FIRST SKI TOUR OF THE SEASON

Up at 5:30am today to get out for the first ski tour of the season. It has been a late season for the snow but we finally got some overnight and it was snowing heavily this morning. Today I headed up for a quick blast to Red Heather. We were able to ski right from the parking lot and the snow was pretty good up by the hut and on the ridge. It felt great to be back on the skis and I am looking forward to a great season. Tomorrow I am thinking about Baker backcountry or Duffy Lake, leaning towards Baker since they might have gotten more snow from this last storm system. It will be another early rise and Big Sea will be along for the ride. I will have to tell her to get some good rest tonight.

MILEAGE ON THE SUP

Well my first ski tour last winter was November 12 and with the late arrival of the snow here on the coast i have been putting in a lot of time on my stand up paddleboard. It has been awesome. In the last month I have paddled from Porteau Cove to Lion's Bay here on Howe sound. I made it out to Tofino and had an incredible surf session with it. It is a pretty amazing feeling picking up the waves long before anyone else is able to get onto them. I was the only SUPer out there as well which felt pretty cool to be doing something not a lot of people are doing yet. I also got a taste of the open coast paddling from North Chestermans to Mackenzie Beach in decent swell and current. It is very energizing paddling the outer coast and it fuels me to want to do more and bigger trips. The alone time is great and the focus on the now is the way we should be living. After Tofino I made a trip down to Washington and paddled some great lakes down there as you can see from the picture. My paddling power is developing and the body is becoming adapted to moving this board efficiently. Last week I paddled the Sound again and headed over to Woodfibre, a wood processing plant that has recently shut down. The plant opened in 1912 and provided years of work for the people of Squamish and area. It was an interesting historical paddled. At the height of the plant there was 500 plus people and now there is nobody, pretty much a ghost town with a few companies dismantling the plant. I did realize how there is zero sea life around there due to the heavy contaminants that have been dumped into the sound for decades. After a bunch of training paddles on Alice Lake and a few more in the sound i was getting ready for some ski touring to balance out the lower body with the upper. The stand up paddle boarding is a ton of fun, a great workout and gives you the chance to explore and feel the freedom that being on the water can provide.

STAND PADDLE SURFING PORT RENFREW

I couldn't wait any longer so I got up at 4:30am to catch the 6:30am ferry out of Horseshoe bay with plans to stand up paddle surf Port Renfew. Up to now i have just been flatwater paddling on Howe Sound, the Squamish River and Alice Lake. Now it was time to try the  Southpoint Kalama in the surf. I drove down to Duncan and cut across the island via logging roads to Port Renfew. When i got there the waves were a decent size, the swell had been dropping from a big system that just went through. A guy on the beach of course said, "shoulda been here yesterday, swell was huge." For what my plans were today the waves were perfect. It was high tide and most of the waves were dumping onshore but some of the bigger ones were breaking outside. It was a shifty peak so it took me a while to get my timing and get comfortable standing up in the surf. I finally picked one off, pretty big smile on my face and once I caught my first one I started getting a lot more. Incredible feeling getting into waves standing up rockin an 11'6" board. I had to bail out before the wave slammed onto the shore but I was able to ride a few down the line. I was the only one out and I surfed until fatigue had me falling off the board for no reason. I was out for 3 hours and came in superstoked. It was pretty hard getting in as the shorebreak threw me and my telephone pole all over the place. I somehow ended up with leaves, dirt, gravel and various debris on the inside of my suit. I was happy to get out of the water before my board became a scud missile. Since then I have not stopped thinking about getting back in the water again for another surf. My next trip will be to Tofino in the next couple of weekends for more SUPing. I got a lot of funny looks, people wondering what the heck I was doing but it was really cool doing something no one else was doing. Sorry no pictures or proof but it was a solo mission today and you will just have to trust me. Laird would have been proud........no not really. 

MORE SUP

This weekend I was back on the SUP. We had some spectacular weather here in Sea to Sky country so we had to take advantage of it. I picked Jen up and we headed to the Squamish River, me on my Kalama and Jen on her Sitka Longboard. We took turns paddling down the river, thank goodness for the wetsuits because the river was pretty cold. It took us a couple of hours to get down to the spit from our launch at the Mamquam River. We did not time things right because we were paddling into a strong inflow wind by the time we got close to the ocean and a flooding tide as well. Great workout though and the scenery was spectacular.

Sunday we had to head up to Whistler to meet some friends so we had another workout on Alta Lake. Jen paddled her kayak to get ready for the world adventure championships in Brazil and I paddled my SUP to get ready for the World SUP Championships(no such thing.....yet) It was a really cold morning with a stiff northerly outflow wind. I did manage to paddle up a short river where i ran into a family of otters and a lone coyote. That was pretty cool. The weather here has been really amazing so I am hoping to get back out for some more SUP training. Soon i will head to Tofino to try to surf this thing. We had post adventure breaky at the Function Junction Wild Wood(the best) and  it was great to see my old guiding buddy Tankers with his better Swedish half, Laura. 

Bigger day on the SUP

Last sunday I went for a longer paddle on the SUP. My roomate Cindy dropped me off at Porteau Cove on the Sea to Sky Hiway. There was a little bit of a northerly outflow which made the paddling a little slower as I started but I enjoyed the challenge. It was a beautiful day to paddle and as I hit Brittania Beach the northerly stopped as the sun warmed the Squamish Valley and a light southerly inflow began to push me along. It was great paddling, no one out in the sound aside from a couple of pleasure boats. I was pretty hot in the wetsuit but it was nice to have it for safety incase I hit the drink. Things again slowed down as I hit the outflow of the Squamish River. Pretty incredible view though of the Chief, Mt. Garibaldi and the surrounding peaks. I think the distance was close to 16-17km's which took me 3.5 hours to complete. I am hoping to get out again this week and soon I will head out to Tofino to try surfing this thing. Should be a lot of fun. 

Morning Coffee on the Squamish River

Yup, coffee on my standup paddle board. Spectacular morning and day in Squamish. I did not have a lot of time but I managed to launch my SUP off the dyke and onto the Squamish River to begin to get comfortable in moving water standing up. If you are not familiar with Stand Up paddle boarding its an ancient Hawaiian Sport where you stand on big longboards and use a long paddle to propel yourself forward. The sport is huge in the states and Hawaii but has yet to take off up here. Guys like Laird Hamilton are dropping into 40-50 foot faces at Jaws on Maui and tackling one of the heaviest waves in the world, Teahupoo, in Tahiti on these things. Guys are paddling down class 4 and 5 rivers on them and guys including myself are looking at doing overnight expeditions up on the north coast with them.I am looking at some big epics since so much of this coast has never been seen by stand up paddle boarders. Something about this sport has really got me excited and all I want to do right now is paddle since there are tons of things that have never been done on a Stand Up Paddle Board. 

Today I was paddling with Harbour Seals who were chasing salmon up the river and with Mergansers and Blue Herons. It was really an amazing morning and I am looking forward to getting into the Sound for some Fjiord paddling. We are coming into the rainy and stormy season on the coast here but there are going to be some amazing adventures to be had over the winter. Combine that with another heavy schedule of ski touring and I'm set up for a good one.......

STAND UP PADDLE BOARD CAREER BEGINS

Ohhhhhh I am so excited, after a month of searching I finally found a used stand up paddle board. Its actually the first SUP i had ever been on. I rented this board from Neil at Second Wave in North Vancouver and after a couple of weeks of bugging him he finally sold it to me and now a whole world awaits. Its really all I have been thinking about lately so my first paddle was of course with my love, Big Sea on Alice Lake. I really thought it was going to take me awhile before she got comfortable on this thing but she stood on it for a second, got off, realized I was going to go and hopped on and sat down on my feet. So there I was for my first paddle with Big Sea happy as a clam. (not sure where that slogan came, do clams get happy and sad??) So we paddled around the lake as I got used to the board. Its a sweet board, an 11'6" Southpoint Timpone Kalama Edition. Pretty sick ride. Stable yet moves well. It's an awesome workout and I have just been dreamin as to all of the places I will go. For starters I will be heading into Howe Sound to put a few miles on in the upcoming weeks with hopes of heading to the west coast to try my hand at surfing this thing and tackling a few overnight expeditions with it. It is so much fun, I just love trying and getting good at a new sport, especially when it includes paddling, surfboards, surfing and the ocean. Awesome.......stay posted for Adventures of a Brackendale SUPer 

5 Days of Island Multiventure

End of September I was on the island for a wicked weekend of multiventure and celebration of my friend Jen's birthday. Thursday we ran the Juan De Fuca Trail with Jen's friend Don. The conditions were horrible, heavy rain and muddy trails. I couldn't think of better conditions for the west coast, actually I can but whatever, its the west coast. We ran the 47km trail in a cruisy pace of 8 hours. Friday we recovered in Duncan and sampled the various coffee shops in the area. This was our recovery day as we had to race the Cumberland Momar on Saturday. We raced in the 4 team division and I was fortunate enough to race with half of the Dart Nuun team, Jen Segger and her teammate Ryan Van Gorder. His wife Jen fell ill right before the race and we found a great replacement in a strong competitor, Tom Roozenvald. I realized why Ryan is on one of the top adventure racers as he towed Jen uphill during one of the steep hills of the mountain bike section while I blew my quads out about 3/4 way up. Very impressive show of power and teamwork. It was a very enjoyable race and the training i have been doing chasing Jen around Squamish really paid off for me as I felt pretty strong throughout. We ended up winning our division and placing 5th overall. It was great to compete in this last Momar. I completed all three with varying degrees of success throughout. Momar Squamish I lost my map and my mind in the solo category unhappy with the way things worked out but happy i didn't walk off the course. We learn through experience and I made a great decision for Momar Lake Cowichan, I teamed up with Jen and we won the co-ed division and place 4th overall. These races are a lot of fun, Bryan Tasaka does and outstanding job and I am looking forward to next years races. I now have three really cool Tshirts too. 

We spent post race in Tofino surfing incredible conditions. Sun and beautiful glassy swells. Jen got a chance to ride her new Sitka Longboard and made the most of it with sweet rides and thoughts of heading towards the nose for some hang ten action. Happy Birthday to Jen and thanks for such and amazing weekend.

Lately I have been coaching a ton with the Quest Women's basketball team. We played our first game against Douglas College last Friday and this weekend we are in Capilano for a 3 game tournament. You can check out our results on questuwomensbasketball.blogspot.com.

Still searching for a Stand Up Paddleboard.........

BACK TO BANFF

Finally i was back in Banff. It had been two years since i was back but that was only for a night. Banff is close to my heart as I have family that lives there, Kevin, Sharon, Jonah and Avril and I had spent two summers living there and working for Kevin at Abominable Sports. During these two summers I explored, climbed, biked, skied and scrambled up everything I could on my time off. I had a great partner back then, Johnny " Eye Spy" Stewart and if i wasn't with him I was off on my own. So it was good to get back. It was a short weekend and I went with a friend of mine from Squamish. We had the chance to blast up Tunnel Mountain on Friday beneath a great sunset and then spent the evening at Guido'. Saturday I got into an area that I had never explored before due to Grizzly problems. It was Larch Valley, Sentinel Pass and Paradise Valley. We ran this route, about 25 kms under incredible conditions, sunny and warm. This run was fantastic. We passed along Moraine Lake in the Valley of the 10 Peaks looking at a sick ski line Kevy poached years ago. The Larches were turning colors and the backdrop was stunning. As we dropped into Paradise Valley we left the crowds behind and had most of the valley to ourself stopping at Annette Lake underneath the massive north face of Mt. Temple first climbed in 1966. I have always wanted to scramble up Temple but have not had the chance since you needed a group of 6 for the grizzlies and usually i was by myself. I stared at Miss Temple for most of the run, hoping that she was reading my mind understanding I would be back to climb her at some point in the near future. That night we had dinner at St. James gate. I have fond memories of the gate as I had spent a New Years there happy to be in the warmth and safety not thinking I was ever going to get out of a bad backcountry situation just hours before. That was when i was new to the mountains and very inexperienced. It is those Ontario guys who come out west with no experience and a lack of awareness that get themselves into trouble and worse in the mountains. You see it a lot every year in Whistler. I was lucky that time and trust me, the Guinness tasted good that night.  I think I slept for the next two days. Sunday's activity took us up Sulphur as the weather started to change which was okay since we were leaving that afternoon to head back to Squamish. It was really good to see Kev and Sharon. Jonah has lengthened out and has the Hann body type passed on from Grampa Hann. He is turning into a fine athlete and skier. Avril, is a special young woman with amazing artistic talents and a beautiful way about her. The last time spent with her was in my arms as a baby. That was a long  time ago. Thanks to Kevin and Sharon for the great hospitality. It was also great seeing my cousin Greg and Shirley Anne. I will be back in March for my Avalanche Level 1 course and I hope the boys will show me some old backcountry stashes. 

Surfer/Fisherman/Adventurer/Athlete in Training

And I am not talking about my old washed up bro. I am talking about my little man in the Storm Tshirt, Samuel Craig Hann. K little man, your days of sitting around stuffing your face with food, crawling around like a little mechanical gorilla, sleeping your life away, and just generally being the cutest little man i have ever seen are over. Its time to start training soon. Dawn patrols with fishing rod in hand searching out the hiding places of Mister Big Bass, headlamp patrols up the Chief, morning surf checks with Uncle Storm, left hand lay ups till it becomes part of your daily movement, and post storm backcountry ski tours searching out the White Pow. As well don't worry about wasting your time on music lessons, or french classes. If you start training now you will not even have to go to school or get an education and you can make more money than all of us..........kidding Mom, Tara, little man could be an astronaut if he wants. Anywho Sam, thats my pep talk for today, you can go back to wearing your diapers, eating ridiculous amounts of food, looking like your 2 instead of 10 months, being carried around and having to deal with your new teeth(which may get knocked out if you want to be an Ultimate Fighter). Talk to you soon little man.....love uncle storm.

Just the Boys- Killarney 2008

August I was back in Northern Ontario for a sea kayaking trip and right after that Dad, my brother Brad and Big Sea went into one of my all time favorite places, Killarney Provincial Park. Dad was one of the first surveyors there back in the early sixties and for the past 3 summers we have headed back into the park for some outstanding paddling and even better fishing. I am a huge fisherman since I grew up on Wahnapitae River at Grampa Stacey's camp in the summers and fished all day everyday. The fishing in the lakes in Killarney not affected by acid rain is incredible. I was really excited for this trip. We only had a short time, 2 days, 1 night. We rented some canoes at Bell Lake from Killarney Kanoes and our first day took us through Bell Lake and into 3 mile Lake. I of course was always way behind since I was fishing all the way and couldn't pass up ideallyic casting spots. We managed to find the last campsite on 3 Mile. It was a beautiful spot and the evening was turning into one of those special Northern Ontario August evenings. After setting camp we headed out for some fishing. Of course Brad was getting outfished badly by the pro but he managed to make a late run with some sweet topwater action. He landed a beauty smallmouth that was released while I landed a hard fighting largemouth and one nice smallmouth bass. We kept both for supper. Dad was happy to just paddle around smoking cigars. The sunset was awesome to say the least and as it got dark we headed back to camp where i filleted the fish and then cooked them

over an open fire while enjoying tasty cold ones and a couple of Don Tomas. The following day brought sunny and warm conditions. From 3 mile lake we portaged into Balsam Lake and ended up having lunch at a great spot. It was here that I had to show my little bro how pull the hogs in. Brad actually had this beauty largemouth pictured below hammer his topwater bait but could not coax him back for another strike. After repairing Brads rod from his breakage the night before i tested it out and casted the same Zara Spook topwater bait and must have landed it on the fishes head as he thumped it and after a solid battle landed this beauty and then released him. We then headed into Deacon Lake for some more exploration and were surprised to run into friends Dave and Laura Bertrim on day two of their paddle through the park. We then made our way back through the chain of lakes and back to the truck after more fishing and relaxed paddling. I was really in heaven being with Dad and my brother and big Sea. We all had a really good time and we are excited about going back next year. We are trying to coax my sisters into coming as well. Mom, no problem, she grew up catching snakes, fishing and beating up the boys so I know she is in. Shansy has been know to fish beside her big brother the odd time but stacey, well, we may have to work on her. 

PADDLING PHILIP EDWARD ISLAND

I headed back to Ontario at the beginning of August to visit my family and to paddle with the ladies on Georgian Bay. Originally being from the area and growing up on the lakes and rivers of Northern Ontario I was stoked to paddle Georgian Bay. Paula Rivard, a very close friend of mine, got a group of girls together for the trip, Maureen, Kelly and Judy. I had numerous warnings from Paula's mom that I was basically risking my life taking these women on a trip. I am sure most guys would agree with me that I was okay taking that risk. Plus there was more booze to sink a ship(or kayak) so i knew if everything went south I had a contingency plan.  

Our day started at the Chikinishing Creek launch point later in the afternoon since Judy was at the walk in clinic all morning with stomach ailments forced to go by group members. The delay was great since it allowed the strong winds to calm down and we launched in stunning conditions. The evening was just how a paddling trip in August should be, sunny, hot with flat water. I was really excited to be out here and the girls really seemed to be enjoying themselves. We set camp that night on a warm rock outcrop. Saturday we awoke to mixed weather conditions yet we were able to explore the various islands and inlets and even had time to climb a small island, Silver Fox, to check out the cool Inukshuk. We had lunch under a storm cloud(yes I am sure I brought the weather) blasting lightning bolts and looking very close to a tornado. I gave the option of heading back to camp and I have never seen a double kayak paddled that fast before. Kelly's arms were moving so quick i didn't think it was possible to move a boat like that. After our retreat to the campsite we had some dinner, pasta, with the Rivard family secret sauce and then all of a sudden the S#$% hit the fan with the weather. The winds increased dramatically and it was almost impossible to keep our tarp up. We did manage to keep the fire going but by 11 that night it was time to hit the tents. Now i have worked on the west coast for 9 years and I have seen some incredible weather but the storm that hammered us all night would have to rank right up there. Very impressive. The storm went unabated for 12 hours, blasting our tent like we were on the top of Everest. It was impossible to stay dry and all of the girls decided to stay in one tent. I had to check the kayaks a couple of times throughout the night to make sure they had not been blow into orbit.

The girls went to bed laughing and woke up laughing. Incredible. The last morning we broke camp, did some more exploring and then headed back to the Chik Creek. Well by the time we got back to the creek it was swollen to spring time conditions, conditions not even seen by locals in the summer. As I was assessing taking out at the original launch point which had now become a raging rapid, Maureen thought she would test her white water skills(none), and try to get across. I chuckled and mumbled something about going over knowing I was now mentally getting ready to do a rescue. Yup, she crossed the distinct eddy line and wham, she was over, boat, paddle and various gear now floating down river. I was able manage the group and get them to shore while i gathered Maureen and made sure she was safely onshore. I then had to paddle back down river to pick up the kayak and various gear. It was not the easiest tow up river. Maureen thought she would assist and left the group to float down the river to "help" me. She met me down river and I had no option but to put her back in the boat. After another capsize we got back to the launch and got all gear back onto shore. We then had some ice cold bevys and had a great laugh about whole event. Of course Paula was terrified but I think she quickly realized that it was more just of an inconvience than a full on crisis. We finished the trip up at Herbert's, the World Class fish and chips spot in Killarney on the docks. 

It was an outstanding trip and more impressive than the storm we had was the attitude of the girls. Most groups would have paled in such conditions. The girls were always having fun, always laughing(maybe they had something i didn't) and really valued the experience. They were one of the best groups i have ever guided and i am really excited that they want to do another trip next year.......thanks a lot to Paula for putting this trip together. Both of us thought a lot about her brother Dwayne, a close friend and teammate of mine, an outstanding brother and son,  who passed away in a car accident a few years ago. Dwayno was one of those great guys who would do anything for you and who just made your life better being around him. Cheers to you Dwayno.

I'M BACK

Well i have to apologize for not being on the blog since June. The summer is my season for guiding and i just recently got back from my last stint guiding salmon fishing on the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. July I was busy driving through the states ending up in Badwater(-181 feet) Death Valley for a friends epic ultra marathon race. End of July was back in the Charlottes fishing and then August was awesome as I headed back home to Sudbury for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends and to run a sea kayak trip with clients and a canoe trip with dad and bro. 

I have to say that fishing the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands was outstanding, the fishing amazing when you could get out to the spots to fish. I was up there for about 40 days working for the Outpost Lodge. The weather was absolutely terrible. Many days we had driving rain and gale to storm force winds. I learned to drive a boat in huge seas and to be calm when facing epic water conditions. I can remember two nice days. The rest were like the movie Groundhog Day where every day you wake up is the same.........gray, rain and freakin windy. I saw some incredible fish come in. Kenny B hammered a 62 pound Chinook, you just don't see fish like that anymore. It was massive. I saw a halibut come in that was 206 pounds and guides up there released halibut in the 300 pound range. Unreal hali fishing. These fish when they hit will almost pull you out of the boat if your not ready. It feels like your battling the bottom of the ocean for the majority of the hour. I fished with some real characters up there........Tiny aka LOG, Kermode, KB, Babu, Picasso, Pacino and I can't forget the best handle on the coast......Boat 4. Of course I am the Storm and was reminded every time I came up because I always brought bad weather with me. No doubt i was in my element enjoying the highest energy coastline in the world. The west side of the Charlottes is the most spectacular shoreline I have ever seen. Everyone at some point in their life has to get up there. More adventures to come.

Sechelt Inlet

I recently got back from 4 days of sea kayaking work in Sechelt Inlet. Myself and Jen McGuinness were guiding a large group from Pemberton High School lead by Boyd Hargit. The trip went really well and we had outstanding weather. Our paddle out on the last day was a little tough as we battled really strong head winds to get back. Sechelt Inlet is a great place to paddle especially if you are new to the sport or looking to get some experience on the ocean before heading off to the big water of the west coast. Boats can be rented through Ian at Pedals and Paddles.  This week I leave for 3 weeks of guiding salmon fishing on the west coast of the Queen Charlottes/Haida Gwaii at the Outpost Lodge. I am really looking forward to this adventure. Big water, big fish, big times. I hope to be able to post blogs from the lodge. Happy June everyone. 

Harvesting Dungeness Crabs with the Dundas Family

Check out this vid below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeIHqu-6H8

"Ya Rookie" MOMAR 2008

The day I had been waiting for finally arrived, May 10th, MOMAR 2008. I was to race this one solo since my partner Frenchy was sick and couldn't make it up. After a vote of confidence from a close friend and training partner I was to run this one solo. I figured that would be great since I could only blame myself and I could go as fast as I wanted. There was light rain at the start of the race but overall it looked to be a good day. The race started well for me as I took off with the lead group and felt solid. Minutes into the race we hit the first transition and most of the experienced guys dusted me while i played with my shoelaces and packed my bag just right. These guys were quick in the transitions while i looked like a disorganized kid. Onto the bike where i managed to catch a few guys on the next part of the course which headed uphill to the orienteering section. In the orienteering section I managed to do pretty well collecting most of the checkpoints pretty quickly and catching glimpses of the leaders running through the woods leaving me wondering what the hell I was doing and where I was going. I hooked up with Money and we collected a few check points together. I had two checkpoints to go and when I went to punch my second last check point I reached deep into my pockets and to my horror realized I had lost my map and check cards. I checked even deeper in my pockets hoping to find the map with that long lost quarter and that 20 dollar bill I lost in 89'  but nope, noway, nohow, no nothing. It was gone. Pulled out by some crafty tree. "Teach you a lesson you little punk," the tree smirked. F#@$. S#$@. You have to be f@#$%^& kidding me. The crux of the race was in my hands. Money said to just forget it and keep running with him but I choose door number #2(no deal loser), and went to look for my map. Of course I couldn't find it. I wasn't on any trail prior to that and knew that we had bushwhacked to get to the second last check point. After what seemed like an hour of searching( i think it was only 15 minutes) I gave up looking and was ready to give up the race. I was so upset, so disappointed in myself. I was looking for someone to blame, I have always been on team, there was always someone to blame, not my fault, hahahahahahahahahahaha.......oohhhh I realized quickly how much I love solo racing. Crux decision #2. Quit or keep going and change my focus. Lots of thoughts went through my mind as I walked on a trail by myself as the reality of being done my "race," set in. I felt that that was the toughest part of the whole thing, going from competing and being up there to not competing and being down there. Man I was upset at myself. My decision was to carry on and new that i had a ways to go when I came out of the orienteering and saw most of the bikes gone, with competitors that did not look like competitors. It was as soon as I got on the bike that i left my disgust behind and realized I was going to have to crank for 3 hours. The biking was fast and I was pretty happy with my performance since I had not heard anyone this year calling me Napoleon Dynamite on my bike. I felt really good blowing by people on the uphills and even downhills on my new Specialized Stumpjumper. I was laying waste to trails like Recycle, Pseudo Pseuga, and the Powerhouse Plunge.(not really but I was going fast and I was reckless). I realized I had finally made it into no mans land where I was ahead of the mass but behind the guys and groups who had not lost their maps. I had a pretty good trekking section and rappel and ended that section in the transition back onto the bike. Not realizing I had just stood on and ripped the nozzle off to my Platypus I put my backpack on and proceeded to pour the remaining contents of my energy drink all over myself. Deron, one of the volunteers, was kind enough to tell me my pack was leaking. Thanks. Insult to injury. The last leg was a bike back up to Quest for the run up to the cafeteria where the race ended for me at 5 hours and 30 minutes. I was greeted by my brother and sister which made me really happy. It felt great to finish and although I was upset, i left most of my grief on the course. I spent the next half hour, one of the best half hours of my life eating a massive amount of cookies and chocolate. Wicked day, wicked race, wicked learning experience. This has now motivated me even more to train, compete and win. WHAT'S NEXT?

Thanks so much to Jen for all of her amazing support and training expertise. She designed an amazing tough course and helped me with all of my gear problems. Thanks to Adrian for giving me my second map and thanks to my brother Brad, sister Shannon, and Brad's wife Tara for being there for me. Special thanks goes to my nephew Sam. Thanks for coming out west little man. It was great to see you and thanks for being at my race and coming to visit me. You rule. Congratulations to Toran and Jo for winning the Co-ed doubles section.

Frenchy........next year you can hold the map. Missed up here and I look forward to racing with you soon.

Student Mentor Program

At the end of April I headed up north to Hartley Bay as part of King Pacific Lodge's Student Mentor program which I had been doing for the last 4 years. In this program all of the students at the school are interviewed and then take part in a tourism program which I develop and deliver to them. From there four students are chosen to work at King Pacific Lodge. There they will work in areas of their interest and will be matched up with a mentor at the lodge. The program has been very successful and has created employment for the youth of the village. This year I created a small adventure leadership course for the grade 10-12 students at the school. Within this program they received their Flatwater Kayaking Skill certification with Paddle Canada. The 11 students did an outstanding job. They learned new strokes, practiced wet exits and performed rescues on each other. I was very proud of them as they battled through their fears and gained confidence by the minute. The last part of our course was a boat ride up into a stunning inlet north of the village which is a place of strong tradition and an area of food gathering. On the trip we saw mountain goats feeding up high on the ridges and bears wandering the estuaries feeding on sedge grass below. The course was a big success and I will be heading up in the fall to deliver the Level 1 certification to the grade 10-12s and the Flatwater course to the grade 7-9's. Congratulations to all of the students and thanks to Cam and Eva for having me at their house and to Marvin for help with the kayaks and the fantastic boat tour.

MISSON COMPLETE

I just successfully finished my 10 day Advanced Wilderness First Aid course and my reward was a 5 am wake up to get down to the airport so I could travel up to Prince Rupert.  Tomorrow I will be heading down to Hartley Bay to delivery a week long Intro to Sea Kayaking Course for the students at the high school as part of the student mentor program that I work in with King Pacific Lodge. My fitness took a hit the past 10 days so I am looking forward to getting back into it. The Momar adventure race is only a couple of weeks away. I have my new used Specialized Stumpjumper now and I am looking forward to getting on it when i get back. Next update will be sometime this week from Hartley Bay.

Grumble Grumble

Well these days in am knee deep in a 10 Day Advanced Wilderness First Aid Course. Not high on my priority list but something I need to get done so for now it is keeping to a low level workout schedule. I am looking forward to it being finished this Wednesday. I am getting  new mountain bike tommorrow and I will be excited to rip the trails with it real soon. I have to get some mileage in for the Momar Adventure Race in May anyways. My next adventure takes me up to Hartley Bay on the 24th for a Guide Training Program for the youth in the village. I am looking forward to getting back to my adopted home. Reports from there to follow

GARIBALDI NEVE TRAVERSE

Finally, this trip lined up. I have been wanting to do this trip since I showed up to Squamish four years ago. Well I finally got the peeps, and the weather and after a season of ski touring we were all in shape to do it in a day. We had Michelle Boender, a nordic patrol at Cypress, her friend Mark, my buddy and Ski Guide/Patrol Martin Fitchl and his young German friend Rafi. After pounding back a cup of coffee at 5:30 am and picking up the crew we were at the Diamond Head trailhead and leaving at 6:15 am. We absolutely nailed the weather as it was a clear bluebird day without a cloud in the sky. By the time we got to Paul Ridge the sun was beginning to come up and it was spectacular. I have probably toured up here 25 times this year but everytime I come up I am amazed with the scenery. The majestic Tantalus Range sprawls to the west, the big Massif of Garibaldi was beckoning to the north, Mamquam Mountain northeast and the Squamish and Cheakamus valleys far below blazing a path through the various ranges. We stopped at Elfin Lakes for some foot repair and then headed back out into the sunshine for 5 hours of climbing up Ring Creek. The further we got into this trip the more dramatic the scenery became. I had never seen the views of Mt. Garibaldi as was laid before me now. It was also getting hot and I was dropping a lot of water. We stopped for one of our lunches on the neve, stuffing our faces with food and crushing bottles of water with Nuun tablets. I sat in amazement with the scene laid out in front of me. Hard to believe we were only 5 hours out of Squamish but in a place so remote and stunning, our backyard. After our first lunch we carried on higher and higher with a bit of frustration occurring due to sticky snow on the skins and hot spring like conditions. We certainly didn't need anymore weight on our skis. We were going light though since we were knocking this off in a day. Our high point of the trip was 1000 feet below the summit of Garibaldi. It was in fine shape and tantalizingly close. We all agreed to come back to knock on the summit next time. I am sure we would have bagged it if we had an overnight plan but our "mish" today was door to door so we needed to save some energy. After our second lunch at our high point it was backcountry skiing heaven on the north facing aspects. We shredded some incredible April snow, zippering lines into the Warren Glacier, one of the best runs I have had all year. I couldn't keep the smile off my face or the hurt out of my quads. This is what it is all about. Another bit of uphill touring lead us to the top of the Sphinx Glacier. I had a visit from my raven brother along this section, he flew overhead  sqwalking about hoping spring would arrive soon. Skins back off we crushed another line right down to the Sphinx hut just above Garibaldi Lake. I was really happy to see an open creek since I had gotten very quiet over the last two hours since I had gone through all of my water. Water is the best thing in the world eh? Especially cold Sphinx Glacier water......not that crap in plastic water bottles labelled "glacier." Now it was time for the long trek across the frozen lake. An hour into the flat traverse I felt like Mr. Roboto, in rhythm, mindless touring with awesome mountains jutting out of the lake and great views of Black Tusk. It was also at this time that my feet started aching, my boots and feet not used to the duration of this tour. As J.S.G would say, "stop whining and just put it in your pain box", course I think I left my pain box in the car or I had trouble opening it. Once we completed our traverse across the lake it was all downhill to Mark's truck. The ski out to Rubble Creek was pretty good except for the last KM where we had to take our skis off and walk the rest. The bag of chips Michelle had strategically placed in the truck for our arrival were demolished in minutes......as was the Flask of vodky......seconds though for that. What a day. I was stoked. 14 hours truck to truck and 42 kms. Thanks a lot to my teammates Michelle, Mark, Martin and Rafi, for such a great day. Now I am motivated to find more big day traverses in our backyard of Squampton.

REV HEADS

Over the Easter weekend one of my oldest friends from Coniston, Derek Nixon, came out to visit me. We have know each other since we were three, when we used to cruise our old mining town looking for trouble. Our big plan for the weekend was to go snowmobiling and since the week prior we had a fresh 80cms of snow we were pretty excited to get up there. We signed up for the Backcountry X tour with Canadian Snowmobile and we were joined by Jaime Reid, a good friend and guide who I worked with at King Pacific Lodge. I hadn't been snowmobiling since I was really young and never have I ripped it up in alpine powder. Nix was really excited. He is a very competent snowmobiler but he had never ridden in the mountains and this had been something that had been on his tick list for awhile. After a great trail ride up we hit the powder and we all realized quickly that sledding in powder is a really tough thing to do. We all got stuck a number of times and quickly depleted most of our energy digging ourselves out. I managed to disappear from the group and ended up scaring our guide, Brad in the process as I got stuck way out on the outskirts of the sledding terrain. I think the helicopters were on the way but Brad managed to find me and I received a well deserved scolding. After about three hours we had all been significantly "worked" and we were ready for apres at the Sled Head Pub of Squamish......The Shady Tree. Thanks a lot to Derek for coming out to visit. I look forward to returning the favor this summer when he can take me out for some central ontario bass fishing. I am also looking forward to getting back on the sled next year to shred some more pow. 

SURFING THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Petey and I managed to get off resort and check out a few local breaks. The first one we went to was close to the resort Punta Cana Excellence. It was a gentle reef break but if felt so good to get into the warm water and catch a few rollers after many sessions in Tofino. The break was about 40 minutes away from the resort and there was no one except us out there. The best spot though was the second spot we went to called Macao. This was a stunning long cresent beach with great beach break on one end and some heavier waves breaking off the headlands on the south side of the beach. It only took us 25 minutes to get here. This is a spot I could camp out at for weeks.....morning and evenings here would be incredible but on this day we got there just as the winds were starting to pick up for the day. I highly recommend getting down to the Dominican for some surf. I am looking forward to getting back there.

CONGRATULATIONS PETER AND RENEE

Hello there. I am back, I have had a great March and it started off with my trip to the Dominican Replublic at the beginning of March for Peter Bouillion and Renee Paquette's wedding. We had an outstanding time down there. We were at the Ocean Blue resort in Punta Cana. The resort was fantastic and the service was excellent. The Presidente beers were always cold and the nightly Dominican Cigars, La Aurora Belicos, were really tasty. Petey and I managed to get off resort for a couple of days to go surfing at a local beach break. The beach was beautiful and we had some great times together. I had a really good time getting to know Peter and Renee's family and friends. I enjoyed the Dominican and I would love to head back to Cabarete on the north shore for a week of surf but this week was all about Petey and Renee. Congratulations to you both....looking forward to seeing you this summer back in Sudbury.

Ignorance is Bliss, My First 25KM Run

This past Saturday I entered my first 25 km Trail Run, the Dirty Duo in North Vancouver. After a winter of ski touring, basketball training, and a few trail runs I had decided that I was ready for this challenge. It was sort of good not knowing what I was getting myself into. Jen Segger Gigg has been overseeing my training and listening to her talk about 50km, 100km, 100mile races that she is always in, 25k seemed very ho hum. Plus I like the physical challenge. I have a tendency to run quick out of the blocks and move quickly up hills so her advice was to "pace myself," not quite sure what that meant since I had never run past an hour. After throwing a few gel packs at me and a couple of Nuun tablets I guess i was ready to go. Well we all took off, I was surrounded by a lot of runner types in spandex and cool looking shoes. So much for the pacing as I took off with the lead group and blasted by everyone out of the blocks and hammered up all the early hills. A half hour into the race I found myself right behind the leader thinking this is pretty cool and feeling pretty good. As the race progressed the front runner seemed to have enough of me and took off. I was then passed by another guy who really looked like the runner type(he had really short shorts) and then I spent the rest of the race battling it out with this guy who ran downhill very quickly and would pass me but I seemed to make up time going uphill and not stopping at the aid stations. I was breathing way to heavy to try to drink Gatorade since at the first station I tried drinking out of the small cups and due to the massive amounts of oxygen I was trying to get into my body there was no room for liquids and I ended up spilling it all over me. I didn't even bother at the other stations. Well I figured if I could just keep this guy(who I now know is Aaron Pitt) in my sights then I should be pretty good for the duration of the race, it felt good to chase someone. After an hour and 15 minutes I was now in unchartered waters and wasn't sure how my body was going to react. My only fear was after taking off so quickly I didn't want to bonk or have my legs just decide to call it a day  and head for the nearest pub. Overall I felt pretty good although there were times when my legs did feel like newly set concrete. There were a couple of times on some of the downhills that they didn't move at all like the should have. Even during some of the uphills I was not sure how I was going to coax a few more myofibrils to fire......but they did. Aaron and I flipflopped positions a few times and I could never get rid of the guy and he ended up passing me for good on one of the downhills in the last part of the race. I was just happy that no one was coming up behind me. I was stoked when a few of the race volunteers told me I was almost done(little did they know I WAS DONE). I ended up running strong by myself in the glorious sunshine that led to the finish line. Finishing felt amazing. I wound up placing 4th and running 25kms in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Fairly solid i guess for my first 25 and not training specifically for this sport. Most importantly I was happy with my performance and felt that I was the best I could be at this moment. I tell you, it felt really good to compete, competition has always been a huge part of my life and I realize I need it to be at my best. A quote I look at everyday is this. 

"Every champion knows that true greatness doesn't lie in the completion of a goal, it lies in the desire to chase the next one." What's next?? Thanks to Jen for all of her support and motivation. Thanks as well to all of those people who went ski touring with me, Quest basketball players who I play against weekly, beep tests, and others who have joined me on fun adventures and "training."  Congrats to Jen for her 3rd overall placing in the 50km and to Aaron Pitt for beating me and showing me how to run downhill.

LIFE IS ABOUT TIMING

Last sunday I headed down to the coffee shop for my regular Americano.....they should be called Canadiano's by the way, and I ran into a friend of mine, Jack Noesgaard from Whistler. I met Jack up at the lodge and he worked for us as a fly fishing guide. He also owns The Loft Hair Salon in Whister and has trained me in boxing. He is a renaissance man and was down to take his Cessna 172 for a flight. He asked what i was doing and I had to say nothing so he said get your stuff ready we are heading to Tofino for the day. You couldn't get a better day for flying. It was clear blue skies, no wind and warm. We stuffed my Santa Cruz into the plane and away we went. The flight was absolutely spectacular as we took off from Squamish, flew out the sound, over the Straight of Georgia and crossed Vancouver Island. The mountains of the island were incredible and the views stunning. As we got closer to the coast I could see the swells were lined up perfectly and it was glassy. Perfect conditions. We landed at the airport and walked across the street to Long Beach. Jack also brought his employee, Florian over and as they cruised the beach and lounged in the sun I headed out for some surf. I managed to catch a number of great waves and couldn't believe that I was sitting in the lineup after being in the coffee shop in Squamish a couple of hours earlier. After my session i headed back to the beach, got changed and enjoyed a Cohiba Robusto as you can see in the picture. We then headed back to the plane and Jack let me fly most of the way back home confirming my thought that one day I would like to get my pilots license. Awesome day with awesome people. We had apres at the Watershed Grill in Squamish by the river. What a wicked day......life is about timing. Thanks a lot to Jack for such and amazing day and flight.

Back to my Adopted Family

Well this past week I was back in Hartley Bay. It felt great since the last two winters I had been up there training the teams for the All Native Basketball tournament and since I was coaching at Quest this year I wasn't able to be up there and I was missing it. I was up there representing King Pacific Lodge for our student mentor program and we spent a couple of days interviewing all the students and community for positions at the lodge this year. The students did a great job in the interviews. Our timing was incredible as we arrived on the day that the community fishing vessel, The Qitonsta, was sent to its final resting place. The Qitonsta was owned by Ernie Hill Sr. and sank in the harbour after a very heavy snowfall. This boat ran the waters north to Alaska, west to Haida Gwaii and south to Namu. The boat was towed from the harbour and sank in 900 feet of water in the bay in front of Hartley Bay after a miraculous recovery from the bottom of the harbour. This boat had been in operation for 40 years. It was a very emotional day for the community. Commercial fishing boats in a native community are like family members. The boats provide food for the whole  community, they provide transportation, and they provide real education for the youth as they work on the boats under the leadership of elders of the community. I thank the community of Hartley Bay for allowing the staff of KPL to be a part of this special and intimate moment in the history of the village. As Ernie Hill Jr, Eagle Chief, said " the demise of the salmon runs mirrors the demise of the fishing boats of our community." Cam Hill, the grandson of Ernie Hill Sr. and close friend, felt the loss deeply and I felt privileged to be there with him. The picture above is of Eva, Cam's wife, on the day she told me I was going to be adopted into the Raven Clan. My name is T'aam Laan, Steerman of the Canoe, and I am part of the community and the loss of the the Qitonsta affected me as well. Thank you to the community of Hartley Bay for allowing us to be part of this special day. I am looking forward to going back up in April to run an Outdoor Leadership Program for the youth. Thanks to Cam and Eva, Mr. H and Lynn for their amazing hospitality as usual while we were up there. 

Weekend Update

Well the snow conditions were not so great this weekend but I still managed to get out a few times. Friday after work I had a quick workout and managed to get up to Red Heather and back to Seabus pretty quick. Saturday, Jen and I, after a late start, changed scenery and headed to Mount Seymour. Again the conditions were very poor, zero visibility and very mild conditions. We managed to get up to the 1st Peak. Big Sea was really happy as you can tell. She seems to be getting into better shape and her leg seems to be getting stronger, especially after the full throttle sprint down the ski run and back to the truck. Yesterday I had a great guide and went out on a wicked trail run in the snow and ice. It was a cruisy 10km through some great forest north of Valley Cliff. Today was rain again but I managed another ski tour with Michelle up to, you guessed it, Red Heather and afterwards a basketball scrimmage with the guys team. Bryce and I were on the same team so we couldnt fight and get kicked out. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Beautiful Humpbacks

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rpl-fX0m8Yc&mode=related&search=

Thought everyone would enjoy this video. These are the Humpbacks that we see feeding in their traditional waters of the Pacific Northwest. At this time of the year they are down south in Hawaii and Mexico mating and giving birth. This video was sent to me by my friends Herman and Janey. They are whale researchers on the North Coast and lead a very unique life in the heart of the GreatBear Rainforest. Enjoy.

FINALLY MY FIRST SKI TOUR

Well finally today I went on my first ski tour with the big guy. As you can tell by the picture i was all ready to go. Now if you think I look a little embarrassed its because I am. The WWI Fighter Pilot Retro Toque was not my idea. I am a distinguished Rottweiller. Dont let this picture fool you....i can be vicious and sever arms on command. I figured if this is what it took to hit the backcountry then fine, I can deal with it. Anywho, Boss and I went into the city which gave me most of the day to rest. We headed up to Mt. Seymour where they allow puppies like me to get into the backcountry. Well we headed up the trail and it felt amazing to be in the snow. I was so excited that i didnt know which way to run so i just ran as fast i could in any direction I felt like. I rolled around in the snow numerous times and i couldn't keep the smile off my face. Little did I know I should have saved my energy. We headed up the well packed trail. Anytime I got off trail I could barely move because the snow was so deep. As we got higher up the mountain the winds became ferocious, blowing upwards of 90kms an hour, some gusts i am sure were more. There was a storm force wind warning on the coast and it was hitting pretty hard up here. It was snowing heavily and the visibility as we got higher became almost nil. I thought this was cool for awhile but as we got higher the trail became covered and i found myself wallowing in the deep stuff. The big guy kept laughing, I think it was at me. I looked pretty funny i guess since i was snowblasted and covered white except for two black eye holes, thank goodness for the toque(kidding, i left it at home when Norm turned his back). Anyways we went for about an hour and finally I started just sitting in the snow and not wanting to go on. When Norm stopped I would run to him and sit on his skis. I was concerned for Norms safety which is why I stopped. It had nothing to do with me being out of shape and fresh off the couch. Anyways Norm kept on going higher and I had to follow. Soon we could barely make out the winter safety poles. I couldn't believe how windy it was.  Thank goodness Norm finally turned around, I was more than happy to head down. My bad ankle was holding up pretty well and I know Norm wanted to get me out here for some training to build my muscles back up. On our way down we linked up with the ski hill. Norm took off his skins which gave me time to build a nest in the snow and act like a husky or wolf. Snow is an insulator you know. Norm didn't waste anytime going down. I almost got run over by two snowmachines going up the hill and then had to dangle down the hill to keep up the big guy. The hill was hardpacked so it was easy to hammer down. We got back to the car and went to Deep Cove for Apres.....course I had to stay in the car where I took a little cat nap. It was an awesome tour, mother nature was full on and it was great to be in the middle of it. Now I am on "my" bed resting and waiting for our next adventure. Thanks for reading......talk to you later......Big Sea(Sea Puppy).

This moment.

"On the surface; I am an average person, but to my heart I am not an average person. To my heart, I am a great moment. The challenge I face is how to dedicate everything I have inside me to fullfilling this moment."

Red Heather Magic

Well after a two day recruiting trip to Kelowna and spending a bunch of time in the car and on gym bleachers I had to get up for a little workout today. So it was back to Paul Ridge and Red Heather. I was not super excited about the tour because I have done it close to 15 times this year and i just wasn't expecting much. I blasted up to the hut with not much traffic for a sunday. From there it was Red Heather magic. The subalpine there has been incredible all year and today was no different. The place energized me again. It was sunny with a high cloud cover. The views were incredible and inspiring as usual. Every time I have been up here it has been awesome. I got to the high point and took it all in. From there I crushed a few lines and cruised back down to the parking lot to see my third parking warning of the year. I made my donation and left. I managed to catch the second half of the Superbowl. Wow, what a game. Man do i love sports. Nothing compares to winning(well a few things but different). Looking forward to the Haida Gwaii at the end of the month.

Winter 2007/2008 Adventure Theme Song

Rhymefest featuring Citizen Cope-Bullet 

Hope you enjoy this one.......we have been cranking this all year.......7 am workouts, apres ski vids, basketball warmups....you name it and we go hard to Citizen Cope.......Bullet and a Target. Bullet is us......target is adventure and fun.

Cerise Creek Ski Tour Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCnYViQSWxI

Cerise Creek Ski Tour

Last Sunday after a smooth Americano in Brackendale, Jen, Matt and I headed up to "The Duffy," for a tour of the Cerise Creek area. Matt is an adventure racing teammate of Jen's from Seattle and was up in BC for some adventure exploration and general fun. Jen and I were excited to show him some backcountry stashes. Of course prior to burning energy we had to stop for some body fuel in Pemberton. We all demolished a wicked breaky and then had to have another coffee at our favorite spot in Pemberton before making our final approach to the Duffy. After gearing up we blasted up the Cerise powering through 20 cms of fresh light powder on our way up to our first descent. We had a beautiful decsent off the lower shoulder of Mt. Matier. It was so fun that we had to do another one but we picked another line that was sitting in the golden sunshine of a beautiful mountain day. Back up we skinned. Our final run of the day ended with knee deep, fresh light powder. Matt lead the way with some beautiful turns as Jen and I found our own clean lines down into the valley behind him. From there we blasted back out to the parking lot and ended our day with yet another coffee in Pemby. Apres was at the Cottonwoods Mountain and Ocean Resort for nacho's, a fire and some well earned beverages. Thanks goes to Matt for coming up and hanging with the Brack pack. We are already looking forward to the next adventure.

Thanks goes to Matt for coming up and hanging with the Brack Pack. We are already looking forward to the next backcountry adventure.

Here is Matt after our skin up for our first run. Joffre Mountain is looming behind him. 

Well, had a fun day today. Today was Rory's birthday(pictured here). He got a custom skateboard from Slow Motion Longboards. I already have one that he really enjoyed using so he was really excited to have his own. We went skate boarding together as you can see. That is a rootbeer in my hand, honestly, you can ask Jo. I do not drink and drive. After the party we had a couple of basketball games. Our Quest girls played the All Star team in Squamish here and we played very well and came out with a very good win. The girls were pretty happy and gained a lot of confidence from the game. Thanks to all of the girls who came out to play, especially the hot little shooter they had. Afterwards a mens team that I play on played against the Quest guys. We got beat by close to 20. The guys played pretty well. I on the other hand was kicked out in the first quarter as a result of not dialing back my intensity and being so excited to play in my first real university game in 8 years. It was not fun watching from the bench and i and I apologize for letting the guys down and letting my coach down. I have another chance at redemption tommorrow. I will keep my mouth shut. Hope everyone is well and enjoying their weekend.

Big Sea Here

Hey everyone. Well its been a tough couple of months for me as I have had an injury for awhile. Chipped bone in my ankle but i am getting better. Big Norm says that the reason he hasnt been taking me for so many walks is because he wants me to rest but i think thats garbage. I know he is busy teaching and coaching and having fun but my days get a little boring. I move from the couch, to the bed upstairs, to looking out the window for cats and various movements that excite me. I guess the rest is good though because I am moving a lot better now. My left quad is huge as I have been using three legs most of the time. I will have to talk to the park people at Garibaldi because i know Norm is up there everyday touring and they dont allow dogs up there, discrimination. Kills me to see him leave all the time with his ski's and a smile on his face. Glad he is happy though. Here i am at one of my favorite spots, the Squamish River. I checked out a few salmon carcasses today. I didnt roll in any though, Norm hates that, and I hate the showers i have to get afterwards. I think I smell pretty good actually. I heard norm talk about Cerise Creek again this weekend so i am hoping I get to go. Well, talk to you soon. I am heading back to the bed for more "rest." I think Norm is building a fire so I will head down there soon. Oh ya, I have been really good too. I havent bitten anyones hands off lately and I havent been terrorizing the neighborhood. Tough to be a Rotty sometimes.......love Big Sea

Full Moon Ski Tour

Well tonight I headed up to Red Heather and Paul Ridge for a full moon ski tour. It took us just under and hour to get to Red Heather. The sun had just set behind the Tantalus Range on the other side of the valley and was lighting up the sky in colors that would motivate Roy Vickers(prominent native BC artist). We were all by ourselves at the top of Paul Ridge as the moon was rising above Mamquam Mountian and lighting up the slopes and terrain of Garibaldi Provincial Park.I even saw a falling star that was almost green, which flashed for seconds and left. I did make a wish. Incredible moonlight, like someone turned on a massive spotlight. After some hot chocolate we skied the illuminated slopes back down to Red Heather. The ski out to the lot was fun as we passed others who were beginning to make there trek up for night of the full moon. Our backyard is an incredible place. Thanks to Jen and Ty for being with me.