Canada Baby- part 2!

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Hello my peeps

Back again, jesus I could be getting into this blogging lark 😊 Today I am going to tell you about my great day of multipitch climbing in Yamnuska! And other random Canada stuff.

Today, I got another day in the great outdoors in Alberta. I went multipitch climbing in Yamnuska officially known as Mount John Laurie. See wiki link with picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_John_Laurie. It was really good fun and very relaxing.

For the climbing techies (non climbers can skip this section if they want). We climbed a simple 5.5 route, called Kings chimney which consisted of 5 and a half pitches and its length was about 200m. For anyone familiar with howling ridge it was a bit harder than that but not much more but more susutained climbing rather than scrambling like on howling. There was a good bit of exposure at the top along a traverse similiar to the traverse on Cosmics in the Alps. That is what it reminded me of anyway. It was good for me, as I had forgotton a lot of the systems from the Alps, but I had a patient partner who also is an exceptional teacher 😊 There was a lot of loose rock on the route so as soon as we approached the route helmets went on! Even before we went on it. As the name suggests it was mostly chimney type technique which I love. There was lots of spreading of the legs 😊 And egytian moves. I learnt lots from it, including at the start organise ones bag properly. Great tip of the day was dont be putting your rope on top of the bag stuff it in the bottom, and have everything organised at the bottom of the route before one starts. Such as know where your extra layers are, and have water and guide book at the top of the bag and hiking boots in the bag too for the scramble down. Other things I learnt improved included rope management, which I badly need to improve and what to do when one can't hear what there partner is saying. This happened at the top of the route as it was quiet windy at the top and what to do when one runs out of rope. All in all great experience, next time I go multipitching I will be better. Other things I need to remember is to bring gloves and more warms layers. The wind cut through me at the top and I got a bit cold but the scramble down warmed me up! The scramble down was great fun, I was directed towards the scree for my scramble down and I was non too pleased at the start about that. I wanted to hike down the normal route but after I got my rythm going in the jostling down the scree I really enjoyed it. It was like down hill skiing again!

Non climbing aspects of the route the enthralled me included the view and the rockies and the good management of the area by the Canadian National parks association. The view evoked a feeling of awe and smallness in me. All across the valley I could see u-shaped valleys intermingled between snow capped mountains that crouched ontop of each other like they were squeezed into a box too small for them. It really made me appreciate how old the world is and how really insignificant we are on the grand scale of things. The view is 60% the reason I love climbing. Climbing has taken me to places the would make the most hardened thug write poetry. Today was one of those days where the view just seeped into my psyche and relaxed every muscle in my body and gave my soul a good polishing. I took lots of photos and I will put them up soon (as in when I find a cable to upload them to my computer). Other aspects of note today include the good management of the park. They had toilets in the carpark always a plus! And for climbers there was a log at the bottom of the route where you put in what route you are doing when the climb is starting and what time you expect to finish. If the Park ranger spots a car there late in the evening it will check the log book. Canadians are so efficient!

Canadians I also find are very polite respectful and clean. I have been helped loads by Canadians people say Irish people are the friendlist people in the world but I can tell you Canadians could rival them. I have been lost lots since I arrived and so many Canadians have helped me and put my in the right direction. I was on the tram system in Calgary last week and I hadnt a clue where to get off for my destination all I had was an address and when I asked the guy next to me where my stop was he didnt know. However on the tram he then found out for me. He got his i phone out and looked it up on the internet. Another incident was 4 days ago, I was on the bus after getting lost again around Calgary and I started talking to an old man next to me on the bus. He was friendly and I started telling him where I was from and what I was up to. I then told him that the Calgary bus system was confusing me and I that I needed to get a bike followed by a cell phone. He then told me he had just bought a new cell and he gave me his old cell phone and charger. It made my day that was so nice and very much appreciated. Another thing I have found here is how safe Calgary is and how clean it is. I have been running through the city parks and there is no little or dog faeces anywhere! They respect their environment and I really admire that trait.

So yes so far so good. I am very content and happy in Canada.

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