Reflections In The Morning After

11:35pm

So I did make it back alive after all. 8] Yeah I know, but always just in case. I should update my will as soon as my many mosquito stings go away. Going up that 10 kilometre trail was friggin painful. PAINFUL! Up that trail, I carried about 20 somewhat freakin pounds of camping gear, food, clothing, and stuff. Not only was I/we attacked by a multitude of blood sucking mosquitoes (yes, so obvious) on the way up (and down), but I/we had to tread up a gradual 5 to 35 degree incline (and decline). 10 kilometres may not seem like a lot, but gosh damn it! Try nearly 4 hours and a bit with occasional breaks here and there!

^^ On the way up, near the start (July 1st)

^^ Random pics of Emma and Pat.

^^ Around the bend, after two small ‘fake’ lakes to give me ‘hope’ that it was the right one where I camp would come up soon, but you know? Though my grammar here is lacking and my words are all over the place, I believe that ‘hope’ is nothing special because feet… Hurt… Tired… Incoherent. Nigga PLEASE! Don’t ask. Random thought.

Oh yes, I was getting somwhere, this is Garibaldi Lake, right after the 2nd to last bend. This clearing allows us to see the gorgeous mountains eastward. Forgot the names of the peaks here.

^^ Our camp ground. Oh yes! Nearly THREE feet of snow below us, and this is July 1st, 2006! THREE FEET OF SNOW in JULY! Pat is our great and glorious, fearless, a bit soft spoken leader of the pack. He is also mule, fart and puke story teller, and a girl charmer of sorts. No, not really, but he was mule and story teller. Good enough. Toes.

^^ I’m not as naughty as you think. Clearly, I was taking advantage of this moment, in the name of art and photography. Wait a sec… Ah, the trail mix… I knew I forgot something. Oh well.

^^ That’s me taking a pic of myself.

^^ I like this picture. I wish I have a better camera though. You know what this picture reminds me of? As if we are in the middle of winter in the Anarctica, surveying something, and sleeping in our tent, where the sun never sets this time of the year. Emma just looking at something while Pat chills out in the background… It’s the idea.

^^ Pat bundled up. Awwww… Soo cute!

^^ These pictures of the eastern peaks were taken around 9:30am. One word: Gorgeous. When I first laid eyes across the lake earlier in the morning, there was a light mist on top of the water in the distance. So beautiful.

^^ Last few moments (around 7 km’s left) going down to the parking lot… Still a long way to go!

I just received an email link from Patrick with some pictures from his camera. I’ll add them as I go on in this entry. Yes, there’s a lot more to this entry than just this trip.

On the morning of our trip to Garibaldi Park, I had less than 2 hours of sleep. Woke up by alarm at 4:30am, but fell back asleep until around 6am when Pat called. We got out of here around 6:30am, picked Emma up, then headed over to White Spot for some breakfast. Captain Tabbyman (Pat), had a headache that was caused by the tightness of his hat. Funny man! 8/

Let’s skip everything and just say that our hike up and down the mountain was gruesome. We WERE going to do Black Tusk, but fortunately, Captain Tabby decided against, and may organize another one in the future. Unfortunately, I may skip that BT trip because my feet just won’t be able to do this like that. I’ll still go for the Chekayee Trail riding and other possible hikes. I rather do overnight riding than hiking cuz of my feet. [sigh and sobs]

The thing is, once we go to the camp grounds, the view was beautiful. Trout would occasionally jump out and back into the lake. The colour of the water (light) was emerald green or B.C. jade green. I always thought people Photoshopped those colours in, but now I know it’s real… 8]

^^ This picture was near Squamish at the Tourist Centre (thingamajig). That’s Pat, our fearless Tabby Captain Man, and Emma aka Ms. Bud… 8]

We got to the camp grounds, and Emma needed to relieve herself, so I helped her in looking for a working outhouse. According to her, (after we found a working one) the outhouses there didn’t smell and were quite clean. Fantastic.

Anyway, skipping a few things, we set up camp, and got to bed by 8pm. Yeah, frig! By 9pm, everyone was sleeping already. I was freezing. My friggin sleeping bag was made for late spring and summer and not winter! Emma and Pat’s sleeping bags were made for late autumn and winter, so they were set. Plus I gave my mat to Emma, cuz I knew it would freeze her ass during the night. As mid morning came, I finally succumbed and asked Emma if I could get between her and Pat. Yeah, you sicko! Stop thinking like that! Hahaha… 8/

^^ Into the unknown – the route off the highway to Whistler, to the parking lot.

Man, who would have thought that it would be near zero degree in July! I’m ‘surprised’ I didn’t catch a cold! The entire time I was freezing, I figured out ‘tactical sleeping methods’. I would curl my sleeping bag underneath and sleep on top of it, to lower the cold temp on my back-side. Of course, my sides were still friggin cold, though covered.

Throughout the morning, I had an accumulative total of about 1.5 hours sleep. You know… This totally surprises me because in the last 24 hours, I had a total of less than 3 hours of sleep. How do I do it? I don’t know… I really don’t know.

Anyway, I had wished time went by faster, or without notice. Alas, I was a fool and time went as it did. [sigh] Morning came, and blah blah blah, had breakfast oatmeal yummy, packed up, hiked back down, went to White Spot, had me a BC Burger and a Sleeman’s Honey Lager. We were going to go to Shannon Falls, but it was crowded, etc. Dropped Emma home, dropped me home, and blah blah blah, napped for 3 hours, etc, and now typing up this entry.

^^ The KK Club’s first outdoor activity! And yes, that’s my schlong. You like schlongs? [sigh] 8/

During my entire time hiking down the trail, I thought that last year yesterday, I went to Shannon Falls with Cindy, Sylvia, and their friend, then part way up to The Chief, and that tiny hike killed my legs. I thought that today (yesterday), I am a lot more fit and healthy than when I was with Cindy. In fact, today, I am a lot more fit that I ever was. Considering I’ve cycled over 400 kilometres in less than 3 months – trail and road cycling, did a few hikes, and is going to the gym regularily.

My time up and down GL, I thought about many things. Some of it of course, had to do with Cindy. It wasn’t a time of sorrow, as I am way passed that. Actually, it was a time of reflections. Though my feet were sore and my shoulders riddled with mosquito stings, my mind kept me going.

I thought of the time when Pitor, Roger, Tom, Jacek, Ben, Adrian, and myself hiked around and up Cypress Mountain’s second non-skiiable peak about 8 years ago in early June. It was a gorgeous view southwards towards the cities, and northwards towards an endless landscape of mountains. I also thought about my parents and I, who went to the restaurant on top of Grouse Mountain when I was about 2 years old. I don’t remember anything from that, except from pictures.

Yes, so many things came to mind…

^^ According to Pat’s ImageStation site, this one was titled “You’re So Funny Li!” Hmmm… What was I talking about then? Yadashikow… 83

I know this has nothing to do with each other, but for sensibility sakes, I thought, how come I can ride 50 km’s barely breaking a sweat, then hike up GL’s 10km’s, feet killing me, mosquitoes eating me, and gruel up Victoria Mountain in HK through uneven paths and massive uncut grass, tackle years of freelance mediocrity, corporate corruption and power struggles, family-related issues dating back decades, yet I find that in the realm of intimate relationships so much more difficult?

Yes, like I said, absolutely different things.

^^ Private Yamete (with the bazooka) and Captain Tabby (with his rifle). 8]

I thought that things shouldn’t be so difficult, or rather, maybe I am cursed with short term ones. I think my relationship with Cindy – beginning, during, end, and afterwards, has caused a major stir or a burst of upgrading and change. I still am cautious about risks, but…

Anyway, aside from intimate relationships, I find that I still retain my open-character. I am still liberal, open, easy-going, easy to talk to, and humorous. Lots of things came to mind. More than just that. I am tired. So I probably won’t finish my thoughts here.

Last morning (Sunday), Emma woke up and I woke up and we talked about random things. I asked her if she remembered her dream, but she couldn’t so I told her about mine. I had a dream where a lot of late 30 to mid 40 year old women were chasing after me, and they kept on phoning all of my phones (yes a lot of them), and asked me to never leave them, to be with them, to love them back, etc. This cracked Emma up, but I thought that it was a weird dream nevertheless. It’s possible that I had that dream because Emma and I were talking about my attraction to older, more experienced women than to younger inexperienced girls, in the previous day.

^^ Emma looking after our makeshift kitchen. 8]

Anyway, so I thought about the type of female I like, and why, and how, etc, and the same thing always comes to mind. I won’t say it here though.

Aside from that, I will have a great sleep tonight! CHEERS TO ME! 83

^^ And lastly, a MUCH better picture of the lake. Pat ‘snuck’ this pic of the lake while I was looking towards the snowy peaks to the east. 8]

Props to the KK Club and our first outdoor activity! 8]

1:10am