To the mountains

No better way to celebrate a birthday than ditching work for a few days and enjoying some skiing in the Rockies without the crowds that weekend brings. Slow paced and beauty all around. I like living so close to this.

Day at the Lake

Surveyor's Lake, BC. The cold mountain water has warmed. Good times.

Fernie - Old Stumpy Trail

Great little hike with the fan-jam yesterday. Old stumpy trail in Fernie. It's a nice little 1 1/2hr (with kids) hike that doesn't ever really leave the corporate limits of Fernie. I'm amazed at the beauty that surrounds this place. Everywhere you turn is another view that makes you just stop for a minute and take it in. A photo-bomb:

 We decided to finish up the hike with a little London 2012 100M sprint.

 What an awesome view for the kids who practice track at this school.

 And finally back at our van.

Ice Fishing

Yesterday's forecast was supposed to be +2C(36F) and sunny. Earlier in week my buddy emailed to see if I wanted to head out ice fishing with the kids, and seeing as yesterday was the day it was supposed to warm up, I thought it would have been a great idea.

Weather forecasters are often wrong as was the case yesterday. I think the warmest it got was -12C (10F) but we dressed for it and had fun. We also never caught any fish (we were going for Pike) but that didn't really matter either. Just good fun on a frozen lake in the winter. For northerner's it's just par for the course.

I brought along my Canon EOS 3 and shot off a roll of Kodak Ektar 100.

My favourite mountain hide away

I'm enjoying a little chill time with the family in Fernie right now. I so love this place. Quiet, peaceful, amazing food, and lots to do. This trip though, we're committing to rest and relaxation. Lot's of lounging, games, TV and hot tubbing.

This was the view I woke up to this morning and felt so grateful to be in a beautiful, warm and cozy condo. Think it's time for a fire and some coffee...

Deer season

I'm going to give deer hunting a go this year. I've never done it before, so lots to learn. My boys and I headed out scouting before the season opened(which was officially yesterday in my area) to see if we could find a promising location. I think we did.

I brought along a roll of Kodak Gold 200 with me that expired in 2005. I seriously love shooting expired film.

More XC Skiing in Fernie

After only a few weeks away, we couldn't resist another chance to head back to Fernie for a weekend away. Being as I'm living the freelance lifestyle, we opted let our oldest miss a day of school, and turn this into a long weekend. Freelance is risky and downright scary at times, but it also has it's perks.

Last time we were skiing in Fernie, the temp was -17C (1F). This time, temps are just above freezing. Quite a nice treat considering the intense winter that we've had so far. This was also the first time that we set out for any considerable distance with the whole family in tow. I am amazed at how well my sons are picking this up. They are moving well enough that actually do cover some ground. And my little girl, she's loving the chariot with the XC ski attachment. Usually it only takes about 10 minutes and she's out catching up on her beauty rest. Between yesterday and the day before, we had over 5 hrs of skiing. Not back considering we're doing it all with 3 kids 6 and under. Just shows that if you want to do things outside and be active, children aren't a hinderance to most activities. You just need to adapt a bit, and use the right gear.

Here's some pics and video of the last two days.

I'm amazed at how kids can contort themselves to get upright again. It's almost easier for them to get up after a fall than us.

My oldest going on his first 'downhill'

My youngest son is getting it well. If you look at the video, he's actually gliding on his skis.