The little blog that... could?

I've never really known what to write on this little blog of mine. For a while, I thought that I could be an online marketing guru, and share my vast array of knowledge on the subject. That didn't last long. Then, I toyed with the ideas of talking about skiing, or Whistler, my new hometown, but soon ran out of steam. Now it seems that this blog is just here so that I can play around with colours and fonts and gadgets, so that I can better help other people start their own blogs.

So I guess I've been writing, with no clear idea why, or for whom. I feel reflective today, maybe because my man has gone home to Montreal for the weekend, to spend time with his family. And it's just me and O, the dog, both of us curled up inside the house, not quite used to the change in season yet.

Perhaps this blog has been a reflection of my life for the past few years. I've moved clear across the country, and decided to make my home in this curious little resort town. I've struggled to find my place here, and feel that I'm on the cusp of something, but what it is, I'm not sure. And where it will lead, I have no idea.

Photo credit: chappy14

Bears, bears everywhere

Last month, when I was visiting friends and family out East, I stopped by a friend's 30th birthday at a cabin in the woods. On my way out, I waved goodbye and one of the guys wished me a safe drive and told me to watch out for bears. Right, because the East coast is just teeming with bears.

In Whistler, on the other hand, bears aren't just something you see on the National Geographic channel. This year alone, I've seen more bears than I have fingers and toes. Everywhere from the Whistler village to golf courses to a teenage bear running full tilt across the highway. I even had to cut a dog walk short when I started out the driveway and realized there was a bear rooting around in my neighbour's garage.

I'm a big fan of taking the dog for hikes in the woods, but I'm a bit freaked out about bears, seeing how O has never seen one yet. I could make it easy on myself and put his bear bell on his collar, but that would be too easy. So instead, I yell out strange noises every few metres. I'm sure the dog thinks I'm going crazy.

You know, it makes me sad when I read things in the paper about bears having to be put down because of negative interactions with people. So many times I have seen cars pulled over on the side of the road, with eager tourists taking photos of bears who are walking around in people's front yards. I was even at a restaurant in the village once when a bear walked right past the window, which should have been cool enough. But no, one (not so) smart guy decided he should bring his young children outside and walk around in the bushes trying to get a closer view of the bear!

I know they are cute and look so cudley, but all of this human interaction can't be good. So please, next time you see one, please just drive on, unless you are really far away and have a good zoom on your camera.

A night of movies under the stars

Last week, I finally saw my first outdoor movie (not counting numerous double features at the drive-in theatre - yes, we still have those in my home town out East). I went with friends to Lunafliks in Whistler at Lost Lake. The first film of the summer was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was really great, even though I knew nothing about it beforehand and didn't expect so much violence.

So although the movie was really good and I had a fun time, a few things I'll bear in mind for next time:

Photo: Ian McLaughlan on Flickr

• The website says the BBQ starts at 8:30 p.m., but the movie doesn't start until sundown. We got there after 9 and they were already out of hot dogs. So if you want grilled meat, come early. And to all you vacationers from the US (like the girl from Arizona I talked to the next day), BBQ in Canada usually does not mean the huge, elaborate feast of pulled pork sandwiches with side salads that you are thinking of. It's just hot dogs. Maybe a hamburger if you're really lucky.
  
• When it gets dark, the mosquitoes come out, so be prepared. Although there will probably be enough people around you who are spraying bug repellent every five minutes that you may be okay. You may also taste bug spray in your mouth for the next dew days.
• When it gets dark, it also gets cold. Bring some layers of clothing and two blankets - one to lie on and one to snuggle under. Optional: a date to snuggle under the blankets with.
• The washrooms close early. Stash some toilet paper in your bag, and when you're squatting in the woods, be sure to make lots of noise to scare the bears away. Just joking. Sort of.
  
• Bring a pillow. I made fun of my friend who brought one until I discovered that the movie was in Swedish, with subtitles at the very bottom of the screen. Since the only language that I understand fluently is English, I spent the entire movie trying to prop up my head with my very stinky sneakers.
  
• And finally, at the end of the night, when the movie is over and you're sleepy and ready for bed (no, you can't just pass out by the lake), it will be dark. Very dark. And the light of your cell phone will not be sufficient to keep you on the path and out of the ditch. So bring a flashlight or headlamp.

There you have it, my suggestions for a comfortable outdoor movie adventure. The next Lunafliks showing is on Wednesday, July 21st with a double feature of Pirate Radio and The Runaways. Have fun!

ATV spells FUN

Friends were in Whistler for the weekend, and it was a blast showing them around town and pretending I was a tourist for a change.

We decided to do a morning ATV adventure with Canadian Snowmobile Adventures. Unfortunately, this was when the weather was still cold (have been hearing it called "June-uary") so we had to add some extra layers, including full rain gear.

After a few practice laps in a parking lot, we headed up the cat tracks, similar to the snowmobile route in the winter. Although not as fun as tearing around through the woods in Nova Scotia, we all had a good time and even saw a few teenage black bears grazing on the ski trails.

Just before the Crystal Hut, we had to drive over fresh snow, and my right thumb, the one used for the gas trigger, was so cold I thought it was going to fall off.

Inside, there was a breakfast feast of the Crystal Hut's legendary waffles and toppings, yummy bacon, and lots of hot drinks to warm up.

Would highly recommend this morning adventure for anyone visiting Whistler, and hopefully you end up with our guide, Ty, as he was really great.

Winter is Almost Over...

It's that time of year again, when there's more rain in the forecast than snow. Tomorrow is the last day of the 2009/2010 ski season that I will be able to walk down my street and catch the Creekside Gondola.

But that also means the best party of the season is about to start: Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival. Lots of events going on all week, from half pipe events to fashion shows. And I have my ticket for the sold-out Filmmaker Showdown on Tuesday, April 21st, 2010. Should be a blast!

Photo by Tyler Ingram, who is working as a photographer for Watermark Communications Inc.

On Top of the World

I went skiing last week on Blackcomb Mountain and hiked up the Blackcomb Glacier, up East Caul and stopped at the top to catch my breath (I am definitely not the world's fastest trekker) and take some pictures. The scenery that day was absolutely amazing, and it looked and felt like I was in the midst of an ocean of clouds.



After my little break, we put the skis back on, got some fresh turns, and started hiking back up and out. But somewhere along the way, I got a ton of snow wedged between my right ski and the skin, and was only attached by the front and back clips on the skin. I hung on for as long as I could, but after the fourth zigzag turn, my ski gave out and I was on my knees on the side of the hill, trying to keep it together. So I strapped my skis to my back, finished the climb in my boots, and ended the day with a fun ski out the Corona Bowl.

A lazy Saturday afternoon

Okay, so it's not really Saturday, it's Wednesday. But my days off fall in the middle of the week, so it's Saturday for me - make sense?

I knew it was probably going to be an epic ski day because I had already checked the weather/snow report/live temperatues/avalanche report on my favourite website of all time, www.whistlerblackcomb.com . But I just couldn't get myself moving!

So instead, I decided it would be a great day to spend with my man's dog, O. So I skiined up my skis, loaded my backpack, and O and I started trekking up the road. At the very top of my street is a ski-out, which you're usually supposed to ski down. But I skinned up for about a half hour, with O diligently trotting along (with one very long stop when he decided to dig up a petrified banana peel and ignore all of my calls to keep going).

After making it up the hill a while, it was time to put away the skins and ski back down, chasing O the whole way. All in all, a great day off!