Resolutions Review

It’s more than half way through February and about time for a "Resolutions Review’ on those 50 that I made on December 31st.

Knowing my little book sits there with the 50 listed, big spaces in between each resolution for progress notes and check marks, is an incentive for me to make sure there are positives to promote. I want to be a successful winner!

All that being said, I have made great progresses. Got to make lots of check marks (they are backwards left handed ones but they are check marks). I even surpassed one resolution! And it’s only just a little more than half way through February. I will check back in a little more than half way through April for an update.

P.S. I have to get back at flossing more often. That resolution only lasted three weeks.

Coast to Coast

From the Pacific to the Atlantic! I’ve been there, to lighthouses on each coast, the Fisgard Lighthouse in British Columbia and Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse in Nova Scotia. And here they are, an acrylic painting of each by my artistically talented friend.

These paintings represent so much more than what you see before you here or what I see when I look at them hanging on my kitchen wall. A lighthouse, on its own, alone, means something to me, different than what they may stand for, for your average person. When I look at a lighthouse I get a sense of safety and security. I feel guided and protected. I get goose bumps when I see a live lighthouse and my hair stands on end when I have the opportunity to enter in. Strange! Maybe for you, not for me!

I received these two gifts at significant times in my life. I know too, they were projects, of my friend at poignant times in her life. For both of us, they represent therapy. At what more important times in one’s life do we look for guidance and a safe place!

Pass Perfect

A lady should never go anywhere without her lip gloss because you just never know! It should be put to use and not stored away, forgotten! That proved true today! Along the route, I stopped, looked back only to see my snowshoeing friend in an amorous embrace with a fellow on x-country skis. What the heck? It had to be the lip gloss! I only got to look on, you see, my gloss was zipped in a pocket, forgotten! This occurrence took place on today’s West Elk "Pass" snowshoe outing.

I’ve grown up where lots of snow is no big deal. I’ve seen and I’ve been to Winter Wonderlands but today’s snow was more beautiful and more spectacular then I have ever laid my eyes upon. Today consisted of four and a half hours of exercise, an abundance of fresh air, this beautiful snowy scenery, all along with great conversation. Is there anything better for the soul?

The Pass was Perfect! A little more so for my snowshoeing friend! :-)

Skreeek Skreeek Skreeek

Today's Run

10km

Crowchild Loop Plus Two

-23 Degrees Celcius

-37 Degrees Celcius Windchill

The sound of my footsteps!

Fullerton Friend Found

One never knows where one will meet another one!

Boy, this tall tale teller will have a tale to tell for tens of years to come. This Starbucks Thermos had a thirst to be quenched. There had been a demonstrated desire to find a friend. My promise was to do what I could, maybe even look on line.

When you least expect it! There! Right under the Thermos’ lid, sitting on the bench, appeared an unbelievable sight. A perfect match!

This tall tale teller Thermos found a friend at Fullerton in February. What better month to make a match!

Fullerton In February

February can be Frightfully Fierce but this February day at Fullerton was Fabulous! Don’t you just love all those "F" words?

So close to home but yet so far. Today felt like being worlds away. This outing was lacking in so many ways. It lacked traffic on the commute to and from. It was lacking in populous (we saw seven people). There was a lack of towers, buildings and structures. The day lacked cloud cover and cold.

Who ever thought the lack of so much could be such a good thing?

Wide open views of forever to see!

Trek to Mount Assiniboine

I told you to stay tuned for more Tales of the Traveling Thermos!

The Traveling Thermos reports it did a trek to Mt. Assiniboine. Um, a trek to Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park that is. O.K., a trek to close proximity of Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park to be exact. Ahh, well actually, a trek to a place where there was a view of Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park a way off in the distance.

This tall tale teller teases me when I tell the truth!

Here we go! The Starbucks Thermos accompanied us on a recent snowshoe trek. As you can tell from the photo, it got up close and cozy with a set of snowshoes, nestled right in there in the middle. They became quite attached and it was difficult and disheartening when it came time to pry them apart. Before you know it, we will find the Thermos throwing a temper tantrum desiring to be strapped to the snowshoe instead of sitting in the tote pocket. I’m sensing the Thermos needs a friend so I will have to see what I can do about that! Maybe I can find it a mate on line!!! This will be a task to tackle for the next trek!

Fork in the Road

What did you do Saturday? Oh....we snowshoed all the way to Banff, had lunch there and went for a Starbucks coffee then snowshoed all the way back!

The plan wasn’t to end up where we did, our destination was Karst Springs. Our quest was unconquered because when we came to the fork in the road, we choose the high road instead of the low road. Our destination remains undetermined because of the lack of any kind of signage that would tell us how far we went and where we exactly ended up. We made guesstimates!

O.K.! O.K.! I embellished a tad on snowshoeing all the way to Banff, having Starbucks coffee and lunch. The high road took us down a path (certainly not a garden path) that crossed the border from Spray Valley Provincial Park into Banff National Park. This path was full of rolling hills, dips, inclines and one big long decline, no word of a lie, was a kilometer itself. A couple of clicks after crossing the border, we set up lunch camp in a sheltered, open, flat area with a view of Mount Smuts directly in front of us at the end of a snow covered alpine meadow. We did have lunch and our coffee was better than Starbucks coffee but was from a Starbucks thermos.

Once the overcast lifted and the winds died down, we were afforded an absolutely beautiful view to feast our eyes upon. And to think, there are some that have no idea this even exists! What a shame! The high road was the road less traveled. Sometimes when you go where others have not, the experience can be ten fold. It was for us! Our mistake was our gain!

Icing on the Cake

It was everything "ice" today!

"ice" falls, "icy" cross country trails, "ice" cleats, "icicles", "iced" over creeks

Our escape! Our day away! The whole day away!

For the majority of our adventure we experienced the sights, sounds, smells of a treasure filled place to be. Donned in hikers, "ice" cleats, poles, backpacks, sunglasses we carried on to our destination and beyond. The initial destination of frozen "ice" falls was all we thought it may be! Postcard Picture Perfect! A detour then brought us to a path that was narrow, curvy, leading up, "icy" in spots, tree lined, filled with sunny shadows, it was drawing us along and we followed. It was quiet and peaceful and quite beautiful.......then all of a sudden we came to an end with an opening there in front us were a few thousand people, hundreds of cars, flags blowing in the breeze, tunes blaring over a speaker system and a gigantic sign that read NAKISKA! We happened upon the Day Lodge at the Nakiska Ski Hill. Interruption!

Our treasure was interrupted for about thirty minutes to dine in the sunshine and then we ventured back to our treasured space. We did not want this day to end. Once our plan of attack to attack "ice" was attacked, it was still early enough, nice enough, sunny enough, warm enough to tack on another plan of attack which turned out to be a little more than we could chew. But what do you do! We’re ladies of substance and fortitude and when the going gets tough, we have what it takes to get tough, soooo we got tough!

......and the "ice" cold beer at the end to celebrate was the "icing on the cake"!

A “So Long” Snowshoe

It wasn’t a soooo looonnnggg snowshoe! It was a "so long to 2007" snowshoe! My very good friend and I choose this way to say goodbye and hello. Something healthy, fun, active, outside. We could not have asked for a more perfect day.

blue sky blanket of white
sunshine -9
wind there was not
at times the sun felt hot

Chester Lake was the destination choice. We have conquered that snowshoe trip numerous times in the past but today was different. It was special and unique in that today’s adventure stood for something it never stood for before. This was an accomplishment in inspiration and motivation for each of us! We laughed, smiled, we joked, complained (hey, we’re only human), we planned, gossiped a tiny bit, we wished and hoped. We had lots of quiet time, it was comfortable. For me, I was being introspective, trying to be strong. What about you?

I am the picnic girl and my good friend proved she is too!
Vision this!
bright yellow tarp
on that blanket of white
sunshine on faces
ham sandwiches & vegetables
havarti cheese and baked chips
hot coffee and chocolates
Champagne...Happy New Year Sign
A toast and a resolution!

Goodbye 2007! Hello 2008!

I Am A Finisher!

It’s time to take a few minutes to reflect on yesterday’s accomplishment! Why would I call this an accomplishment or feel that it is? After all, it was just a half-marathon! I know, some would say "JUST"! I tell you, the emotions I experienced nearing the end of the race tells me it was an accomplishment.

As I re-live the experience in m mind, there is not one single thing I would have changed to make it any better than it was. Oh, maybe one thing...I would have preferred a different bid color to match my outfit! No, not really!

There were many memorable moments and scenes and experiences that made this event special. I mean things like, running through the Stampede Grounds and finding hundreds of folks cheering us on at about 7:15 am on a Sunday morning. Running through the Zoo as the animals start their day, that’s when they seem to be most awake and active. I did not get to see the warthogs, they are my favourite. Sharing a few kilometers with John Stanton, the Running Room guru. What an inspiration that man is! He is in his 50s, he is running a half marathon, and his race is not about him like it is for the rest of us. For each of us, this race is "all about me"! For John Stanton, this race was all about everyone else around him, the runners, the volunteers, the spectators. Maybe that’s why it looked like it was an easy race for him to run, his focus was everywhere else but on himself. Maybe he knows the true secret!

From past experiences with running, I know what is facing me with a couple of kilometers to go, but for some reason I think it might be different this time. I don’t know why I thought this, maybe I needed to know a reason for why I felt it was going to be different. I did not have a reason and it turned out being no different than in the past. This is where my experience begins to tell me I am accomplishing something worthy! I feel the lump in my throat and I begin to feel the moisture in my eyes. With a couple of kilometers to go, the pace quickens slightly, the heart beats faster and I cannot contain what I am feeling inside. My emotions spill out as I run. I wonder what the people along the sidelines think when they are see a grimace on my face and the odd tear on my cheek. Maybe they think I am pushing on in pain! I want them to now these are emotions of joy, of exhilaration, of release, of accomplishing a hard earned goal I set for myself! All this tells me I can deservedly call what I did an accomplishment!

I am a finisher of the 2007 Stampede Alberta Jeep Eagle Half Marathon!

Royal Victoria Half-Marathon October 8, 2006

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

other documents are scanned from scrapbook pages

     

Royal Victoria Half-Marathon October 8, 2006

Victoria, British Columbia

Thanksgiving Weekend

October 8, 2006

Me & J Mo

I did not write a race recap after running this half-marathon so what I share here is what I remember today (February 20, 2019) as I write this.  My memory is terrible for some things but for the races I completed many years ago the memories are very vivid.  In hind-sight my stars were not aligned for this race but at the time my thoughts did not even venture there.  

J Mo and I met at the airport for our quick flight out to Victoria.  1.  stars unaligned - Going through security I was pulled aside while J Mo sailed on through.  This was the first time ever I had a thorough security check off to the side where I was facing a wall spread-eagle with my hands in the air against the wall.  I was patted down  from head to toe by the female officer. When she was done and I carried on through with the balance of security and met up with J Mo she had this look on her face and said "What the he!! happened to you!" I got myself together, clothes back in place, hair somewhat styled again and carried on.  2. stars unaligned - The flight was rough where the small plane was bouncing all over the place.  We held on and I said a prayer.  I had never been scared like this before on a plane.  3.  stars unaligned - The evening before the race we went out for our carbo loading dinner.  Mine arrived and it did not look that appealing.  I ate some of it but was turned off and lost my appetite.  J Mo shared a bit of hers with me.  I filled up on the bread and a desert.  4.  stars unaligned - We turned the light out at a decent time with hopes of a good night sleep.  Before midnight a noisy crew arrived to their room  a few doors down and got a party started which went on for awhile before it was shut down by staff. Sleep was restless and on and off from that point on.   5. stars unaligned - We woke to the sound of pouring down rain.  Luckily we were a 5 minute walk to the starting point of the race.  6.  stars unaligned - We made our way to the start and within that 5 minute walk and about 10 minutes to use the restroom then get in line, I was already soaked, before the race even started.    

I remember all that so vividly yet even so, I remember running the race and enjoying it, being lost in my thoughts, admiring the scenery especially the kilometers we ran along the Pacific Ocean.  The views were not bright and colorful but they were distracting and enjoyable.  I was in a zone and just did my thing.  It was not my best race time-wise but I did finish upright with a smile on my face and healthy.  We beamed after receiving our medals, we got caught up in the euphoria that comes with a happy finish and then partied a bit with the crowd.  Eventually we made it back to our hotel room, cleaned up then draped our medals proudly around our necks and went out to the bar to celebrate!  

professional photo from along the race route

I thought these words said it all on how I felt about this race day!  

Penstock Loop February 26, 2006

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information is from what I wrote in a journal

Penstock Loop

 February 26, 2006  Sunday

Me,  J Her

5.5 km round trip

10:00am - 12:00pm

As it turned out, it was much warmer in Kananaskis than it was in Calgary.  Temp was about -2C.  The trip started at the Canyon Day Use Area.  It was rolling hills with lots of snow.   We had to break trail most of the way.  We got back to the car at noon and had lunch at a picnic table then just snowshoed along the Lower Kananaskis Lake for a few minutes. 

Looking back:  We were thinking we would be out there for a few hours and that's what we planned for and take gear and food for.  It was very disappointing to find it was a short trip.  I guess we were now more experienced snowshoers and ready to move on up the ladder. 

Grotto Canyon February 20, 2006

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information is from what I wrote in a journal

Grotto Canyon

 February 20, 2006

Me,  J Her

4 km round trip

10:45am - 1:15pm

This was a hike along the frozen canyon.  We wore cleats for the ice and our gators more for warmth,  It was about a km of hiking before we reached the canyon.  It was quite neat on the ice.  Took lots of photos  We continued pass the canyon and up to the base of the cave.  Had lunch there.  On the way back the frozen canyon was melting and not too pleasant.  My feet were soaking wet.

Looking back:  We wondered why when we were hiking in the canyon everyone was hiking out.  We realized after wards you need to get in there before the day warms up and the sun gets on the canyon floor ice.  They got out before they were up to their ankles in water.   Is was then I thought it a good idea to take a change of footwear and socks  for after a hike or snowshoe.  My shoes were a mess and my socks drenched and my feet uncomfortable.   I drove home in my bare feet.  

Buller Pass August 28, 2005

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information is from what I wrote in a journal

Buller Pass

 August 28, 2005  Sunday

Me,  D.

13 km round trip

670 m elevation

9:30am - 4:30pm

+25C

 

This was a great day!  We started around 9:30, it was a little fresh but warmed up nicely and soon  We stopped a couple of times for a snack on the way up.  As we got near the scree ready for the climb it was cool and very very windy.  At the top we stopped for lunch for 30 minutes or so.  We had a beautiful view of Ribbon Valley and Ribbon Lake.  On the way back we stopped and rested for 30 minutes in an open area.

Looking back:  It was my turn to drive this day and we took the 742 up from Canmore. The drive to the trail head was fine but on the drive home on the 742 I hit a big pot hole and cracked the catalytic converted on my car.  This was an expensive hike!  I liked orange back then but little did I know how much.

Rummel Lake March 27, 2005

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information is from what I wrote in a journal

Looking back: is what I still remember today about the day

Rummel Lake

 March 27, 2005 Easter Sunday

Me,  J Him

10 km round trip

400 m elevation approx

10:00am - 2:30pm approx

It was an overcast day just barely below zero degrees.  There had been a snowfall over night.  This is not a maintained trail but there were marks we could follow.  Had to stop a number of times going up.  It was  gradual ascent.  We had lunch at the top.  It was beginning to snow.  Only saw five people.  Beautiful scenery.  Would love to do this in the summer.

Looking back:  This snowshoe trek is memorable for what is wrong in this world!  We arrived at the trail head parking area on the side of the road where there was a Parks Vehicle and a red vehicle with the front window totally smashed out, the side mirrors broken off and left hanging, the side window smashed and the inside of the car covered in snow.   The Park Warden got out of her vehicle and came to talk to us.  She told us this vehicle and been damaged over night probably by young people from Canmore who have nothing better to do.  I was flabbergasted!   I had never heard of such a thing like this happening!  She told us the car would belong to people who went up to the backcountry campground at Rummel Lake for the night.  We were nervous about leaving our vehicle.  She said she would be staying here until the people came down.  We geared up and began snowshoeing.  Part way up we met three people, a Dad, a son, a daughter.  The son and daughter I would say were probably very early teens or almost early teens.  They had snowshoed up for the night, then come down on Easter Sunday and planned to go home to have Easter with the rest of the family.  We told them about their vehicle and the Warden was there waiting for them.  I felt sick about this whole thing and I could tell they now looked the same.  We reached the Lake, did not stay long, there were no views.  We arrived back at the trail head and the Warden told us the family was over at Engadine Lodge waiting for someone to come pick them up and also waiting for a tow truck to come for their car.  We went over to the Lodge and talked with them and asked if there was anything we could do to help out but between the Warden, their family and the Engadine Lodge staff, they were O.K.  I felt so sad, so let down, so disappointed that this could happen on Easter Weekend to a young family who were bonding out in the wilderness, in the middle of winter where it snowed all night.  They were doing what is right in this world but experienced what is so wrong in this world.  

Easter Sunday

This is about shoulder level in the summer.

Rawson Lake February 20, 2005

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information & story is from what I wrote in a journal

Rawson Lake

 February 20, 2005 - Sunday

Me,  J Him

12 km round trip

320 m elevation

9:30 am - 1:45 pm

This was a wonderful day! It was very cold for the first while.  We had all our layers on.  We followed along the Upper Kananaskis Lake then turned off to the left to go up to Rawson Lake. We had lunch and then went across the Lake to the base of Mt. Sarrail.  We saw an avalanche.  On the way back we came across the Upper Kananaskis Lake.

Looking back:  I know now we were not at the base of Mt Sarrail.  Reading these few sentences for each event does not make an impression that these outings were great.  It was not until a couple of years down the road when I began to blog that I wrote more of a story line.  Notice at times I did dress in black from head to toe! 

Chester Lake February 12, 2005

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information is from what I wrote in a journal

Chester  Lake

 February 12, 2005 - Saturday

Me,  J Her

6.0 km round trip

310 m elevation

10:00am - 2:00pm

What a beautiful day!  The snowshoe up felt easier than when J Him and I did it.  It was clear blue sky the whole time.  There were more people also.  We had lunch at the Lake, sat in the sun for awhile.  No wind at all but it felt cool.  On the way back the wind picked up a bit but it was still beautiful.

Looking back:  During these early years of when snowshoeing was not quite sexy, there were not many options of places to go.  Many trips were made to Chester and Rawson.  Ooops - I did take my snowshoes off again at lunch time after thinking I learned a lesson at Chester just a couple of weeks prior.    

Hogarth Lakes Loop January 29, 2005

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information & story is what I wrote in a journal

Hogarth Lakes Loop

 January 29, 2005 - Saturday

Me,  J Him

4.5 km loop

no elevation

10:00am - 12:00pm

We were supposed to do Chester Lake but I felt sick and did not think I could handle the elevation. We parked at Chester Lake but walked over to Hogarth Lakes.  It was slow going because I felt sick. I could hardly move, so it took up to two hours to snowshoe around the Lake.  I felt cold the whole time.  We got to the car around noon and ate there then J Him drove home.  I slept most of the way.  

Looking back:  Why did I even go in the first place?  Maybe I was trying to make an impression so he would like me more.  Was this a good impression?  NOT!!!

Chester Lake January 23, 2005

Documenting Days Gone By

photos are scanned from prints

information is from what I wrote in a journal

Chester Lake Snowshoe

 January 23, 2005 - Sunday

Me,  J him.

6.o km round trip

310 m elevation

10:30am - 2:30pm

 

Snowshoe trip up to Chester Lake.  It was warm starting out.  It was steep at parts.  The alpine meadow was beautiful.  We had lunch at the lake.  We saw an avalanche.  It started to mist and got cool.  The scenery was beautiful.  It seemed a little difficult coming down at times.  Felt very tired.

Looking back:  This was my first ever snowshoe out in the mountains.  You could make your way up and back to Chester Lake and maybe see less than a dozen other people. On this day I learned not to remove my snowshoes when sitting for lunch.  We removed ours when we sat down.  While eating we heard a rumble and a thunderous noise and then we saw an avalanche come down off the mountain right in front of us.  I had never heard nor seen one before and we did not know how far the snow would come.  We wanted out of there so when we stood up to move, we sunk to over our knees in snow and could go no where.  We panicked then noticed the snow stopped at the other side of Chester Lake.  Never again have I removed my snowshoes at lunch time.    

in the meadow

 the view along the way

 lunch at Chester Lake