Just before the Holidays, a good friend of mine, whose mind is always filled with millions of ideas, like a swarm of butterflies buzzes in his head, constantly, asked me to participate to his new project: This is my Canada. This is timely as Canada turns 150 years this year! Briefly, he invites his friends to…
Lately, I’ve been adventuring solo a lot. On my most recent solo escapade, I tried running up and down Mt. Jo, in New York states’ Adirondacks. It’s graded as family friendly, which made it, I thought, suitable for trail running. The fact that a lot of people hike it every day is another plus, in case of emergency.…
I didn’t quite make it all the way, but nature rewarded me, just the same. This first solo bike touring trip was on the back-burner of my mind for at least 3 years. I sent the invite to many friends but none seemed keen enough to do it in almost full autonomy, like I planned.…
The best part of being a “birdologist” is when you get to ignite a spark in some stranger’s eyes. “A falcon, really?!?” I wouldn’t call myself an ornithologist really. I’d rather use the amateur term my own parents coined to describe, jokingly, their own passion for anything bird related. In a previous blog I described how my folks’ passion affected my own personal…
“It takes me four working days to recuperate from my weekends”, I said to a friend who was contemplating her newly reached level of exhaustion after a weekend paddling and portaging up north (note: Montrealers call “up north” anything above St-Jerome, Quebec, a mere 70Km away from the city). Joke aside, three weekends ago, I…
I braved the horrible traffic on Champlain bridge. I repressed the envy to drive furiously passed the annoying commuters going back home after a hot, stuffy day in the office. I was trying to be on time to my weekly outing with a bunch of ladies who ride. Every Thursdays, a bunch of women gather up in Bromont…
There’s nothing like signing discharge papers to make you rethink your plan. Add to that conflicting information from the front desk staff of the resort and you’ve got a case of swarming butterflies in the belly. And to top it all off, being the only one going up the hill, getting pointed at and smiled…
I have Fridays off. I know. It sucks, right? Having a week day off gives me amazing opportunities, like avoiding the legions of weekend warriors on the ski hills. The only drawback is that I’m mostly alone. No one else, my age, has Fridays off. Therefore, a few Fridays ago, just like most Fridays this winter, I went…
I was trying my best, pushing away mental images of open fractures by repeating my mantras: “faster, you’ll roll over” or “let go of your breaks”. I was white-knuckle-gripping my handle bar, determined to not let him slip away (read: I was trying to impress this guy I just started seeing with my beginner’s skills on a…
I made a mistake, today. I went for a small hike on my own. I’ve been meaning to do this one for a while now and got tired of waiting on people to do it with me. It’s very easy and it was going to fit well in my post-ear infection recovery program. In addition,…
Earlier this year, during the weekly phone call with my folks, my mom announced that dad and her started running. My dad’s 71 and my mom is 68. Neither of them have run before, except maybe after my brother and I when we were toddlers. My parents have been relatively active all their life. For as long as I remember,…
Recently I’ve stumbled upon an interesting concept: a micro-adventure. In a micro-adventure, M. Humphreys invites us to explore our 5 to 9’s, our surroundings, with new glasses, stretching our comfort zone. Meanwhile, this weekend, my plans got cancelled, my friends weren’t around to make other plans, and I ended up bored and lonely, looking for something…
It went way better than expected. I had over-estimated the time it would take me by 25 minutes. The dreaded swimming was the funniest leg of the race. Most importantly, I got to race, unexpectedly, with a great friend! The day started with a grumpy guy friend who had joined in last minute without training.…
Get yourself out there and bring your girlfriends along It was floating in the back on my mind ever since I first put my head under water two months ago. I could hear the slushy sound of an idea bouncing in my head, like the sound of a wave hitting a buoy, every time I…
First: put your head under water I found this race online, while browsing for trail races I could take part in this summer. I’ve been thinking about doing a sprint triathlon for the past few years, ever since a friend who had just given birth to twins and who had to stay in bed for the last…
Being Outdoor With Gwenvir 