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Tag: push-up challenge

  • Lake O’Hara – Early Season

    I was out camping in Yoho National Park with a good friend a couple of weeks ago. Early June can always be a bit of a gamble on weather in the mountains but we managed to luck out. Our campsite stayed relatively clear while the hike we had planned was mostly accessible without the need for snowshoes or to navigate deep/melting snow on the trail. It did approach freezing overnight but nothing that an extra blanket and a cozy fire couldn’t solve.

    We decided to hike up to Lake O’Hara, a real gem of a spot. The approach to the first lake is 11 KM up a gravel road and inaccessible to all save for the pre-scheduled shuttle & hikers (no biking or driving up yourself).

    Each year, there is a lottery in January to secure a spot on the shuttle to significantly cut down on the distance you need to travel in a day and give you a chance to explore more of the lakes up there. There are some lodges available to stay overnight and enjoy the area that way too but it can get rather costly compared to the style of tent camping that we usually set out to do. Well, another year has passed without a shuttle ride secured under my name but I wouldn’t let a few hours of walking deter me.

    Much of our day looked like the above, a pleasant walk through a forested gravel road with great signage. The first handful of KMs are straightforward with lines of trees to stare at on either side but after about halfway, the trail opens up to some nice views of snowy peaks.

    Middle peak looks like a giant rocky hand giving us a thumbs-up.

    We had a really lucky day in terms of wildlife sightings. For context, any day that I spot something on the trail is one I consider lucky. We managed to peep some ducks, a porcupine munching on snacks on the side of the road (below, left), and a grouse perched in a little tree. (below, right)

    About 1 KM from the lake, we started to see a lot more snow. Reaching the lake itself from the road took a short trek through the snow but any additional excursions would have seen us walking over deep snow and running the risk of post-holing.

    I had to fit in some push-ups to help me reach my total for the challenge I started earlier in June.

    Finally, the end of the road. Even covered in snow, the lake is quite a sight to behold and always worth the walk. In total, we travelled 26 KM on foot before we headed back to the campsite for the evening.

    I’ll throw in some bonus photos of the campsite itself because Yoho is always stunning.

    And here’s a couple from Banff, where we stopped for lunch on the way home and took a quick walk around town & to Bow Falls.

    Patio view in Banff
    Bow Falls

    In all, it was a fantastic trip to kick off the season, even with many hikes still having snow right now due to the amount of late-season precipitation we’ve been receiving. I’m already looking forward to the next adventure. Thanks for reading!

  • Pushing For Better, Australia Edition

    Earlier this year, I signed up for and completed a push-up challenge in which I had to do 2000 push-ups between Feb 1-23. With a team of friends, we raised a bit over a thousand dollars for Canadian mental health organizations. It was a great chance to challenge myself physically and it felt great to contribute a little bit toward the cause and raise awareness. Some of our group was willing to add push-ups in exchange for donations and it made for a lively group chat where we could freely share about arm pain.

    One member of our group lives in Australia and he’s enlisted us to answer the call. Their 2024 challenge takes place from June 5-28 and the stakes have been raised calls for 3,249 push-ups (one for each person lost to suicide in Australia in 2022). It’s quite a gut-wrenching statistic to think on for too long but motivates me to hit the increased target.

    I’m expecting a little more muscle pain than my first time around but I’m also a little bit wiser and more experienced now. I’ll aim to complete sets of 20-30 at various points throughout the days and allow my body to rest in between. Some days reach higher totals than others and I’ll also hopefully be able to fit in a full day or two of rest in there somewhere but the increased total will make that interesting. (My full schedule from the last challenge pictured in the note below).

    I’m not one to turn away from a challenge so I’ve signed up and made a donation to get myself started. You can check on my progress & see how the team is doing from this page.