Jay and Donna

At the end of October, Jamie and I took a trip back to the UK to see his family. His mum had a very special birthday coming up and we wanted to be there to celebrate with her. And if you're going to go all that way, you may as well make it into a proper holiday! We flew into London, and caught the train straight down to Cornwall to spend some time with Jamie's brother Ben and his girlfriend Shell. They've just bought a house in Truro, and we were very excited to be their guests. They have a lovely pad right down by the river - we were very jealous of their new home! Jamie and I are getting a bit closer to settling down these days and I'm quite envious of anyone who ... read more

Well, the summer is over. It's hard to believe since we never really felt like it got started! We can't complain too much - we've still got to do lots of great things these last few months, but I think there were maybe two weeks so far this year where I haven't had to wear a jumper! It's not right! So to update on the last few months, here are our highlights: McGilivray Slabs Our first multi-pitch climb. Jamie was so hyped up, I was so nervous, but we made it to the top! All four pitches! Exciting enough for it to have its very own blog. Ha Ling Peak So this mountain totally kicked our ass, but we learnt a lot from it. It was 10 pitches, ranging from 5.5 to 5.6, but for some ... read more

We were lucky enough to have another visit from Mum this month. She was in Washington DC for a conference and decided that if she was that close to Canada she couldn't pass up another visit. Yay for us! After an eventful flight and bus trip (including a police escort), mum arrived in Jasper on Saturday morning. Jay and I had to work that weekend, which gave mum an opportunity to get such much needed rest, and then we hired a car and took off to explore the Rockies for a few days. Driving down the Icefields Parkway was so much fun. We stopped at every available layby to soak in the surroundings, including Tangle Creek Falls, Peyto Lake, Num Ti Jah, Lake Louise, Morraine Lake and Banff. Morraine Lake was probably the highlight of Day ... read more

Lately in the mornings I've been going for bike rides by myself - I don't start work till 10, and it's so nice to get out on my bike all by myself and see the park. It's so good for the soul! I'm out by myself, and surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees...it's a really great way to start the day and to make sure that I keep appreciating where we are. There's something really peaceful about it, my bike is completely silent, so I can hear the birds calling and the wind in the trees (and my painfully laboured breathing up the big hills). I can stop where I want, and sometimes I just look out at the mountains and think how lucky I am to be here. This morning I decided to ride out ... read more

The last few months have been interesting - the snow melted, the sun came out, it then snowed again...Jamie and I were having serious concerns that winter was coming back! As much of a novelty as snow is for us, we'd had enough, and were definitely ready for the spring! We have now traded in our snowboards for climbing gear and hiking boots. As soon as the sun came out, Jamie and I were back at Morro slabs and bluffs. The slabs are perfect for beginners - nice progression of climbs on a warm slab that overlooks an aquamarine river and snowy peaks. Jay was hoping for a little bit of multipitch action on the bluffs, but got lost looking for the climbs and only did one instead. Not to worry though, we have a whole ... read more