Robyn and I headed over to Deep Cove today for a little hike/walk up to Gray Rock. It’s about a 30-40minute walk/hike through the woods that ends up on a large granite boulder that over looks the Indian Arm region.

The above photo is one of many creeks and streams you cross and I thought I would try a bit of long-shutter photography on them to get that cotton-candy type effect. Typically you want to use a tripod to reduce camera shake, but I found my lens’ IS (Image Stabilization) was able to help me steady the camera on a wooden railing of a bridge. The above photo EXIF, for those who are curious are

1/5 sec, f/10, ISO 400 at 21mm

Depending on light, I like to go a bit slower with the shutter speed, but I think it turned out alright. I could have also used my Circular Polarizer to get an even slower shutter speed (2-stops worth) but I left that at home. I would have had to brought my tripod and cable release to take the photos.

Last weekend while Robyn and I stayed at Evolution in Creekside, we did manage to get ourselves out of our comfy accommodations and up the mountain. What was also a lot of fun, was that the night before Whistler received about 23 centimetres (9-inches) of fresh snow. Not only is 23 centimetres of fresh snow fun to ski and ride on, it also helped pushed the snow base up over 100 centimetres. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really enjoy riding on a base less than 100 centimetres.

We had a bit of a late start, well not really a late start, but being that the Saturday (November 27th) was Blackcomb’s opening day, Guest Relations was a horrid zoo of people trying to get their Edge Card waivers signed for his new season. Luckily, we did not have to wait in the Guest Services line and were able to duck into the lift-ticket sales line which was only a few people deep to get our lift tickets. Why didn’t we try the lift-ticket sales line before? I didn’t know you could use Mountain Money at them or at least the girl I dealt with was an awesome example of customer service!

We boarded the Creekside Gondola, went up the mountain to where the gondola meets the Big Red chair and were astonished at the amount of people waiting to go further up. I think we waited about 15 minutes to get on the Big Red chair which takes you up to the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler.

Our day up on Whistler began.

The snow was pretty good and the runs were not horribly crowded, well the Green runs were crowded but we just avoided them as much as possible. Our favourite parts of Whistler, the Peak, Harmony and Symphony, were not quite opened yet because the Avalanche Team were busy checking out the conditions. Though recently, the Peak chair and Harmony are currently open! I’m sure the next time we go up, everything will be open.

<rant>

There are a couple of things that really bug me when I’m riding, and I am sure that these bug other people as well. When you are at a lip which begins the top of a run and it’s fairly narrow (not a chute but..) DO NOT SIT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT! Stick to the sides please! If you do congregate in the middle of a run and decided to start your decent down it, LOOK BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO CUT ACROSS THE RUN! Some dad decided to do that as I was trying to manoeuvrer around him and his children, didn’t look to see me coming, I had to swerve, caught an edge and ended up doing a cartwheel on my board. Not a fun thing to do! His children saw me and stopped, he didn’t. He just continued down the run as if nothing happened.

</rant>

After a bunch more runs we headed back to the Roundhouse Lodge for some lunch. So many people! Though we happened to stop for lunch at noon which is the worst time to try and get a spot to sit to have your lunch. We did eventually find a place to sit and eat. Did I mention that they have Chili in a Bread Bowl? Don’t think they had that last year. It was so delicious!

After lunch we decided to head back down to Creekside and in order to do that you do have to head down to about mid-mountain to access the Gondola back down. The runs weren’t bad on the way down. Though Franz (a blue) is always icy and fairly busy but that wasn’t a horrible thing, what was worse was coming back down to the Creekside Gondola and Big Red chair area. People thought it would be a GOOD IDEA to again stop in the middle of the run just before the lineups and sit. Not a good thing to do when there are lots of people skiing/riding around you and the area is fairly icy.

I might sound a bit bitter on this particular experience, but don’t get me wrong, it was a fun day and we both highly enjoyed the fresh snow. We can’t wait to go back and we’ll actually probably be back in a week from now too.

Have you had the opportunity to ski/ride or even visit Whistler yet this season?

The weather has been really good to those of us who live in Southwestern British Columbia. Robyn, Jenny and myself though it would be a good time to get out over to Dog Mountain this weekend, with the beautiful weather we have. We tried to do hike Dog Mountain earlier in the year but when we got up to the parking lot at Mount Seymour, we were greeted by at least a half a foot of snow at the far end of the parking lot. The snow has since significantly melted away and we were excited hike Dog Mountain.

Dog Mountain is located off of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver. The trail head is roughly a hundred feet from the end of the parking lot at the top of Mount Seymour and quickly ducks into the trees heading West. The trail itself is a bit rough with rocks and roots, so don’t expect to get a stroller through it. Check out Vancouver Trails for information on getting to the trail head.

The total journey from the parking lot to Dog Mountain and back is roughly 2 hours. Of course this is when there is no snow on the ground and the ground is fairly dry. We hit some muddy patches along the way, but nothing horrible.

About the half way point you come to First Lake. A great place to stand and admire the beauty hidden by the trees. Though don’t hang around too long, during the beginning of Summer the flies and mosquitoes are out in full force. Be sure to use bug repellent or you will complain about it the whole trip like I did.

Eventually you will reach the end point; Dog Mountain. It offers a spectacular view of Vancouver as well as Grouse Mountain. If you have binoculars or even a decent zoom lens, you can see various highlights of our beautiful city too.

Another highlight for Dog Mountain is the remains of an old cabin. As each year passes, less and less evidence of the cabin remains. Why was there a cabin and what happened? Who knows?

While you are at Dog Mountain, it is a great place to sit, relax and even enjoy some lunch. You might even see the occasional chipmunk or grey jay bird too, whom might sneak near you asking for a crumb or two. We also heard an owl hooting in a local tree, though we could not locate it among the branches.

When you are ready to head back to the parking lot, just turn around and head back the way you came. The majority of the trail is downhill so it might be easier than the hike up.  I also recommend heading up earlier than later as once the sun peaks, it does get fairly hot.

Dog Mountain is a great way to spend a morning on a sunny day. It is also a decent little work out as well as you scramble up and around the various roots too.  Just be sure to put on bug repellent!

Don’t forget, you can click on any photo above to view it’s larger version!

Photography Notes:

It was difficult to get photos of Vancouver and the surrounding area when on the top of Dog Mountain. Our city can be fairly polluted and hazy, specially closer to noon. The photos of the city I edited with Lightroom to help take away the crazy haze as well as blue tone you get when you shoot landscapes from a far distance. The circular polarizer on my 18-55mm kit lens did not help much, and I do not have any sort of UV or Haze filter on my 70-200mm lens either. An UV or haze filter might have helped, but my edits were alright.

Shooting in the trees was not too difficult though I did need to bump up my ISO to 400 to get a decent shutter speed, even when using an f-stop of 2.8. I’ve had difficulties before with shooting in a forest on a hike do to the poor lighting you can get. I probably also should have used a wider angle when we got to the First Lake, as the 70-200mm was attached. I just didnt want to stop and switch lenses at the time. Perhaps I should get a second camera body

When I got home after a couple of errands that evening  a work buddy of mine, Brent Hickman,  sent out a  message via Facebook about how he is going to Ride to Conquer Cancer with hundreds of other people and looking support.

Dear Friend,

I’m sure I’ve told you about my Father, his struggle with cancer, and his passing last year. Until now, I never felt like there was anything I could do. I’m not a scientist and can’t find a cure on my own, but I can and will be participating in an event called The Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation. Through this event, I can help prevent other families from having to struggle with this disease.

…

You can read more about Brent’s personal fight with Cancer on his Ride to Conquer Cancer webpage.

To help Brent him reach his goal of raising $3,500 I have sent a donation to help sponsor his cycling trek down south and I am looking for other people who might also help him reach his goal. If you would like to help Brent reach his goal of $3,500 by sponsoring his ride then please head over to his Ride to Conquer Cancer page and make a donation. The further on in life I go, the more I find how the majority of people have been affected by Cancer in some form or other, please help find a cure!

For more information about Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2009 check out their about page.

Granted the photos are slightly touched up in photoshop but nothing more that what other people might do to a digital photo such as: correct horizon, light up, perhaps add some sharpening, and the occasional crop.

Took this shot in mid-jog

Sun setting over Horseshoe Bay Area

Popular Stanley Park Landmark: Siwash Rock

So there, a few photos and views of the Stanley Park Seawall which I have come to enjoy as I hang out more in the WestEnd of Vancouver. Actually jogging the Seawall is probably more fun than the jogging I do on the dikes, perhaps it’s the smell of the ocean? Who knows, but we definitely try not to hit the Seawall during the busy sunny periods if we can avoid it. Too many tourists out and about to get in a decent jog without having to play Dodge The Tourist (weaving in and out of the randomly moving people).

Do you spend hours in front of the computer without ever going outside? Are you one of those Information Technologists who rarely see the true light of day or feel the warm of the sun against your skin? Are you a blogger who is always trying to write up the latest and greatest article that will skyrocket your readership?

One thing I have been lazy in the past is being more active. I sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day only to then go home and sit on the computer for a bunch more time. Though recently I have been trying to stay away from my computer as much as possible (especially when we get good weather) and I have taken up a couple of new activities to help me become more active and hopefully increase my fitness. Last winter Robyn introduced me to Snowboarding, something that I have wanted to try for many years (in fact since grade 6). I took the opportunity when it was presented to me and I loved it, though I found that the first time up I was really out of shape. Damn computers!

Robyn and I have also started a jogging routine to help get back into shape, well better shape than before anyway. Granted I cannot run 5km nor do marathons yet but my jogging time has increased since we started and I do find that I have increased energy throughout the day. Previously I have been dead tired sitting at my computer during works hours and when I got home I did not have the energy to do anything expect go to bed early. We also have been eating better which also helps increase my energy throughout the day and I find myself snacking less or even the dreaded binge eating.

Now I am not going to tell you the proper ways of staying fit or active especially if you are one of those people who sit behind a monitor all day but I did want to share with you some of the scenery I see when I go out for my jog when I am in Pitt Meadows, BC.

Alouette River with Golden Ears Mountain in the background

Pitt Meadows is roughly 40 minutes (drive) outside the city of Vancouver and is part of the Fraser Valley. Primarily a farming community (we are one of the largest Blueberry producers in the world) our population is not that big and a lot of people living in the Metro Vancouver area have either not heard of Pitt Meadows or know where it is located. It really consists of 2 major roadways; Lougheed Highway which runs East and West through it, and then Harris Road which runs North and South.

Being mainly farmland here in Pitt Meadows, we have a large dike system which helps irrigate the local farms. Most of these dikes run along the rivers such as Pitt River and the Alouette River. These two rivers offer beautiful scenery and an excellent place to walk, run or ride your way to a fit body, especially on a sunny day.

The photos above were taken with the Sony Ericsson W580i and decent for being taken with a 2 megapixel camera. If I was carrying my other camera with me (which would hamper my jogging skills) you might be more intrigued by the beauty that Pitt Meadows does offers on a sunny day. Nonetheless if you are looking for a nice walk, run or ride and are near Pitt Meadows I suggest you hit one of the many local dikes (especially along the rivers) and take in the spectacular views Pitt Meadows has to offer.

Alouette River with Golden Ears Mountain in the background

]]> http://www.tyleringram.com/blog/getting-fit-as-a-blogger/feed 4 http://www.tyleringram.com/blog/top-of-the-first-with-bases-loaded http://www.tyleringram.com/blog/top-of-the-first-with-bases-loaded#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:21:01 +0000 Tyler Ingram http://www.tyleringram.com/?p=124 It was top of the first inning with the bases loaded; I step up to the plate and CRACK! I smack the ball hard and deep into right field. The fielder had to run back but it sailed far over his head, though I was only able to get to second base. I was able to drive in 3 runs though!

5^th batter was up, CRACK line drive out to the field somewhere, I run towards third, I’m told to take home so I round the corner nicely and then it happens…. POP!

I felt like someone had thrown the softball and it hit the back of my foot. I take two more steps, my left leg gives out and I fall to the ground! People come rushing over, I take off my cleat and right off the bat I know it’s not good. I tore my Achilles tendon!

Now I’ve gone to the care clinic and they have made me an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow at 2pm at the local hospital. I guess I get to find out what my options are (if any), but I’ll have questions for him/her like: Will this be a day surgery or will I have to stay over? (Hopefully it will be a stay over kind of thing), how long do I have to stay off of it, will I have a cast or a brace etc.

I feel bad, the team seemed to look forward for having me play this year and now I can’t. I really, really wanted to play and I got the opportunity to do so and now I cannot play. Why must things like this happen to me?