Run for the Cure 2013

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s been several years since I’ve done the Run for the Cure. Actually, I believe the last time I did the run was before I left Ontario to head west! So it was great to be able to participate in the CIBC 5K Run for the Cure with my family this year. Ry decided to sign us up for the picturesque Mississauga location, which included a start at the UofT Mississauga campus. Despite the rain and gloomy clouds, the vibe was really positive and energetic. After all, this is a run to end breast cancer. So many supporters and participants came out for their sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers, friends, and colleagues. It’s also inspiring to see survivors and those tackling breast cancer each day. This year, over $27 million was raised nationally for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation- wow. It was also great to spend time with my brothers and mum. With me being in Calgary, quality face-to-face time is few and too far between…

RunforCure-2

Focus T25: Beta, Week 1

T25Beta-1Today I finished week 1 of the beta phase of T25. I loved this week’s workouts. My favourite is by far Speed 2.0- the variety of moves and speed of their execution were fun to learn and by the end, it was awesome to put them all together for 8 counts each. Also, I enjoyed the introduction of weights to the workouts for Rip’t Circuit and Upper Focus. So far, this Focus T25 is turning out to be a great program. I’ve been experiencing a little bit of tightness in my right IT band, so it’s time to get back to the foam roller, as well as massages and physiotherapy. Those have done wonders in the past!

www.Farm-To-Fork.ca

F2F-1I flew home on Wednesday night for a short visit with the family, but first up on the agenda- attending Dan and Danny’s launch party for their Farm-To-Fork website. Dan has been working on an amazing project for about a year, and the amount of progress the Farm-To-Fork team has made is nothing short of crazy awesome.

So what has Farm-To-Fork been all about? I can’t say it any better than Dan and Danny themselves, which is why I’ve copied the following from http://farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com/history:

Do all of the problems we face require huge investments and extensive bureaucracy to solve them? Or, can a different way of thinking and some data create small (but scalable) solutions? Can we make a difference, not by solving massive problems, but by creating one positive outcome at a time? These are the questions that Dan Gillis1 and Danny Williamson2 asked early in 2012. Searching for a community problem to tackle, they took several supportive, but unsuccessful meetings.

A friendly suggestion pointed them towards the Institute for Community Engaged Scholarship at the University of Guelph (U of G). Without delay, Linda Hawkins3 and her team connected them with the Guelph Wellington Food Access Working Group (FAWG). The Farm To Fork (F2F) team learned an important lesson from FAWG: the quantity of food available at food banks and food pantries will always be a challenge, but these agencies face another pressing concern. Often, those most in need of food support are subject to the poorest quality food: fewer fresh vegetables, fruits and meats; and more white breads and pastas. The challenge? How do we make sure our neighbours in need have access to the right kind of food to help get them back on their feet?

The F2F solution? Instead of being reliant on blind donations from donors, why not let food banks and food pantries tell donors what they need on a weekly basis and then let donors tell them what they will provide? Working with students from the University of Guelph, the F2F team created two prototypes of a web interface that will connect farmers, backyard gardeners, and citizens to food pantries and food banks in their area. This winter, Dan, Danny, and U of G students are preparing a final prototype for spring beta testing.

1 Assistant Professor, School of Computer Science, U of G. 2 Consultant, Williamson Consulting. 3 Director, Institute For Community Engaged Scholarship, U of G.

In a nutshell, they have taken a step in making sure those in need have access to fresh and quality food by connecting food banks and food pantries with local donors. Lots of people attended and there was so much enthusiasm for the project. Throughout the year, they’ve had interest from groups in Germany, Kentucky, and Australia. Amazing! Congratulations to Dan and Danny, their team of students, and all of the community partners who helped make the www.farm-to-fork.ca launch an absolute success!

Grizzly Col: So Close!

GrizzlyCol-2After months of being closed, part of the Highwood finally opened up! The flood had really damaged the area, and a quick google search online will show the destruction that occurred. I thought that the Highwood would be closed for the rest of the season, but nope! So when Jess asked if I wanted to go hiking on Sunday (which, of course, I did), I knew the Highwood would be an awesome area to go. With the larches turning colour, it was going to be beautiful. After considering a few choices (Pocaterra Ridge, Wasootch Peak), I suggested hiking to Grizzly Col at the Pocaterra Cirque.

What I did not count on, though, was the winter. Oh Calgary and the mountains… how much I dislike winter at times, though the snow makes the mountains look so pretty. I guess I was just expecting a little while longer to enjoy our 1-week fall. Snow came early in the mountains, and as we drove on the Highwood Pass toward the parking lot, our altitude continued to rise. Before we knew it, there was snow on the ground and lots in the mountains around us. That didn’t stop Jess, Dave and I from hiking though.

GrizzlyCol-1As expected, Pocaterra Cirque was so pretty, especially with all of the golden larches covered by snow. I really love this area, and as long as I’m in Calgary, I will make it a point to hike in the Highwood at least once each fall. After taking photos and stopping to eat lunch, we pressed onward. Mount Tyrwhitt and the rock arch loomed in front. We would not be ascending this mountain, but heading to the pass overlooking the continental divide. Grizzly Col (which I believe is the mountain to the left of the pass) looked quite snow-covered, so the plan was to assess that climb once we arrived at the pass. But as we ascended, the wind became fierce and at times was so strong that it stopped us in our tracks. Thank goodness I was prepared with my winter gear- ‘crampons’, gaiters, my alpine jacket, a hat and gloves. We weren’t all as prepared, and the wind was a bit concerning. In addition, the clouds were dark. Fearing a storm and potential white-out conditions, we opted to head back shortly before reaching the pass. Safety first!… (which is a motto I repeated throughout the weekend after the cougar incident). Like I mentioned, there will always be next time.

Highlights of the hike (other than time spent hiking with friends, of course…): hiking in the snow! I enjoy winter hiking and it’s something I want to do more of. So step 1- take an avalanche safety course :). The other highlight: crossing paths with wildlife! Not bears or cougars or Rocky Mountain sheep this time… but three quails. So cute.

Start: 11:50 am; End: ~ 4:00 pm

Sunrise Over the Rockies

Sunrise-1A couple of weeks ago I mentioned to Shari: would you be up for a morning hike to see the sunrise? Of course, being the awesome person she is, she said “yes”. So we decided to get a few people together for a Sunrise Hike over the Alberta Prairies. It would be an early morning hike where we would leave the city around 4:30 am and head out to the mountains, climb to a vantage point, and enjoy breakfast and hot tea and coffee while watching the sunrise in the horizon. It sounded wonderful!

So on Saturday morning, Robbie, Tushna, Shari and I headed out to Mount Yamnuska with the intention of hiking to the east ridge. There’s a lovely spot there to set up shop and watch the sunrise. As we pulled into the parking lot we realized how dark it was. Super dark. We strapped on our hiking bags, layered warm clothing, and switched on our headlamps. We were off!

Things would not go as planned. Within 5 minutes, Robbie stopped and flashed a light: “Did you see that??” He had seen two eyes, staring at him. We didn’t want to jump to conclusions at that point, so we cautiously proceeded. Then another few minutes later, he proclaimed: “Over there! Do you see it?” And lo’ and behold, something was watching us- this was clear. Not only was it watching us, it was silent and following us. As we walked along the trail, it had walked in parallel. Then we all heard the rustling. There was most definitely something moving over there… and it wasn’t that far away. The sounds weren’t loud enough to be a bear walking through the forest, so we think it was a cougar… and that’s not an animal we wanted to go up against!

That was that- we high-tailed it out of there, looking back cautiously. Of course, we were choked that the hike did not go as planned, but we were thrilled that we left unscathed! That is the most important thing. Safety first.

But this certainly did not deter us from watching the sunrise. We had lots of goodies- bagels, cream cheese, muffins, coffee, tea, and strawberries. We headed to Canmore and drove up the Spray Lakes road and stopped near the top of the Grassi Lakes trail. We ate, chatted, and then bundled up just in time to watch the sunrise over the mountains, casting a wonderful orange and purple colour on the clouds. The surrounding mountains were all dusted with a fresh snowfall, which made the scenery pretty amazing. I reminded myself that I feel so lucky and blessed to have such great people in my life and to live in a place where I can experience a sunrise over the Canadian Rockies, whenever I choose to. It was a pretty incredible morning :).