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On the bus making my way up to Whistler for a day on the mountain. It was an easy flurry of activity getting ready for the excursion. It helped to get most things prepared the day before. On my way to the meeting spot I managed to get a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I stood at what I suspected was the right corner consuming this nutrition. Soon enough a woman appeared carrying a snowboard looking slightly confused. 

“Are you waiting for the bus?” 

A couple of back and forth exchanges established that she was using this service for the first time like me. Soon her friend walked up and they proceeded to chat. From my casual exposure to their conversation I assume hey are students studying A&P and a few related subjects. There was one more person that got a cab to this spot and soon enough we saw the approaching bus at about six-ten. It was already kinda full of people that were picked up at UBC. Somehow I managed to snag a window seat but it’s the one over the wheel well so my knees are bent and I feel scrunched into the space. I should prop ably get a few winks before getting to the mountain. 

  
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We have arrived in Whistler but have yet to park. There was a wave of excitement as I peered through the window at the snow covered chalets surrounding the road. There was probably a sprinkling of new snow. Almost there 😀

  
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After a few runs I felt the grumble in my tummy. It’s a gorgeous day out there although it could use a bit of snow. The conditions are hard packed and groomed along the main easy routes. I like coming out here for the natural spectacle of the place. The majestic peaks illuminated in the distance by the sun that is slowly laboring to rise above. 

I was wondering how my firm would be after all those years without surfing on the snow. I can feel the rust but it hasn’t penetrated deep. What I lack is a bit of form from not using those muscles for all those years. The good thing is that I’ve been trying to maintain a level of fitness and this may help me enjoy this day to the fullest. 

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I’m still sitting here in the lodge kinda high from the thoughts of gratitude that I have for the experiences I’ve had over the past year. This is my last day off 🤔

  
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About to start my last run. Don’t want to over do it on my first day. I fell getting off one of the chairlifts and I think the camera suffered some damage. The sensor won’t retract. I wonder to if the cold isn’t affecting the mechanics of this piece of equipment. When I go to take a picture it just shuts off. 

It has been a really nice day up here. I feel at peace chatting up some people every once in a while. One lady got a bit motion sickness and puked right off the lift below. Good thing there wasn’t anyone below. 

I got a lot of runs in since there wasn’t any line ups. It’s supposed to be snowing soon. The clouds have been slowly coming in. 

  
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It’s a good thing I started the last run when I did. I took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in the wrong village. I had to add one more run until I found my bearings and took the right turn. The mind’s been in the clouds so to speak taking in the experience and projecting forward a positive attitude. 
I looked lost looking for my locker where I stored the remaining gear that I didn’t want to carry with me. I could have travelled much lighter but it did fit and it’s nice to change out of the snow pants at the end of the day. I had just enough time to get a coffee and a snack before the bus arrived. I plan on having a nap on the way back. The bus is full of people. The beginning stages of this journey will be slow and tentative due to the narrow winding roads in the village itself until we hit the highway onto Squamish and then Vancouver. 

  
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I’ve tried to nap but the urge to mictriculate has started to become distracting. It’s sometimes enough to close the eyes for a little bit and rest. There is lots of traffic heading out of the city. Many I’m sure are heading up to enjoy the atmosphere that seems to be in abundance up there. The rain is falling outside as we get closer to the city. Maybe some of it will make it up to the mountains.  

I’ve been messaging Barbs back an forth. She will come over with some take away which is good as now I am starving. I haven’t really eaten too much today. Most of my calories hav come from coffee and pastries. Not the greatest diet but at the same time I don’t like being too full and boarding. 

It was such a nice day out there. Sitting on the side of the run and watching as the  sun illuminated the surroundings and how that changed throughout the day. For an only chance to be up there it was a good one. Not much fresh snow but when I made up 7th Heaven and made my way to Cloud Nine there Was some decent soft snow there. The sun thawed the top layers of the snow mellowing and softening it. The sound of carving didn’t have that icy sound like it did in other parts of the mountain. 

Looking at my tracker it has informed me that I covered about 40 km today and my total descent was about 5000 m. There was about an hour after I got back to boarding from my coffee break that wasn’t recorded. Oh well. It was just something to check out out of curiosity. I’d like to compare that to the value that will be gleaned from the RFID tracker that now serves as a ticket for the day. Each time one enters a lift it tracks where you get on allowing for some statistics to be tabulated regarding distance and elevation covered. Of course they need all your details during registration in order to give you that info. I’ll take care of that later. Now I am watching as we line up for the Lions Gate Bridge with a bit of concern. Only one lane going in our direction at this time of the day. Rush Hour on a Friday… So far so good. You can probably guess that I’m distracting myself by writing nonsense musings about my day. 

There were a few grand utopian thoughts about figuring out how to decrease the amount of time that we have to work and things related to arts and drama. Some things were related to bringing peace into my own inner self in order to be true to myself and those around me. But of course there is nothing like speeding down the mountain and maintaining control over the varied terrain. During those times focus was definitely present at maintaining control. 

  
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Put on some music and got distracted in the messages posted along the feed. Added one of my own that expresses a genuine feeling. It’s what I thought to myself as I took that panorama. It’s been go go go all day and now I just feel a bit tired. The shower will be nice to clean off that busy day. Took off the bandaid I got from the lovely barrista. When I was putting all my stuff away I must have put a bit too much pressure on the finger where that cut had been healing so well. I felt that too late and watched the tear of blood burst forth from the banks. I cursed and quickly grabbed a napkin to stop the flooding. It’s calmed down a bit and a new scab has formed holding back the blood.

  
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Clean and fresh turned on the camera to test out its mechanism and it snapped into place. I guess the shutter was stuck because of the cold. 

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The shutter is not stuck but the photos are still black. I may have damaged my camera irreparably or expensively. The bean soup Barbs brought over was spicy and it hit the spot. Tired now or I have been for a while.