Intoxicated jogging and backyard bouldering

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Here’s what happens to working holiday travel blogs: interlaced between rambles about climbing, you start reading about television, work, shopping (coming soon - I promise), cooking (also coming soon), housework even, (why not?). Right now, I thought I would share my standard jog route with you. By standard, I mean it is the jog I do when I do not have enough time to be creative or discover new trails. I probably end up doing this jog every second or third day.

I run along the laneway behind our house, through a section of forest and then down through the middle of a pretty (but not exactly wilderness) boulevard and back. It’s a good combination of hills and forest and park. Probably only about 8 to 10 KMs in total. I love running back and looking at the snow capped mountains. On a clear sunny day, the view is amazing. I can hear the mountains calling me so much more when the sun is out. I admit it. Yep, I am a sunny day mountaineer. Blizzards, storms and white outs do not appeal. (I am also a sunny day surfer - when it is grey, every little peak in the water looks like a shark.) I especially can’t wait to do an overnight hike out to the lions. Such unique looking mountains and so close to home. It should be a relatively easy two-day hike out to them and back. The mountains feature a variety of scrambles and climbs to varying degrees of wildness and difficulty. Soon… soon. I am really trying to master the art of patience. I struggle with it. I am the sort of person that gets in a fluster at music festivals ‘cause I wanna see every band. Vancouver is the outdoor adventure equivalent. There is just so much to do and explore, and I need to not get frustrated that we haven’t really done much yet. The weather has only just started to be agreeable, so fun is on its way.

Back to the jogging route. I wish that the pictures I took were scratch and sniff ones, because coinciding with the picturesque views are the amazingly sweet, fruity and fresh smells of spring. Vancouverites love their flowers and blossoms. I am not normally a flower lover, but this city has transformed me. It was such a joy when all these vibrant colours and intoxicating perfumes first whipped away the grey skies, mildew and drizzle, bringing me back to consciousness after a long winter slumber. I feel like singing Julie Andrews songs and skipping instead of jogging. I don’t, but I allow a ridiculous smile to spread across my face anyway.

As I write this, I am aware that back home days are getting shorter and cooler, and in Canberra the leaves are all turning that beautiful liquid gold and amber colour… or maybe they have already turned, and are starting to fall?

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about my discovery. Today I took a slightly different path through the forest and discovered a huge (four to six meters high is some places) chunk of granite, right in our backyard! I later found out that it was courtesy of an old quarry. Again, not exactly wilderness, you have to watch out for the broken glass and climb through graffiti, but, I repeat, RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD. Wooooooo hooo.

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Photos

The Lions in the distance
(soon...)