Booked and Mostly Paid For

Flights booked to Geneva - Rome - Toronto.  

Fortunate to have girlfriends that love to do the same thing as me.  Hike, hike, and more hiking!  That will be the first leg of our trip.  From Geneva we travel to Chamonix, France to start a 9 day full on hiking trip circumnavigating the Mont Blanc.  The trek is called the TMB.  I think it is one of the treks you do as a right of passage for those serious hikers wanting altitude and big ascents.

It is now official training time for this group of 6 women.  Cardo conditioning, and hill work is a priority but also lengthy hikes as we will be hiking up to 9 hours a day.  That puts strain on your back, knees, and of course my poor feet.  I am reading a lot of articles on how to support and not support your feet.  Also looking at hiking boots that would better support my feet, although climbing Kilimanjaro two years ago, my feet did just fine and my Asolo boots really rocked the rugged climb.  Don't fix what is not broken, I repeat often.

Here is a picture of our overall route of the 9 days.

March 2017

This is common for me.  Common in that I put away my journal for months at a time and then one day, something inspires me to write again.  Only today, nothing has really inspired me except for time.  I have time on my hands today (thought that would never happen). 

My last post was over a year or two ago.  Yup, I was posting about Kilimanjaro and then I left these pages hanging high and dry.  What has happened since that time...

Here is the world's briefest update of the past two years:

• Came back from Africa where I left my footprints on Kilimanjaro, and met some really cool African Serengeti animals
• Celebrated on Vancouver Island, my Aunt Terry's 90th birthday
• Juggled 5 contract jobs which has provided the most amazing time freedom
• Lily finished up grade 1 French immersion and went into grade two last Sept
• Had an epic summer in 2015 and 2016 especially at the cottage with friends and family
• In summer of 2016 we said good-bye to Charlotte, my first baby (of the fur kind) who was 13 years and 3 months to the day.
• Lily got to go with Auntie ME to camp Olympia on her own last summer
• Signed up for Tap, Jazz and Ballet (of course that was Lily not me)
• Lost baby teeth and grew gown up teeth AND Lily saved lots of tooth fairy money
• Paid off my car just in time to watch it fall apart
• Erik put a deck in the backyard so now spend way more time hanging in the back
• Kitchen is now on the 3rd or 4th reno...lost count
• Planning for Tour of Mont Blanc in Sept 2017....yippee.  We will have 8 nights and 9 days in the Alps followed by an excursion to Italy for someone's 50th.

  

  Summer 2016 at C.I