rickohikes

Yay Birthdays!

Face Smash 2011. Happy Birthday Dan!

Today is my good friend Dan’s birthday. You may remember Dan from face-smashing or kicking-the-hernia-to-the-curb fame. Happy Birthday Dan! Here is a virtual high-five to the face for your birthday. But enough about you…

My birthday gift to you is displayed in this image.
Credit: ?

It’s like my 30th birthday everyday! Well, not really, but today I received a card and gift in the mail from Dan (… see previous paragraph if you’ve already forgotten who he is. And yes, I’m totally stealing Dan’s thunder by talking all about me me me me me.)

Yay, I got mail!

Ooh, another birthday surprise! I opened up the card… and it is hilarious! The word in the second bubble is not very nice, so I smiley-faced it out. But think of one of the worst words you can and it probably fits. The response is quite suitable regardless. 🙂

Front of the card.

Back of the card. Sounds about right.

I also received a lollipop! A Maple Bacon Lollipop, to be exact. Apparently it’s ‘ALL NATURAL’. I’m not sure how I feel about this…

Teehee.

Thanks Dan. The card and gift are fantastic… and too funny! I also appreciate the kind words. They made me throw up just a little bit. You know I’m kidding. Yay 30’s!

The East End of Rundle

Ascending to The East End of Rundle (in the background)

Continuing with my summer trend of not letting a weekend pass me by (especially when the weather is awesome!), today I decided to hike to The East End of Rundle (EEOR) near Canmore. This was a solo hike mainly because I wasn’t convinced I would actually go for a hike after running the 10K the previous night, and therefore, didn’t want to coordinate it with anyone. I figured I would be quite achy, but it turns out I was okay. So rather than rest up for the week, I was awake at 7:30 am, ate a quick breakfast, and headed out to the mountains!

Admiring Ha Ling from the trail to EEOR

Recall that at the end of the Ha Ling Peak blog posting, I threatened EEOR by saying “I WILL conquer you!” And that I most certainly did! EEOR’s elevation is 2590 metres with an elevation gain of 900 metres. The trailhead for EEOR is opposite that of Ha Ling, and it’s a pretty steady hike up with an easy-to-follow trail. The view of Ha Ling from EEOR is pretty amazing. Ha Ling looks so daunting…

Perfect weather for a hike. Ha Ling in the background.

No worries, I wasn’t THAT close to the edge…

“I’m happy to be hiking!”

It’s pretty much a straight fall from this crazy rock face. Eek!

After passing through some trees, there’s a bit of a ridge with a crazy steep rock face, and then a scramble up to the eastern part of Rundle. The views at the top are incredible! This is one hike I would do again for sure. I very much enjoyed the scramble up, but the descent killed my knees as usual.

Hitting the early parts of the scramble

Looking back on how far I hiked. Great view!

Evidence of something… or someone! Ew.

Yatta! I did it! (The first point where I ate lunch.)

Panoramic view of the Canmore side from the top. Gorgeous!

Panoramic view of the other side. Also gorgeous!

Once at the top, there are two stopping points. I ate my lunch at the first, then traversed the top for about 5 – 10 minutes before hitting the second where I found a mysterious box! Actually, it’s not that mysterious. It houses a pen and notepad for signatures. And sign that notepad I did. I actually think I may have been the first one to reach that point today. Exciting!

The second point (on the left)

Once at the second point… a mysterious box!

I gone done that right there…

In terms of timing, I left the parking lot at 10 am, maintained a fairly steady pace all the way up with stops for snacks and photos, and finally reached the top at about 12 pm. After stopping to eat my lunch and then visiting the second point, I began my knee-destroying descent at 12:45 pm and arrived back at the car for 2:25 pm. Not bad, I’m thinking, though I was pretty slow coming down the mountain since my legs were on fire. Let’s see if I can beat my time when I hike EEOR again! 🙂

Descending through a gully. This was not easy for me :S

And even through the trees, it was a steep way down.

East End of Rundle: “I conquered you!”

The Energizer Night Race

Last night, my friend Shari and I participated in the Energizer Night Race in support of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. Both Shari and I are members of research groups affiliated with the Libin, and we felt it was important to show our support. Also, the money raised provides funds for research and education in cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention programs. According to the website, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Canada, so this is important stuff!!

Shari and I posing for a pre-race photo… with the sunset

At North Glenmore Park. Who knew??

The race looked like it would be lots of fun. We signed up for the 10km run, which would take place at North Glenmore Park. The area is quite beautiful- I’m not sure how I hadn’t discovered it before in Calgary! I guess there’s so much to learn about this great city :D. In preparation for the race, we were given the usual running shirt swag, but since it was a night race, we also received an Energizer 4 LED headlight! Yes, we support the Libin and running and health promotion and disease prevention… but we were so excited about this ‘free’ headlight :). I use the term ‘free’ loosely because the registration was pretty steep, but it all goes to a great cause, so I’m not complaining.

All smiles before the race

“I’m happy to be running!”

Runners with their headlights at the starting line

We crossed the starting line at 9:30 pm. The sun was setting in the distance behind the mountains, and soon afterwards, a full moon shone brightly in the night sky. And then all you could see were bobbing headlights running through the park. Now THAT was definitely awesome. As if cardiovascular health wasn’t reason enough to complete the race, a huge incentive was the free beer being offered at the end. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but boy did that beer taste so good after finishing the 10K. Truthfully, Shari and I had not really been running since conquering our first half marathon, so we were both a bit nervous about the run. But we crossed that finish line with huge smiles, acknowledged a job well done with treats and a drink, and supported a very good cause. All in all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday night 🙂 Go Team 403!

This is so much fun!

Celebrating a run well done with free beer 🙂

Here’s a video of us running. We are so cool it hurts.

A 30th Birthday Weekend to Remember!

A High-Fiving Birthday Celebration!

So it’s official. I turned 30 on Saturday. But you know, I’m quite okay with this number. It is, after all, just a number, right? Yes, physical signs of aging come with the territory, but I like to think of age as a mentality- I feel mature and I feel my age, yet I feel youthful, active and I see the world with so much promise. Bring on the 30’s, I say!

Happy Birthday Karmen, Rob…and Me!

A few years ago, shortly after I moved to Calgary, I celebrated my 28th birthday by buying myself a piece of carrot cake, a coffee, and going back to my empty apartment to consume it all. Honestly, it was a great birthday. However, fast-forward two years, and I can truly say that I had a birthday weekend described as epic, made special by great friends *aww*. What was awesome, though, is that the celebrations for the birthday weekend extravaganza were for six birthdays! 🙂 Another great note is that my friend Jenine from Toronto was visiting Calgary, so it was great to have many people together for the festivities.

Ready to hike Nihahi Ridge Trail

“We’re happy to be here!”

Hiking through the meadow on the way to the ridge

A coconut cupcake (with candles) to be eaten at the summit!

A great view of the Elbow Valley

From Friday to Sunday, it was a packed weekend. First up, a night of bowling for Rob’s, Karmen’s and my birthdays. It was a riot: fun 5-pin bowling and tasty pizza, cake and gifts! Early the next morning, and the day I turned 30, a planned day hike to Nihahi Ridge was greeted with fantastic summer weather. It was a quadruple celebration day: Robin’s, Shari’s, Laura’s and my birthdays.

Shari and I

I’m 30 years old and I did it!

Jenine being adventurous 🙂

Nihahi Ridge

After a steady pace to the top of the mountain, we ate like royalty: a baguette, brie, prosciutto, turkey, lunches and snacks, and a 2006 bottle of an Argentinian Malbec that I picked up in Buenos Aires and have been saving for 3 years! Hiking in style is the only way to go, and I guess I was just waiting for the right occasion to crack open the bottle :). Of course, birthday celebrations wouldn’t be complete without cake and candles. We had cupcakes, chocolate cake, and a gigantic coconut cupcake from Crave (To note: Coconut cupcake from Crave = the best cupcake EVER! Thanks Sony!). Needless to say, we had a great feast near the summit, and no, there was no wine left for the descent :). We ended the evening relaxing on the patio at Redwater Grille in Aspen, where I had a flat-iron steak and mushroom risotto served with asparagus. It was also great to chat with my parents and siblings that night. Even though I couldn’t join for the anniversary dinner (To Ed and Lynne: Happy Anniversary!!), we were all together in spirit for the double celebration… *aww*, *tear*.

Robin opening melted cupcakes. Yum!

Such a tasty wine! Totally worth the wait 🙂

One of many birthday cakes

My meal at Redwater Grille. Sooo good.

On Sunday, Jenine and I visited Elbow Falls, hiked the area, and returned to Calgary in time for a session of Bikram hot yoga (… and it felt fantastic!). The weekend ended with a meal at The Keg… and more steak… and wine.

Elbow Falls

Give me my steak!

Thank you to everyone who made this past weekend incredibly special. I turned 30 and celebrated several birthdays with such great people. I had friends and family from home and abroad call/ text/ FB/ e-mail/ and send letters/cards to wish me happy birthday. I ate and drank like they were going out of style! Many amazing memories were formed, and I look forward to seeing what the future has in store. What a way to start a new decade, I say… :).

I really am happy to be here! Bring on the 30’s…

Kick that Hiatal Hernia to the Curb!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiatus_hernia

Today, as I write this, my good friend Dan is undergoing surgery to repair a hiatal hernia. You may remember Dan from face smashing fame (… if forgotten, click here). So I’m sending him positive Inspiration vibes via this blog, and well wishes for a speedy recovery. Kick this thing to the curb, then throw it off a mountain! A mountain that we will hike once you’re better.

Dan’s surgery and mention of face-smashing make a good transition to something else I wanted to post. I finally watched a Michael Moore movie- Sicko, to be exact. All in all, it was okay- I didn’t love it, and actually had to stretch it over 3 days of watching, but I’m glad I watched it. I can now cross that item off of my list! You see, Dan’s face smashing incident in Hawaii caused us to go to a hospital where the costs for stitches and hospital time were ridiculous! Oh, the American medical system. So, thank goodness for the universal health care we have in Canada. That’s all I wanted to say about that.