Low Impact

On the last day of our very active four-day weekend, we decided to climb and asked Elise where she wanted to go. She said, "I want to go to the Forgotten Wall and try my project". About two weeks ago I'd hung a rope on a route for her to try and told her that if she managed to climb it at some point this spring without resting on the rope, I'd buy her a gelato afterward. A climb that takes multiple days, weeks, or even months is what we typically refer to as a project - something you have to work on over an extended period of time. Elise is familiar with the term and often asks, "Did you do your project, Dad?"

That first day she only tried the climb once, and it went pretty well but she wasn't keen to try again...until yesterday for some reason. So we drove to the wall, set up the rope and let her have a go. She did pretty well again, but had to hang on the rope and struggled to climb the hardest moves. She eventually did them, but struggled some more up above. She came down and took a break to build a fort in the forest while Pam climbed. She eventually went up for her second attempt and huffed and puffed at the start - not a good sign - but then miraculously started firing through the harder moves above. She made it through the crux and then hung on for the ride to the top. I made a point of not giving her a tight top-rope at all during the climb.

Pam and I were visibly excited for her as she neared the top and called out encouragement. When she got to the anchor, she turned and called down to us, "Did I do it?" "Of course" we both yelled! She grinned and said, "Then I guess it's gelato time." We all laughed...

The climb is called Low Impact and it's rated 5.10a, her hardest climb (without resting) on a top-rope to date. I was very happy for her, but told her I'd have to find her a harder project. That one came together far too quickly...

Triathlon

After one week of incredible, summer-like weather, the 2013 kids' triathlon arrived on Mother's Day during a full downpour. I expressed my dismay to a fellow father and he replied, "It's good practice for them. We have to do everything in Squamish in the rain." I reluctantly agreed.

In the 2012 triathlon, Elise had competed as the swimmer in a relay team. She did very well, making it across the pool and back, but the event was marred somewhat due to confusion on our part over who was allowed to cross the finish line. At our encouragement, Elise rushed in to join her teammate for the final moments of the foot race, and got pulled out by a volunteer and scolded - she burst into tears. It took some time to recover from this episode, and she did not seem keen about entering again in the future. No wonder.

As 2013 rolled around, we gently suggested the idea of entering the event. Pam worked on her and she eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly. A treat for participating was promised, and that sealed the deal. Score one for bribery! In the two months leading up to the event, we did our best to help her prepare. She and I did a couple of evening trail runs, which was fun, but running is her strong suit so this didn't require much focus. She's used to hiking huge distances; we knew her endurance was good.

The biking and swimming were another story and we knew both needed work before the big day. I started by finally purchasing a bike, and this allowed us to go for a number of rides, some fairly long. Elise became more confident, and both Pam and I agreed she'd be able to do the ride without a problem. She'd definitely not be the speediest rider on the course, but that was fine with us - confident, smooth riding was the goal.

For the swimming portion of the event, we had no doubt she'd make it back and forth across the pool - she likes the water and isn't scared of the deep - but we worried she'd struggle too much and not feel comfortable. We enrolled her in "training sessions with the Squamish Pirates", the local swim club, and she did four weeks of two, one-hour sessions. Unfortunately, there was very little technical instruction which was not what we were expecting. Although Elise's endurance in the water improved, her technique stalled out and this seemed to prevent her from getting the most out of the training. To her credit, she swam many laps each time, which looked exhausting, and always seemed happy enough to go. But in the end we had to concede the swim would remain a struggle and there wasn't much we could do except offer encouragement and our own limited technical tips.

The morning of the triathlon was Mother's Day, so we rose early, made French toast for Pam and got ready. At breakfast, Elise said, "Do I have to do the triathlon next year?" In other words, I'm up for this today, but I'm not too sure if I want to do it again. She also asked us if it was a "race". She seemed concerned about having to try to move at speed, and we did our best to assure her top speed wasn't necessary; participating and challenging herself was the most important thing. We packed the van and headed off to Brennan Park Recreation Centre, the race venue.

The pictures can now do the talking...

Getting her leg and arm painted for the swimming portion of the race. Some kids her age actually do multiple races throughout the province, so the circuit is well organized. I heard one man say over 100 volunteers were needed for the Squamish event.

I was hoping she'd be able to warm up before the race, and she eagerly jumped on the climbing wall for some traversing.

Her friend Josie joined the fun. This got the blood flowing.

After tiring of the climbing, a little air hockey was in order. Not a conventional triathlon warm-up, but good stimulation nonetheless. She's playing against her friend Tyson.

After what seemed like a very long wait, her age group was finally called into the holding area. Here she is with Josie. They both wore wetsuits. We thought this might help since they'd be outside riding and running in the pouring rain. Most kids don't change clothes after the swim since it takes too much time.

On went the swim caps. Elise is in the middle in her dark wetsuit.

I filmed the entire swim, but lost sight of Elise in the middle portion as she neared me. She comes back into view as she rounds the corner and heads toward the far end. Technically she struggled, but I give her full points for trying really hard. She kept pushing forward as she fatigued, and we're very proud of her.

After the swim, Elise ran outside and, with the help of a volunteer, put on her shoes, race number and bike helmet. She then pulled her bike off the rack and pushed it to the start line of the bike section. From there, she jumped on and took off for the one-kilometre (or so) ride. After a peddle slip, Elise got herself going and disappeared around the corner. Pam and I waited anxiously, praying she didn't wipe out in the rain, and felt a rush of excitement when she reappeared around the corner after the ride. The video below is her coming back into transition, dropping her bike and heading off for the run.

Elise told me she got a cramp during the run, likely a result of poor pre-race eating and hydration tactics on our part (mistake noted). Regardless, she appeared midway down the field and Pam ran over and told her to pour it on. She'd taken my advice to heart and was jogging at a speed that she could have sustained for some time, but since the run was quite short she didn't need to conserve so much energy. As she rounded the final corner, she started to sprint and burst across the finish line.

The first words out of her mouth after crossing the finish line were, "That was awesome! Can I do it again next year?" Bingo...

Needless to say, she was high as a kite, a far cry from the inconsolable sobbing of last year. Here she poses with Josie on the finish line. Josie is about four months younger than Elise, but quite a bit taller! Different genetics, obviously.

They played in a bouncy castle in the gym afterward, got their faces painted and then we all went for a treat at "Booster Juice".

I can't wait until next year...

Spring Things

Last week was a busy one. We were thrilled to have a week of nice weather, so Elise and I took advantage and skied at Blackcomb on Wednesday. Whistler is closed for the season, but Blackcomb remains open until the end of May. I was surprised, though, at how few lifts were open midweek. The Glacier Express was closed, as were both T-bars on the Horstman Glacier. We could access all the terrain we wanted, but it was a little tricky with the lift closures. Elise and I enjoyed a fantastic day in the spring sunshine, had lunch at the Horstman Hut at the top of 7th Heaven and then bootpacked up the Showcase T-Bar line to ski the Blackcomb Glacier at the end of the day, which was a highlight. The video below is on the glacier, and the whiskey jack feeding is from the bench at the bottom of the run before the rescue road ski-out.

 
Saturday was Elise's tae kwon do yellow belt exam. Just like last time, she was very excited and did a good job on the test. There were other kids present, all testing for their yellow stripe, which is one level below yellow belt. Elise had trouble breaking the board, but got it done in the end. Of course she wore her uniform for the rest of the day (and evening) proudly displaying her newly-earned yellow belt.

 
Sunday we hiked around Cat Lake and then came back to town so Elise could attend a practice session for her upcoming triathlon. This was prearranged through the recreation centre and about 10 kids signed up. They had an orientation and then did all the events, albeit more slowly than in the actual race. Elise swam with much better technique than last year (the training sessions seem to be helping), but had to stop and rest a couple of times on the lap back to the start. The biking went well, too, but her strongest event is the run I think. She knows how to pace herself and did a good sprint at the end. The race is in two weeks on Mother's Day. It will be lots of fun.

We'll keep you posted on the results!

Breakfast

Tia loves that Greek yogurt! Now if only we could get Elise to eat that fast...

April

Here's a few stray pictures that didn't make it into the Skaha blog post. The first is at Tickleberry's, a legendary ice cream shop in Okanagan Falls. The remainder are from Easter morning at Casey and Brenda's house. Elise got a set of blueprints that showed where each egg was hidden. The bunny has gone high tech!

This is the letter that Elise wrote to the Easter Bunny. I believe it says, "Dear Easter Bunny, I'm here visiting. I hope you will find me. PS - Please leave me a basket". Click on the image to enlarge it...

Last weekend was Elise's final day of ski school. She had a great time and ate LOTS of treats. Her instructor, Josh, gave her chocolate, there was a cake party in the afternoon and I bought her a treat at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Whistler for a good year of skiing. I carpooled with our friend Jen Wild and her son Erik - the kids had a great time together. We'll probably try to squeeze in a couple more days of skiing before the season ends. Whistler Blackcomb has extended closing to the end of May, so there's over a month left.

Finally, say hello to our new (used) baby. It's a 2006 Toyota Tacoma access cab 4X4. We've been looking for a truck for a couple of months and finally found a used one at the local Toyota dealer. I researched makes and models and this one bubbled to the top in terms of reliability, performance and safety. I'm working on a hiking guide to the Squamish corridor and this vehicle will get us where we need to go. It should be a good summer of new hiking and camping adventures!

Spring Break

After toying with the idea of flying to West Virginia for Spring Break, we settled on Penticton (Skaha) when some friends offered us a house exchange. Free, comfortable accommodation was hard to turn down, and the five-hour drive seemed much more palatable than a full day of flying. March is an early time to go climbing in the BC interior, but we figured we'd survive if we could come home to a warm house each evening. The first week's weather tested our resolve, but the second week was gloriously sunny - the cold days were quickly forgotten.

 

We enjoyed a variety of activities and social outings with friends. We explored the local restaurants and made use of the incredible Penticton aquatic centre. Elise did quite a bit of climbing on this trip, which is a real benefit to the area. There are plenty of moderate routes so everyone can all find a challenge to suit their personal goals.

We enjoyed spending time with our friends Casey and Brenda, and Elise had great fun walking their dog, Chamelle. Casey and Brenda generously offered us a free ticket to Apex Alpine, so we had a great ski day for a very reasonable price. Without a doubt, the highlight was watching the "slush cup", a local competition that involved skiers and boarders skimming across a pond of ice water. We witnessed some spectacular crashes!

I utilized the storm days to do some research for a potential future guidebook, but when the sun came out we climbed! Elise made it up a 5.10- on the Fortress with only a little help from the rope and climbed a 5.6 on the lead, her first in this style at Skaha. We went out to dinner to celebrate and she ordered Calamari, her favourite restaurant treat.

On our final weekend, we toured the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory. The local guide allowed Elise to look through his telescope at the sun and we spotted a number of solar flares. Afterward, we went for a great hike in the hills. It was very relaxing and scenic.

The trip ended with some glorious weather over the busy Easter holiday. We climbed, hung out with friends and spotted bighorn sheep. The only downside to the warm weather was it brought out the wood ticks. We all found them crawling on our clothes but I was the only one who got one stuck to me. Luckily, we removed it without much of a problem.

We drove home without incident and are now embedded in Squamish until school lets out for the summer. We have some interesting ideas for a summer trip, but aren't making any commitments at this point. Elise has only a single ski lesson left - it feels like spring is on the way!