.::* Living and Dreaming *::.

My New Hobby

I don't know how to explain this but of late, I have grown to love the outdoors and to lead a more active life. Maybe it was because a co-worker was constantly mocking me over donuts and candy that it is easier to prevent health risks than to reverse them. Or maybe it was because I see other co-workers riding their bikes to work everyday or going for runs at lunch and them telling me about their great trips to the mountains, hiking, biking and scrambling. It could be because I needed a challenge, a lifestyle change or a new hobby to keep me out of trouble. Whatever it is, I hope it'll stick. I bought a new mountain bike last week and I'm excited to see where it'll take me. And in a couple of weeks, I'll get to go camping... something that I've been waiting to do all summer.

Hopefully, next summer, Liz and I will both be back in Canada so that we can do the West Coast Trails together. I always thought she was a crazy one talking about her first trip last year and living out of a backpack for a week. But now I see it differently. It sounds like a wonderful idea. I remember when she took me hiking on Mt. Indefatigable. I thought I wasn't going to make it physically, but it really clears your mind out when all you have to concentrate on is making it up the mountain. And in the end, after you've pushed your body to work so hard, you actually feel good!

What's more encouraging is having so many people available to help me explore this newfound passion. My boss came into work from vacation with 26 stitches in her leg from a biking accident but that doesn't really scare me. It's got me really curious to know what it's like to be riding in the mountains, to love it through the scars.

And I got Alan to help me pick a bike and to take me out for some test rides. We explored some bike paths in Calgary and found a really pretty park called Pearsons Estates I think. Something both Alan and I never knew existed in Calgary. Oh and we also saw some pelicans on the Bow River and some snakes on the pathways and we found a fish hatchery. Exploring is pretty cool, I love it!

posted by ~diana~ @ 6:37 PM