day!

We headed out and checked into our hotel and went for Thai food at a place called Thai It Up. I ordered a delicious Pad Thai with very fresh shrimp. I have been obsessed with Pad Thai lately, so if you have a good recipe, please share it with me! Our food took awhile, but it was worth the wait. I also sampled Dave's butter chicken and Sarah's panang curry...delicious! I highly recommend this place! We also got a local's discount. Nice that we were being mistaken for Canmorians.

Overall a fantastic day with some great friends!

Sunday


On Sunday, I participated in the Rocky Mountain Soap Run Women's Run & Walk at the Nordic Center with some friends.  It's my third year participating and I love it!

 

Dave was there to cheer me on since it's a women's only run complete with aroma therapy towels and a goodie bag of all natural products from RMS waiting for you at the finish line. This year I decided to challenge myself and ran 10 km. That's 10 kms of hills, hills and more hills!!  As you can see I was really happy to be done!




Afterwards, my coworkers and I decided to make our run calorie neutral with a meal at the Grizzly Paw. Good times!!



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