A Weekend in Whistler

After posting so prolifically - it feels like it's been a while since I last wrote a post.

I've been busy crashing around in the woods, lost and delirious, while orienteering in Whistler. My brother was along for the ride, so for the first time since I bought Walden - I paid for a camp site (a primitive one, no amenities). He slept in my tent while I slept in my protective tan shell.

My brother is a bit of a Yaletown princess...so for the second night he found a couch to crash on in a hotel. For the third night, he did one better...he wrangled a hotel room for free! Two of the orienteers were called away for work and couldn't use it - so he jumped at the chance (Thanks Jeremy and Virginia - we owe you one!).

It was pretty sweet - two stories - right in the Village - not bad for my first overnight return to civilization eh? It's not like I have made a vow of poverty or anything but I definitely felt like I was 'cheating'. To avoid being totally bourgeois,  I slept on the couch with no covers (I figured my brother needed the one bed more).  Even so, after close to a month of sleeping on the floor of the van using a thin 3/4 Thermarest, it was pretty deluxe...

This brings me to the point of this post. One thing I've been noticing are the small things, and how they are much more enjoyable. Everything is relative.

A shower for example. As much as I love jumping into glacier fed creeks, using jugs of water in parking lots or automatic sprinklers - a long hot shower is up there on the list of luxuries I miss. Having one now, is THAT much better! (The automatic sprinklers were an achievement I unlocked this weekend after a run with my brother - it wasn't terrible - sort of what I imagine getting hosed down during indoctrination in prison would be like.

Food. Never been a foodie - but I definitely have noticed an increase in interest in proper meals. My stomach must be shrinking because for the first time, I'm having difficulty finishing 'average' sized meals. Sweets too are overwhelmingly sweet. I couldn't finish a large ice cream cone in Summerland...which for those who know me...is unfathomable.


If you ever find life is feeling flat and uninteresting. Instead of chasing more - try taking away some of the creature comforts you take for granted. Then learn to be happy without them.

Fooling around with friends at the summit.

Yours truly. Staying true to my promise of never smiling for a camera again.

The mayhem just before the middle distance race.