Don't give up. It's worth it.

Helen Lake and Cirque Peak

This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful hikes I have EVER been on.  Aside from the first 45 minutes or so, the views from this hike are constant. You start in the trees, but it quickly opens up into a massive alpine meadow full of flowers and surrounded by mountains and glaciers.  

View from about kilometer 2 of the trail.

Everything opens up at about kilometer three.

Creek Crossing!

View of the Bow Valley towards Lake Louise from the alpine meadows before you reach Helen Lake.

You can reach Helen Lake with minimal effort, but the views get better as you head up to the ridge above the lake. You start to catch glimpses what lies behind and beyond the mountains that surround the valley.   

Helen Lake with Cirque Peak behind it.

On the ridge above Helen Lake.

As you scramble up Cirque Peak, the views get more and more spectacular. Lakes and glaciers that weren't visible before are suddenly within your view. At the summit, you have a 360 degree view of everything, we could see numerous turquoise blue lakes, glaciers and more mountains! 

Part way up Cirque Peak. The ridge and Helen Lake are in the left part of the picture. Massive Bow Lake is in the top right.

Definitely a scramble up Cirque Peak.

Although my guidebook says the hike is moderate, hiking to the summit of Cirque Peak makes for a long day. It's probably on the more difficult end of the 'moderate' scale at 16 kilometers round trip and 1043 meters of elevation gain... 500 of which are in the last kilometer of the hike. There was one point (ok, maybe several points) on the steep, scree covered slope that I wanted to just give up and make my way back down. The rain clouds seemed to have caught up with us by then and I was worried about what the hike down would be like if everything suddenly got wet.  Luckily, someone mentioned the word 'loser', and I continued on.  

Panoramic shot from the summit.

Enjoying the views from the summit.

Group shot!

Going down a hike never seems to be as bad as I think it is, in spite of the steepness, with the exception of Skoki Mountain. Unfortunately, by the end of it, my left knee decided it did not like what I was doing and was throbbing for about the last 6 kilometers of the hike.  This, for the record, is why I hike with poles. My knee would have been worse if I had not brought them along.  

Lesson from this hike: Don't give up! Just keep hiking. It's worth it.

What are you all chasing?

This past weekend I ran the 10km race in the 49th Annual Calgary Marathon, and achieved a personal best by five minutes.  I'm quite happy about this time, but I had originally signed up for the half-marathon and changed my distance a month earlier due to lack of training. I can't help but wonder... what if I had actually trained properly for this??

I really admire the people (and there were thousands of them!!) who ran the half and full marathon this weekend. Not only because they ran a bajillion kilometers at 7 am on a Sunday, but because after attempting to train properly for a half, I can really fully appreciate how much time, effort and dedication was put into preparing for their race.

At the start line May 26th, 2013

I had an epiphany today. Yes, I bailed on my half. I didn't train enough. And it would certainly be easy to look at everyone else online and on Facebook and kick myself for being slow or running a shorter distance but I still ran 10 kilometers and I improved my time. And that is something I am celebrating. There is no way I would have even considered running 10 km four years ago.  There's no way I would have ever tried a triathlon ten years ago (which is when I first realized I wanted to do one!). 

My epiphany? I'm kind of awesome and I have come a long way.  I've worked on my goals, one little itty bitty step at a time.  I started off struggling through 2km runs. It took me three years to run what I consider a really good 10k. That's a really long freaking time. 

Before I leave you, I must thank the volunteers and cheerleaders who woke up early and took time out of their day to cheer the runners on! They also made some pretty awesome signs. I must share my favourites with you:

• Worst. Parade. Ever.
• May the course be with you.
• Who needs nipples?
• What are you all chasing?
• I ran a marathon once. [Insert grumpy cat pic.] It was awful.
• Who are all these people following you?
• I woke up really early to make this sign.

My new goal for the end of the year: Run a half-marathon and actually train for it!

New Limits and Happy Americans

Cyclops V6

Today was rad. Michelle and I woke up feeling pretty tired. We sluggishly left the resort after a nice breakfast. Upon arrival of the Kraft parking lot we made a b-line to the monkey bar boulder. To our surprise there was no one there. Michelle really wanted to get the classic V2 line that hits pretty much the cream of the crop on the boulder. She needed some power spotting at first and encouragement but she managed to pull out all the stops and walked up the problem. After that I played on Monkey Bar Direct V8, but I couldn't link the bottom moves to the top moves. I'm not too upset about it. It's a very hard problem that requires lots of tension, core, finger power and coordination. I like the problem I just don't feel like I was close enough to really work on it. It's just the reality of short trips. You need to be able to set goals that are attainable within a fairly short period of time and so far I think I'm doing a good job.


After the monkey bar boulder we headed back into gateway canyon to check out some boulders. It had a very spooky vibe because we were literally the only ones back there and after only being in the canyon for maybe 10mins we turned around and headed back to kraft. On the way back I spotted a boulder just past the Alexisizier. It was a boulder I had previously tried with Adam a few years back. Cyclops and Snake Eyes. Both roughly the same grade and same style. Decent hands, terrible feet to a big move to moderate moves and a top out. I knew snake eyes was far to tall for me and I have previously only ever seen really tall people do snake eyes. So I put some Dr.Dre on my iphone, chalked up and sent. Left hand in a sloppy dish, right hand on a good edge with a high left foot, push up with a left hand to a small edge, right hand goes into some small little pockets up to a glory jug and a decent top out. Stoked to had completed a problem I had previously though to be too hard or weird to do.

After that Michelle and I headed down to the Pearl where she was stoked to try clam bumper. A V4 with a nice mellow start on a jug followed by high feet small holds to a slightly precarious top out. She was a little weary about falling the day previous but after bagging monkey bars she was riding high on confidence and took a few nice falls on the pads. She was have some difficulty getting her feet high enough once on the crux and kept on popping off. I helped her scope out some different foot holds, threw some tick marks on them and BOOM, before you know it she was manteling over the lip, elated by her new achievement.





We then headed back to the resort for a swim. I like to play pool games with Michelle. My favorite being 'who can swim the furthest while being fully submerged'. I like to think I made it up but it's just super fun to be in a pool and literally play like a kid. After that we played 'who is better at swimming between the others legs' and 'who can push off the wall the hardest'. Michelle was sick of my horse playing so we hit the hot tub for a few mins. We caught up with Sarah and Scott who did an intense hike up a local Turtle Mountain in Red Rocks. Apparently it was steep and beautiful. They headed out to the iron chefs restaurant for dinner and we prepped our bbq dinner.

Michelle and I shared the bbq'ing duties and had a really nice dinner. We also came to a bit of a realization whilst bbq'ing. There was a nice man from San Diego who was also bbq'in and he didn't hesitate to open a conversation. We realized that Canadians are far more passive and unwilling to be conversational. We also made this observation previously when we bumped into climbers from New York, Minnesota  and even the clerks at the grocery stores. Perhaps it's because people here seem to share some sort of common ideology related to freedom, liberty and all that patriotic garbage. Maybe it has something to do with the weather...? Either way I think Canadians could learn something from them.  The next time you are caught sitting next to someone you don't know, introduce yourself and make a new friend. There is no us and them, there is only us.

After dinner Michelle destroyed me at Monopoly and went to sleep. What a ruthless beast she can be...

Kraft Boulders Day 2

Today we went to the Kraft Boulders.  It was another beautiful day with some wispy clouds in the air.  We started on the warm-up boulders and got the blood flowing on a few v0’s.  We went to climb Picante Sauce, which felt like doing a bouldering problem in the gym. Fantastic movement on good jugs and a fairly easy top out.  Sarah conquered her first boulder here! 

Sarah crushing Picante Sauce, v1

Me flashing Picante Sauce v1 

Afterwards, we moved a few meters up the path and Dave flashed a v6 on his second and third try. It was a problem made for him, beefy moves on a slopey arrete.  After his third try he almost stepped on a tortoise!! We all scrambled over to admire it and quickly realized he was mid-lunch before we came along and put him in survival mode.  We did get to see him saunter away after we went back to our climbing. According to the Red Rocks Conservation Center, it is extremely rare to see a wild tortoise. Swicked!

Dave crushing!

Some v6 action

Wild Tortoise!

 The Pearl was next on our list.  Sarah and I tried a v4, but it was just too crimpy.  We moved over around the corner into the shade and crushed a few v0’s and v1’s while day worked on Jenna’s Jewelery, a one move dyno v4 problem.  

Dave on Jenna's Jewellery, v4

We headed over to My Tan to try a v2, which Sarah and I onsighted. We went around the corner and tried another problem.  I decided to try a sit start variation and soon discovered it was not in the guidebook. It had some cool slopers, pinches and a heel hook.  Dave thinks its v4 territory, and I believe him! It was tough. I didn't manage to connect the sit start to the start of the v1, but it was tons of fun!

Sarah on a v2

Me trying a sit start variation of a v1, it was not in the guidebook.

We headed back early in the afternoon to go play in the pool. We did handstands, somersaults, underwater hold your breath contest.  The works really. The joke was we didn’t belong in the adult pool. :)

For dinner, Sarah, Scott, Dave and I teamed up again for a bbq’ed steak dinner, with baked sweet and regular potatoes, asparagus and mac and cheese. We also go to meet Scott’s sister and brother-in-law, Lindsay and Sean.  Delicious dinner! We did forget about dessert, so we’ll have to remember that for next time!

P.S. At the local grocery store here, you can make your own six-pack and choose from many a beer.  Dave and I have definitely taken advantage of that.  I’m also a big fan of sweet tea, which is sold in abundance here!

Reverse Bucket List

The next year and a half is going to be an amazing adventure for Dave and I.  When I graduated from university (the second time), working and traveling abroad was on my very long list of things to do. I find lately I am constantly reflecting on my life and I am grateful everyday for all the experiences that I've had.  When I saw Sarah's reverse bucket list I knew I had to make my own! Some of ours are very similar... there's a reason why we are good friends! 

1. Fall in love.

Dave and I at Lake Louise August 2009.

Cheesy! I know! I can't say how wonderful it is having Dave in my life.  He is someone I can share my adventures with, be silly with, who encourages me, challenges me and calls me out on my bullshit!

2. Hike the West Coast Trail and live to tell the tale!

 I honestly thought someone was going to die on this trail, but it wasn't actually all that bad... although I would not recommend making it your first backpacking trip.  I would do it again!

We finished! Celebratory fake canoe shot.

Walking across the beach.

In one of the bogs.

3. Study abroad.

 Going to Prague for a semester was the best decision I have ever made for myself. I met the most wonderful people, had a fantastic time and got to see a lot of Europe. I had professors teaching me about European history who were around during WWII and Stalin's era. It absolutely blew my mind.Traveling and living abroad, even if for a few weeks at a time, is the best thing anyone can do for themselves.  It helped me become a better me! 

St. Peter's Square in Rome with Maryam

Christmas in Prague

4. Lead a 5.10 outdoors.

  I've lead three by my count in the past year! Score!

5. Learn to run.

Before I went to Prague, I was fairly inactive. While everyone else gained weight from copious amounts of beer and deep fried cheese balls, I lost weight from the amount of walking we did on a daily basis!  Needless to say, five years ago, I was an inactive slug. I started running a few years ago. It was definitely a steep learning curve for my lungs. Since then, I have run a few 5-6 km races and a 10km. I am currently training for my first half-marathon in Calgary on May 26th, 2013. We'll see how it goes!

If you are looking to start running, I highly recommend going to the Running Room and signing up for a course. The coaches are knowledgeable and you are surrounded by like minded and motivated people.

If you are looking for some beginner friendly races, the Rocky Mountain Soap Run in Canmore is a great place to start for women. It's in a beautiful setting, there is an aromatherapy towel and a bag of all natural RMS products at the finish line! Just be aware: the course is very hilly. The Calgary Marathon is a huge event and is great for beginners (the course is basically flat).

6.  Complete a triathlon.

Enough said!

Coming into the transition zone. Photo Credit: Photography by Dave Cassidy

7. Backcountry camping in the Rocky Mountains

Despite living an hour away from the Rocky Mountains, I only really started hiking over the past five years and backcountry camping over the past two years. I must say it as quite different from the West Coast Trail, mainly because of the elevation gain.  I'm real dangerous hiking through flat terrain, but add some elevation and things tend to slow down a lot. The views are worth it though!

View from Skoki Mountain

Hiking to Baker Lake

8. Visit the Maritimes.

I was lucky enough to recieve a bursary from the Explore program (it's not hard, you just have to be a Canadian citizen and a full-time student) to study French at the Universite de Moncton for six weeks with two of my good friends!  We used this as an opportunity to see Halifax, the Bay of Fundy and PEI. We didn't quite make it out to Newfoundland and Labrador but there is always next time!

One thing I have learned over the past few years, life is what you make it.  You can choose to focus your energy on all the negative events in your life, and wallow in self pity or you can choose to be happy and focus on the positive things in your life. So go ahead and ask yourself: what's on your reverse bucket list?

I can't wait to see what my reverse bucket list will look like in five years!