Take a Hike

"Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb."    
-- Greg Child

Well, today we went hiking. It was a short hike, laden with ups and downs, twists and turns, but overall it was very fun. I had a full water bottle and before I made it a third of the way up the 50-minute-each-way hike I had drained the bottle. Moral of the story - bring more than one or a bigger water bottle. There were some tough parts to it, but the final outlook point was spectacular. Not too much to say, other than I enjoyed it and would do it again for OEE.

Thanks!



-Derek

Come and Gone

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”

The winter, along with the winter sports of OEE, is over. We have journeyed to Cypress for a couple of weeks to cross country, and then we traversed the road to Mount Seymour to do some snowshoeing. All in all, it was a great experience. I delved more into the aspects of the two sports that I enjoyed, and that I disliked. I learned what I was able, and unable, to accomplish, and I refined and redefined my skills. From a cross country skier who would simply "go for it" and occasionally lose control to one who could (somewhat) confidently remain in control, and one who was able to advance quicker, and one with a more open-minded towards the sport. In all honesty I did not learn all too much more this time. For the two sessions I was able to attend, the snow did not permit fast speed, which was easier but in a sense less exhilarating. Additionally, I was placed in the lesser advanced group on both occasions - the first time rightfully so but the second time I myself would have probably preferred the advanced group (although I wouldn't have got hot chocolate in that case!).  I did, however, have a good time advancing my skills, getting outside, getting active and all in all, enjoy myself, as I learned to glide across the snow, to "snowplow", to stop and how to ski across the rolling plains of untainted nature.

Snowshoeing was a very different OEE session than cross country skiing, to my surprise. Instead of solely advancing skills, our two snowshoeing sessions involved playing active games of capture the flag, therefore advancing our skills. We walked to an area and ran through the snow. I did end up wet and dehydrated, so in future I will wear more waterproof layers and bring water actually to the mountain. I do look forward to next year, and I am ready to strap on a pair of plastic shoes and head up to the mountain again.


I look forward to future winter activities!


-Derek

Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing this year was conducted in a different format than in previous years. Instead of simply trudging around, as we have done, it was more structured, where we walked to an area and then played a game to get some exercise. Unfortunately for me, even with a toque and a hood I continually got wet, due to falling snow from trees and the sky. In future I will ensure that my hood always remains in the on position. Another thing that I have simultaneously remembered and forgotten to do is to bring a water bottle, as sometimes I forget it at school, or often it is not filled or such. Next week I will focus on the ten essentials, which I forgot to bring this week. I feel that I have not learned too much more, however I am happy that I got outside and got active (and that my team perpetually wins), and I look forward to tubing next week. Thank you!



-Derek

Uphill From Here

Cross country skiing is, well, interesting. I am a downhill skier. Always have been, always will. I often say that the best thing to add to cross country skiing is a chairlift. But still, it's fun. Whirring through the snow capped trees, honing in on skills like slowing down (a rather important skill indeed), stopping, skiing downhill, pushing uphill, skills that will come in handy for whenever I am cross country skiing again. The only area that I myself need to improve in is how I dress. I have continually ended up wet for both times, with and without a toque, with and without gloves. I always, however, wear a ski jacket, ski pants and some sort of inner layer to keep myself warm. The only other thing I would do for next time is to bring water. I am always thirsty skiing, and that would be a worthy thing to do.

Until next activity,

-Derek

A Basin of Success

"Swimming is a confusing sport, because sometimes you do it for fun, and other times you do it to not die. And when I'm swimming, sometimes I'm not sure which one it is."

-Demetri Martin
Risk-Taking was the order of the day for the two occasions we visited the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. Staring up at the looming 7.5m diving board, it seemed to be lunacy to walk all the way up to it with no harness or safety device. Jumping off - out of the question. So I started with my familiarity, the 5 metre, which took me about 0.05 seconds for me to jump off. No problem. I had already passed my swim "test", and I was fully confident in my abilities, to a certain extent. For some reason though, the 7.5 bugged me. I just wanted to climb to the top, look down and see how high it was. I finally did, shouting at all, "I'M NOT JUMPING OFF!!!", and, "I'M JUST LOOKING!!!". My classmates respected that. Only two that day had built up the confidence, or used the confidence that they already had, to jump off the diving board, for which "high" was a massive understatement. As I looked, down, though, my mind was wiped. I forgot about the lack of immortality of myself, and, in a simple jump-step, I fell down 24.6 feet to my awaiting death. Death might be a tad overdramatic. In fact I survived, and, as an added bonus, all of my limbs were intact. So I went up again. I gained confidence that day, the confidence to simply stop thinking. Sometimes critical analysis is a serious handicap.



-Derek

Life, Metaphors, and Rock Climbing

"Life is rock climbing. Rock climbing is life. You choose your route carefully, but when you get stuck, you either give up, persevere, or change your mind. You have the support of others but often it is solely your decision. There are dips, slips and falls, but if you have the willpower to continue, to move on, you will embrace your decision in due time. When you get to a hard patch, with no visible support, you know that there is always a way to the top. It is not designed to be impossible, and it is not impossible. A fear will bring you down, but an empty mind is one most likely to make a mistake. Balance is key. The most important lesson, however, is to know that no matter the hardships, no matter the fears or the bad decisions, when you make it to the top, there is victory, and the accompanying feeling. That is when you know that you have succeeded." --Derek MacPherson "The best climber is the one having the most fun. " -- Alex Lowe "Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career." --Abdul Kalam

Cliffhanging With Myself

Cliffhanging Yes, I can say, honestly and with no shame, that I was utterly terrified climbing the walls. And yes, the easy one. The happy side of life (and the wall) is that I did manage to lose the "rainbow appeal" and attempted (with limited success)a strictly white/yellow path to the top. I did, however, make it to the top of all of the walls I tried. I even (with no success whatsoever) tried bouldering, which is simply an inverted little wall with no harness. Back to the big walls, I am confident in my abilities, however my biggest hurdle, which is quite normalish, is my fear of heights. looking down, or even worse looking up, makes me want to stop and just let go, or the opposite, which provides me with a dilemma. In all honesty, my biggest fear is slipping and falling. Not necessarily to my death but, wound up by the hights, just a slip would inject enough adrenaline into me to nearly kill me. Anyways, I am happy with what I have done, but I am eager to advance myself in this process, mentally and physically. My goal - To really rock. -Derek