What a weird year. What a totally messed up, bizarre, insane year…..
I’m starting my 8th month in Whitehorse and I’m pleased to report I’m still loving it. At the time of this blog post, last light is just after 1am, and first light is just before 3am. It’s crazy! It’s nice to have such amazing, golden light for most of the day. It helps wash down the challenging ups and downs of this b***s**t year.
Danny Mac-hack-skill here
The Ups
• I’m getting to explore more and more of the surroundings and it’s mind blowing. The wilderness that lies just a 5 minute walk from our apartment is staggering. Massive mountains, epic wildlife, and endless adventure opportunities.
• I BOUGHT A FREAKING MOUNTAIN BIKE! The 15 year old mountain bike dirtbag in me is re-emerging!
• The rock climbing is also amazing. I was really worried that leaving the world famous climbing town of Squamish would leave me missing the rock from down south. The opposite couldn’t me more true. There’s stellar granite and limestone galore, multiple crags within minutes of town, and NO CROWDS. Suck it Squamish.
• I went rally driving on a frozen river with Janet. One of the many services of Dawson City.
The Downs
• What the hell world?!?! Like everyone else on the planet, my plans have been severely upended by ye old apocalypse. Unfortunately, the guiding and outdoor ed industry has been hit hard and it’s going to be a while until I can get back to work as a hiking guide. The flip side is that I’ll have one of my first summers almost totally free! I’m looking forward to being able to adventure lots with Emma!
• I’ve been stymied since mid February by a goddamn wrist injury. I sprained my scapholunate ligament in the left wrist and it’s been a challenging recovery ever since. However, it looks like I’ll be back to full strength by mid summer :-).
• Murder Hornets - my new phobia.
• Murder Cops - Will the systemic racism in our police forces ever end? It’s been so hard to watch the footage that’s been circulating over the past week of all the riots…. It’s made me think about the problems here in Canada; our police shootings, our starlight tours, and how we pretend we’re somehow better up north….
PS Check out The Coastal Trail Collective’s site. We recently added a ton of content, included a resources page with everything you need to get out and about!