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Wonder what Kate got up to on her birthday? A little over 1,030 vertical metres of climbing, that's what.  A midday text from Jim and Grace suggested a hike the next day to the top of Paget Peak  in Yoho National Park.  Although we had talked about what to do to celebrate Kate's special day, we hadn't decided on an activity, so the suggestion was welcome.  A moderately rated hike on a summit we hadn't experienced before seemed like a good choice.  Plans were made to meet a few friends at the trailhead (between Lake Louise and Field), backpacks were packed, sandwiches and snacks prepared and the necessary accoutrements were made ready!  Off to Paget's Peak. 3.6 kilometres sounds pretty easy. What about the "up" component? Our group for the hike was Jim, Grace, Arnie, Brent, Sharon and the Birthday Girl. Here's our route. Red is flat and fast. Blue/green is steep and slow. A bifurcated tree makes the junction of the trail. Sherbrooke Lake (flat) or...

As Community Cruisers was to provide bike parking at the Highland Games, in my new role of Volunteer Coordinator, I gave the President a call to see what they required.  The President, Sandy Bunch, has a rather strong Glaswegian accent.  As I came off the phone, I had a disturbing feeling I had committed to something a little more than bike parking! A few days later, a follow-up phone call from Sandy confirmed that I had indeed agreed to becoming the Volunteer Coordinator for the whole Highland Games!  Good grief! Somebody, PLEASE, remind me to never again grunt assent when I don't understand a word! My first committee meeting was filled with talk of kaylees, heavy sports and whiskey tastings.  The only part I was sure of was the whiskey tasting.  That, I could get into!  Consulting The Google, I discovered that heavy sports was the competition one finds at Highland Games. It includes athletic events such as the tug o'war, caber toss, hammer throw, stone pu...

Being tethered in place is much worse for some than others. As COVID restrictions have flattened our appetite for straying too far from home, we have dedicated this summer to exploring the less-known trails close to us. We are doing mostly day-trips. Names that we have heard mentioned – Sarrail Ridge, Windy Tower, Old Goat Creek – have been added to a list of Hikes We’ve Been Meaning To Get To. We decided that adding to our quiver of “known hikes” will make it easier to show our future guests a good time. When it is overcast (or smoky), you can still hike – you just stay in the valleys and trees. If you are hiking with friends that aren’t used to the altitude (or who aren’t as fit), there are less strenuous hikes. Some hikes feature waterfalls. Some hikes are more technical (meaning there could be some light climbing/scrambling). Some hikes have criss-cross back and forth over streams, with quaint bridges. Some hikes have panoramic views … but require going up 1,000+ metre...

There is a fabulous organisation in town called Community Cruisers .  Their mission is to promote cycling for transportation as a means to improve health, sustainability and equity in the Bow Valley.  This involves a community bike workshop, affordable bike sales, bike parking at events and programs such as Bike All Winter and Pedal4Joy. I was part of the Bike All Winter program last year.  Community Cruisers fitted my bike out with studded tyres, lights and fenders and provided a mentor to encourage me to ride through the winter.  And ride I did - even on the chilly days! Rugged up for a photoshoot in -20°C! Weekly rides with Marley and our mentor Kelly So I decided to volunteer this summer to give back to this wonderful organisation.  After a chat with the Chair, I found myself elected to the Board as the Volunteer Coordinator!  One of the main areas we have required volunteers has been at the weekly market where we provide monitored bike parking. ...

We are back in Canada, settled into quarantine in a hotel near the Calgary airport after our Australian sojourn, 1,200 kilometres from the nearest open water … and we’re thinking about a sailboat. A sailboat was bound to factor into our future.  After our adventure of bringing Popeye from Thailand to Hamilton Island , we knew that we could handle actually living aboard a 40+ foot yacht for extended periods of time. We had offers to crew on other yachts or even to borrow Popeye when we were in Pittwater, but cruising on someone else’s schedule and route doesn’t afford the same feeling of freedom that having our own boat would. As much as we love our place in Canmore, we keep running into people who give us great ideas for places to go, sights to see, experiences to have ... An idea of the marine traffic in part of the Northern Hemisphere right now ...  When COVID closed down everyone’s access to travel, Kate and I turned to vicariously exploring far away places via ‘blogs and...