Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Weekend Round-Up

Friday's glorious run in the sun was hard to beat, but on Saturday I ski toured up to Crowfoot Glacier area off the Icefields Parkway. We were a huge group and as a result we more moving pretty slow.....so it was the perfect recovery day! Yet another great day in the backcountry with Keith and our friends.



"Let's go THAT way!!"
Looking towards Bow Lake and Num-Ti-Jah Lodge



Crowfoot Glacier

Makin' a Plan....

Backcountry Ski Stud!!

Keith had just returned from 4 days of backcountry skiing, but was still keen to get out for another day. He has had 39 days in the backcountry this year!! He is a beautiful skiier. And he is all mine!

Sunday, as a grand-finalee....the sun came out again and it was HOT. I took a run up the Spray River Valley to Goat Creek. This run is right out the back door. I was running on a cross country skiing trail that was in terrible shape. With all of the melting and freezing and thawing the track-set has turned to mush. It was far better running. I actually saw a guy on a mountain bike who started early and rode the frozen hardpack all the way from Canmore! That's about 20+ km on snow. Now that's hardcore! I also saw a bunch of wolf scat and some huge footey prints right in the middle of the trail.




When I arrived back in Banff, I decided to do a "bonus loop" to get an extra hill in and run up the trail to the Rimrock hotel. I rounded a corner in the forest and saw someone hammering down the trail towards me.....clad only in a bra-top, 3/4 tights and ARM warmers! I laughed very hard and was surprised to see my hyper-kinetic friend Nicki from Calgary. Nicki has more energy than anyone on the planet and she told me she was menopausal and permanently hot these days (thus the fabulous mid-winter outfit) and she was trying to squeeze a long run in in preparation for the Diez-Vista 50k. She is one hot mama! Just a year ago she suffered a broken leg, so she is back in full force. When we got back towards my house she did a full dive into the snow bank and rolled around in the bra top and took a long pause face first in the snow. Too funny. After the 4 hr. run she went up to Mount Norquay to meet up with her hubby and kids for a little resort ski.....Go Super Mom!

7 comments:

CoyoteGirl said...

Oh my! It is soooo beautiful where you are. You are truly blessed up there. Sure it's warmer down here...but the outdoors are just epic up there.

Thanks for the beautiful post!

Leslie said...

Don't I know it. I LOVE Banff. I still wake up every day and think WOW....I LIVE HERE!!

And I am thankfull every day!

Meghan said...

Gorgeous photos, yet again. And wowowie on the wolfie scat and tracks. That makes me look over my shoulders! Sounds like a lovely weekend on all accounts

We got the announcement in Yellowstone today that the first bear spotted out of hibernation by humans happened yesterday. Just one more fuzzy creature to watch out for again!

Do you mind if I link your blog over on mine?

Happy running,
Meghan

Leslie said...

Link away - thanks!

So the first Yellowstone bear has been sighted?? We should be at least a few weeks or more away from that...I can keep relaxing and enjoying my wintery runs for the time being!!

Backofpack said...

Hey Trail Trash! Sounds like a fabulous weekend up North! Are you going to be around when we come through this summer? We'll either be on our way too or from The Death Race.

Thanks for the encouragement for my big run this weekend. I'm ready to go!

Leslie said...

Hi Michelle - I'll definately be around this summer when you roll through and should be at Death Race playing support crew. Enjoy your experience this weekend, I would so love to be ripping around on the mossy trails of Chuckanut Mountain right now! Your hubby may be a little delirious by the time he reunites with you after his race! Have fun!

Idratherbeplaying said...

Yipes!!! Not menopausal yet!!! (though I fear that stage in life beyond belief, with the heat I generate now!!!!!!!!)

You forgot to mention you (almost carried home &)fed your bonking friend the yummiest pasta salad on the planet.

You crack me up :o)

Ran with a fellow with "dirty girl" gators on the DV last w/e. He made me think of you!

Hope you're doing well and your training is going well.

I swore off doing any more ultra's that w/e I met you...that is until I did the DV.....I am SMITTEN!!!!!!!!!! Wow. what a fabulous, beautiful (and humbling) experience.

Unlike post-holing in deep snow in the rockies...I went to the coast so I could "run in tulips"....No one warned me about pounding hail, monsoon rains (liquid sunshine), sleet and snow......hehehehe.

Now if we could just shift that race to late Sept (as to not compromise a season of ski touring for us working drones) I'd do back flips :o)

Gotta get out together for a jaunt this spring (and more than 2 kms perhaps) ;o).

Hugs,
Nicki