Time for lying still.

(this somehow didn’t get posted yesterday.)

Well. It’s been a super-productive few days, even if I haven’t posted here. Motivated mainly by a large stack of work and looming deadlines – I have managed to clear things off sufficiently, enabling me to leave work early today and head over to the island for my mother’s birthday. (Sorry friends, this is a family visit so I won’t get to see any of you this time). Will be home Mon-Tues and then in Ottawa Wed-Fri, then BCFed Convention etc. etc. It’s going to let up though in December, and I should have a couple of months off from out-of-province travel.

One thing I am looking forward to in December is a trip up to Hedley, BC to celebrate my friend Kevin’s birthday – if only because it will involve some hiking in a part of the province I like very much.

I’ve found myself with a renewed enthusiasm for outdoor activities lately, as Brian and I have both been getting in better shape at the gym and talking about the prospects for hiking, kayaking, possibly even a little skiing in the upcoming months. We’ll see. Between my work schedule and having M. half time it’s difficult to fit it in, but there’s got to be a Saturday during the snow season we can manage to take a skiing class together, right?

In the meantime my friend Aaron in LA has gone and bought himself a high-clearance pickup truck and is enticing me on another trip to Death Valley this winter – our trip last year being hindered by the small car and bad roads – we couldn’t go almost anywhere! A high-clearance truck means hot springs and way more back country camping options – which has me itching to go back. Perhaps February? I’ve got tons of Aeroplan points and leave days saved up from all the back-and-forthing that’s been going on, and by then I’ll be itching to go somewhere less grey.

And this August I’m thinking it will be time to do either the Nicomen Lake Trail (Manning Park) again, or try something all together new and do Cape Scott. Brian is game for either of these 4-5 day trips, and I suppose it will be decided by the weather more than anything. A dry summer makes Cape Scott attractive, but if it’s wet on the coast, interior alpine is definitely my preference. Months away I know, but it’s good to have goals to work towards on the elliptical trainer week after week. While general fitness is great to have, applying it to small adventures is the real payoff.

Hm. Interesting when I sit down with no idea of what I’m going to post – it seems that under this mountain of work I really am plotting escape from the grey, escape from the cube, a few days here or there to sleep out of doors and tramp around the bush. No surprise there given the gravity of it all these days. I’m a bit worn out and overwhelmed with it all these days – so much running about and so little payoff (as far as work and union are concerned) – I need to carve the time out to just breathe, write, hike, lie still. I feel caught up in everything, and most of all I drive myself crazy with ensuring that nothing gets away, that it all gets done.

So yes, it’s a good day to dream of pine forests and deserts and wild coasts – on my own and with my sweetie. Adventures await, if only I can find the time!