Week In-stagram review Climbing in Canmore
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As a new dusting of snow fell on Canmore, I strapped up my boots, put on my crampons, and started my week of conquering my fear of heights in the Canadian Rockies. This week I found myself higher than I felt comfortable with most of the time. Yet it seemed that when I was at my breaking point, there was a voice – the voice of a stranger urging me on and providing encouragement from below. Canmore is full of athletic people, and it’s also full of really supportive people.
I started the 2nd week in Alberta with more ‘firsts.’ I learned how to climb on ice and climb on a wall for the first time. I felt as if I had a lot of new things to try to absorb at once when it came to ice climbing – rope skills, verbal commands, knot tying, and climbing technique – oh yes, and it was really cold! For the indoor wall portion, I had the joy of meeting and learning from Sharon Wood, the first North American female to summit Everest in 1986.
Sharon told me that climbing is more mental than physical; we can always get stronger – but it’s our mind that holds us back. A good thing to consider as I was 75% of the way up the wall and feeling like the world was spinning and my arms were about to give out. While I could hear the words of encouragement wafting up from below, I gave myself a little mental pep talk and somehow made it to the top – and it felt fabulous!
Read the story of two sisters – Canmore and Banff
However, while doing all of these new things, it didn’t take me long to get injured. I’ll be sacrificing my big toenail to the climbing Gods thanks to kicking a little too vigorously while ice climbing. Some people get the screaming barfies, and some people get hammer toe and lose toe nails…I’m in the latter group. Yup – in about a month or so I’ll be saying goodbye to a close friend, my right big toenail – I’ll be sure to Instagram that when it happens!
Besides new adventures I continued to get settled in to my new home for the month. This means trips to the grocery store, cooking dinner in my kitchen, and super exciting things like taking out trash. Life with a home – I forgot what it was like! I’ve also been continuing my hot yoga trying my best to do a one legged downward dog until my big toe swelling subsides.
Overall I am loving my new home base surrounded by mountains in Canmore – the people, the walking/running trails, the athleticism, the maple flavored everything – it’s definitely worth sacrificing a toenail for!
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What is Week In-Stagram Review?
Each week brings some new scenery and location for me – that’s just the way I like it. If you want to follow where I am real time – then on Friday I will post some of my Instagram photos from the current week. Some weeks I may be traveling somewhere exotic, and some weeks it may be less interesting – but it will give you a peek into my life of perpetual motion.
FOLLOW MY LIVE TRAVELS ON INSTAGRAM!
Disclosure: I was a guest of Travel Alberta during my stay in Canmore; however, all opinions are my own!
I’ve only ever passed through Canmore on the way to/from Banff. I think next time I should stop and spend more time in Canmore, because it looks wonderful.
Such a beautiful place in the Canadian Rockies. I pass by Canmore many times trucking from BC to Alberta. Thanks for sharing the excellent photos of the area.
How cool that you pass through often – I certainly wouldn’t want to be driving a truck in the winter here! Eek!
Those mountains! That’s a side of Canada that I’ve never seen, but it looks gorgeous!
Those shoes are almost as impressive as those mountains!