Easter Weekend in the Mountains

Hey guys! Whew – it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry for the long delay in blogging – I have been absolutely busy living life, just like Tina has been over on her blog. 😉 Things have been busy between clients at the gym, in-home clients, our recent conference in Vegas, and time spent with friends over Easter. Speaking of which, I had to share this cute photo I saw on Facebook (not sure of the source):

…Happy (late) Easter! How did everyone spend the weekend (celebrating or not)? I always welcome a three day weekend but above all am so thankful that Easter is about more than cute bunnies! I celebrated this weekend not in church and with family like I usually do, but in the mountains and with friends – both of which are like church and family, come to think of it! Our good friends, Ryan and Susan, who run our Survive & Thrive Expeditions kayaking trip, came up from Idaho for the weekend. Avalanche conditions were more stable, there was lots of fresh snow, and we had a 3-day weekend…it was a recipe for an amazing trip! So out into the back country, out of cell service and away from computers we went.

Day 1: fueled by Pony snacks (that we eat on the river!) & ready to go!

We headed out for a day trip on Friday with our friend Luke in tow to Black Prince in Kananaskis Country. The hike up was long but it was virtually unpopulated and a beautiful day! The only down side? Super slushy, grabby, concrete-like snow. Much more of a coastal snowpack and tough to ski in, but great to get out and tour together and spend the day outside under amazing mountains.

Day 2: fueled by donuts after a great night in Canmore having a Good Friday meal with Mikey’s boss & her friends!

The next day we left, ready for an adventure together and drove up the famous Icefields Parkway on another gorgeous day. Our destination this time? Parker Ridge, where we planned to skin up and ski down a fun face and lap it all.day.long. And that’s exactly what we did!

Despite some bad blisters (I’m talking silver dollar-sized!) that Susan endured, the day was perfect. We got 5 or 6 runs in and tracked out the place (you can tell in the first picture above). Warm weather, good friends, and perfect conditions – a Saturday doesn’t get much better, my friends! 😀

That night we headed to the one and only stop around, The Crossing, for a place to stay. It was cozy and crammed, but we enjoyed hanging out together in the little hut with amazing mountain views, a warm shower, and comfortable beds. We debated camping outside and had brought all our gear, but we were glad we stayed inside and chilled out all evening.

Our last day began with lots of hiking and elevation gain as we chose to summit Cirque Peak. Once again we got some amazing weather and were so thankful to be outside in it! The views were amazing, the skiing was epic, and the company delightful, as always; even the snowboarder and skiier we met and hung out with were great to have along to the summit and down.

Our lines!

Beautiful views; heading down.

It was definitely a weekend to remember. Mikey and I do have video and more pictures from Ryan and Susan coming soon, but it was too great not to share what we had right now! We love these guys and sure appreciated an uninterrupted weekend of fun and good conversation with Ryan and Susan. Thanks for making the trek up to Calgary to connect, guys! 😀

And since tomorrow is Tuesday, here’s a head’s up on what Lindsay will be putting together for this week’s Tuesday Trainer:

Head over to her site tomorrow for some more Adventurous April submissions, the idea behind which comes from Janetha over at Meals and Moves. Check out her site for info and join the community of people taking small steps to try something new this month! Love this initiative. 😀

When’s the last time you tried something adventurous? Cooked a new-to-you squash, tried a new machine at the gym, joined a new fitness class, finally said “hi” to that lonely person in your work place? Big or small, whatever it is, here’s to an adventurous month and some personal growth along the way.

Thanks for putting up with my sporadic posting…it’s good to be back! Be on the look out for more videos/pics from the weekend and some new workouts to add to your repertoire! Live in the truth and power of Christ’s Resurrection today! Live well & be well friends,

Bonnie