Our newly formed ritual of going to Highwood Pass in Kananaskis Country was a success. We've headed out there a few times now, 4 days last year (weather was god awful and miserable) and now for 7 amazing days this year. Although, the first weekend we didn't have that great of luck on weather it still proved to be a fun few days. As you can see above and below there was a lot snow and needless to say, it was a very cold couple of rides. Both days I returned wet and cold with no feeling left in my feet or hands.
Marie-Eve making it up the first time.
We also saw a variety of wildlife on that Sunday, including a...
Grizzly Bear!
Despite the gloomy forecast scheduled for this past weekend, we lucked out with amazing weather! I think it only rained on me once, which was Thursday evening sitting around the fire pit. Otherwise, it was semi clouded skies and warm weather throughout our training camp.
On our day "off" last Thursday a few of us indulged in yet another annual tradition - "river jumping". Similar to last year, we noticed a few fish that had been swimming around in some of the deeper parts of the river. Last year we tried to catch one of these fish... Unfortunately we were unsuccessful. Of course, that didn't mean a few of us weren't going to take another crack at it. After a few hours of sitting with the majority of the group playing some sort of Volleyball game, I heard some loud cheering coming from a concealed area of bushes. A few moments later the 6 hunters (Top left to Bottom Right: Yasu, Dustin, Cory, Blake, Jon, Michael) emerged with a huge rainbow trout. They cooked it up and greedily ate it that night! Below is a picture of Reid making a huge leap across one of the rivers. Believe it or not, HE DID MAKE IT! It's well worth the bragging rights...
On the final day of riding, Gilday, Ty, Dustin and I took a gravel road that winded itself upward towards what was supposed to be a waterfall. Unfortunately it did not lead us to said waterfall, but to a picnic area. So we followed a separate blocked off trail even farther, until we came across the bridge we had seen each day from the road leading up to Highwood Pass. Luckily though, hidden behind this bridge was a beautiful hiking trail that lead us to a waterfall. Mission accomplished.
By the end of it all I was an extremely tired camper, living in a tight RV with 6 other athletes was very cramped and I didn't achieve a lot of sleep. But I think the added elevation to our training will give us an upper hand come training in Vancouver, and ultimately this August at Olympic Trials. I'm definitely looking forward to next years Highwood Pass trip!
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