INVIGORATED!

The sun is shining and the snow in the mountains is abundant (I wrote this post over a week ago). Today, I had the entire day to myself. No work and no friends to play with, so I had the opportunity to create my very own solo adventure. As of late, Peter and I have been hiking the BCMC a few times a week, usually in the morning before work. I know snowshoeing trails exist up there but have never taken the time to explore. I am sure it's not a whole lot different then when I hike around in the summertime but when everything is covered in snow, the terrain just looks different.

I strapped my snowshoes to my pack and started my hike up the Grind to the top. I only saw 2 others on the trail today and one of them must have been in his 80's, very impresive. Once at the chalet I asked en employee about the trails and he gave me the scoop. There is a trail called the Snowshoe Grind trail (SSG) which essentially takes you to Dam Mountain. You can purchase a chip if you want and you can scan it just outside the chalet and upon your return. There is nothing to scan on Dam Mtn, they just go by the honor system.

The trails were easy to find and within no time I was on the top of Dam, eating my lunch in pure bliss. The sun was shining directly on me and I stayed warm and toasty. A fellow was telling me about Thunderbird Ridge, somewhere I had never been. It wasn't to far of a detour so I checked that one off as well. If you are looking to snowshoe to a location more private, Thunderbird Ridge would be it. There were 3 ladies eating lunch and boy did they pack well (i.e- Baileys, banana bread, chocolate santas!). I took a picture of them and then was back on my way to the chalet. Getting to descend (run) downhill back to the chalet was by far the best part.

Grouse was just a zoo today. I couldn't beleive how many cars there were and how many people were at the top. However, where I went was relativily quiet. Can't wait for more adventures soon!

On another note, I have been running lot's but can't say I am really in training mode. Most runs are no longer than an hour before or after 8-11 hours of work. I prefer to go before work as that is when I am the most fresh. After being on my feet for so long, all I want to do is sit down! I am also doing the BCMC 2-3 times a week and strength training, climbing and doing yoga when I can fit them in. So, I am staying active and getting in a good mix of everything.

I was planning on doing some travelling (to New Zealand) at the beginning of the new year but plans changed slightly. I got another job working full-time at MEC (Mountain Equipment co-op) and am trying to juggle that with my personal training/run coaching/lactate balance point testing. It's the busiest I have been for a while but to be honest, I am loving it. I just function better as a busy person. I also appreciate the downtime more. So with all that said, I am going to focus on saving some money and look to head over to Europe in the summer months to explore the mountains, eat delicious food, and hopefully run UTMB (pending I get selected from the lottery).

See you out there!