Jasper, Alberta - April 15, 2017 (Day 2)

I started my day bright and early, got a good breakfast in and once again hit the road. My journey began at the bottom of Whistler Mountain, a journey which would soon prove to be incredibly challenging and strenuous. I knew that my snowshoeing trek up the mountain would be tough, however, the crazy winds, massive snow storm and cold weather conditions didn't make it any easier. I didn't take many picture of my trek, as my camera and my phone were both unsuccessful in capturing anything due to the weather conditions. The few times I tried my hands also froze instantly. I did however, make a friend on the trial who was nice enough to take some footage of my trek, below is a video of some clips that we meshed together.  

Due to the weather I found it hard to navigate and keep track of where I had been, where I was going and how to get back, every turn I took looked so familiar and it just seemed to look the same. Similar to my trip in Europe, I felt like I was in a snow desert... the sky, the ground and every mountain melted into one another, I would trek for hours without being able to see ahead of me and out of no where another mountain or another peak would appear, and they all looked the same. Although the view was beautiful the view was limited. 

Once I finished taking in the breathe-taking views, I made my way back down to the base of the mountain and continued on with my trek. My second challenge of the day would be to learn to navigate my way through the forest, not only was the navigating a challenge, but the trek was too, there are so many fallen trees everywhere which make the trek 10x more challenging. 

The challenge didn't stop there... As I continued my trek the terrain got more difficult, climbs got steeper, and the ground was anything but even. 

I traveled for a good portion of the day before running into any humans, and surprisingly I was excited when I finally did! I trekked with an older gentleman for a few hours, he was very kind and friendly and even snapped a few pictures for me on our trek.  

We reached a crossroad and this is where we said goodbye and once again I found myself trekking alone! The woods that laid ahead were slightly intimidating, especially after seeing signs that caution you about bears, cougars, lynx, coyotes, and wolves. As I trekked through the woods the silence was beautiful, but my heart raced and the adrenaline was high, something about being completely alone, possibly getting lost and feeling like pray evoked a feeling of frisson.  

As I continued my trek wildlife began to appear, a heard of Mule Deer were quite intrigued by my presence and I was able to get some beautiful photos! 

Not only did I find a heard of Mule Deer, but I also found a heard of... HUMANS! There were 3 young ladies trekking who had gotten a little lost, they asked if they could tag along, which I didn't mind at all (however, I don't think I really knew where I was at this point either). We decided to take a small detour, as oncoming hikers informed us that some Bighorn Sheep were up ahead, slightly off our current root. Here not only did we find Bighorn Sheep but an amazing view! 

As we continued on our way, more beautiful sceneries appeared. 

The ladies offered to snap some photos for me and I gladly accepted = )

Once again we hit a cross road, and the ladies took a different route while I continued on my journey. Ahead of me were some amazing views, 

After a very long day of hiking/climbing I decided that this was enough and it was time to call it a night. I was incredibly exhausted, and as much as I hate to admit it, I was very sore and didn't think my daddy long legs could continue any further. I climbed Whistler Mountain, hiked the Old Fort Point, Patricia and Pyramid route, and the Maligne Canyon trial, however, the highlight of my day would happen 10 minutes from my room where I was staying. Right before entering Jasper, the last piece of "country" held a beautiful surprise. It started to snow and in the field was two coyotes playing together, and chasing small field mice. My heart filled with excited and it was definitely the best shots of my day. 

That ladies and gentlemen is the end of my journey for today, as always, thank you for following my journey, and I hope you enjoyed reading this blog.

- San

Jasper, Alberta - April 14, 2017 (Day 1)

My day started off at 4AM to catch a flight from the Ottawa airport at 6AM to Calgary Alberta. The sky was clear, the weather was wonderful and the flight was quite pleasant. I landed in Calgary at 8:30AM and awaited my flight from Calgary to Edmonton with little lay over (just enough time to grab a Starbucks coffee). My flight to Edmonton was quite pleasant too and only 40 mins long, however, 40 mins was long enough to cause a climate change. I landed in a full on snow storm! I arrived in Edmonton it was 10:30AM, by 11AM I was at the Hertz car rental picking up my vehicle (Got a sexy 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trail Edition with snow and mud tires). 

By 12PM I was on the road heading to Jasper, Alberta where my hiking/mountaineering journey would begin. It was a 4.5 hour drive from Edmonton to Jasper and about 3.5 hours was driven in horrible snow and hail making it hard to see ahead at times. As I approached Jasper, the sun was shining, and the snow stopped! And then wildlife began to appear =) 

I entered the town of Jasper, got settled into my little nest (I rented a room in a ladies basement to have a place to crash and also park the vehicle). Then I set out to start my adventure! I walked down the main street of Jasper and slowly the shops began to disappear, the people lessened, the wild life and beautiful scenery began to appear and all of a sudden I was alone. 

 The first sign of wildlife I experienced were Bighorn Sheep, the pack leader (the male) sat high in the mountains looking over his heard. In the meadow below grazed the large group of female Bighorn Sheep.

My trek continued to more beautiful pastures and scenery and I was spoiled with the presence of more wildlife. It seemed everywhere I turned something was waiting to be discovered. Traveling solo felt odd, but the sounds and smell of nature were very soothing. 

 Everywhere you turn here there are Elk and Mule Deer gracing you with their presence. Very cool to see them so close in a natural environment. Each heard I have run into has about 10-14 Mule Deer (female) and a single Elk (male) leading them. 

As I continued my trek the more snow I began to see! 

This is probably where I had my first tiny scare of my trip, The only path I could take to continue my hike was along the ice, although I took my time and walked very carefully half way through my leg caved into the ice and I was stuck in ice cold water up to my right hip. Although a tint of fear entered my body, discomfort and awkwardness was more prevalent (I was basically doing the splits cause one leg was in the water, the other on the cliff where I had been standing, thank goodness my coaches make me do pull-ups). Although it sounds horrible, I assure you it was not life threatening, just awkward to get out, and a bit of a piss off cause I was now wet! Luckily for me I was wearing appropriate gear, so aside from some wet socks, and boots I was doing just fine. 

The rest of my trek was much like the photos above, lots of woods, small mountains etc. I completed my trek and called it a night to ensure I would be rested for tomorrow, as tomorrow I shall snow shoe to 3480M above sea level and may I add they are not giving the best of weather conditions! 

Thanks once again for following me on this journey, I hope you enjoy the pictures and awesome stories along the way! I did not have wi-fi so my blogging is a little behind schedule. I will post day 2 tonight :) 

- San

Chicken Pesto Basil Farfalle

Enjoy some Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta in style! 

PASTA

Ingredients:
 

- 2 cups of Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

- 2 large scoops (using a tablespoon) of Pesto Basil

Directions:

1. Bring water in a pot to a boil, once boiling add a pinch of salt, then add Farfalle.

2. Boil until pasta is almost ready (should still be a little hard). Drain water and put back into pot.

3. Place the pot on medium heat and add 2 large scoops (using a tablespoon) of Pesto Basil and stir until pasta is completely covered.

CHICKEN

Ingredients:

- 5 small chicken thighs

- 1 cup of water

- 2 tablespoon of minced Garlic

- 1 tablespoon of Lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon of dried Parsley

- 1 tablespoon of dried Basil

- 1 tablespoon of Ground Black Pepper

- 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Directions: 
 

1. In a pan mix 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoon of minced Garlic, 1 tablespoon of Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of dried Parsley, 1 tablespoon of dried Basil, 1 tablespoon of Ground Black Pepper and 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil and let simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Dice chicken thighs into small pieces and add to pan. Cook for 15 minutes.

CHICKEN PESTO BASIL FARFALLE

Ingredients:

- Havarti Cheese (quantity based on your liking) 

Directions:

1. Once the Pasta and Chicken above are done, combine the two together and mix. 

2. Once mixed place the Chicken Pesto Basil Farfalle in a pan and add either sliced or grated Havarti cheese to the top. You can either place it in the oven on Low Broil for 5 minutes, microwave it for 2 minutes or simply let it melt on it's own : ) 

Happy eating,

San

  

 

Baked Butter Garlic Chicken Thighs

 Another awesome but simple recipe that will tickle your taste buds! 

VEGGIES

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of melted butter (healthy alternative 1/4 cup of olive oil, no butter and water)
- 1 tablespoon of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil
- 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
- pinch of salt
- about 10 small carrots and a handful of sliced little red skinned potatoes.

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a pan and add veggies.

2. Place in oven for 40 minutes (Therefore, start your veggies 20 minutes before your meat to have them both ready at the same time).


CHICKEN

Ingredients:

- 1 Stick of butter (1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon of ground black pepper
- approximately 8 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

Directions:

1. Mix the butter, minced garlic, soy sauce, parsley, and ground black pepper in a bowl and heat on high until the butter is melted entirely.

2. Dip chicken thighs in the mix created in step one and place on a pan.

3. Bake chicken in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit  for 20 minutes.  Dowse the chicken with the mix created in step one again and place in oven for 5-10 minutes on low broil. When the chicken is nice and golden remove from over.

4. Add a light sprinkle of dried parsley (optional).

Hope you enjoy this recipe and thanks for following along!
- San

New York City

November 19, 2015

Thursday evening after a long day at the office, my sister and I made our way to New York City. We departed from Ottawa approximately around 4pm (the worst time possible - RUSH HOUR), hit Montreal around 6:30pm (also not a great time), and then arrived in New York City around 2am Friday morning (New York City never sleeps, therefore, there is never a good time). Despite crazy traffic though, we very much enjoyed our drive, chatting, singing (perhaps louder than necessary) and many laughs shared.  

November 20, 2015

When we arrive Friday morning, we hit the sack quickly, pretty exhausted from our drive. We stayed with my friend's parents, and let me tell you, although I had never met them personally, I've never slept so sound in a strangers home! When we woke up, we were introduced to Frankie! An Italian man with a New York accent (sounds just like Rocky), has a beautiful sense of humor, a heart of gold and the man can cook. During our entire trip he made sure to keep us fed, entertained and with a smile upon our faces. 

Our first day of exploring would be very limited, we were tired, but I was also focusing on my competition which would take place Saturday morning.

November 21, 2015

I woke nice and early competition morning, prepared for my day ahead and began playing scenarios in my mind while the others got ready. I looked up some videos on my opponent to get some ideas since I was riding this one solo (my teammates and coach unfortunately could not come). Beatrice kindly offered to come with us to ensure we did not get lost, as the house was about 1.5 hours from the venue where I was competing. 

We arrived in Harlem, New York with much time to spare, which allowed me to get comfortable with my surrounding. The venue was beautiful, but man was it hot and muggy in there. It wasn't a good day for me competition wise, some bad calls were made, my opponents strategy was questionable, but at the end of the day... never leave it up to the judges to decide! I've had a great competition season and although this competition was quickly over for me, it was still a wonderful experience, and after all I was in New York.

We returned home, Frankie had prepared us a fantastic seafood dinner, and slowly we started to get sleepy. It was not long before we found ourselves once again in bed.   

November 22, 2015

We began our journey a little later than anticipated but we hit New York City with much enthusiasm. Beatrice came with us, and boy was I ever happy she did. New York City isn't complicated, but it's so large it takes some time to get to know your surrounding, how they work and where the heck you are.

Walking through the city passing so many familiar places which I had before only seen in movies, was a very cool experience. Scenes from movies such as King Kong, Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, Ghostbusters, Homealone, Spiderman and so many more were all racing through my mind.    

New York City is definitely one of those places that has a lot of character. Everything from the flashing billboards, to the insanely large M&M store, to the yellow taxi's the flood the city streets, contributes to what make New York City so fascinating. I am not usually one who enjoys visiting large cities, for they are nothing but a sea of buildings, composed of over populated areas, but New York City was interesting, engaging and actually a lot of fun. It was exactly what I had expected, and was nothing short of wonderful. 

    

 

We made our way to the 9/11 memorial, and this was truly something beautiful to see. To stand in a spot that shook not only the nation but they entire  world evoked a certain sentiment that I cannot explain. Around the fountain glow the names of all those who lost their lives that day, and again the emotion  it evoked made chills run down my spine. There are still many of the remains from 9/11 that have been placed in a museum and some areas that are still under construction. A cute but particular church that stood still during 9/11 stands next to the museum and is also something very unique too see.

Below is a mural we found as we continued through the region, it was dedicated to all fireman who lost their lives that day, again, this photo does not do it justice. The entire area surrounding the memorial is the financial sector. The city goes from bright flashy billboards to a more traditional serious tone down-town Ottawa feel. 

We marched our way back to the bright lights and what is the first thing we see? 

Illuminated, red, massive Christmas ornaments decorating the corner, trees covered in a cluster of bright white lights, a large banner that screams Merry Christmas surrounded by angels playing trumpets... It was the Canadian Constitute. It looks much more decorative than the rest of the city streets in regards to Christmas and I must say... In Canada they are all about being politically correct by saying Happy Holidays, but outside of our country we most definitely scream "Merry Christmas" and we aren't afraid too either. I found it somewhat comical but enjoyed the sight.   

 

 

We continued our walk and made our way to a beautiful church. The amount of people inside was amazing. We took some nice photos, took in the atmosphere, but also used this opportunity to warm up :) 

 Police in America and maybe just Police in general, often get presented to the world as rude, power tripping monsters who are corrupt. In New York City every corner you turn you see a team of Police officers. Perhaps they are used to tourist, but they are super friendly, helpful and well... drop dead gorgeous (as if the uniform wasn't enough haha)! The one officer saw me smiling from a mile away, so he offered to take a group picture with me :) 

We finished off our day with a beautiful dinner in the heart of Little Italy. I personally was a little nervous, as last time I had an Italian dinner in Italy, Rome... I ended up in the hospital and almost died. So I stuck to some calamari! Once we finished dinner we headed to Beatrices favorite desert place... Ferrara's!

 I personally am not a huge desert fan, but if you are this is definitely somewhere you want to visit. They have everything you can possibly think of in an array of different flavors. Make sure if you get something from here though, that you stay and eat at the restaurant as it really does add to the experience. Prepare yourself though... It's a popular place because it's good, so the lines are LONG!

We walked about 31K in total, so fair enough to say that once we were stuffed we made our way home and the only thing we wanted by this point was a comfy bed to enter a wonderful slumber! 

November 22, 2015

We started off our day with a wonderful breakfast... lots and lots of BACON! Once full we made our way to the train station to once again hit the city! I had my first Krispy Kreme doughnut and I believe I have found true love ladies and gentleman! I don't think I will ever be able to eat a Tim Horton's doughnut again after tasting those. While waiting in the train station we also got to witness a young man get down on one knee Broadway style! He proposed to her by singing a Disney song in front of the entire train station (he had an amazing voice). It was absolutely beautiful and as you can imagine, she said yes :)

 The minute we came up from the subway stereotypical  New York City things started happening. This one photo in particular reminded me of the homeless man in Homealone who would stay in the park and feed the pigeons. It however, also made me think of the classic Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. He sang to the animals and they followed him down the road. Birds, swirls, and a few others embraces him. Pretty cool to see!  

 

The harbor which surrounds the city is pretty spectacular and filled with so many old looking ships you would see back in the day. They had giant pillars which outlined the harbor walls while the city sat in the background.

This ladies and gentleman is a timbit of advice I am so happy I had. New York City sells cruises that take you close to the status of liberty so that you may get pictures. However, there is a local Ferry which passes every 15-30 mins (depending on the day) and it is FREE. You get equally as close if not closer. For those of you traveling though for photography make sure you take a Ferry with an open roof... some of the boat allow you to go outside, one boat in particular has no openings and therefore, you must take photos through a window!

Below are some photos I managed to capture while on the Ferry - Enjoy!

The subway system is exactly like it is seen in the movies, filthy, overcrowded and somewhat confusing if you are a tourist. However, when it comes to New York City do yourselves all a favor and take the Train and Subway. You'll get there much faster, it will save you money and you won't have to drive in crazy New York traffic. 

The city street is also abundant of exceptional artist selling painting, caricatures, drawing or photographs. Many little street merchants also flood the streets with creative souvenir options. 

We stood on the Brooklyn bridge in the freezing cold (I bough mitts and a scarf) but the site was absolutely worth it. We traveled across numerous areas which had spectacular photo opportunities and jaw-dropping city-scapes.

We took hundreds of photos and then made our way back to the house early to enjoy one last dinner with Frankie, and the family!

November 23, 2015

In the am we woke and immediately prepared our things to leave. Frankie and Beatrice packed us with so much food, you'd swear we were going on a 1 month road trip! We were sad to say good-bye to the family, although our stay was short and our acquaintance has only occurred a few days ago, they already felt like family. Although I was sad, I was somewhat eager to return home to my calm city of Ottawa with a reason sized population and lowered activity and commotion. I am returning home once again with my mind filled with beautiful memories and lovely sights! I've extended my family/connections into the U.S.A. and my view of the world has been expanded a little wider.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story and photos!

- San