igloo village

 my most creative MOVEment yet involved building an igloo village in the meadows at hollyburn ridge, up cypress mountain. this was something i had done before, but not with this many people camping over night with us. there is something very magical about being up in the mountains over night. the scenery is incredible, for one, with the fog rolling in around the snow capped trees. i also find the moments i share with people in the wilderness become something special. they become the stories i tell, the photos i review, and the memories i turn to when i need inspiration. this night was no different.

the snow conditions were surprisingly perfect for igloo building and the evening went incredibly smoothly. we built two igloos and with three people per igloo, the building seemed to go by pretty quickly. we found the best arrangement was one person working in the block quarry (as i like to call it) cutting blocks out of the snow with the snow blades and saws we brought, one person shuttling the blocks to the igloo and helping pack the walls, and one person working from inside the igloo, receiving the blocks and forming the walls and ceiling. after our two igloos were complete we decided to connect them with a massive tunnel (that almost became a third igloo itself!). the process took about 4 hours but the end result was a very impressive snow structure that provided shelter for our winter camp out!









this was a fantastic experience but i would insist that interested people do a bit of research before they try this themselves. a good outdoor store like Mountain Equipment Co-op is a great place to start. we made sure this was a safe experience by doing a few simple things:

• we chose an area to camp in that we were already very familiar with.
• we told other people where we were camping and what time we were expected to return home by.
• our group was a mixture of experienced and less experienced winter campers, so we had enough knowledge and skill to draw from (as well as a first aid professional).
• we brought appropriate gear, including specialized winter camping gear, as well as a small heater, stove, and hot drinks. on an extreme scale, the difference between appropriate gear an inappropriate gear can save your life. when nothing goes wrong, it still serves to increase the comfort and enjoyment of any trip.

i can't stress both sides enough: how memorable and rewarding outdoor adventures can be but to know your facts before planning any outdoor adventure.

9.12.11: day 39
walk in eve.

10.12.11: day 40
walk downtown victoria: 2hrs.

11.12.11: day 41
cardio at the Y.

12.12.11: day 42
strength at the Y.

13.12.11: day 43
 walking.

14.12.11: day 44
just stretching. i was really sick the night before :(

15.12.11: day 45
stretching 30 min.

16.12.11: day 46
christmas light walk :)

17.12.11: day 47
trail run in pacific spirit park, vancouver. 1 hr.

18.12.11: day 48
walking.

19.12.11: day 49
igloo village building! at least 4 hours of hiking in the snow, cutting and lifting blocks, and sculpting igloos before camping out over night.

20.12.11: day 50!!!
waking up in an igloo was a remarkable way to start day 50! i concluded with a beach walk at night.

21.12.11: day 51
quick jog and stretch in local park.

22.12.11: day 52
walking along the vancouver waterfront.

23.12.11: day 53
walking downtown victoria.

24.12.11:day 54
simple home strength workout: squats, push ups, v sits, stretch.

my very own race

ok, this post is a little late.....with exams, work, christmas preparations, and family visits, i've fallen a little behind on my MOVEment updates. enjoy, and i will try to post something more up to date soon....

funny story:

my most interesting MOVEment experience over the last two weeks came to me through my choice of running route one evening. i decided to run the evening of dec 3rd and the route i had chosen (actually one of my favoirte waterfront routes) also happended to be the route of Victoria's annual Christmas truck parade. i ran the entire 12km about 20min in front of the parade, so i never saw it, but there were hundreds of spectators lining the streets as i passed. i was even followed by a police car for a few kilometers as he made sure the parade route was safe! there was such energy in the crowd and at one point the sidewalk became so busy i couldn't pass....but the road was clear. traffic had been stopped for the parade but the trucks weren't on the road yet....so......out on to the road i go!!

i sprinted down the middle of the street as fast as i could, with hundreds of spectators watching me. and some of them started to cheer!!! just like that i was in my very own race! i must have looked ridiculous but i was having such a good time just running and feeding off the energy from the crowd. it was by far my funniest running moment to date.

hey, maybe this will be a new fad. i just might look for other local parades to run in front of! and next year, maybe i will run wearing christmas lights!!


***

21.11.11: day 21
cardio 30min; upper body strength workout.

22.11.11:day 22
cardio 1hr spin workout; lower body strength workout.

23.11.11:day 23
walk 30min

24.11.11:day 24
walk 40min

25.11.11:day 25
walk 30min

26.11.11:day 26
walk 30min

27.11.11: day 27
walk; splash in puddles; learn to be a child again :)

28.11.11: day 28
walk 45min

29.11.11:day 29
cardio 30min spin

30.11.11:day 30
walk 30min

1.12.11: day 31
walk 45min

2.12.11:day 32
walk 35min

3.12.11: day 33
12km road run: 1:25
ran my own race. just me and hundreds of spectators!! felt amazing.

4.12.11:day 34
walk 45min exploring another community at night.

5.12.11:day 35
walk 30min

6.12.11:day 36
walk run 12km with training partner. 1:35

7.12.11:day 37
cardio 30min spin (getting stronger on the bike!!); full body strength training.

8.12.11:day 38
30min stretch. my most minimal MOVEment yet :( i came home from writing an exam in the evening and performed a very minimal stretching routine that barely counted towards my goal of at least 30min of MOVEment a day. but i did sleep really well that night and i felt less tightness in my hamstrings despite the strength workout the day before. so the stretching did benefit me...it just wasn't my ideal exercise.