Thanksgiving Weekend October 9th-11th, 2010

For the thanksgiving weekend I spontaneously decided Friday evening to join a group of outdoor club members to go up to Brew hut (1686m) which is located close to Mount Brew. This turned out to be one of the most amazing hikes I have done so far. Not only because of the nature, the forests, the mountains, but also and especially about the way we got up there, the atmosphere, the people and the whole adventure! In some ways it was so different to everything I have done so far and it was a great experience to go out to the wild (with an axe, whistle and trail mix ;)).

Three Canadian guys, another German girl and me left the car close to Brandywine Provinical Park and headed straight into the bush, just with the direction east, a compass, completely covered in water-resistant clothes and cheeriness. Even though it was still dry from above, we already got absolutely wet because we had to go through the thick brushwood to get to the railway. It was like being in a movie, walking along the tracks with your backpack in a little group, looking for a trail to go up the mountain. After a little lunch on the tracks we followed the trail straight up to the mountain through a wonderful thick and moisture rainforest until we reached the alpine with boulder, blueberries and tough pines. It was quite a walk having to gain 1200 meters of elevation, but we were all easy-going and looking for each other. However, two other girls wanted to come later and did not hit the trail before four in the afternoon. So it was already obvious that night-walking was unavoidable. Anyways we continued our way up to the hut, it started raining and we climbed up the very steep trail until reaching Brew Lake. It would have been an easy task to find Brew hut if the weather just had been better. But it wasn’t. So we were stuck up there in the rain and mist, not knowing where to go. One Canadian had left us before to reach the hut earlier so he could go down again to get the girls, and of course he had the GPS, all mobiles and the map in his backpack. Never mind. We made our way somehow up there and I cannot remember any time before having appreciated the invention of cairns so much as in these moments. So happy about every cairn we detected giving confidence that we were on the right way. And we were. Finally the silhouette of the hut could be seen through the fog! On the way up there we passed remaining rests of snow and the smell of a burning fire welcomed us ten meters ahead. What a great feeling! The good thing about all the walking in the rain and fog – you could be sure that you would have a dry and warm place to stay at (although not assuming that it would be so hard to find that place ;)) so I never lost the fun in hiking out in the rain. I went out to get water from the melted snow lakes and it was just so windy and rainy, actually having to be called disgusting weather – but the best weather to be in a cozy, warm and secure hut with great people. Luckily the outdoor club keeps the hut in great condition so there was fire wood up there and a stove, fuel… However, we still missed three members of our group. We knew they would be late and it must have been a creepy hike up there in the dark, rain and fog. Unfortunately they got lost and we were just lucky to have mobiles so we could communicate with each other. In the end the two Canadians went out again at 10:30pm searching for them, with emergency blankets in which you can sleep and whistles since even with headlights you could not see any further than ten meters. Luckily all five arrived an hour later at the hut. So we finally enjoyed the stew, fish, chicken, banana bread, pumpkin pie and mulled wine we had carried up. It was so good. The wind was blowing so strongly and the vibration of the hut was really frightening. Especially during the night I had to keep telling myself that the hut has stood here for such a long time and has surely resisted much worse storms since it sounded very nasty outside. So good to be inside, safe and warm in your sleeping bag!

The morning welcome was amazing: it was dry and the clouds were moving around, allowing seeing the surrounding mountains! We had pancakes for breakfast – how great is that, on 1700m-pancakes! packed our stuff together and left the shelter. It had already started to snow, which made the atmosphere even better. There was much more sight than the day before so we made our way a lot quicker and easier through the snowstorm, which woke the desire for winter to come. But the snowing stopped after a while and rainbows, blue sky, rushing clouds and sun accompanied us for the rest of the hike! Such a great feeling, sun on your skin and all around! The whole scenery was so amazing - so beautiful! It took us some time to get down, but finally we were all packed up in the car again driving back to Vancouver with a lovely view at the passing mountains, sore legs and great memories. To say it in the Canadian way: it was super-fantastic. 

When I got home, my roommates from New Zealand were just having a thanksgiving dinner with some of their friends and invited me to join, which topped this weekend with an absolutely perfect ending (and the free Monday due to thanksgiving I spent studying, thankful for the wonderful (free) weekend, since midterm’s come up this week ;)). 

Lunch time: meeting with a friend in the pub on university campus to eat a burger. And what happens? Before we can even enter the lovely pub at noon we have to show our IDs. Unbelievable :) At least we did not have to show two pieces of ID as is common in the evenings. But then you can just smell and buy joints everywhere in the city... A guy just sitting in the bus quite a few seats away was just asking me, whether I want to buy a joint for ten bucks. It's good stuff, he says, he still goes to university, has his driving licence and is a decent citizen. Alrighty :)
Well, I just bought some BC wine for the weekend, going off to the mountains for having thanksgiving diner with pumpkin pie and mulled wine... I rather stick to my drugs, wine & nature ;)

Sixth Week, October 4^th – 10^th, 2010

Sunday evening my former boss from Germany arrived in Vancouver after having attended a conference in Portland. We explored some more great vegetarian restaurants, me trying to get used to the many choices and convincing her that you can actually eat delicious and healthy things in a restaurant on the North American continent. Monday after university we explored downtown which is still very impressive with the huge skyscrapers, the closeness to the water, (I love the waterplanes – nearly as good as helicopters) and the cleanness in the city and around.

On Tuesday the sun was shining, perfect blue sky, the mountains were enticing us. Lynn Valley was once again a great choice for spending the afternoon, diving into the thick forest, listening to the murmuring river and enjoying the peace and quiet out there. 

the seabus heading towards downtown Vancouver... 

However, university was still going on for me and this week was actually a very busy one with two laboratories, two lab reports and upcoming midterms (and an extended weekend coming up…). I took some pictures since the weather was so beautiful: you can see right to the mountains from the university and some snow can already be seen on the higher mountains. 

 

Yesterday I spent a long time searching for a tent, since we want to go camping this weekend. It was not very easy, although some friends had a tent, but they were just too heavy for hiking. Hopefully we will find one today. In the evening we met downtown for a drink and it was an amazing and very thoughtful evening. Being downtown you see all the poor and filled-up-with-drugs people living on the street asking for money, injecting drugs in front of your eyes... It is very sad and makes you think a lot about justice, social systems and what keeps people alive… It is so weird in this city, it offers you so much and you can do so many great things, life quality is enormously high, but then just right next to this perfect world you see all these people having fallen out of the “dream”.  

Fifth Week

Fifth Week 27^th October – 3^rd October

This was the most beautiful week I had so far in Vancouver! The sun was shining throughout the week and encouraged to do stuff other than university and sitting inside. And if I belive all the locals (which seems like a good thing to do) then there won't be many sunny days in the next months. The first lab reports I had to write were handed in on Tuesday so there was no particular work to do. So I spent my free time running through the woods and enjoying the sunset while having a bottle of wine. It was an amazing taste – a good Merlot from British Columbia after four weeks of watery Canadian beer. Awesome! Unfortunately I left my camera at the beach which filled the rest of my night, going back there, looking for it (without a flashlight ;) ), and finally finding the camera hours later with my landlord and a friend of him who had a car. And it was worth it, the pictures are amazing (although it is impossible to get the special glimpse of the moment…) 

On Wednesday I met a girl whose address I got through several connections from Germany. She’s been living here for more than four years now, settling down in Vancouver and it was incredible what her German sounded like! I did not assume that you would lose speaking your mother language that quickly… In the afternoon I had fun finding a bank which is open later than 4 pm (and opens earlier than 10pm), which actually was impossible. This in turn made it impossible for me to pay my rent in time. Which is even more fun ;)  I finally got the money – thanks to travelers cheques and me running into gas stations talking to the friendly Canadians. 

On Thursday I spent the afternoon in the botanical garden of the university, which was nice, but nothing tremendously special, mainly enjoying nature and being outside. Afterwards we went down to Wreck Beach – the FKK beach of the university and enjoyed swimming in the fresh ocean and the warm sun! And on Friday back into the ocean after sunset! :) 

 

  Hanging out at a coffee house in Kitsilano, which is the alternative area in Vancouver where the Americans settled down in the 60ies in order to escape fighting in Vietnam, I met a very funny man, who was running a hippietruck bringing people back into the sixties flair. Peace, light and eternal grooviness  - that’s what he sent me off with ;) 

After that I enjoyed the urban flair at a sunny day – wonderful! (good lesson for me, that a sunny day spent in the city is not completely a lost “leisure” day as you would have had it in the mountains) You come out of the skyscrapers and the lively streets, standing directly at the sandy beach. In the evening we had a slightly awkward house party. Well, my landlord is somehow special and quirky. Only very few people were there relatively to the big and wonderful house, which actually is a perfect location for parties, barbeques whatever.. This month the two Japanese girls are moving out and a girl from New Zealand and a German girl are moving in. They also came to the party and we had a lot of fun yesterday, so I think we will have a good time living here. 

Now that I am up to date with the blog, having spent the last hour in a coffee house with a delicious warm cinnamon roll and a good cup of coffee – I will go off for a run into the forest! :) 

Third & Fourth Week

Third Week 13^th October – 19^th October

A great thing about my new home is that it is very close to the Pacific Spirit Regional Park. The first time I went there for a run it was heavily raining, so the forest was incredibly vital and lush. It has a great trail system and I already love the trails no matter whether its sunny or rainy with the soft underground, jumping over roots and through the huge packed trees. 

 

University got settled down by now and I ended it up with taking three courses of human kinetics: active health, exercise physiology and neuromuscular integration of movement. All of them are very interesting and include lab(oratory) sessions. These sessions are great; in a huge learning lab we do all sorts of things, different measurement techniques of fitness variables or measuring muscle activity with electromyography…

But besides university – there are the mountains! (and the beaches! but let's focus) And straight after university beach or mountain - well at least this Thursday: we went up Grouse Mountain in the afternoon. The Grouse Grind is a 2,9km trail going up very steep in North Vancouver. The elevation gain is 850m and Vancouverites run up there for training or competing with the time. Record time for the Grouse Grind is 23 minutes! We did not quite get that… and we were not appropriately dressed at all in our hiking clothes – one needs nothing but his jogging shoes, short pants and a top ;)  However it was fun and finally arriving at the top completely soaked in sweat, was great! We were so lucky since the morning rain and clouds gradually diminished, offering a great view over Vancouver. At the top there are several summer tourist attractions such as two Grizzly bears which were playing around. There also was a bird show, enabling me to take the picture from the hawk, which was flying right towards me while I was just wanted to take a picture :).

 

At the weekend I saw my first football game, the homecoming of the Thunderbirds. And again, it was just like being part of some teenie movie… fan clubs, promotions, cheerleaders, football…  

Fourth Week 20^th October – 26^th October

Another great thing on the campus is the swimming pool which is kind of free at specific times to students. It has a great 50m length outside pool, which is just perfect for having a break between lectures or studying… I just go there for an hour swim and afterwards you feel so much more activated and fresh compared to having had a coffee or lunch... But since the weather is so great, I mostly just go down to the beach and have a swim in the cold pacific ocean ;).

On Friday I joined the surf club for a surfing weekend in Tofino. Tofino is on Vancouver Island and one of the best surf spots at the westcoast of Canada. It was constantly raining from Friday until Sunday morning, which made camping a lot of fun ;) and contributed to the real Tofino-surf-atmosphere, since it rains a lot there and surfing is usually in fog and rain. On Vancouver Island wonderful coastal rainforests are located with enormous and very old trees. It was great to drive through the forests while it was pouring rain and waterfalls were coming down from the cliffs beneath the streets. When we arrived in Tofino the guys having equipment already went for a surf, and another girl and me just enjoyed the wild atmosphere walking along the beach with a beer: very strong wind, heavy rainfall and the sound of breakers… Awesome! Although completely wet we had a great time. Unfortunately we did not get dry for many hours, since there was no firewood yet, no shelter or anything else. But in the end a fire was lit and we built up a two-person tent for three people squeezing into it.

After having already seen the beach and surfing I was so excited about finally getting into the water, that I could barely wait to get into the wetsuit and head towards the waves on Saturday. The wetsuits were great, so warm and comfortable as long as you were in the water! But rationally it is a mad thing to do: running into the waves, fighting them, getting beaten down by them, and swallowing lots and lots of salty water. But then you start to catch the waves, use their energy for having fun, and this is when you get the feeling for it and addicted to it! Paddling, catching the waves, going with the flow, standing up and finally cruising in the white water towards the beach. Nice :). After surfing, we had the best burritos ever and went to a pub, just longing for a dry and warm place. Sunday morning the rain stopped and the day had a very mysterious light, the sun dimly shining through the fog. We had a great surf and finally went back to Vancouver (which takes a lot longer than you’d think before – everything around here is a lot further away than I usually assume as a European citizen ;)) being incredibly lucky, since we were the last car to get on the ferry  (which takes about 200 cars).