Living Vicariously Through Myself

I started skiing relatively late, in my early-twenties. However I quickly made the switch from something new to part of a lifestyle which started with a desire to spin in a terrain park and quickly evolved to ski patrolling in my second season and adding the Nordic discipline of skate skiing. Ever since i have Spent as much of my winter gliding on two planks as possible. So how does this relate to my title you may be asking. Well early In that first year of skiing on the small slopes of Ontario I discovered a magazine called Backcountry Magazine. After only flipping through a few pages I was lost in the dreams of the image of what skiing could be. Not thousand of people on a hill toting the newest in ski fashion, or partying it up in a ritzy ski village (even if I have to admit to being guilty of that one and a while ). My dreams of skiing became about the adventure, the challenge, the vast open spaces, the calm and meditation of the skin track, the sound of your skins sliding through fresh snow, the wind howling over the mountain ridges, the humbling grandeur of the of Alpine terrain in the winter, and ultimately your buddies hooting and hollering descending in virgin POWDER with no one else in sight. Fast forward 5 years and I’ve moved to Edmonton only hours from canada’s rocky mountain range, have taken my AST1 Yamnuska in Canmore who’s instructors have done an amazing job. (as well as plans for my AST2 in Rogers Pass next season) and have a season of ski touring under my belt. And every-time I look back at the seasons pictures I truly feel like I’m Living Vicariously Through Myself.

I thought i would highlight a few of my favorite pictures for all of you. The pictures are only a highlight of some of the pictures taken by myself, Andrew and Davin (who has a multitude of amazing outdoor photographs on his photo blog (http://dreamingoutdoors.zenfolio.com) which I encourage you to visit. )

I’ll leave links to the full albums on Facebook If anyone wants to see the full pictures diary of the trips.

Healy Pass (Full Album Link)

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Davin via dreamingoutdoors.zenfolio.com

Observation Peak Attempt (Full Album Link)

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc
Bow Summit

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Parker Ridge

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Rossland area (Full Album Link)

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc
Kootenay Pass (Full Album Link)

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Andrew Cross

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Andrew Cross

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Tunnel Ridge (Full Album Link)

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Andrew Cross

Photographer Dustin Leclerc
Fernie BC

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Burstall Pass

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

Photographer Dustin Leclerc

I hope these trips only begin to scratch the surface of the adventures and routes I will have the chance to explore in the years to come. Short term plans start with skiing some more class two type terrain and progressing into type three terrain hopefully next year with areas such as Rogers pass, Popes peak and multitude of route to build experience on hopefully resulting in eventually having the confidence to complete classics such as the Wapta traverse, Jumbo Glacier and Exploring the little Yoho valley for example only scratching the possibilities lightly of my plans to continue living vicariously through myself!

Saguenay Expedition and East Coast Adventures

(*I’m having some cpu issues with uploading pictures so for now you can follow this link for the full album http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=196778&id=513672373&l=c6baa255c1 )

I haven’t been blogging much as a result of all my efforts being dedicated to the cafe. However, I thought I should catch up with a couple quick photo journals.

I had long dreamed of paddling the Saguenay Fjord that feeds into the St Lawrance river after seeing pictures from a co-worker who had hiked some of the plateaus above it. The stunning views and grandeur of the Fjord carved through a deep gash in the Precambrian rock about 2 km wide and over 275 m deep in places. The Fjord Fjord’s carved by glaciers from the last ice age 10 000 years ago have been called Majestic by many. With tidewaters surging 100km’s up the Fjord as far as Chicoutimi, up to 6 m at the equinox (We arrived the day after the equinox) it is a Sea Kayakers playground. The Saguenay’s waters are also the breeding grounds of the Beluga and Minke whales which are often seen leaving an opportunity to get close to some mamals I’ve only seen from a far. All combined there was a lot of stoke for this trip built up over few years of Dreaming.

After a lot of Research I set out a Route that would that would see us paddle from St Rose Du Nord to the mouth of the St. Lawrance over 5 days and then up along the shores of the St. Lawrance through the Marine Park to Escoumins. Along the way providing many opportunities to enjoy the area’s rich marine life and splendid views, where Porpoises and Whales are plentyfull and playfull, as well as a mutliple birds taking advange of the platter of food available for them.

After strategically packing for what was going to include travel by plane, bus, train, kayaks, boots and bicycles for a little over two weeks Jess and Myself arrived in Montreal late on a Friday night in August. We met my cousin Anthony and the next morning armed with 70ltr packs, a camelback, maps, itineraries, contacts lists, and gear for the multiple adventures ahead and off to the train station to truly start the adventure.  In Quebec City we’d meet up with Cam and Katie who where going to round out our team to takle the Fjord and enjoyed visiting “Le View Quebec” before working our way to Tadoussac by Bus to meet our Outfitter to shuttle us to St. Rose du Nord with our Kayaks and gear.

Dropped off at St. Rose du Nord with 7 days worth of supplies and camping gear we started loading our three Boreal Design expedition kayaks. After after some strategic packing we were slicing through the waters of the Saguenay with the excitment of an adventure into the unknown with where contact with the modernized world would be minimal! No cell phones, email, or GPS and feeling at relaxed, comfortable, and trully at home. We set a bearing for the West bank of the Fjord which is slightly less exposed in case a sudden turn in the weather happened and worked our way towards our first campsite at Anse du Gros Ruiseau a short 14KM paddle.  The Fjord isn’t something to tackle without any backcountry or paddling experience. Their are multiple guiding companies you should consider if you don’t have the confidence to execute a trip on this scale. The backcountry campsites require you to have some basic navigation knowledge of Topo maps as the sites are simply marked by a Quebec Flag often tucked behind a point. Also the waters of the Fjord need to be treated with respect. The area has a significant tidal influence as well as the ability for storms to catch you off guard turning the Fjord into complex waters.

We spent the next 5 days enjoying blue skies, amazing views, stunning campsites, Sunsets, and some delicious dehydrated meals (yes it is possible, especially after a day of traveling under your own power.). To our pleasure yet a little surprissingly we only ran into one other group of paddlers from the US who where guided by www.h2outfitters.com. As we navigated our way through spending nights at Anse du Tabatiere, Anse du Cheval, Anse David we where quite lucky seeing multiple pods of Beluga’s and Minke whales on the last day in the Fjord. Our biggest challange throughout the trip was timming the tides. Traveling the week of the Equinox put us in the situation where the tidal effects where the highest, and effected our launches/landings with a few hundred metres of sand and mud at low tide to contend with. This time of the year also creates a larger effect on the point between Anse du Cheval and Anse du David the Fjord where there’s a bit of a plateau in the Fjord. The waters turned into a choppy mess at least 3 feet high changing the Fjord into a large rapid (*This point is very obvious on a Marine Map, as the Fjord quickly looses more then a 100 metres of dept over a very short distance creating a plateau that creates this effect at low tide.) We pulled ashore for a about an hour to wait out the turbulant conditions before we carried on. From Anse du David we left early to coordinate getting to the mouth of the St Lawrence at high tide to avoid what can become turbulant waters, as well as paddle accross the sandbars that appear at low tide that would have added multiple KM’s to what turned out to be a 30km day already. We squeazed out of the sandtables just as the water reached a low point. We where getting nervous that we may end up looking like beached whales as the water moved out but we reached deeper waters just in time with the bottom of our kayaks scraping the rocks as we lunged into deeper waters.

This next day and a half was met with mixed emmotions, as we paddled through the St Lawrence Marine Park. This area undoubtedly allowed us to get the closest to marine life with multiple pods of whales and I’d estimate we saw 50 or so throughout the day, paddled with porpoises, and watched birds of prey dive for fish. However, this area is also where you leave confines of the prestine Fjord and are met with hordes of Tourists at campsites looking at these strange people who have only bathes in waterfalls for the week, baffled that you can traveled unsuported for a week, and where the sound of the wind and waves are interupted by the sound of motors, as they take their Zodiac tours chasing whales down, as Cam tagged the Japanese Whaling fleet in discuss as they hunt down the whales for a couple snapshots.

Day 6 saw us arrrive in Escoumins wich was the ending point of our kayak tour. After a last night with our paddling team, sitting around the campfire with beers in hand for the first time in a week to celebrate our trip which saw the end of our backcountry adventure. Jess and myself traded in wetsuits and paddles, for hiking boots and 70 ltr packs again as we took off on foot to the Ferry to catch the train to PEI in Trois Pistoles.

This Second half of our trip, was a little more tourist like as we met Dave to take a quick tour of PEI, before he drove us to his home in Halifax where we toured the city by bike, (as a side note I highly suggest Two if By Sea in Dartmouth for a latte and the best Almond Croissant you’ve ever had!), Ran Cape Split along the Bay of Fundy, and then moved on to the Cabot Trail for some hiking, and 100KM bike ride from Cheticamp to Ingonish which was as amazing as all the stories cyclist bring home from the Cabot trail, with a few BIG climbs, some gorgeous scenery, laid back people and great cycling roads. We ended the last 1/3rd in the storm that washed out the bridges to tip of the Island. Cold and wet we arrived in Ingonish for a wet night of camping and laughing before working our way home to reality. Dreaming of the next adventures that lay ahead with a few big plans in the works for the next couple years as we Dream of Float planes dropping us off in the around the Beaufort Sea, a chance to discover some adventure in the southern Hemisphere over the next Twelve, and as much ski touring as I can find room for.

A Little Update

As the long hours in the cafe seem to be becoming the norm, some normalcy is also coming back into my life. I’ve got Three mountain bike rides in the last week and a couple of road rides, and who I’m even planing to head to Jasper or a Banff for a night this weekend.

What’s new? I’ve been working on a lot and it’s nice to see a plan falling into place. The Cafe’s been running well with amazing feedback from the community! With word of mouth spreading and bringing in more people daily, a music series that I’m very excited about starting to gain steam with some of Edmonton’s top young artists, getting some interest in my Grounds for Gardens campaign (http://www.goodearthsummerside.ca/grounds-for-gardens/), and have been getting some exposure from other local media agents such as www.greenedmonton.ca, www.urbanfarmer.ca, www.marketwire.com, and the Tomato magazine.  Check out the Cafe’s blog to stay up to date on what is going on at http://www.goodearthsummerside.ca/blog-and-albums/

I was also featured on a local photographers 100 people project www.harveyblog.com, today and suggest you go read his site as there’s a lot of interesting people featured on his site and he’s an  AMAZING photographer!

Now it’s time to execute stage 2 of my marketing efforts!

From a personal note things are coming together with a little bit of time for some mountain and road biking again! It’s been great start trying to get back into race shape but a little late in the season to really have any success, Oh well start training now for next Summer! Took my first day off this to go do some XC in Hinton which was great, and I’m working on the details for a two week trip in August to Kayak the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec and some cycling on the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia!

Earth Day Thursday, April 22nd

I’ll be throwing a little earth day celebration at the Cafe with Live Music and raising money for the UN World Food Program and I’m looking forward to some more live music by Wes’ pure artists and some great company.

What’s Earth Day?

Earth Day provides the opportunity for positive actions and results.

First launched as an environmental awareness event in the United States in 1970, Earth Day (April 22) is celebrated as the birth of the environmental movement.

Earth Day is a powerful catalyst for change. The first Earth Day, spearheaded by Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson and Harvard University student Denis Hayes, involved 20 million participants in teach-ins that addressed decades of environmental pollution. The event inspired the US Congress to pass clean air and water acts, and establish the Environmental Protection Agency to research and monitor environmental issues and enforce environmental laws.

In 1990, two million Canadians joined 200 million people in 141 nations in celebrating the first International Earth Day. In many countries, the global event brought pressure on heads of state to take part in the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to address issues such as climate change and the world wide loss of species.

In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. They range from large public events, such as Victoria’s Earth Walk (5,000 participants), Edmonton’s Earth Day Festival at Hawrelak Park (30,000 participants), and Oakville, Ontario’s Waterways Clean-up (2,000 participants) to the thousands of small, private events staged by schools, employee groups and community groups.

To learn more about our Earth Day Celebration visit http://www.goodearthsummerside.ca/?page_id=240

Good Earth Coffeehouse and Bakery @ the Market at Summerside NOW OPEN

Well it’s been a long couple of weeks working from open till close! However I’m excited to say we’ve been open with for a week with great fanfare and we are enjoying every minute of it, especially all the time spent meeting the residents of the community. (Well maybe those early morning minutes at 5AM may not be as pleasant as the ones in the evening spent re-reinforcing an already strong community.) The response from the community has been great hearing nothing but good things about the food, drink quality, and ultimately a coffeehouse vibe that’s missing away from trendy area’s in town such as White Ave.

I’d like to invite all of you to join us for our Grand Opening this Saturday, April 17th for what should be a great day with sunny skies in the forecast, live music by pureartists.ca, free carrot cake and free coffee. So come buy to help us celebrate becoming part of the Summerside community.

Also you can learn more about the cafe by visiting www.goodearthsummerside.ca

A Rainbow in the Night – The Tumultuous Birth of South Africa

A couple days ago I finished A Rainbow in the Night – The Tumultuous Birth of South Africa by Dominique Lapierre and I wanted to add it to my suggested reads. The book is a very captivating read about the birth of South Africa starting from when the Dutch arrived. It discusses how the Dutch settlers thought it was their land to take based on passages from the bible where they believed  they where a chosen race for supremacy. Leading to the Apartheid which was founded by Political Leaders who studied under the German Nazi Regime and unbelievably managed to impose those methods on the native African population into the 90′s. Also throughout the story many true hero’s arised based on attempting to put an end to the apartheid from Nelson Mandela, who is one of the most amazing people I’ve read about; Desmund Tutu who’s won the Nobel Peace Prize and played one of the biggest roles in the reconciliation between the black and whites after the Apartheid; to some lesser known heroes like Helen Lieberman who was white a speech therapist who ignored the laws of apartheid to help the black population. Needless to say I strongly suggest the book.

While we are on the topic of books I’m now about 100 pages into Chuck Klosterman’s – Killing Yourself to Live.  This book is very different then what I would generally pick up to read as the story is about an editor for spin magazine who goes on a road to trip to visit places where rockstars died controversial deaths. However, a friend suggested I’d like it and said I had to give it read so I figured I should give it go. The story is really doesn’t touch on the rockstars much and is about himself, the road trip and popular culture in the 90′s and 2000′s. His writing style reminds me of someone with A.D.D. with many asides that do not always relate to the story, which reminds me of the way my mind seems to think (if you’ve seen the movie “up” I often compare myself to the puppy, as it seems I get distracted easier then 10 yr old with A.D.D. who forgot his Ritalin sometimes.) However this creates the charm of his writing style as it’s insightful to what’s going through his mind while he’s writing, adds many moments of Humor, and pulls the story together into something a lot more then a road trip. Add in his analogies of our current pop culture question somethings the love for the NFL and it’s a quick read well worth the time!

Busy and Exciting

Well I wonder if life will slow down anytime in the near future? First off our new cafe is coming along well with a scheduled opening date of April 2nd, staffing add’s out and resume’s coming in, and a lot is going on from that front. Looking forward to getting open and starting to selling Lattes, Cap’s, Smoothies and a multitude of delicious wholesome foods and decadent treats. Also the marketing plans are starting to come together, with some exciting news on the front about weekly entertainment (but I’ll leave it a tease till the details are worked out). Also support for a few to the community. I was excited to attend the YMCA Strong Kids Launch a couple of weeks ago, a great program to help your communities youth and children in need visit http://www.ymcastrongkids.ca/ for more info.

Also bought a new road (well a cyclocross bike but for a mountain biker it’s a road bike) in an attempt to stay fit and commute without having to drive. For her maiden voyage I figured why not check out the commute route and you can see the pics attached . I must say I’m impressed with the way it manages ice, snow, and mud with cross tires and it with a set Specialized Turbo Tubes and Roubaix Pro II for rubber things it held it’s own on a few longer road rides with some carbon bikes so i expect it do to me well. I won’t be winning any road races on it but it will allow me to get out with some you spandex wearing types : ).

Updated Dropmachine

With bike season right around the corner thought I drop a plug for www.dropmachine.com. Dropmachine is an Ontario based Website that is considered the center of the Downhill mountain bike community in Ontario, as well as the Don Valley XC trail network in Toronto and gaining steam as Ontario`s go to site for all things mountain bike related. They`ve revamped the site so if you haven`t been in a while check it out, post up, and get active in the community. You might even recognize the guy in the background picture on the left hand side ; ).

Ski Trip 2010

Last week Cam flew down to ski Kicking Horse and Revelstoke for 5 Days. We didn`t get ideal conditions the whole trip but where blessed with one snow day on the last day at Revy and some great skiing the whole trip regarless as both these hills are amazing in their own rights. Kicking Horse for it`s ease of access to some great chutes, slack country skiing, and an amazing vibe that is simply stoked to ski. And Revy has to be my favourite hill with amazing snow, what has to be some of the best glades in North America with a lot of Variety in Terrain from Trees to Chutes to Open Bowls to Great Groomers over a lot of terrain. Anyways Enjoy some pics!

Kicking Horse

Revelstoke

January Update

Well well after 20km’s frosty skate skiing. I’m sitting here feeling a need for another adventure wishing I had all my Avalanche and Backcountry travel training so I could have gotten some Alpine Touring days in but I guess that will have to be next year since setting up the new cafe and training is taking up a little of time ; ). As a result of my need for adventure I’m starting to get caught up in the details for my summer trip Kayaking over 100KM’s on the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec and a visit to Nova Scotia for some hiking with Dave and Steph.

But so far I’ve made the best of the year with at about 12 Alpine Ski Days and 15 + Nordic Ski Days but am I ever racking up KM’s quickly on the Jeep. Also in about a week I’ll be taking off for a week of skiing at Kicking Horse and Revelstoke so here’s hoping for some good ski conditions! and some good pics and stories when I get back. Also talking about the  jeep he received a gift this week of some tires so it can handle a little Mud and Snow.

With no big adventures to report on and all my thoughts being raped up in the business instead of anything insightfull I’ll leave things there till I get back from the ski trip!!!

Happy Holidays!

We find ourselves halfway through the holiday season and it’s been a great one. Many evenings have spent with family that is ever so important and I often don’t see enough of as result of how busy i keep my schedule, as well as catching up with many of my best friends through phone calls and e mails who since moving out west I realized have became as close as family from when I lived in southern Ontario and my family was so far away.

But ultimately what is toping off the holiday season is great weather and SNOW! The holidays have all ready seen two blue bird ski days in the Rockies at sunshine and Marmot. 5 Nordic ski days patrolling at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre who’s conditions are prime and I’m logging as many km’s as possible to get in shape for summer race season. And finally 3 more ski days remain over new years with hopefully a day at Lake Louise, Sunshine and a Nordic day at Bragg Creek or the Canmore Nordic Centre.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and I’ll be back in the New Year chasing that road to nowhere which taken a lot of turns in the last year all pointing in the right direction.  Happy Holidays!

Winters Here!!!!

Winters here and in full swing, including having to shovel 4 times in 24 hours on December 4th. I’m trying to get the best out of the season with what seems to have been a ridiculously busy Fall with less time for fun then I would have liked and definitely doesn’t appear to be slowing down over the winter. However, Days like Saturday are sure to keep my sanity with my first Nordic Ski Patrol day at Strathcona Wilderness Center being a welcomed start to my weekend. The days minus 36 was sure to keep most skiers away resulting in a soothing ski on empty loops, that dressed properly seemed warmer then the thermometer suggested. (Well as soothing as a day with poorly waxed skis, soft snow, trying to remember how to glide, and knowing that exposing skiing for more than minutes was going to result in pain can be).  But needless to say it was a great way to start the Nordic Ski Season off, and I must drop a little plug to the SWC for the great work on trails, friendly staff, and great set up that made it obvious why they were voted Alberta’s Top Nordic Ski Center last year.

We’ve been lucky with a quick transition to Winter this year, with opening weekends in the Rockies for Alpine Skiing resulting in powder days, and being heralded by most as the best opening season in recent memory. In November I’ve already managed two weekends of making early season turns at Sunshine and Jasper with conditions rivalling the recent prime seasons. Boot deep powder was easily found in the trees and I’ve already struggled getting up in mid thigh powder, all in November! If this is a sign of the ski season to come it’s going to be a good one. (And no that’s not me in the pic I stole it from Braedon to show you the November snow.)

Finally a little personal update as training for the new cafe is in full swing with all the design done, floor plans received and now training is in process (and working at making art with my lattes lol). I’m must say I’m pretty stoked to get things rolling with an actually opening date sometime in March. This will guarantee a busy 6 months ahead trying to get the new operation going, while keeping up with some commitments to the Canada Ski Patrol and Edmonton Search Rescue all the while trying to get in better shape for next race season.

But  oh well at least I know I won’t be bored!!!

Welcome to the New Home of Dustin’s Road to Nowhere

Thanks for coming to visit the new home of my blog. I’ve decided to move over to WordPress due to the better layout and presentation of their blogs. Below you’ll find my favorite post from my old blog (which is still active if you are looking for some old post www.dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com as I only copied over about 1/3rd of my previous post.) I thought I would start off by Re-Posting the two post that really embody the path I’m on, or in search of depending on the day, as they lay the framework for the vision I hope to convey throughout this blog.

So enjoy, come back often as I will try and continue to keep things fresh with a few post a monthly.

DUSTIN’S ROAD TO NOWHERE

So I’ve been looking back at my life and looking forward to where I want to go and find things are often a blur. So I thought why not do as every other person who seems to have access to the Internet and start a blog so I can one day look back at everything that happened, and if want to, share with others the fun things I’ve done, allow those who are far away to see what’s happened and if I feel insightful one day maybe even share some thoughts with you.

Why Dustin’s Road to Nowhere – Many of you will see this title and immediatly expect this to be sad, dark, or negative but I don’t see the analogy Road to Nowhere as negative, actually it’s quite the opposite. I believe the Road to Nowhere is where I want to be. It’s that place or state of mind you reach when you are exactly where you want to be and you are traveling forward in time but you aren’t trying to go anywhere. OK for those you that are going what hell is he talking about here’s an example

It’s late January or early February, it’s been a stressful week (I can’t remember why?) and I’m out Nordic skiing at Duntroon Highlands, it’s about -5, fresh fluffy snowflakes are falling, I haven’t seen anyone in over a half hour. I’m seemingly alone in the wilderness, I’ve skied about 7 or 8 Km’s nonstop, I have a smile, the stress from the week is a distant memory, my thoughts are void (Similar to the state of mediation that the Buddhist monks try and achieve through mediation and stay in that state for hours, days, months or longer.). All that can be heard are my deep breaths border lining on breathless and the gliding sound of my skis, I still have another 7 or 8 Km’s till I get back to the chalet But I’m not trying to get anywhere, I’m exactly where I want to be and would carry on like this forever. I may be moving forward, covering distance, you could say I’m travelling, but I’ve already reached my destination, my goal. At this point I’m travelling A Road to Nowhere.

These moments can be found anywhere and are found in different places and at different times for different people, it can be when you are surrounded with laughter and the people you love, holding that special someone in the middle of the night, beeing isolated in the wilderness away from reality, tying together curves on a motorcycle down a deserted twisty highway, or scaring the shit out of yourself riding off an unexpected rock drop on a gnarly mountain bike trail. However, I think there’s a lucky a few that follow their dreams, whatever they maybe and reach a point where every moment of their life they are travelling that Road to Nowhere.

THE ART OF LIVING

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labour and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself he always appears to be doing both.” – Francois Auguste Rene Chateaubriand

I thought I’d share this quote because I feel it really resonates my view on how we should be evaluating our careers and lives. Ask yourself does your current job or direction in life reflect who you really are? Does it reflect what drives you and what you enjoy? Don’t get me wrong and read this thinking that I’m suggesting you all go out, quit your jobs, and just play. You need to find a balance of rewards between self-fulfilling and financial. Personally I think I’ve put myself on the right path with my career move to Yamaha Canada, (now as a Cafe Owner) providing me the opportunity spending everyday around an industry I’m passionate about. Hopefully while working my way through the ranks I also manage to find a position that reflects my personality quite well. However, for the guy who plays Sudoku on his lunch break a career as a financial analysist may the right choice, if they couldn’t pull you away from the building blocks as a kid maybe a career in structural engineering would be a fit, or if you are as compassionate with animals as you are with people, you should end up being a Vet, or maybe an animal trainer. I could go on and on with examples.

The other questions I would ask is why do so many people accept a career that doesn’t reflect who they are and the really don’t enjoy? Social status, expectations put on you by others, to make the big money? Why would I want an exuberant salary? To afford trips, cars, toys, a big house and hobbies, makes sense. However, would someone like myself be better off to give up a big house and new car if you could do what you wanted every day? Maybe being mountain guide in the winter, and a bike/kayak guide in the summer? I wouldn’t need as many holidays if I lived the life I wanted day to day and then would the material things really make me any happier? There’s definitely a line somewhere between the two extremes that is the perfect fit.

Ultimately as the quote above mentions, the focus is to blur the lines between work and play. How much the line is blurred, and what side you stand on will be different for everyone you.

---

November Update

From dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com posted Nov. 20th, 2009

Here I am apologizing for being behind on some post again, with a lot going on in the last month and half I haven’t had time to do much worth writing about nor have time to share any thoughts. So you’re asking what’s made things so busy that I couldn’t come out and entertain you at least once every couple weeks. Mainly my attempts to chase that road to nowhere and taking next step on this adventurous road I’m trying to follow. Actually it feels a little more like I’m trying to build it then follow it. October resulted in giving my notice to Yamaha to follow my next venture which is going to be opening a cafe. Which has resulted in a busy couple of months keeping up with my current positions workload in one of it’s busiest seasons and toughest periods all the while trying get things aligned for the cafe. As the new venture approaches there’s both excitement and a little nervousness in the air. (Check out www.goodearthcafes.com and plan for a visit early February at the corner of 91st and Ellerslie in South Edmonton.)

Aside from that what else new? The gentlemen at Track and Trail (www.trackntrail.ca) helped me finish up my new ski set up. With a set of G3 Onyx AT bindings and Garmont Radium boots, to add the Fisher Watea 94′s which I’m excited to carve some turns on. The only disappointment is with the new venture I’m not sure I’ll be able to get the back-country training I need to start doing some alpine touring this season. However, I’ll  be sure to make the best of the new set up and hopefully next spring I’ll be getting acquainted with the Alpine Club of Canada.

Other things on the go are finishing the arrangements to Nordic Ski Patrol at the Strathcona Wilderness Center this year, working through the application process for the Edmonton Search and Rescues, and also picked up a new car/suv in the form of the Jeep Patriot. Before you get on me for buying an “SUV” it’s based on a compact car and is rated the greenest SUV with a 40MPG hwy rating so it’s the most likely the most efficient option meeting my needs. Finally I’m trying to still enjoy some of the fall mountain biking, which may be my favorite time of the year which being so close to the Rockies has coincided with early season skiing! I’m enjoying making use of both the mountain bike and ski racks at the same time. (I’ll try and get some better pics on the weekend)

Anyways I’ll leave that as my quick personal update.

Missing Ontario?

From dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com posted on Oct. 28, 2009

Well no not really, but after a recent visit realizing some things I do miss. I haven’t even been in Edmonton a year but it’s been busy and quite the whirlwind, from the move, the new position, spending nearly every weekend traveling to the mountains, and now on the verge of starting a new business venture at the end of the November it’s been exciting to say the least. Anyone who would asked what I thought about if I made the right move always received the same answer of undoubtedly. Usually followed with the only thing I ever miss is the great friends whom still live there. Last weekend one of those great friends brought me back to Ontario to stand in his wedding. (Which on a side note was an amazing wedding, intimate, surrounded by love, and an amazing group of friends and family that reflected how special the bride and groom are). But aside from the opportunity to catch up with many great friends I also had to opportunity to realize some of the beauty of Southern Ontario that many of it’s residence take for granted and obviously I did as well needing to go back to appreciate it.

After flying in on the red eye the first sign I missed some of Ontario was waking up at Dave’s in the morning to one of the most brilliantly red trees I’ve ever seen outside the window. It was nearly glowing every morning with the sun breaking through an over cast sky, which couldn’t help but put a smile on my face every morning while I was there. Falls in Ontario where always my favorite time of the year. I may have fooled my self into thinking it was the start of each mountain bike race season but truly it was the long falls. Firstly Ontario temperatures, and moisture bless it with a beautiful fall colors year after year, brilliant and soothing. Secondly the fall always seemed like such a peaceful time as there was no more pressures of racing or training and it was time to do what love for the reasons you loved it. And if you where brave enough to go out in the -5 t o+ 5 weather you where always rewarded with less people and a feeling of being in nature not taking advantage of it. I’d even argue Mountain Biking through Durham forest with tacky trail and fall colors at the south end and snow covered tracks on the north could fit with any Epic on anyones list.

What really put this into perspective was Sunday, after the wedding on my way to catch up with some university friends in Hamilton I decided to take the backroads through the Halton region and go for a walk around Rattlesnake Point, one of my old running spots. The 10 or 12KM hike we did blew me away with it’s beauty looking over the escarpment into the valley of fall colors dotted by farmland as well as the vibrant colors from the trees, mixed in with the dark colors of the fallen leaves and contrasted again by the bright greens still alive in the moss. I’d have the say beauty and the feeling of calmness rivals what I’ve done in the rockies this summer. Sure the hike was nowhere near as difficult or challenging. Nor is the opportunity to feel like you escaped society as you are lost in the wilderness, but the ease of completing it is one of the things I appreciate on a relaxing fall day. And the region Halton has many more of these areas to explore.

Secondly what I missed is the quaint “heritage” communities. Everyone thinks of Southern Ontario for it’s cookie cutter homes, big box stores and millions upon millions residents. However, the area is also surrounded by some quaint communities dating back 150 to 200 years such as Dundas, Lowville, Waterdown, Flamborough, Guelph and Kingston who have embraced the history and maintained their cores reflecting their history, with their old brick buildings, narrower streets that are pedestrian friendly. Lined with store fronts and cafes creating some genuine oasis from the Southern Ontario we all see on the news and many live daily without realizing the escapes around them. Now if only we could move one of these communities to the border of the Rockies I could have the best of both worlds.

Would I move back, nope what Western Canada has offered me so far is much more in line with my lifestyle, hobbies, and dreams of where I want to be. However I strongly encourage the many Ontarians who don’t take advantage of some of the areas mentioned above or even worst complain about to get out and realize what they do have.

Human Impact – Are We Causing our Own Extinction?

From dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com posted on Oct. 28th, 2009

Our Inferences about life in the past are based on fossil remains suggesting that species expand in number and complexity and then are suddenly reduced through successive spams of extinction. Scientist have identified 5 major extinctions in the past 550 million years and each has taken approximately 10 million years of natural evolution to restore.

We are fortunate to have evolved when biological diversity has been at the greatest level ever achieved. Succeeding human generations will not be as fortunate: the current extinction crisis is without precedent – never before has a single species been responsible for such a massive loss of diversity. In essence, humans are the catalyst driving the earth’s sixth major extinction event.

I find the following illustration a great example of the unprecedented rate and scale of human activity is graphically illustrated by Alan Thein Durning in his paper “Saving the Forests: What Will It Take?”

Imagine a time-lapse film of the Earth taken from space. Play back the last 10,000 years sped up so that a millennium passes every minute. For more then seven of the ten minutes, the screen displays what looks like a still photograph: the blue planet Earth, its lands swathed in a mantle of trees. Forests cover 34 percent of the land. Aside from the occasional flash of a wildfire, none of the natural changes in hte forest coat are perceptible. The Agricultural Revolution that transforms human existence in the film’s first minute is invisible.

After seven and a half minutes, the lands around Athens and the tiny Islands of the Aegean Sea lose their froest. This is the flowering of Classical Greece. Little else changes. at nine minutes – 1,000 years ago – the mantle grows threadbare in scatered parts of Europ, Central America, China, and India. then 12 Seconds from the end, one century ago Eastern North America is deforested. This is the Industrial Revolution. Little else appears to have changed. Forest covers 32 percent of the land.

In the last three seconds – after 1950 – the change accelerates explosively. Vast tracts of forest vanish from Japan, the Philippines, and the mainland of Southeast Asia, from most of Central America and the horn of Africa, from Western North America and Eastern South America, fron the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa. fires rage in the Amazon basin where they never did before, set by ranchers and peasants. Central Europe’s forests die, posoned by the air and rain. Southeast Asia resembles a fod with mange. Malaysian Borneo appears shaved. In the final fractions of a second the clearing spreads to Siberia and the Canadian North. Forest disappear so suddenly from so many places that looks like a plague of locusts has descended on the planet.

The film on the last frame. Trees cover 26 percent of the land. Three-fourths of the original forest area still bears some tree cover. But just 12 percent of the Earth’s surface – one third of the initial total – consists of intact forest ecosystems. the rest holds biologically impoverished stnad of commercial timber and fragmented regrowth. This is the present: a globe profoundly altered by the workings – or failings – of the human economy.

Hiking in Yoho National Park

from dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com posted on Sept. 15th, 2009

Last weekend we booked rooms at the Fireweed Hostel in Field, which has to be the most high end accommodations I’ve stayed at for a hostel and one night an an alpine hostel (the Whiskey Jack up near Tekawa Falls) for another weekend of adventure in the Rockies. This time venturing over the border into BC to visit Yoho National Park. Now in regards to accommodations I would suggest staying at the Fireweed Hostel for the entire stay vs. spending a night at the Whiskey Jack if you where to repeat the trip. There was nothing wrong with the Whiskey Jack but the Fireweed was simply awesome, clean, great mountain feel, great host, earning their self proclaimed boutique feel and I really enjoyed being right in field. The only downfall is the train tracks out back but I don’t think you can get away from the sounds of the trains anywhere in field being the small community it is, that gives it, it’s mountain charm. If you are looking for a quiet mountain getaway consider Field and Yoho national park as the tiny town with a population of 300 or so, set in a gorgeous mountain park without the tourist you get in the main parks such as Banff and Jasper, has amazing food at the Truffle Pigs, and great coffee at the cafe and quiet, quaint atmosphere that was great to relax in.

Day 1 we wanted to take our time getting started so up 7:30 breakfast at the cafe/grocery store and some Oso Negro coffee and we where off to do the Emerald Lake, to Yoho Pass, to Burgess Pass loop with hopes of attempting a scramble to the summit of Mt. Burgess. The hike on it’s own is approx. 18 to 20km and I’d rank it as a slightly above average hike. In comparison to some of the other hikes we’ve done this summer I wouldn’t say it was spectacular with a lot of climbing for what seemed like little time above the treeline with views. However the views you do get are great. Another downfall to hike is that 90% of the views are of the same valley, however if I was to choose between this or one of the hikes bordering the city limits of Jasper or Banff that are a little more “tourist oriented” I’d do this hike again in a heartbeat. Now on the other hand the scramble to Mt. Burgess looks like it would be GREAT! and yield some impressive 360 degree views but unfortunately we started too late. And in all honesty the scramble looked like it would be difficult to find a decent route since we didn’t do any research on common routes, and to top it off we where quite tired from the hike, after Friday mornings hill sprints and the 5 hour drive.

Day 2 our plan was to do the Iceline trail and then head through the Yoho Valley back up onto the Whaleback before dropping back down into the valley and climbing over the Twin Falls and then hiking out the shorter route to twin falls. The Iceline deserves it’s status as the premier hike in Yoho with stunning views, but even more impressive is the imposing nature of the mountains still filled with ice throughout it. I highly suggest the hike across the Iceline. If you are going to complete the extensions we did I suggest only doing so if you
a) want to add KM’s
b) can hike a 30 to 35KM day and explore the glaciers feeding the Twin Falls (which we didn’t have time with the shorter days and tired legs – Who’s idea was it to do Hill Sprints Friday morning before we left?)
c) you do an overnight trip staying at the Twin Falls Campground so you can explore the area more. Most of the hikers we met where doing overnight trips into the valley.

The extension was definitely worth it but it would be better if we could have explored a little more. I’d like to plan to attempt this early season (the trail opens in July) as a backpack trip as the ice and snow would most likely be amazing, the challenge of most likely finding your way over a snow cover trail in part would be an added challenge, and finally I would like some extra time to scramble to the peak of the Whaleback, Possibly scramble a couple of the peaks on the edge of the Yoho Valley and definitely explore the glaciers that feeds the twin falls. With the great vibe in the area and a little more of a secluded feel I’m sure I’ll be back in the near future (a winter Nordic or AT trip may be in order).

Hiking Bow Peak and Valley of Ten Peaks

From dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com posted August 17th, 2009
Well I have to say August 2009 has turned out to be one of the best months I can remember. I’ve been out in the mountains on some of the most Epic Adventures I’ve ever been on pretty well every weekend in August and to top it all off surrounded by some of the people that mean the most to me in life, with Jess, Dave flying down from Toronto for a bike tour around BC and the hike through the Skyline, as well as Cam and Katie Flying in from Ottawa for the Skyline Hike and staying an extra week for some hiking that proved to be nothing short EPIC!.

My last two post detail my 9 days I took for my Summer Holidays and now I want to give you a little teaser of 2 nights we spent in Banff National Park for a couple of hikes. I’ll be honest I’ve been known to talk down Banff because of it’s touristy nature and as a result stayed in Canmore I like the vibe better with a little more of a community feel. However, the weekends hikes were spectacular enough to forget about all that this weekend.

First off Saturday after some discussion on which hike of the many hike’s to choose from in the area we decided to hike the Valley of Ten Peaks. We where torn between doing this hike or not as it is relatively easy, and in close proximity to Lake Louise, but offers amazing views on par with some much harder hikes meaning it’s traveled by a lot of tourist which I find generally clouds my experiences in the Backcountry. However, with a late start, and less then desirable forecast we figured the crowds would be smaller then usual and decided to give it a go and I’m glad we did. The ascent through the tree line is OK it’s just a lot switchbacks that are heavily traveled making the trail look a lot more like a walking path then a hiking trail. However about 3 or 4 KMs in you come into the Alpine Meadows where the views make you forget about the heavy use and manicured trail. We where warned about a Grizzly that had been spotted earlier in the day after it had caught it’s breakfast (apparently a rabbit or something similar), I feel a little better that the grizzly had a full tummy succeeding at catching breakfast instead of looking for a hiker for lunch. And about 5 minutes later what did we see. Well of the course the Grizzly decided to pop back down into the alpine valley we where in and we got to watch the Grizzly in it’s habitat from about 200 to 300 ft away (Click on the pictures to the left for the full sized picture of the grizzly). Of course we where cautious and watched carefully. It threatened to end our hike as the grizzly started heading towards our trail. However, instead after about 10 minutes it decided to climb back into the hillside allowing us to continue on. This was definitely the highlight of the day. As we raised a little higher in Elevation we where greeted by a dusting of snow that fell the night before and ended up with a picturesque hike up to the pass, and a temptation to return and attempt to summit Temple Mountain as it could be completed with relatively little mountaineering experience or equipment (a helmet for safety from falling rocks and ice pick to arrest your fall in case you slip on the glacier near it’s peak should be all that is needed).

Sunday resulted in one of the most amazing hikes I’ve been on. We contemplated the options along the Ice Field Parkway near Bow Lake and Num-Ti-Jah Lodge of climbing to Helen Lake and attempting to summit Cirque Peak (generally an easy summit from Helen Lake is more of a hike then a scramble or climb) or attempting to summit Bow Peak. Cirque Peak is a well a marked easy hike to Helen Lake and a Moderate Hike if you include the Summit which provides multiple views of the Glaciers in the area, Once again this can be a busy hike on weekends because of it’s relative ease and spectacular views. However, it is apparently mostly above the tree line and is supposed to offer spectacular views and a near guaranteed ascent to the summit unless the weather gets in the way. Bow Peak on the other hand is a much more of an adventure as it is an unmarked unmaintained trail considered challenging, that does not even have a trail head and you will often find your party the only one on the mountain. However the peak is still attainable through a scramble where no mountaineering gear is required. Well I’m sure any of you that know me, can guess where my preference was and after a group discussion we where off to make an attempt at Bow Peak and once again it turned out to be the right choice.

The hike starts with the following directions from the Crowfoot Glacier Parking lot continue approx. a KM till you reach a widening on the shoulder of the highway. Park here and continue on foot approx. 370 paces (240 till you pass a culvert and then approx. another 130) where you will descend the large rocks on the side of the highway and then search for signs of the trails. Well the trail turned out to be relatively easy to find an we where off. About a KM in you cross a glacial river a little more then thigh deep over rocks. It’s cold, painful and undoubtedly INVIGORATING. From hear it’s a pretty straightforward climb (however steeper then most National Park Maintained Trails) crossing multiple streams and providing countless amazing views. Adding to the our adventure where the fresh Black Bear Prints from the morning following nearly the entire trail into the Alpine with a second set of prints that may have been a cubs. So preceding cautiously, making a fair bit a noise we continued are way up the amazing hike up to the pass. I definitely have a preference for these “unmaintained” hikes as the extra challenge of fallen trees, stream, river crossings and usually seeing next to no people make the hike feel much more “authentic”, relaxing, and rewarding (I think you’ll more and more scrambles and unpopular hikes comming across these pages as time goes by.) Once we reached the pass, the views where amazing. I’m interested to figure out what trail continues on from this point as it looked like it had potential to be a beautiful multi-day hike on an unofficial trial, it may be part of the ACC hut systems trails but I’m not sure. However today our goal was to the scramble up to the 9,400 + ft. Bow Peak. The scramble was slightly challenging most likely as a result of our lack of experience scrambling and second guessing the stability of the many rocks that where loose, as well as our route choices. But after an hour and half of scrambling up the mountain side we where walking on top of the mountains ridge alone. I don’t believe I could ever put the feeling into words but standing on a peak nearing with only a few feet on each side of you looking down nearly 10,000 ft on one side and probably 1,500 feet down on the other with 360 degree panoramic was unbelievable. Unfortunately we only had a few minutes on top, as we had given ourselves a turn around time of 4PM to ensure we descend in Daylight, which we didn’t want to risk missing with the bear and possibly cubs in the area, but it was definitely enough time to lead me to understand what drives people to continue striving to reach peaks and tougher routes as I’m quite certain I’ve caught a little of that summer fever and that definitely won’t be my last.

Valley of Ten Peaks

Bow Peak

Wow that turned out longer then I expected, can you tell I had a good time.

Summit Tour 2009 – Part 2 Hiking

From dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com posted on August 17, 2009

So after the 6 days of biking some of BC’s best trails and destinations (see previous post) me and Dave headed up to Jasper National Park to meet up with Jess, Cam and Katie for a three day backcountry hike along the Skyline Trail. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it it’s considered by many to be the Premier Multi-Day Hike in the Rockies as you spend the large majority of your time in the alpine or sub-alpine resulting in amazing views as long as the weather cooperates. It’s a 45 to 50 KM point to point hike depending on which signs you read and the staff from the national park have made this a great hike for those beginning to venture into multi-day backcountry hikes as it is well marked and has multiple well maintained Campsites (i.e. Facilties, Campsites generally near streams, areas to hang your food to minimizes bear dangers, ect.). Just make sure to book your sites in advances as site are sometimes booked as far out as 2 months in advance. My suggested route to anyone doing the trail is make it an enjoyable three days camping at Snowbowl (12 to 14KM), Tekara (18KM), then another 13 to 14 KM’s out on your last day. However we couldn’t get a site a Tekara which resulted in us camping at signal which was a long (and slightly painfull day with 35 to 50lbs packs) 24KM day as day two, but worked out well in our case as we had to get Dave to the Edmont Airport after the hike was complete and the short day let us relax a little in Japer afterwards and enjoy a well earned Pint and Dinner at Earls. So with that I’ll leave you with a little photo diary of our trip.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Summit Tour 2009 – Part 1 Cycling

From dustinsroadtonowhere.blogspot.com Poster on August 12th, 2009

As mentioned in my last post last week I took a week off to explore some of BC and the Rockies best Mountain Bike and Hiking Trails. The Trip saw me continue on from the Alberta DH provincials in Blairmore with Dave first off to meet our buddy Andrew in Rossland for the night where the next morning he graciously shuttled us to the Trail Head of the 7 Summits trail. The 7 Summits trail in Rossland has become a must do on many mountain bikers list for it’s Epic route that starts at the bottom of and climbs to the top of a mountain, and then proceeds to roll up down over 7 peaks. It’s definately worth the long climb up (1.5 to 2 hrs) for an amazing ride. And for all you considering to complete this trail I suggest stagging your retrieval vehicle at a the “second” lot. After you exit the official 7 Summits trail if you cross the road there’s a trail called Dewdney to continue descending, and it is probably the funnest section of singletrack on the whole system.

Next we set up camp for a day in Nelson to ride some of the legendary trails there but not before taking an easy morning hanging out in the Town (boy I love that place), laid back vibe, tons of true outdoor and adventure enthusiast, good coffee, and technical riding that will rival anything. In the afternoon we pedaled up Moutain Station and amazing trail network that back’s right onto town with everything from intermediate DH singletrack to shore style stunts and drops to challenge the most advanced riders. We quickly saw why the average locals technical skills is well above average. Then in the evening we took the Dirt Tours Shuttle up what I believe was Svaboda (the mountain with Powerslave, Bulls on Parade, Placenta, Illuminati, ect)for some awesome sustained decent.

The next day was going to be a long one driving from Nelson to Revelstoke to ride Keystone Standard Basin and then drive into Golden that night. It would have been great to have been able to stay in Revy that night but we where on a bit of time constraint and wanted to get a run down Mount 7 before Driving to Jasper to Hike the Skyline Trail. Keystone Basin has to be one of the most scenic Rides in North America, riding through Alpine Meadows that are what I picture riding in the alps to be like. It’s a 22KM out and back trail and contained some of the most amazing buffed singletrack I’ve ever ridden. For anyone making a long trek out to ride 7 Summits in an attempt to ride BC’s best XC trails, this must be added to your itinerary.

Finally the 4th day of riding including trying to find someone to shuttle us up mount 7 and after searching multiple bike shops we found a local willing to drive us to the top for 20 bucks and we made a run down most of the Psychosis course (minus Dead Dog since we where on all mountain bikes.) And what a run that is. I understand why there was some pressure to cancel the race as the trail is rutted and loose, however it was definately one of the best DH tracks I’ve been on in the last couple years.

I’ll leave you there for now and will put up a quick post about hiking the Skyline Trail in the next few days.