Energy Thief

This plum sized little delight sure is an energy suck. Which doesn't exactly come in handy on HIKES UP MOUNTAINS.

We've taken a long weekend to venture a bit further from Calgary and spend some time in Jasper, AB. It's a decent drive from the city, so we stayed at a little lodge in Lake Louise last night to break up the drive. Also, the drive up to Jasper is super scenic so we didn't want to be driving it at night and miss everything. This morning when we hit the road, we were so enamoured with our snazzy rental car and all it's music features, that we got distracted with that, while driving through crazy construction, and totally missed our route. First world problem number one: When you have no cell signal, and it never even crossed your mind to bring along not only the GPS for the car, but one of those old fashioned things called a MAP. Needless to say, we saw a good chunk of BC...then saw it again as we backtracked over an hour, right back to where we started. Thank heavens for sun and car snacks...

The drive, though longer than expected, was gorgeous. Apparently we're supposed to have our first rains this weekend, but on our drive today there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We stopped at a few pull-offs for photos, but otherwise made it to the Columbia Icefields in no time. Not the same CIF as our athletic complex in university! It's sad to think how much more spectacular the glaciers all were not so long ago. They're still a beautiful sight, but it's hard to notice how small the amount of snow is at the top. Maybe it's a bit different in the dead of winter, but still. Turn the heat down, globe!

A stop along the way to the Icefields

 We had a few options for hikes, and I was pretty tired from not a great sleep, so some back and forth ensued about the length of our hike. Sometimes Mr. All or Nothing has to learn that taking your tired, pregnant wife on a 4 hour hike up a mountain in early evening might not be the best decision.

We decided on a hike that would take us up a mountain to overlook the main glaciers in that area. It took about 11.4 seconds for me to already feel out of breath. Now, I'm not saying I was a marathon runner pre-conception, but as a personal trainer and fairly active person, I think I can hold my own! I like hikes! I just also like some limits on what to expect and when it will blissfully end! Up the mountain we went, taking breaks, lots of sips of water. Whoever has complained about this "excessive saliva during pregnancy" hoax....share the wealth! I find everything quite dry here, and have begrudgingly stuck to a strict routine of lotion in the morning and before bed (stay away stretch marks!) and find my mouth is constantly dry, which means drinking more water, which is the classic double edged sword as I feel I spent half my day in the bathroom or looking for a bathroom or in this case, finding a sheltered tree in the woods.

Anyways.

The hike was awesome, and the view was even better. I felt like we should be singing The Hills Are Alive as we looked over the rough terrain and snowy glaciers. The wind was crazy up there but seemed to die down when we reached our stopping point and relaxed on some rocks. My wonderful hiking partner somehow finds it a simple task to take a little power nap on the edge of a mountain side, lying on rocks. Trying to convince myself that the rocks jabbing into my spine were massaging some pressure points did not work. I ended up awkwardly curled on my side, wondering why on earth I'm lying on a pile of rocks, listening to other hikers, who think we're somehow so comfy we're dead asleep, comment on the sight of us. This is love.

The one thing I really do like about hiking with my love is our talks. Sometimes in the car on long drives, or on a nice long walk or hike, we can really get into good discussions. Right now, a lot of that obviously revolves around our little pea, and what on earth life will be like once he or she makes their April appearance. Today's topic was when to take pea on their first ski lesson and that we'd like them to get into music in some way, and that swimming lessons are non-negotiable.

Fortunately at this moment, my most important decision is what to get for dinner at the amazing looking restaurant at our lodge. Do I dare venture into elk or buffalo tonight?