Packed my bins and headed East!

Hello girls and boys,

I laid eyes on the mainland for the first time in three months on August 30, proceeded to eat a ridiculous amount of sushi in North Vancouver, picked up Josiane and made the final leg of the journey back to Kamloops! The air here is a lot less clean than on the West Coast but I assure you I am surviving!

Thanks to the boats and bikes, one of these things is not like the rest of them.

Spending less than 24 hours in Kamloops, nine students and two instructors made our way to the Robson Valley for the Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Specialist course. And school had started! For an adventure student this means seal launching into class II/III rapids and swimming around in the current rescuing subjects and participating in scenarios! It was a pretty rad course. We got to play around in Hargreaves Canyon during the day and participate in a night search scenario at the base of Rearguard Falls. Something about drunk guys going over the falls in an inflatable pool??? Pretty funny. I did not end up getting my certificate, which is good. I definitely need to spend more time in the river environment to get to know the ins and outs of the river. Oh, and I need to take up swim training! You will find me in the pool!

First day of class, not bad, not bad at all!

Who wouldn't want to be saved by them?

Only the best!

After five days of SRS, it was the typical one day to recharge, refuel and repack. It was off to the Clearwater Bible Camp, located in Clearwater, BC on the banks of the Clearwater River, for kayak 3, where seven of us (the 'white water people') would attempt our CanoeKayakBC flatwater instructor and leader 2 certificates. Again it was a great course, spending a quarter of the day learning how to give theory lessons, half the day on the lake getting our skills up to demo quality and then a quarter of the day doing a river run. Needless to say they were full days but the sun shone brightly and temperatures often reaching 30+ which was wonderful! I managed to get my flatwater instructor and will continue to log days on the river in hopes of getting my leader 2 in the spring.

Dutch Lake

The Clearwater River: carving s-turn drills with Flo

Upon the completion of kayak 3, it was back to Kamloops with no courses in sight until October 24, when we head back to the classroom for six weeks! So far, a few of my days of been spent on the river, with a lot more river trips to come. My goal is log 30-40 more days on the river between now and April. Totally doable, but its going to mean getting to know the Clearwater and the Thompson Rivers a little TOO well. Oh well, I will master them, hit the micro eddies and feel comfortable leading newbies down them. Well, fingers crossed! I will also be assisting on two sections of kayak 1. This terrifies me because I still lack confidence in a few of the rapids on the Clearwater, but I am hoping the the instructors know my abilities well enough to say no! to me.

Beautiful campsite on the Clearwater

Adam ready to cliff jump!

Not much else to report from Kamloops! But I will leave you with my top five things to do when you are not paddling and bored out of your mind in Kamloops:

1. Kickbox at Kix 4 Chix
2. Pick up yarn and needles to knit at Electrictree Yarns (the new knitting store downtown Kamloops!)
3. Buy juggling balls at Cuz I'm Magic
4. Pick up a ridiculous jig saw puzzle at a local thrift store
5. Sit in the steam room at the TCC

Cheers,

K

You said you would be coming back this way again!

Hello girls and boys!

One more week and the journey back to Kamloops begins. I absolutely cannot believe that my time here in Ukee is over. It still feels like just yesterday Simon and I made our way out to the coast. I am happy to report that work did eventually pick up, and I am almost working full time hours each week. However, I cannot complain.

Last week I decided to work on my day off and that was when it really hit me that my time is almost up. I only had one more day off after that day. So Danielle and I seized the day, dawned our power ranger suits and headed to the beach at Ocean Village and unpacked my new snorkeling gear for the first time. I had bought the gear probably four weeks ago thinking I would get out much more. I was naive. But regardless I am going to make the most of these last few days!

Oh yeah, neoprene cap sexiness!

 

Since the last post, not much new has happened. Just working more hours, both in Tofino and Ukee and spending more time at the beach. That is right folks, the sun finally decided to shine here. However, as I type, it is pouring rain outside. But yes, more beach days, which are amazing, and helped to remind me that we are in fact in the season known as summer. Oh and I am diligently working on getting my whitewater kayak roll!

Jo and I...

with the cougar hats that the lady from the Attenbroke Lighthouse makes!

The last week in Ukee will see me working, mastering my white water roll, spending a night on the George Fraser Islands, a trip to Hot Springs (fingers crossed), maybe getting out on a river to paddle and spending more time at the beach. Going to continue to grab life by the balls!

Jo and I are going to travel together back to Kamloops, making a stop in Squamish to do some white water rafting with Canadian Outdoor Adventures which is where our friends Geoff, Brett and Sean work as raft guides. Upon arriving back in the 'Loops we will head straight out on our Swift Water Rescue course, followed by kayak 3 and then close to a month off before the next course. A few of us are planning a 2 week exploration of Clayoqout Sound which is going to be amazing!

Updates will come as things happen! Time is running out if you want to come visit me here in beautiful Ukee! One week children! If not in Ukee, my home in Kamloops is always open for visits. Not quite as exciting as Ukee though!

Cheers to you cats,

K

I've Become A Coffee Drinker

Hello guys and gals,

I am not surprised that it has taken me this long to make another update. But here I am, two dogs staring intently at me and a cup of coffee. I am officially settled into Ukee (only for another month + a few days) and for once in my life have arm muscles (thank you sea kayaking). My last post left me back in the 'Loops finishing up classroom courses. Now I can confidently say first year of the Adventure Management Diploma is complete and with the sun finally shining, summer has started!

THE UPDATE

Once classroom courses were complete at the end of February it was time for more roadtrips and field courses.

On my birthday (and an early morning start after birthday partying), a group of first and second years headed down to the San Juan Islands in Washington to do a little bit of paddling. Winter paddling is always challenging with the low pressure systems (=gross weather) moving in and staying for a few days so we ended up doing a three day, two night paddling trip. After waiting for two hours at the boarder for the 'international' car to be searched and the occupants (Kat, Lorenzo and Thordur) to be questioned we drove on into Washington to experience blundery, winter conditions that are not the norm. Our first night, after running into problems with launching from Lummi Island, was spent in the State Park with snow on the ground. Note to paddlers, do not use the Lummi Island Reserve as a launching place, unless you want to park your car next to cars that have slashed tires, broken windows and a missing interior. It was a wonderful three days of paddling filled with grand memories (thanks to bags of wine), especially of the scary, threatening dalmatian.

Then in mid-March, my friend Travis and I headed out to Tofino and Ucluelet for the Pacific Rim Whale Festival for a whale of a good time. Thanks to some of Travis' awesome friends we had a roof over our heads instead of canvas and got to experience the place that I would soon call home. The highlight of Whale Fest for me was probably the Chowder Chow Down, where a bunch of the local restaurants pull out all the stops and submit their chowders for public approval. It was delicious and I highly recommend that anyone who is able, should make the journey for Whale Fest each year!

Travis left me in Tofino and the craziness that was my field course schedule started. I met a group of students and instructors in Tofino for Sea Kayak 1. No, I did not have to re-take this course, but I was lucky enough to log more days on the water and 'assist' on this course. It was rad. Observing two new instructors was amazing, I learned a lot from Angela Buekert and Laurel Archer. I think the highlights of the course were rainbowing my paddle float rescue and paddling the west side of Wik Island in a double with Andreas (you're a tough cookie!). Sea kayak 1 started field courses that would not end until mid April giving me no more than two days in a row off to recover, pack and head out again.

Jessie showing her excitement for paddling.

After Sea Kayak 1 was Swift Water Rescue Technician (SRT) followed by Rock 1 and Kayak 2 rapped up my field courses for the first year of the program.

SRT was an amazing course. We found ourselves learning how to self-rescue and rescue others in water up to class III white water.This meant learning how to properly swim rapids, seal launching, contact swimming, tethered swimming, tension diagonals and my personal favorite...throw bagging. Since I was the star player on my childhood, adolescent and young-adult baseball team I had no problems with throw bagging! Just jokes, I barely ever threw any types of balls growing up so throw bagging was challenging for me and I actually had to re-test a month later after excessive practicing in the back yard. But I am now a certified Swiftwater/ Floodwater Technician!

Rock 1 found us in Skaha near Penticton for eight days of rock climbing. It was amazing to be back on rock after paddling so much. Made me miss the Rockies a little bit! I was lucky enough to have famed ACMG guide Chris Miller and Russ Turner (owner and founder of Skaha Rock Adventures Inc) as instructors. The course was great. Learned only a few new things and solidified everything. The pace was a little slow due to my past experience but great because climbing has gone to the way-side for me.

After spending one night in my comfy bed we were headed out for some white water road trippin' on Kayak 2. Now, Kayak 2 was the LAST course I thought I would ever be on, especially after my Kayak 1 experience, where I spent more time upside down than right side up and being saved by Geoff using the hand of God. However, I put a lot of time on the river over the winter and felt more prepared to tackle Kayak 2. As if we weren't already sick and tired of the Chilliwack River (I think I ran it like five times in January/ February and the entire SRT course was there) we spent our first day on the Chilli. After that we packed ourselves into the vans again and headed down to Washington in search of appropriate water levels. Winter seemed to hang around for a VERY long time and water levels we super low, so my group spent the next three days on the Skykomish River in Washington and ended up on the Thompson River near Lytton for the last day. I am definitely no pro at white water kayaking but I do love it a lot. I am not ready to give up my white water paddling yet. I have been extremely lucky to have amazing, patient friends willing to safety boat my ass down rivers. I am most appreciative of Geoff Price and won't know what to do with myself when one day we can run a river together without having him watching my back the entire time.

With Kayak 2 concluding my field courses for the year, I headed back to Lacombe to spend Easter with my family before heading off onto Expedition.

EXPEDITION

In order to graduate from the Adventure program, each student has to participate in an expedition. The expedition must be at minimum 14-days in length and is all student planned. Naturally, I signed myself up for the sea kayak expedition and the special thing with this expedition is that Dave, our instructor, requires it to be planned for 21-days. He says it takes 21-days to create a habit. So after extensive planning throughout the winter and spring, 9 students and 2 instructors set out on the Wild Pacific Paddle 2011 for 21-days on the Pacific Ocean.

We launched from Port Hardy and over the next couple of weeks paddled up as far north as the Attenbroke Lighthouse which is on the mainland across from Calvert Island. Noteable landmarks and waterways include: Nakwakto Rapids, Slingsby Channel, Burnett Beach, Cape Caution, Clam Shell Beach, Dawson's Landing and the Attenbroke Lighthouse. It was a memorable 21-days, full of learning about the sea, friends, yourself and your dreams. Thank you to the wonderful people who made the trip what it was: Melissa, Josiane, Danielle, Cody, Adam, Rodrigo, Joel, Simon, Dave and Joel.

An adventure house in pre-expedition mode. Ski and sea kayak expedition food prep!

Sea cucumbers and a blood star!

Camping- wild pacific style!

Just another intertidal day!

Bull kelp- when I remembered I had a waterproof camera!

Lucky ducks got to sail for an entire day!

First thing up and last thing down!

Sun star! My favorite, if their millions of eggs weren't eaten they would take over the world!

The crew + the lighthouse keepers at Attenbroke Lighthouse. A required stop!

Nakwakto Rapid! World's fastest tidal rapid reaching 16 knots!

At Burnett Bay after the Wild Pacific Scavenger Hunt!

SUMMER

Giving ourselves only a couple of days between arriving back in the 'Loops and heading back to the coast, my friend Simon and I made our way to Tofino and Ucluelet to start our summer jobs at Paddle West Kayaking. Making a couple of detours, my muffler rusted out the Coquihalla and the Puntledge River Festival, along the way.

Since mid-June I have been the number 1 guide for the Ucluelet branch of Paddle West Kayaking. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing guide, Cody, to show me the ropes and ins-and-outs of commercial day guiding. Through his quiet wisdom and gentle hand I have learned a ton, the little things that you cannot learn from guiding a group of your peers. I am also finally trained to do the Tofino tours as well. Both the Tofino and Ucluelet Harbours offer amazing day tripping experiences but I am partial to the open-waters that are accessible to Ucluelet Harbour. I guides guests regularly around boulder gardens, rocky cliffs and avoid the beautiful and daunting boomers.

Paddle West Kayaking paddle-shack in Tofino

Looking NW from the George Fraser lagoon- typical paddling for a day trip.

Life in Ucluelet is refreshing. For the past few years I felt like I was slowly making my way to the coast and finally I am here. The pace of life in Ukee is slow, laid back and easy. Work has been pretty quiet which has finally allowed me to slow down fully. It is amazing for me to look back at my life in second year of university and how busy I had made my life and then compare it to here. Now I wake up in the morning not feeling like I have to get up and go-go-go to make sure there is enough time in the day to do everything, instead I bought my first ever bag of coffee beans and use a beautiful perculator to create a delicious cup of coffee each morning. Further, I am a dog owner for the first time in my life! Ginger is actually my Ukee roommate's dog, and he took off to the Yukon for the remainder of the summer, so I get Ginger. It is a great intro to what it takes to own a dog.

The summer so far has been blessed with visits from family and friends. My parent's started the visits. Coming out with my Aunt and Uncle for four days over the Canada Day weekend. We got to explore the beaches, do a little bit of paddling and eat a ridiculous amount of fresh fish!

At Tonquin Beach in Tofino

Yes, Pops even got into a kayak!

At the Beg Islands for a sunset crackers and cheese!

The next visit was from Janice, my bestie from Colorado, hot on my parents heels. Her journey to see me was quite the adventure. Somehow she thought that a plane, a train, a taxi, a ferry and a bus was an appropriate way to get to the edge of Canada. Arriving at the ferry terminal in time to see her ferry float away, J spent a night in a hotel in Nanimo and then continued her journey west the next day via my parents car. It was incredibly good to see J again and do a little bit of adventuring. We managed to paddle out the Broken Group Islands for a night. They are incredibly beautiful and stunning. We camped on the beach at Clark Island, explored the island and had a beautiful campfire to watch the sun go down. It was sad to see her go, but I look forward to my next trip out to CO!

Clark Island, Broken Group Islands- July 2011

J!

The most recent visitors I had was Jackie, a friend from school, and her friend Mary. It was an incredible wet west coast experience. We proceeded to get soaking wet trying to find treehouses on day and then get soaking wet again paddling and exploring the open coast. The weekend rounded out with an amazing ska reggae dance party at the Tofino Legion with Sock Monkey.

Mary and Jackie in Wet West Coast Adventure!

After the paddle!

SockMonkey! I lost him this evening to the ocean :(

PARTING WORDS

The first year of the adventure program is over. I learned a lot about adventure, myself and life. The year was filled with great people, amazing memories and a bazillion adventures. It is sad to say goodbye to people who will not be returning next year but there is excitement for the fresh meat that will move to Kamloops in search of adventure. The twists and turns of life are amazing, seeing how last summer I was pushing myself up mountains at every opportunity, spending money of quickdraws, climbing ropes and contemplating which rock climbing shoes I should purchase. Now I spend my time on the ocean, following the weather and looking for the next big swell, spending my money on paddles, spray skirts and dry suits. Its true, I am a water person with a side of mountains. I don't know if I have figured out the secret to life or where exactly my life is going but I wouldn't be anywhere else while trying to figure it out.

There is still one month + a few days of summer and my time in Ukee left so please come visit. I have a floor for you to stay on and we can probably swing some free paddling.

Hugs and kisses (xoxo)

K

Some things you just can't shake.

Hello girls and boys,

Two posts in one night?! Whoa! Crazy, right?!

I simply needed to share this because it seems appropriate. Last night, Joel and I found ourselves at the Sacred Waters night at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF). And needless to say it was awesome. I have posted links below to the speakers and to the films that were shown and I think are noteworthy for people to pay attention to.

So the other day I was on a phone interview with a prospective employer and he inquired about my degree from the University of Calgary. I quickly corrected him, telling him that I had half a degree, or half of two degrees from the U of C, but he still asked about why the change. I gave him the answer about the rat race and over competitiveness that I was experiencing amongst the students and how that was not what I wanted. And I told him that I could not find a balance between the school demands and the outdoors which is where I felt I belonged. All of this is very much the truth. It is also the truth that I was in a program I loved, business.

But another truth about my decision to change directions was hidden to me until last night. Two films were on display at VIMFF, spOILed: From the Tar Sands to the Great Bear Rainforest and Awakening the Skeena. So besides being films about awesome wilderness and adventure, the heart of each film revolved around the oil and gas industry. In spOILed, it is Enbridge's Gateway Pipeline that would move oil from the Alberta tar sands to Kitimat, B.C. and in Awakening the Skeena it is Shell and their proposed developed of coal bed methane at the headwaters of three major salmon rivers. While watching Awakening the Skeena and reading literature from the spOILed booth it hit me. This went beyond the environmental activist within me to something more. I was very much headed to working for one of these companies, Enbridge, Shell or any of the other big oil and gas companies' head office in downtown Calgary. I had heard about the Gateway Pipeline and other pipeline proposals similar to it. Then there were the classes on how oil and gas is recovered, how much land and water the process requires.

When you're in class, in a city founded on oil and gas, involved in a club that gets all of its funding from the oil and gas industry, it is easy to turn a blind eye to what some of these projects will do or could do to communities and the environment. I remember entering first year university all fueled up on my perception of what was right and what was wrong in the world. Perhaps a little too convicting at times. But over the course of the next few years, my convictions went by the way side and were dampened by the activities I was involved in at school.

And it is this, that I realized last night, that even my subconscious was directing me away from the University of Calgary and onto something else where not only my love for the outdoors could flourish but where I could free my senses from the mud that I found myself in.

Above and below I have posted a few links I think anyone and everyone should take a look at. I am not as convicting as I was before, but I think by viewing these films and doing further research it is opening up dialogues about the issues surrounding the oil and gas industry, our dependence on it and how it is affecting the delicate balance that is life. Why are we unable to shake our addiction to oil?

Cheers,

K

Awakening the Skeena: A gnarly swim by the most modest person and a campaign that is run by people that care. I was fortunate enough to meet Shannon a driving force behind the campaign to stop the coal bed methane development and she is the most down to Earth, caring and motivated person I have come across in awhile.

spOILed: A beautiful area of the B.C. coast where our 21-day sea kayak expedition will paddle through in May. The main issue here is the increase in the number of oil tankers moving through this amazing area and with the oil tankers come potential disasters. Disasters that could rival the Exxon-Valdez and the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Also, check out the Pacific Wild website and the other film Oil in Eden which further highlights the issues with the Enbridge Gateway Pipeline.

Kayaking to Save the Albatross: Hayley spoke at VIMFF about her kayak trip around the island of South Georgia near Antarctica and her cause of bringing awareness about the challenges the Albatross are facing. Hayley spoke amazingly and her passion for the cause was so evident that one could not help but want to hear more and to do whatever they could to help. Plus she attempted a kick-butt paddle trip and my desire to paddle arctic waters was further flamed.

The update.

Hello girls and boys,

It's time for a quick update. So upon the return to Kamloops it was off to the Mistaya Lodge for 8 days of backcountry ski touring. The lodge was awesome and the conditions were GREAT for snow science. Conditions were not so great for improving ski skills and I found out that the skills I thought I had for skiing were imposters. I enjoyed the snow science, I enjoyed the touring but when it came time to go down, stress level went up. JM a second year student who jumped on the trip to pick up the pieces was awesome, as were the instructors Terry and Jordy as us skiing newbs made it through the 8 days.

So again I found myself in the same place as kayak one. There is one difference here. Trees are scary to me. Water is not scary to me. Needless to say at the present time I will not be focusing any energy in ski touring. I have no doubt that one day I will decide to pick it up recreationally, when I have time to develop my ski skills. But for now, I am going to stick with the water, rock climbing and some good old fashioned hiking.

After ski touring it was back to the classroom. Natural history and international expedition planning were on the menu. I have to admit it was hard to sit back in class and its even harder when we go to class for a week, then get a week or more off, then go back for a week, then get another week or so off.  But regardless Jessie and I are planning a kick-butt trip to Baffin Island, where we will ski tour (on x-country skis) and then pick up some kayaks and kayak the rest of the way. Pretty stoked to maybe one day do it!

On the time off between classes it has been road trip after road trip after road trip! I have found myself on my Aunt and Uncles doorstep for the past three weekends and am trying to do my best to not end up there again this up coming weekend. The first weekend was a five day, four paddling day road trip. Paddled the Chilliwack River in the Lower Mainland and then the Capilano River in North Vancouver. It was an awesome roadtrip and Aunt Bea was taken to a whole new level with four boats, a bike for shuttle, four people and all paddling and camping gear required! The next weekend was an interesting one, where I didn't actually paddle but slept in a car with Search and Rescue out the window. The link to the news story is poster below. Needless to say I know the guys. Then this past weekend, the third weekend, Joel and I embarked on a sea kayak adventure! We headed to the Sunshine Coast. It was not sunny nor shiny but an awesome experience in weather and decision making. It gave me a great new perspective on what conditions in ocean waters can be. Most of the gear got wet but thanks to stellar drysuits and dry bags the important stuff stayed dry.

So after coming back from the Sunshine Coast, we spent a few days in Vancouver with my family and took the opportunity to go to the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival. For me this was an awesome experience but the post above this one tells all about that.

So what is up next? Well there are a few more days of classroom stuff left and then it is a three or four week break for me and I have no idea what I am going to be doing. I think another sea kayak trip with a few of the second years and just generally trying to find some awesome stuff to do! At the end of March water courses start and will take me right up until May when we embark on our 21-day sea kayak expedition from Port Hardy to Bella Bella. Pretty stoked for that. After the expedition I will start my job day guiding for a company that operates out of Tofino and Uclulet and should have the final word on where and what I will be working this week.

Ta-ta for now,

K

The news report containing friends and SAR!

Did I mention this was our ride into the lodge for ski tour?

Taran and I in a helicopter.

Probably Aunt Bea's finest road trip to date.

 

The Chiliwack camp, white water style.

Aunt Bea ready to take on the sea.

Stoke level is HIGH!

Camp # 2: Don't fuck with the tides!

The beautiful Sunshine Coast.

2010/2011

Hello girls and boys!

It is time to say so long to 2010 and haylo to 2011! It is hard to believe that it is already 2011, I feel like the new millennium was just yesterday. Oh and I turn 23 this year, only two years until I am 25 and I am a little concerned, a quarter of a century is kind of a big deal. Less musings, more talk about me and what I have been up to!

The last post found me in the midst of actual legit school work. I survived that, got stellar marks and have a special place in my heart for the wireless lab. After finishing up classroom work, most of us first year adventure students found ourselves in a Wilderness First Responder (wfr, pronouncer woofer). It was an 80-hour first aid course and I really enjoyed it. It also reinforced my back-up plan if tourism does not work out: paramedic! After the wfr course we found ourselves at Sunpeaks where I stepped my feet into some alpine touring skis and was sent down a hill. The first day on skis was rough but I am slowly picking up speed skis in anticipation for ski touring in January. Also it helped that my roommate Christian has a place at Sunpeaks. A soak in the hot tub and a cold beer with friends sure helped ease the aching muscles! Thanks bud!

Upon completion of the intro to ski course, it was time for holidays! Not that life is not like a holiday already. Holidays started with Chris and I packing up the Volvo, dropping our roommate Justin off at the Kamloops airport and heading East to the promised land, Alberta. Upon our arrival in Alberta, Chris and I decided that a visit to Nana's and a few days of ice climbing were in order! Over the next three days Chris gave me his ice climbing 101 course and by day three we completed Rogan's Gully a WI2 route up Cascade Mountain. Ice on Cascade have avalanche danger and we were lucky that conditions were perfect with little avi risk for us to climb. After three days it was time for us to head to the plains and back to our immediate families! Central Alberta here we come!

Day2- Chris and Taran walking out Grotto Canyon

Rogan's Gully, WI2

Chris, Rogan's Gully, WI2

Chris, Rogan's Gully, WI2, final pitch

 Christmas season had now begun and it was busy. I spent a few days in Lacombe with family and friends before my family packed the cars again and headed back to Banff for Christmas. It was the first Christmas in a few years that we actually spent in Banff and with parts of the family that we do not normally do Christmas with. Uncle Alan and Auntie Michelle and my cousins Ally and Brendan joined our family there and Uncle Gord came on Christmas day which was nice. Boxing Day started a whirlwind of travel as my cousin Drew came to Calgary and Edmonton to play hockey. The whole extended family comes together when Drew plays so it was good to see everyone in one place!

Kelsie, Kyle, Brendan, Ally and Nana, Christmas 2010

Aunt Bea (AB, the name my Uncle Dean gave my Volvo) also had some grand adventures this holiday season and I am very thankful for AMA. Upon returning to the car after Rogan's Gully, AB needed a little boost. Then not even a week later on our way to the Black Prince trail she ended up in a snowbank. A second call to AMA but some nice standard Alberta truck pulled us out sooner. Same day as the snowbank, after the Drew's hockey game, at 10:30pm on MacLeod Trail in Calgary, Aunt Bea decided to die. A third call in one week, and a second call in one day to AMA for some road side assistance. Aunt Bea and I arrived back in Lacombe at about 2am after a lovely tow by Cliff. Turned out to be the alternator but all is fixed and I can get back to Kamloops!

Before I knew it, New Years had arrived. It is now tradition to spend New Years in Banff for me, so Janice picked me up in Lacombe (this is why we are best friends) in order for us to spend a few days riding and celebrating in Banff. It was great to strap on the snowboard again! I did not realize how much I missed it. The conditions were close to terrible, there were a lot of crazies out and about and Janice who is acclimatized to the temperate winters of Colorado now found the -20 a bit cold. However we had fun and got sad about the fact that not only do we not live in the Rockies any more but we also live a bazillion kilometers and a bazillion dollars away from each other. It is going to be 9 months before we see each other again...sad...I think so!

New Years was chill. Colin, Jackie and Jestine came to join Janice and I for some amazing Mexican food at the Magpie and Stump, some drinks and some crazy Dutch Blizting! It was definitely not a repeat of last New Years as I was able to successfully make scrambled eggs for them the next morning. Mid-night also found us Banff's main street to watch the fireworks and view the crazies from the bars! Taran and Simon two friends from school also joined us for a few of the festivities.

2010 has been a very eventful year for me and it definitely ended on a high note. When I look back to where I was at this time last year, it seems so long ago that I was dealing with those struggles and strifes and relishing the joys.

So what is up for 2011? The next four months finds me back in school. I will start the year off right with ski touring for eight days. Then two classroom course throughout February. Then water activities start again. The stoke is high! I will be taking the swift water technician course, along with kayak 2 and then a rock climbing course which I am looking forward to a lot, finally some formal instruction! The month of May I will find myself on a 21-day sea kayaking expedition. Beyond May, who knows what will come. Fingers crossed a guiding job on the west coast. Oh and of course an adventure with Janice on the Juan-de-Fuca trail in September!

In conclusion, I wish you and yours all the best in the upcoming year. If you find yourself in Kamloops please let me know and we can enjoy each others company!

Cheers,

K

Janice, Brendan and I; Mt Yamnuska, March 30 2010, 0200; Challenges overcome, lessons learned and stoked for the future!