Climb for Hospice

So, Ali is a total Copy Cat.

I went out months ago and bought new boots for this whole Kili Adventure, and have been hiking in them, and trying to break them in, get them comfy, and figure out if I can survive 7 days of walking in them.

Ali has been hiking in some weird pair of 1960’s stiff leather boots that her mother bought when she immigrated to Canada from Britain 40 years ago or something. Anyway, Ali’s feet are all blistered-up, broken, bent, squished and cranky because Ali hasn’t had the chance to buy new boots yet. Until last weekend.

She calls me up on Sunday and excitedly tells me that she finally has new boots. “That’s great!”, I reply. She’s really excited about them, because they’re comfortable, durable, and really don’t look too bad as far as footwear fashion goes. “That’s great, Ali! So, what are they like?”

“They’re green-ish with a light tan colour, were made by Scarpa, have round laces, and…”

Wait. Wait, wait, wait.

Round laces? “Yep”. Greenish? “Uh, huh”. Scarpa? “Yep. Why are you aski… ohhhh…. nooooo…”

Oh, yes. Ali has managed to root through the bajillion pair of available hiking boots out there and has managed to buy the same pair that I did back in January. Nicely done, my friend.

I mean really! How embarassing! Do you know how humiliating it is to show up at a mountain wearing the same boots as someone else!? You look forward to climbing this mountain, you prep, you choose your outfiit, you get all shapely-looking and *bam!* your whooooole adventure is ruined because some other woman shows up in YOUR boots and, AND looks better in them than you do.

This is terrible.

Thanks a lot, Ali.

Everything is like, totally ruined now. Humpf.

*pouts*

Quite a few of you have been asking about who I’m climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with in August. At this point, the team isn’t fully dedicated yet, but I certainly have a good number of people interested in joining me. I’m one of those don’t-count-your-chickens-before-they-hatch type of people, so until the money is where the mouth is, I’m holding off on revealing the full team. But for now, Team Kili consists of some work colleagues, some acquaintances, and a couple of really good friends*.

Some of you have also asked if you can join me on my climb. The short answer: absolutely! However, please know that you are responsible for all of your costs (flight, guide and porters, food, accommodations, etc…), and it can be quite costly. But the thing is, it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so maybe you’re more than happy to put some money into this incredible adventure. If that’s the case, please contact me and we can discuss you becoming a part of Team Kili. I’d love to have you stand atop the highest peak in Africa with me.

On a side note: please excuse the lack of ha-ha in my last few blogs. I love to entertain you all, and from the feedback I get, you seem to rather enjoy it, too. However, when my body is in pain I tend to want to focus solely on healing that pain and making it go far, far away. I’m feeling much better (aside from a twinge on my morning commute today that nearly had me drive off the road), and so will hopefully be getting back to making you laugh in the very near future. In the meantime, if you’re really hard-up for a giggle, I highly recommend coming by my place and watching me as I try to get into my car with one wonky hip.

Happy Thursday! xo

*In the upcoming weeks, I am going to be announcing a VERY exciting addition to my Kili Team!

On Sunday, Ali and I hiked the Brothers Creek Loop in North Van. It was AWESOME. Full of spooky silence, creeping mists, tall stately trees, and natural trails. See?


Now, some of you may have noticed my fabulous hiking wear – jeans. This is because I have no “hiking pants” per se. I have had to make do with wearing my corduroy pants up until now, but I kind of forgot to put them in the dryer last night. Ooops. So, jeans it was. Not the greatest thing to wear when one is hiking through a rain forest. Especially if said jeans are a touch too big (thanks Cara!), and keep slipping down as one walks. Hmmm, what to do, what to do… I KNOW!
Closer now…
Thaaaaat’s right – I wound the draw strings of my thermal underwear through the belt loops of my pants, and then tied them together. It may not be pretty, but it worked! My mom always said that being a Girl Guide would come in handy someday!

So, on we hiked. Through ankle-busting roots and toe-snagging snarls, across quick, rocky creeks and over super-sketchy-slippery-sideways bridges:

And after surviving our Death Bridge of Doom crossing, we found a little spot for lunch.

Note the complete lack of snow. We were expecting “snow at higher elevations”, but we saw absolutely none. To be honest, it was a little unsettling. Especially since I had packed my ski pants. So anyway… we finished our lunch, and resumed our hike, talking about important things like the economy (our favourite cartoons), politics (which cereal is the best for staying crunchy in milk), and philosophy (singing the theme song to Polka Dot Door). We chatted about a wide range of subjects, and the forest around us listened intently. The conversation moved on to movies and music, and we (I) began singing “Doe, a Deer…” from the Sound of Music. Which then led to a discussion about the movie. Which brought us to talking about Nazis. Up until this point, we were obviously keeping the forest entertained, but just bring up Nazis, and THIS is what happens:
A tree blocks the ENTIRE trail! It was going along so swimmingly until that point! Now, I can’t be certain that our conversation is what caused this tree to make our lives more difficult, but I have no problem blaming Nazis for random stuff.

Anyway… we gingerly made our way around the tree, deftly avoiding the precarious edge that led to a steep fall onto jagged rocks and into the rushing creek below. No problem. We continued on our way, getting closer to the sound of the waterfall ahead. We started talking about nachos.

We found the waterfall…
Went further into the spooky forest…
And soon enough came to the start of the loop in just over 2.5 hours. The hike was supposed to take 4 hours, but I guess we’re just getting that good at hiking now. Being the Mega Super Pros that we are, we thought about going back up and seeing the Candelabra Fir – a BIG tree with a branch that looks like a candelabra. We thought about it, mulled it over, gave it consideration, and then it was decided that we should end our day at one of our favourite sight-seeing spots, taking in the view that we like best:

Yesterday my friend Ali and I went to Buntzen Lake to hike the Diez Vistas trail. It was a great day, as it was a little bit cool, but not raining, and also not scorching hot… which, well, I guess would be rather unexpected in January, anyway.

So, there are (obviously) ten views on this trail. To get to the first one, you need to slog up a series of mean, cranky switchbacks, after walking for an hour through the lovely forest. The weird thing about this trail is the lack of sufficient trail markers, but more on that later… So, after about 1.5 hours we reached Vista Uno… we think. Whatever number it was, you can see just how excited I am to have arrived at such a wonderful destination.

A few minutes later, at Vista Dos, Ali struck a smart hikery pose, after she triumphantly wove her way through the trails that may have been trails, but might not have been trails, or they quite possibly could have been trails. Or not. Those tiny pink markers can be hard to see! Especially when the park ranger decides it would be much more entertaining (for the bored-when-not-decorating-trees woodland creatures) to watch us dopey humans stop in our tracks to search futilely for a marker that isn’t there. What a nice ranger. Always thinking of the animals.

At one of the next Vistas (possibly #3, or #9, I’m not quite sure), I stopped to contemplate the beauty of this magnificent city and how easily one can find themselves in such a wondrous natural environment after a short(ish) drive from home. Ahhh, just look at me contemplate…

As Ali and I descended from the top of the world (Mount Everest is in Port Moody, right?), we marveled at the scene before us: the quiet forest, the stately trees, the babbling brooks, the complete lack of trail markers… Thankfully we had printed off some information about this climb before we left. It was about as useful as round laces. However, we were grateful for it, as we knew that when we got lost and had to spend the night in the forest, we would at least have some paper for starting a fire.

Finally we made our way down, down, down, down, down, down… to a beautiful gravel road. We consulted our kindling and it said that we should go along this road until we get to a bridge. And ta-dah! We found a bridge! Kind of hard to miss it, really.

Finally, at the end of the bridge we found ourselves on a lovely beach, and at the end of the trail. Wonderful! What a spectacular hike, and what a fabulous day! Ali and I share the same sense of humour, and so we tend to laugh ourselves nutty when we’re together. She’s a great hiking partner, and I feel so lucky to have been able to rope her in to hiking with me. Anyway, we looked at the map to see where we needed to go, and…wait, what? Does that map say what I think it does?

Why yes, yes it does. The end of the trail is pretty much on the OPPOSITE SIDE of the lake where the car is parked. You know, after about 5 hours of hiking, I have to admit that I was pretty much ready to get in the car, put on my flip-flops and go to 7-11 for a Slurpee. However, today that would not be the case. We were pretty sure we knew the right way to go, so off we went for our trek to the car.

And now, my interpretation of the dilemma faced by the hiking boot craftsman:

“Hmmm, let’s see… the eyelets are solid, the sole is firm, yet athletic, and the ankle support is beyond perfection. The boot is comfortable and stylish, and will not make the wearer’s foot look fat in any way. It’s good. Too good. Like a Persian rug, I feel as though I must make some tiny mistake in this boot…”

Jim-Bob (the experimental-rat cage cleaner) strolls by, and overhearing the boot craftsman’s dilemma, he pokes his head in the door and says, “You could make the laces round!“, and then totters off on his way to the company cafeteria for some pie.

“Eureka!” exclaims the craftsman, and lo, round laces were born.

Round laces are the most ridiculous and pointless accessories to add to a hiking boot. A boot would be better received if it had a built in toe-wetter. Round laces. The only thing round laces do well is come undone. They are Gold Medal Come Undoners. They also receive high honours in Not Tying Up Tight Enough. Stupid round laces.

Today I did my first hike with my friend Ali, and we went to Lynn Canyon Head Waters. The hike was fine, and we both did really well, but it wasn’t the terrain or the scenery that was most interesting. Oh no, that honour goes to the conversation that began our journey…

Robyn (reads sign): “Hmmm… bears in area. I guess we should make some noise to keep them away, huh?”

Ali: “Oh man, I read that the bears aren’t seeping well this year because they’re so hungry!”

Robyn: “Oh, awesome. THANK you for that lovely tidbit of information!”

Ali: “That’s what I read!”

Robyn: “Be that as it may, it’s not the bears that scare me so much, it’s the cougars!”

Ali (singling loudly): “WELL, DON’T YOU KNOW THAT’S THE SOUND OF THE MEN WORKIN’ ON THE CHAIN GANG…”

Anyway, we were able to keep the bears and cougars at bay and we enjoyed our hike immensely. Next weekend, we tackle…

CAMPING! *cue ominous music*

When discussing the idea of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with people, I am met with many different reactions. I know that people are supportive, but sometimes it’s funny how that “support” is portrayed. For example, a friend of mine recently decided to point out:

Six kilometres straight up! It’s like doing The Chief 8½ times without a break!

Thanks. I really needed to hear that.

I’m trying to avoid the reality of this situation for as long as possible. Right now I’m thinking that I’ll be needing some good shoes, a few granola bars, some water and a good porter to get myself up this rather large hill. I like it when people keep me somewhat ignorant. It keeps the fear at bay for a little while longer.

Recently I was taking the bus into Vancouver (you know, I’m not even going to comment on the changes to the 601, mkay?), and I was going to walk to the bus loop on the other side of town. My mother asked me if I’d like a drive to the loop, and I thanked her but replied that I would rather walk. “Walk?!”, she says, “All the way there?!”

Considering I am climbing “six kilometers straight up”, a little stroll across town doesn’t seem too daunting.

I like walking. I have two dogs (Jenn and Luna) that I walk quite frequently, so I really don’t mind a few extra steps here and there. That being said, hiking is different. So from here on in, every weekend until I leave I will either hike or *shudder* camp with a variety of friends and training partners. Tomorrow my friend Ali and I head to Lynn Canyon, rain or shine.

I’ll let you know how it goes. However, as for today…. I need to go buy hiking boots.