LABOUR (OF A DIFFERENT TYPE) DAY

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THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY RECENT CAMPING TRIP TO RIBBON LAKE IN KANANASKIS COUNTRY:
- not to be surprised when, even on a hike rated as easy, that a nearly insurmountable obstacle will stop you from your final destination. Say, for example, the need to scale a 50 foot vertical cliff face with an attached chain as the only climbing gear available to help haul you and your pack up.
- that Oakley makes incredible sunglasses, as I dropped mine from said cliff at about 15 feet up, with only a small ding on the left lens to show for it
- if you have the good fortune to go camping with a couple of rugby players, packing like a weight Nazi is not as crucial for these beasts of burden; as such, you can bring in fresh corn-on-the-cob, whole peppers, fruit, an entire block of garlic butter and a pepper mill!
- incredibly, there are fish that live in Ribbon Lake, by all accounts a glacial lake; understandably, they don't grow to be very big, but if you happen to catch one, and are friends of the mentioned rugby mules, it makes for one heck of a campfire dinner! (although I won't complain about my delicious freeze dried gourmet fare)
- that campfires are a lot of fun! I haven't sat around one probably since high school days...
- one very dirty joke involving deers, mud and Italy!
- that "suggested" trails on a Gem-Trek map mean there is NO trail and you better have a compass with you
- the top of a mountain range is all loose shale and it's very easy to start rock avalanches just by walking on it
- and if you happen to slip and become a Tim-valanche, the slide can be controlled (poor hiking boots), allowing for a pretty fun slide all the way down to the valley
- that my UV AquaStar water filter absolutely rocks! I even completed an entire Sudoku puzzle in my tent by the comforting blue glow of it's lantern
- THAT I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I CAN DECIDE AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE TO THROW MY GEAR IN THE CAR, DRIVE FOR LESS THAN AN HOUR, AND BE CAMPING LIKE THIS!!!!!