My Summer Holiday

Today was the official first day of my summer holiday. I will have to post about my mom's visit sometime too, because she was here for 2 weeks, and I thought we had an amazing time. We kept her to 2 activities a day, which seemed appropriate. After all - what's the point in travelling to BC if you're not going to see as much as you can? My awesome mother went hiking, orienteering (twice), to a dressage show, to Fort Langley, the Vancouver Aquarium, Science World, Stanley Park, to the Bloedel Conservatory, horseback riding on Icelandic ponies, cheered me through a mountain bike race and was disappointed that Marc (at my request) didn't take her to see the sketchy downhill carnage part, went bouldering (okay, she may not have actually bouldered, but it was close). She also baked a giant cake, met our friends and many other things.

But that's a story for another blog, because it'll take me a bit longer. Who knows if it will ever be written?

Marc left for Newfoundland last week, which was the unofficial start of my holiday. Somehow I thought that with Marc gone there would not be any dirty dishes, and dinner would miraculously appear and there would be leftovers for days. Shockingly I discovered that I can also create a pile of dishes, and still dislike washing them just as much. And I drank the beer. Which I knew I would, but I hoped it would happen slower and there would be one for now.

I also thought it would be interesting to find out what I would do if I was on my own and didn't have someone planting ideas in my head or dragging me off constantly to run/ride/climb/paddle....  To my great dismay it turns out what I'd really like to do is sleep. Since the house temperature is mimicking the great outdoor heat wave this week, what I would love to do in between nightshifts is sleep in a house where the temperature is approximately 1 million degrees and wake up crabby. And turn on a propane torch and a kiln to make glass melt - which as it turns out is not a lot of fun when it's this hot. Surprise, I know. So there's no glass to show for a week of "time". I can also eat whatever I want. As long as it doesn't involve turning on the stove and making more heat in the house. So I eat whatever type of cold salad I want.

Yesterday before work I rode my big bike Burke, and had a blast. Lovely trails, even repeated my little baby jump from the last group ride, and added a few more baby jumps to the repertoire. I forgot that little jumps are actually really easy, and surprisingly I know how to do them. While jumping is easy, deciding that it's a wise idea to jump off things in the middle of the woods riding by yourself is a bit more difficult. But it was super fun and a good time was had by all! (Matilda, Pippa and my bike)

Yesterday was my last work shift until July 17th, so today is my first true holi-day. I fly to Newfoundland Friday morning, so I have 3 days to discover what I would like to do when left to my own devices.
Today I decided to go to Squamish to go bouldering. This involved getting up early to get there when it was cool. And then remembering that I can't take the HOV lane through Vancouver even if Mattie was in the passenger seat, so I drank coffee and did some "stuff" until around 10. Clear sailing all the way to Squamish. IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!!

I grabbed the odds and ends I brought, and realized I didn't bring a bag to put them in (?Stupid or what?) and stuff my pockets. Dogs hop out and off we go, carrying a crash pad into the forest. I was here after the Test of Metal, and in the giant boulderfield that runs along the bottom of the Chief I expect to trip over the boulders we were on last time. I pass about 8 million boulders, some with happy people playing on them. THIS, I thought, is going to be SO much FUN!!!

I stop and pull out a guidebook. It lists all the pretty rocks and where to find them and what to climb on them. By name. Which is great, except I don't remember any names except the one called Cheesegrater. I run into other people - also consulting guidebook while walking around rocks. One of them is quite friendly, but the other two lads ignore me because after all, they're cool.... and I'm not.  Nonchalantly, I continue on, because I'm so cool - I even know where I'm going, can't ya tell! Cool incarnate, oh yeah, that's me, walkin' through the boulder field with my crashpad.

I finally find a big giant rock, about 25 feet high, and behind it is the Cheesegrater. Yay! I know where I am!!! Of course, I have no idea where we climbed, but it must be nearby....  Oh boy, I think. This is going to be so much FUN! I start heading for the Cheesegrater, since it's saved me from wandering aimlessly forever, but then I remember that the top out is a bit sketchy and I had 2 spotters to make sure I hit one of the two crashpads we had with us. And even then I knew if I slid down it I would never have fingerprints again. Despite this being potentially useful, I decide to steer clear of the Cheesy grater.

At some point I call Marc in Newfoundland. Yes, I used the lifeline - and called a friend. "Marc - I'm standing behind the Black Dyke Boulder, the Cheesegrater is to my left. What can I climb?" Marc walks me around the boulder (okay, actually all the way around once) and then helps me find some easy stuff. I climb around, and a real climber comes and joins me. He moves effortlessly, floating upwards without making a sound or a fast move. Poetry. I flail around a corner where no one can see me, and hop down on the mat with a boom. I wander to the easy climb up - and after about 15 feet get to a slightly tougher spot just above me. Hmmmm......  up - and potentially can't downclimb and hate myself? or down. and hate myself. Dilemma. Down. Then back up - easy peesy. But what's ahead - I ask the super-climber and he says it gets a bit blank. Do I want to know what he does there? No, I don't, because then I'll have to consider it. And if I can't find the way, I shouldn't be 20 feet off the deck thinking about it. Down. Damnit. Super-climber is joined by a gaggle of super-climbers, and I head back up the trail looking cool. Super cool in fact. Walkin' through the woods with my crash pad lookin' cool....

I did find some easy stuff, and had a lovely young woman show me her warm up boulder problems. She doesn't seem to have a muscle on her, but she floated up progressively tougher problems. As the problems get harder, I get choppier - grabbing at granite and swinging. At some point I am pulling and torquing as hard as I can - and it's looking really good as I reach up but that's because my ass is still on the crashpad rather than me actually hanging by my fingertips. A man joins us, and I am secretly thrilled that he can't get off the ground either. She asks me what kind of bouldering project I have, and I laugh. I ride my bike I say, to help her understand why I suck. She heads off to her project leaving me with the rocks and a climber determined to go from V5 to V5 problem, never actually getting more than 6 inches off the ground. But grunting a lot.

At this point I should have settled on the bouldering pad under a tree and had a nap. But I decided to find a few more easy boulders. Mattie insisted on hopping off a boulder and then limping, and since she does have a sore paw occasionally and is going to the sitters for 10 days of walks in the woods I decide that she needs to ice it.

We head off up the road to the Mamquam river, which is a lovely grey of glacial silt and fast moving currents this time of year. I find a trail, and we follow a lady and her dog down to the river. My best-behaved dogs who have been great all day are getting a talking to for barking when the lady crosses the little river and continues upstream. At the river's edge Matilda hops in, Pippa close behind. I step in cautiously, hoping this is where she went because I can't see anything as the river is completely opaque grey with silt. Several minutes later, I stand on the sandbar where I meant to go. I am now carrying cell phone and wallet in my hand because I'm soaked from the waist down. The water's lovely - if cold enough to rip off your feet in about 4 seconds. And it takes 6 to cross the little river. We stay and play for a bit, because it's really hot and I can't get wetter. Mattie doesn't want to get back in the car, but it's the only way home. I should have stayed for a nap here, but wasn't thinking very well.

Unbeknownst to me, there was an event today called "Everyone go drive on the highway between 4 and 5 pm", but eventually I got home.

Whatever will tomorrow bring?