Tanzania Update from a Winter Wonderland

      As we countdown the days to Tanzania we thought we would check in with all our followers. We've booked the flights, been each jabbed 4 times with the shots...not fun and now our thoughts turn to how we can make the days fly by faster.

The view from our kitchen window

      While we've been focused on getting things sorted for our January mission, we seem to have missed the memo that the world has shifted off it's axis...Vancouver is now Ontario as evident from the strange, cold, white stuff that has covered the entire city. It is actually a gorgeous winter wonderland and I (Jill) am squealing with Christmas excitement! However, as we mentioned in a previous blog, some Vancouver drivers are, well..below par to put it nicely, and horrible to put it accurately, and imagine what they are like when you add slippery white snow to the streets...you get DISASTROUS!!!!  I learned this on my morning commute this morning. Before I describe the series of events, I must pass some of the blame off on the city of Vancouver for owning only 2 snowploughs...and not purchasing salt or sand (the salt they do buy is like this weird bally stuff that they leave in large piles sporadically along the sidewalks...not effective either).

       I began my drive, dropping Duncan off and heading out 4th avenue. I turned up Oak street as always, then quickly realized that this hill was NOT a good idea given it had not been cleared yet this morning. So I just tucked into a little parking garage entrance to turn around when.... Down comes the little silver Yaris spinning and sliding straight into a large parked truck. She smashes into the back of it, breaking her window and squishing her driverside door in and her dashboard gets warped, luckily she is alright. A french bicyclist (that's how hardcore the Vancouver bikers are, they have the same motto as the postman, "neither rain nor snow..") and I come over and help her. All these people are standing on the road...taking photos, watching other cars as they slip..no one seemed to think that they might be the next target. We called up the tow truck, which on a side note, I think this is the business to invest in since when they aren't towing parked cars, they are towing from accidents and snow induced crashes, and we get her all sorted out. The best part though was what happened while I was with her:
- 2 SUVs turn and begin to rev all the way up the hill, spinning their tires, but they make it.
- 3 cars turn realize like me that this isn't a good idea, control slip turn their cars around and slide into the busy street below, luckily everyone slips in without any more crashes. Probably thanks to the well broken in horns.
- the icing on the cake was the massive SUV that turned up Oak street, starts to rev and spin the wheels, gets a 1/4 of the way up before slide/turning into the lane way and then...oops right into the telephone pole he goes!

Some call it a disaster, I call it Vancouver on a snowy day.

The Final Grinds!! #24 and #25 - Wrapping it UP!

Hey Everyone!! Apologies for the delay for our Final Post as we've had family visiting and been getting things ready for Tanzania! This is our last Grind post although check it every once in a while as we plan on keeping you updated on Tanzania. We'll also be sure to fill you all in upon our return and let you know how the mission you made possible came together! Thanks for following and being some of 1700 visits to our blog page so far!!

Sponsorship Shoutout!

               The final sponsorship shoutout goes to out to Duncan’s family. Firstly, my parents: Connie Corbett and Monty Bourke. Many of you who know them know that they’re great people with big hearts and a love for traveling, helping people and working/volunteering in their community (and soon abroad). They’ve always been incredibly supportive of everything that we’ve done and I don’t know what we’d do without them. Now, I’ve hinted at my rascalness as a kid but to really give you an idea of what they put up with I have to tell you that for the first five years of my life I thought my name was “DUNCAN!!”. That’s just what people called me. At daycare: “DUNCAN! Stop licking the metal railing, it’s January!”. At home: “DUNCAN! Don’t wake your brother up by jumping on his head!”. At school: “DUNCAN! How did you get on the roof?” At the cottage: “DUNCAN!!! Go unlock your grandmother from the barn, there’re wasps in there!!”  (All true). I was sitting in my grade 2 class on the first day and my name was called by my teacher Ms. Henry: “Duncan?” (no response)… “Duncan Bourke?!” (nothing)… “DUNCAN!!”, “HEEEEEEEEEEERE!” I’d reply.

Robin, Monty, Connie and Duncan in front of one of Duncan's projects

          My mother Connie had a long career as a social worker in Kingston and encouraged me to volunteer at St Mary’s of the Lake Hospital when I was in high school. I was an exercise instructor for people in wheelchairs which I wholeheartedly enjoyed as much as anyone in the group. This was my first real volunteering experience and watching the patients smile and laugh gave me a feeling of accomplishment I remember to this today and look forward to again in Tanzania. Her selflessness throughout her life has inspired me, and for that I thank you Mom. This almost rivals her unreal ability to bake incredibly perfect cookies and muffins as well as addictive lemonade that some people love so much they even drink the syrup straight (ahem… Hamish).

                My father Monty had a long and at times very challenging career in Corrections and has always had a strong sense of community and civil service. A public servant of over 35 years he built a successful career based on ethics and encountered endless high-stress situations which he navigated astonishingly well. Perhaps though, his true calling has come in retirement where his fondness for fireworks has created the nickname “Rocketman” around the cottage.

Duncan and Robin in YK

                A massive thanks to my brother Robin, who’s always been good to us and supported us all the way. Growing up he was the best older brother you could ask for and a great role model although he still managed to help pave the way (a little) for “DUNCAN!!”. Many of his friends have become good friends of mine over the years and they’ve been incredibly supportive to us and for that we thank you all! His latest pet project is a HD video that he shot while on a 1700km canoe trip down the Mackenzie River from Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean with his our good friend Adam Woogh this past summer. Get ready for a screening in Ktown over the holidays the footage we’ve seen so far is unreal! 

                My cousins Hamish, Nikki, Casey, Emma and Cleo thanks for all of your support you’ve been awesome! As of the past few weeks we’ve officially tipped the balance scales of cousins to the West Coast. Jamie, Vaughan, Cathi, Tom, Linda, Beth, Phileen and Dan you guys all rock, we’re thinking about you and we’re so fortunate to call you all family.

                 Bill and Nancy, Jane and Don, you’ve been great to us since we moved out here and it makes a huge difference to have people like you here so thanks for everything you’ve done. Bill and Nancy, please try and invite someone else to the Christmas caroling party that was born in July… I always end up being the lone “seven swans a swimming”, which we all agree isn’t good for anyone. This is coming from the (short-lived) choirboy who at age 8 his parents were asked by the choirmaster “to have a doctor check out his throat”. Apparently you can’t technically be asked to leave the voluntary choir. Anne and ‘Richard’ we truly appreciate the donation as well as the feasts you lay out for us when invited over! Are either of you born in July? Shelagh and Michael, thank you so much and it was fantastic seeing you at the wedding and we hope to see David, Tim and Sarah before too long.

                Thank you to David and Laura Tripp, who traveled to Sudan in 2008 to volunteer there and have experienced firsthand the ability to make a difference in the lives of those in need.

                My family has been very supportive throughout this and we’re lucky to have you all… Thank you.

Grind #24 - Friday October 29th - The calm before the storm

Grind time: 48:48

 

         Friday night we had Monty and Connie in town so the goal was get there quickly, get up quickly and get home for a yummy late night dinner (quickly). So that’s exactly what we did. Up in 48:48 we held a brisk pace knowing we’d be doing it the next morning again. We spent maybe a minute on the top before coming down, running to the car and racing home! It was a good grind, fairly uneventful as there seems to be fewer and fewer people with each assent. Likely due to the risk of snow on the top these days... Great news for us skiers and boarders! After a delicious meal with the folks, we all crashed in preparation for tomorrow’s final push...

Grind #25 - Saturday October 30th - WRAPPING IT UP!!

Celebrity Guests: Monty, Connie, Jane and Don

7 Grinds!! Wait, no... 25 Grinds!!!

The day of our last Grind was perfect weatherwise. It was a cool, crisp, sunny day and we were pumped to wrap it up. Duncan’s folks were out and Dad decided to join us for the final ascent while Mom was going to save herself for their trip to Peru and take the Tram up. Dad, a previous Grinder, knew what he was getting himself into and, according to Mom, declared as he woke up that “he’d agreed to do the Granville Island Blue Parrot Coffee House Grind then Grouse Grind”. Though he attempted to claim senility we reminded him of his commitment and by the time he and Mom reached our place he was "enthusiastic". In fact, we were all enthusiastic (everyone being Dad, Jill and I). Well everyone except for Jill. If you’re one of the millions of consistent followers of our blog you would know that Jill missed a Grind this week and needed to make it up. So, naturally, we figured Jill would just do 2 on the last day (no big deal). This was the obvious source of Jill’s lack of enthusiasm. Mom’s cousin Jane Jardine and her husband Don (an experienced Grinder and North Shore Search and Rescue Volunteer) were glad to come along though the Grind to them is similar to a walk from the couch to the refrigerator. I always thought that was a funny stat that health units would release to the public about how the average Canadian walks about ten miles between their couch and refrigerator every year. I feel as though the only thing that ended up doing was cause people to move their refrigerator to next to their couch. 

We arrived and went our separate ways as we sent Mom up the Tram, Jill ran ahead for her double espresso grind and Dad, Jane and Don and I began my final ascent. Here’s a riddle for you: who made it up the mountain first? If you answered “c”, you’d be wrong, that’s not even an option. The correct answer is Jill! As we ascended we started noticing more and more people coming down the Grind, which was not only rare but prohibited as the technical nature of the descent often results in injuries. Finally someone informed us that the Tram was broken and there was a two-and-a-half-hour wait! We wondered if Mom had made it on to the Tram and how far she'd gotten.

Duncan and Monty at the top

               Between the ½ and ¾ mark we saw a recognizable pink blur running down the mountain that, in Jill’s cute voice, told us that she had decided to run down as there was no way she was going to get on the tram. So, on her final Grind the only way we could reach our goal would be if she ran up, down and back up again! For me, it was great hanging out with Dad, an avid trekker and traveler and we reached the peak in impressive time! Don and Jane headed back down knowing full well they didn’t want to wait for the Tram and we said goodbye and thanked them for their support and company. We found Mom who informed us that she had been stuck in the Gondola for 45 minutes a painful 10 metres from the top! With Jill still Grinding we thought “Well what do we do now? I guess we’ll have to go have a beer and lunch at the restaurant…shucks”  I did the math and as I spent time with Mom and Dad catching up and talking about our trails (yes, trails) and tribulations over the last six weeks I attempted to do the math as to when Jill would be done.  I thought about when we last saw her, figured out when I thought she’d summit and then subtracted 15 minutes knowing full well that I would, understandably, be resting my sore muscles on the couch tonight if I wasn’t there to meet her when she finished her second Grind of the Day. Third if you count the fact that she descended too, which I do as it’s way more painful (though for you supporters it’s on the house! Buy 25 ascents get one descent free!). As I made my way down to the finish point she had, luckily for me and my non-couch friendly physique, just arrived! She did two Grinds (not including her descent) in one hour and twenty four minutes!

To put that in perspective that’s what many people of average fitness do it in once. I gave her a huge hug and she almost collapsed as we walked up to the restaurant to meet my folks. We had a great meal overlooking Vancouver, English Bay and Vancouver Island and couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up such an incredible adventure. By the time we were finished they had fired up the post-second world war constructed Tram and the line had died down considerably. We headed down and decided it was time to celebrate.

Now that the easy part is done... we'll keep you posted as the mission comes together and our time in Tanzania with Prevention Through Empowerment. We're incredibly excited and hope to make a difference providing those in need with the resources to become self-reliant and sustainable.

Grinds 22 and 23 - Murphy's Law and Shattered Records!!

Sponsorship Shoutout!

        Though technically we've completed our Grinding we've got a bunch more to write about and lots of people to thank! Soooo we're going to post 22 and 23 and then wrap up the blog in the next few days with a look back at what we've done as well as a preview to what's in store in January. We really want to make sure everyone who's supported us gets recognized so here go some more shoutouts!!
 
        Brendan and Karin, thanks again for your support you guys are amazing. Also, have you guys thought about having another wedding? What a party! Just go for it, Karin you can wear your poofy dress and we'll generously feed both your and Brendan's Dad Scotch (from their own open bar). Karin, hope you don't mind but I'm going to share an excerpt from your Dad's father of the bride speech (picture this in a Mike Myers like Scottish accent, apologies if it's a little different I pieced it together): "When Karin was a lass and she started bringing boys around as a father I was pretty judgmental as no one was ever good enough for our girl. Then she brought this lad around who was smart, funny, well-mannered, good-looking and great all around.... then they split-up! And then we met Brendan...". Amazing. Looking forward to seeing you guys next month!

Jill, Dunc, Will, Brendan and Karin!

        Cat Fuller! Fellow KICer, KCVIer, DALer and amazing girl in general. We always love to see you and it's not enough seeing you a couple of times a year though we always make the most of it. Can't wait for another one at Christmas.

           Pam Armstrong, the pretty face of StructureCraft Builders! Thanks for your support and positive attitude all around it's nice to see someone smiling around the SCB Office! It's been great getting to know you, see you Wednesday!

          Carly Yealland! It was great to hear from you and you were one of the one's who got on to our blog through facebook and generously offered to sponsor us. We're lucky to have you as a friend and can't wait to see you again soon!

         Mike and Megan, aka Paper Bag Princess and Roberto Alomar. It's been a blast getting to know you guys over the last little while and we look forward to many more adventures ahead! 

     Golder Yellowknife office!! A few of my brother's coworkers were generous enough to donate which was a wonderful surprise. We were really impressed and overjoyed with your support. Thanks to Dawn, Joel, Hilary, Craig, Jamison, and of course Megan and Kevin. Thanks to Robin for being our Yellowknife promoter! Look forward to hanging out with you all when we're up next Easter!

        Jane, another fellow celebrator on that Golden day at the end of the Olympics and another Brad Johner diehard fan! Thanks a ton for thinking of us and helping us out!

        Mike Tranmer, thanks for the vancam.ca shoutout and the support brother, we're looking forward to some riding this winter so we hope to see you out!

       Waywell, I hope you're enjoying yourself in South America my friend, if you see my folks in Peru have a beer with them, on me. Did you say 88,242 Colombian Pesos or Mexican Pesos? I can't remember, I'll just assume it's Mexican Pesos, which is about $7200 CDN. Don't worry, you'll get a tax receipt! Safe and Happy travels brother from both of us!

Kingston Boys Treeplanting '05 - Waywell, Bryn, Noah, Dunc

         Bryn and Ryah, thanks again for the thanksgiving hospitality. We hope you framed that giant prehistoric drumstick from that "Turkey" we ate. We'll be back to visit soon, your place is far too nice to avoid. Oh, and Bryn, stop practicing that behind the tree left handed wrap around shot on your basketball net, I made that up so you can't use that one in HORSE next time I'm there. Come see us in the big city anytime.

        It was great to hear from Daryl Tremain and Stephen Bonnycastle, parents of my good buddy Will Bonncastle who I've known forever. They also coached our soccer team on the Winston Wildcats when I was quite young and it's been good getting back in touch with them. This experience has been wonderful for rekindling old friendships like this.

             Ali "SuperNintendo" Chalmers! Thanks for supporting us you've been great to us including allowing both of us to crash on your floor while trying to find a place (or just living out here!). We'll see you soon I'm sure, probably the next time the Leafs annihilate the Habs!

CANADA WINS! Clockwise from Dunc: Robin, Brad, Andrew, Nat, Anthony, Danica, Jane, Morgan, Ash, Jill and Ali!

          Danica and Steph, it was awesome hanging out with you at Arcade Fire! Thanks for helping us reach our goal and Steph, don't be afraid to bring John along, we miss him. Okay, I miss him. So let us know the next time you're in town!
       
         Will and Heather, thanks for your help! Will, thanks a ton for joining us for one of our Grinds and for your very unmolasses-like pace!

         Mark! Another Edward St. boy and the man with the hardest Foosball shot I've ever seen, or should I say heard? It's great to hear from you man and hope you'll be able to join us in Kingston at some point over the holidays. We love you man.

Rememberton Pemberton?

         Dave, our great friend on the East Coast. From Pemberton to Whistler, good times and tough, we've all been through a ton. We love you brother and must see you soon, one way or another! Also, thanks for all the award-winning Hallowe'en costume ideas I've stolen from you over the years, I'll send you a funnel cake the next chance I get.

        Scott Tyldesley, thank you for being a great mentor and teacher. Thank you to you, Karen, Katie and Will for the support with our climbing!

       Miss Ashley, thank you for your support from the North as well! Best of luck with the singing and dancing, we're sure you're the star of the show!



Grind #22 - Wednesday October 27th - Murphy's Law
Grind time: 42:40 (Duncan only)

Look at the hikers, it's uncanny! No Duncan/Jill's permitted

          We arrived at the base of Grouse on Monday in a torrential downpour and it was bittersweet. We saw at the gate that there was a closure sign warning hikers of mudslides, loose footing, falling limbs and weather-induced squirrel psychosis (the tipping point). Even around the side where we typically have to sneak (as the grind closes early these days) had the sign up meaning they meant business. A roller coaster of emotions ran over us. The first emotion was relief as it was raining insanely hard and at such times the Grind path becomes a natural waterslide in some places and Duncan didn't bring his waterwings. The second emotion was concern for being unable to reach our goal of 25 Grinds in time which would put us within reaching distance of covering the money we wanted to raise for Tanzania. The third emotion was awesomeness as we knew that with these temperatures and this amount of precipitation you know what they say in Vancouver (all the time): "If it's raining in the city, it's snowing in the mountains!". We headed back to our place hoping that it would subside in time for us to make our final push by the end of the week!

The Lions back to their Snowy form

         Sure enough, Wednesday morning the sky was blue and the peaks were white and the lovely La Nina had made her first appearance of the season, hopefully with many more to follow. We arrived at the base and we quickly realized that in a mad dash out the door Jill had forgotten her shoes. Hey 24 out of 25 ain't bad! To be honest given the hours that we work Jill has been amazing through this, she often gets all our stuff together, picks me up from work with all the gear, full water bottles and two sets of clothes. With my record, I predict I would be batting about .500 right now and would have done the hike in my flipflops at least 5 times (wouldn't be the first time... ahem, Bear Mountain hike on Harrison Lake). We debated the options and despite insistence by Jill that her flipflops had "great ankle support" and "perfect traction", Jill ended up taking the Tram up. She tip-toed around the snowy peak as Duncan enjoyed a cool Grind up, for the first time not feeling like his head was stuck in a sauna wrapped in hot towels. He set a personal record that Jill was sure to shatter. We took some photos of Duncan enjoying the delicious freshly fallen snow... and then proceeding to get a wicked brainfreeze. It didn't go perfectly, but it went and it looked as though Murphy's Law was starting to kick in just as we were trying to make our final push.

Grind #21- Sunday October 21st -
Grind times: Jill (40:02 - Daaaaaaaaamn!) Duncan 43:47

         Today was another pretty miserable day though we remembered all of our stuff so we had that going for us! Duncan felt pretty wiped from his record setting day yesterday (no big deal), but Jill was itching to go (and let's be Frank, wanted to pulverize Duncan's record from the day before). So off we went at a record setting pace, though Duncan quickly realized that to keep up with the determined Jill would likely result in a pulled muscle. So, like a cheesy Hollywood movie, Duncan yelled up to Jill in a dramatic fashion as the rain poured down his face, covering his tears of pain: "Jill, I can't do it, I think I pulled something... Here... take my phone (for timing). Beat my record! I believe in you! If you never see me again know that it wasn't... your... fault, and I'll always Love you." with what he thought might be his last breath. "Okay!!" Jill replied cheerily as she took the phone and ran up the mountain.

           Okay, it wasn't quite that dramatic... Jill did go ahead as we were both curious what kind of time she could post without hot-towel sauna-head slowing her down! She killed our previous time with a tragic 40:02, though Jill rightfully blames that extra two seconds on my "poor phone handover". Hey, just another record to beat for next time.

Twilight in Vancouver from Grouse Mountain

Grinds 20 and 21 - Big Shoutouts, Olympic Spirits and our Double Everest!

 Sponsorship Shoutout!

     
           Well Team, here we are, nearing the end of our voyage (none too soon though we will miss it). To be honest we really didn't know what we'd be taking on when this all began, if people would respond, if we'd be able to do it and if we would actually be able to keep up with our blog or if it would get forgotten amidst the fury. By the time one week rolled around and we saw about 500 people had viewed our progress we knew we couldn't stop and we loved it. Now, we know that you don't wait by your computers just itching for another post to pop up from us but we appreciate the following and hope we bring some humour and interest to your day. In all seriousness we all live busy lives and knowing that you took your time to support us whether it be financially or simply by reading this means a lot to us. We've been trying to thank people individually throughout the Grinding though it can be tough and keeping up the writing (which we do thoroughly enjoy) has been as exhausting as the hiking itself. We apologize to those who wished us well who we may not formally thank as the support has been overwhelming. For those who didn't have a chance to donate we know that there are many other worthy causes and priorities and that's totally cool and we appreciate your support. So, over the next couple of entries we want to make sure that every sponsor gets to be thanked (in Jay-Zed style) as you all more than deserve it.We also thought we'd through in some of our favourite photos from our adventure, enjoy.

          Scotty Greenwood, you ridiculous man, we love you and as a token of that we're going to send you the running shoes from our Grouse Grinds, which I expect to see framed in your house by Christmas. As a fellow traveler, my ferocious foosball partner when Mark, Brendo and we lived on Edward St. and a fun trip leader of Jill's way back, we love you man.

The Edward St. Boys - Dunc, Scotty, Mark, Brendo!

          Sue Waywell you were the first person we heard from and you rock. Thanks for housing all the boys throughout highschool and all the drives to hockey for about ten years of my childhood and for putting up with Steve and I when we were shitdisturbers. Best to Tom and really hope to see you at Christmas.

        Pete-Pete-Pete...Pete-Pete-Pete-Pete...Pete-Pete-Pete-Pete-Pete! Do you still want Larry Fitzgerald on fantasy football? He's yours, he's a bum. Love you and Alissa like crazy and really looking forward to getting together for beers soon. Alissa, we want you and Pete to come move here... I think that apartment next to lamplighter is up for sale.
 
         Matty Corkum, you are my hero man and keep up the great work on Wind Energy, I'm being the Eye of the Wind for Hallowe'en so I don't have to move at all which'll be great because these Grinds are wearing me down. We can't all bike 200,000km in a summer! We Love you man, see you at New Years!

Guinness My Goodness!

        Gord Cruess, it's been too long. The Bourke and Cruess brothers need to reunite soon and fill that empty feeling I've had for years. Hope the Cruii are all good and NYC is treating you well. Really appreciative that you'd think of us and hope to see you soon.

       Wooguh, we'll be back up to Yellowknife for Easter again this year so don't finish off that tree we shot at together without us, it's a team effort. Best to Annie and thanks for being like another brother to me, which was key because there's no way Robin could have pushed me into snowbanks by himself. Love you bro.

       Andrew and Morgan, it's been great getting to know you guys the last few years and we're looking forward to many more, you guys are awesome, thank you both tons. Looking forward riding the backcountry this year though it can be dangerous out there so don't forget about our safety meetings!

         Freddy, another 'nother brother from another mother. We've had some great ones over the years though none in recent memory, let's change that. You're a hell of a guy and we looking forward to our next meeting, likely at a bar that rhymes with Forts (Sports, Ports) to watch hockey.

        Brad, from Sasquatch to Softball and Basketball to beers we can't get enough of you. The greatest gift you ever gave was to Duncan for making him feel somewhat human for being a fellow profuse sweater.

        Nate and Mya, so happy that you're helping us along our journey. Your two boys are amazing and the third will be too having parents like you. Also Nate, you may not sleep sometimes running the StructureCraft shop (especially with Van Dusen down there) but knowing your running things definitely helps me sleep better if that's any consolation.

        Payne, you only sponsored Jill and she's not writing this entry so you'll have to wait.

       Megan and Kevin, you newlyweds you, I know we only see eachother for few weekends but that's probably for the best, people can't have that much fun all the time. I know you guys are awesome friends to my brother so there's a lot of love between us. See you in Spring when I impersonate the Snow King yet again.

        Jamie, we did it, Jill carried me on her back all the way up. We have hard evidence because here's a picture of Jill carrying me at the top. Thanks for the support you're a good man and a genius, see you before long, we'll celebrate. I know you guys aren't in it for the corporate plug but anyone who hasn't checked Gelaskins out needs to... immediately. www.gelaskins.com

 














           Drew, another Gelaskin creative genius and a Bourke Bash legend, hope you boys are planning on coming out here a bunch over the winter, there's already snow on the peaks and we're getting pumped. We'll hand out pictures of you to the Tanzanians so they know where the good will is coming from, you'll be like Bono over there.

          More thank yous to come on our next entry! Now... approaching our second Everest!

Grind #20 - Saturday October 20th - Olympic Spirit!
Celebrity Guests: Andrew Chad and Brad Jones
Grind time: 47:13

            We were fortunate enough today to be graced with the presences of one Andrew Chad (not to be confused with my other good friend Chad Andrews) and Brad Jones (not to be confused with aged Saskatchewan Country Star Brad Johner, see right). Andrew Chad and I work together at Fast + Epp and I remember when he started at the firm almost 3 years ago now and a few of us went out to lunch. We talked about where we lived and I said I knew someone who lived up near there from Kingston and he asked who. I thought I'd humour him by playing this game though before we knew it we made about 100 connections. We shared a ton of mutual friends and we eventually discovered that my then to be girlfriend Jill was also his girlfriend Morgan's coxswain with Queen's rowing. I soon met Brad and his other friends who are great fun and it's been a blast getting to know and hang out with them out here over the last few years. This past week Brad actually asked us if we'd mind him coming along and of course we responded the more the merrier and Andrew was more than down as well. Something to do with training for the upcoming season (let's all pray to La Nina that we get a ton of snow, unlike last year).

          Remember last year? Remember the Olympics? What a couple of weeks it was. It's amazing how exhausting eating food, drinking beer and watching people play sports can be! I must say that the experience of being in Vancouver over the Olympics was incredible though for the pinnacle event you could've been anywhere on Sunday February 28th, 2010 and marveled in the wonder and celebration that was Canada's Golden Game. Brad, Andrew, Morgan, Robin, Matty, Ali, Danica, Jane, Jill and I (and others) were all together at an English pub which switched to the game right before puck drop and we nervously watched our boys in red battle it out, afraid that there would be a repeat of our loss to USA the week before. When Crosby scored that overtime goal, as ugly as it was, the pub exploded with cheering and we were dancing on tables, hugging strangers and singing O Canada as pure glee rushed through our veins. It's not about sport, not really, it's about knowing that 30 million other proud Canadians were sharing that same glorious feeling at that exact moment (half an hour later in Newfoundland).

   
          The group of us headed downtown with a couple of stops along the way including the Canadian tire to buy a hockey stick to wave our flag on. We gave thousands of high-fives to complete strangers and hugged anyone in a Canada jersey. It was the culmination of two weeks of national pride as we set records for gold medals at a Winter Olympics and put on one hell of a show (regardless of what the British tabloids said).
    
            We all trudged our way up the Grind and arrived within minutes of eachother. We were completely bagged and decided that in true Olympian style we would have a celebratory beer at the top. We talked about how we were looking forward to the upcoming skiing/snowboarding season and were hoping that the weather projections would be true as we felt like we were owed a good one after last year's balmy winter. It was a great day and we were happy to have the company and like a good Brad Johner concert (another Olympic moment we shared together - at the Saskatchewan house) we left fully satisfied.

Well Deserved Lagers

       

Grind #21- Sunday October 21st - Second Everest!!
Grind time: 50:12

   








         
          Today we reached our second Mt. Everest in terms of elevation gained. Since we began five weeks ago we've climbed 17,913m or 58,755ft! Trust us, it feels like it! Now if you'll look back at our original entry and the e-mails we sent out in hopes for your support this was the goal we were aiming for and we've gotten here! Now, we did threaten to push further and with a few days of Grinding left we're hoping to... though don't worry we won't put you out of house and home as we're certainly nearing the end of this exhausting but amazing experience. We're hoping to push a little further to raise as much as we can to make this mission possible! We know that some of you who've donated may have budgeted for 21 so we'll happily except a donation based on that estimate though we're determined to push on and if you chose to support us through then that's great! As you can see from our photo today was Everest like in more ways than one! It was freezing and with the precipitation on it's way we though we may be in for some snow. We made decent enough time considering this was our fourth in as many days and went down to get warm.

     

Sponsorship Shoutout!
    I'm not sure if you're all aware but I (Jill) am the lucky member of not 1, or 2, or 3, but 4 lovely families! And I would like to make this shoutout to them, the Wartmans, Quirts, Mackillops and Amoses :) Its wonderful to have such a supportive and extensive family spread all over the country and world! I'm sorry to have missed many fun and certainly entertaining family gatherings since moving to the West coast. It always makes coming home for Christmas so fun!
On Mom's side: thank you to the boisterous, generous Wartmans! It's been great catching Ryan, Nancy, Alanna, and Kelsey as you've passed through. The Thanksgiving Ultimate game looked like a hit, thanks for posting all the pictures. Don't worry Duncan and I have been training for the Christmas showdown Snowultimate..get ready!
On Dad's side: thank you to the ever-growing Quirt clan! I'm looking forward to finally meeting all the new additions,all boys still. We seem to have an every other generation trend here: Dad is one of 6 boys, there are only 2/12 boy cousins and no girls of the 3 great-grandchildren...uh-oh!. Tons of love to Grandma Q, the Queen of it all and amazingly sane after all those boys.
On Rachel's side: thank you and a huge and long overdue hello to the big warm family!
On Bill's side: "Tapadh leibh" to my Scottish family! The farthest away, and most climately the same, we'll make our way there for a wee dram soon. Duncan has been trying to perfect his Scottish accent...it seems to improve with a few not so wee drams. Although when we visit you Mary, he'll have to struggle through with the French, yikes!
Thank you all for your cheering us on as Duncan and I have tackled the Grind one climb at a time. We'll look forward to seeing and catching up with everyone over Christmas. Lots and lots of love!!!

 Grind #18 - Thursday October 21st - Bring on the Insta-Winter
Grind time: 50:40

           We have to admit that we've been pretty fortunate with the weather during our Grinding fundraiser though in the last week it's taken a bit of a turn for the wet. Wednesday was a gorgeous day though Duncan was away in Penticton on work so we had to push it until Thursday when insta-Winter kicked in. That's how it goes out here because it doesn't really snow in the city so it's just kind of cold and rainy - and it happens fast (just add water). You see we're of the belief out here that snow is for the mountains; though this means when it does snow in the city its highly entertaining. Two years ago when I (Duncan)was living up at Cambie and 21st with fellow Kingstonians Noah, Eli and Steve we had two weeks of snow that just wouldn't quit. Maybe it's because Vancouver only has two snowplows or maybe it's because snow tires are about as common as a corner without a Starbucks but for some reason a foot of snow is a borderline state of emergency here. One Sunday we were sitting in our living room and it seemed as though every five minutes we'd here "phhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... PHhhhrrrrr... PHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...." as someone would rev their engine and slowly sink down into an abyss of snow outside our place. We'd get out, help push, rock it out and, if necessary, kick people out of their own car in order to get it unstuck. Eventually the snow subsided and went back up to the mountains where it belongs (unless it's an Olympic year - then it belongs nowhere apparently). So, as we've got one more week of Grinding we're dreading a few of these wetter ones, but the end is near and the mountains are starting to get a little dusting already so it's all good. When we started the Grind it was about 8 degrees and rainy I thought to myself "maybe you won't sweat profusely this time...". That thought typically lasts about three minutes, as long as I'm moving I could sweat through a glacier. We arrived at the top in just over 50 minutes knowing that this would be the first of 4 or 5 in a row as we continue to push ourselves on a daily basis. We got to the top and the mist in the air gave the illusion of snow, though given the temperature we figure it's not too far off! Bring on the snow.


Grind #19 - Friday October 22nd - Getting Squirrelly
Grind time: 48:39

           As you've probably gathered something crazy doesn't really happen every time we grind and hence why maybe what we write only has a little bit to do with what we did that day. This day is no different. We've seen some good wildlife when we've hiking - deers, chipmunks, grizzly bears (behind electric fences), and the vicious beast of the Forest - the Western Squirrel. Some Grinds it seems as though the squirrels follow us up mountain like were a couple of nuts, bounding from tree to tree and mocking us with that miniature hyena-like laugh. So, as a squirrel who had been following us ran along a log next to us I instinctively squirted him with my waterbottle (to the delight of a guy behind us). Now for most people this would seem like animal cruelty but this laugh unearths a memory from my not too distant past that I've tried so hard to suppress over the last few years. It's only now that I've been able to talk about it, and for the first time in history I'm going to write about my experience.
           It was the summer of 2007 and a beautiful day on a cut block in Northern BC. It was my last year of treeplanting and I was planting along with a lively French-Canadian named "Red" and a rambunctious dog named Taiga. Taiga decided that it would be fun to start chasing a squirrel, not knowing what horror this would inflict on future Duncan's psyche. We were thoroughly entertained as Taiga and the Squirrel ran off in the distance like a Tom and Jerry cartoon and then back towards us. Then, as they approached at breakneck speeds I had an "Oh, Crap" moment as I looked around and I was by far the tallest thing in the area and with my month old beard and earthy nature, resembled a tree. Now my memory is far from photographic but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a perfect picture in my mind of a vicious cat-sized (maybe kitten sized) squirrel face about a foot from mine staring me down with those vicious beady little eyes and it's mouth open as if it was ready to eat my face. The next I know someone screams like a girl (we don't have to say who, but it wasn't the Frenchman), the squirrel hits my chest, runs up my shoulder and jumps off my face! I'm dazed and look over at Red who's on the ground laughing and I start to lose it too.

Maybe not all that shocked that the squirrel mistook me for a tree

           It was hilarious and before I know it I get a call on my radio from another crew boss on the other side of the block: "Come in Duncan". I reply: "Yeah, um, ahem, Duncan here". "Yeah, we, uh, think we may have heard a small girl scream somewhere over near your crew though we know all the planters on your crew are guys, everything okay?" he responds. "What? Uh, yeah, weird... um, yeah, nope, nothing here. We were just, uh, ahem, talking about football and eating beef jerky... you know, man stuff." I lie. The story quickly comes out and becomes legendary though I stand by the fact that this squirrel was beastly and had ninja like qualities. For your benefit (and my pride) I've included a recreation (to scale) of the horrific attack.

          Today as I squirted water at the Squirrel on the Grind he took off along a ridge and I really felt as though I'd faced my fear and have had some closure. The weather was half-decent and it was a Friday so there were a number of people that were going up the Grind. The greatest thing about the Friday Grind is knowing that 1) You get to sleep in tomorrow and 2) There are deliciously cold beers waiting for you at home. But... 3) We're Grinding again tomorrow. Luckily we had a couple of friends who were down to join us tomorrow so we were looking forward to it.

Parking Fail in the Grouse Mountain Lot

   


          

Rackin-em up! Grinds 14, 15, 16, 17!

Sponsorship Shoutout!
 
            We would like to give a huge and loving shoutout to two wonderful, amazing women: Beatrice  Corbett and Norma Wartman! BT and Grandma W are the heads of large, boisterous families and somehow these women manage to keep us all in line. I've (Jill) loved getting to know BT, one of the sharpest and most knowledgeable women, particularly about all things important: the history of Kingston, Canada and Scotland. During the second world war, BT listened for Japanese subs on the West Coast of Vancouver Island for the Royal Canadian Navy. She's also a published journalist and prominent figure of the WRENS in Kingston the Octogenarian seems to have a busier schedule then either of us combined! She was the one to kindly inform me of Duncan’s true character as an "exemplary child" (insert sarcastic tone here). This story seems to add a little more every time she tells it and the last time I heard it I believe it went like this: The family was having a wonderful weekend at their cottage at Presqu’ile, when BT and little 5 year-old Duncan were out in the barn and noticed a wasps nest. Duncan went running out, pushing over the lovely BT, slamming the door and knocking down the nest. He then bolted it from the outside, pushed a gigantic 300lb log in front of the door (yes he was also freakishly strong at 5), locked BT's keys in her car and then slowly strolled back to go for a swim with just the littlest smirk on his face. All the while BT was in the barn with the wasps! The little rascal!!! BT of course held her own against the wasps and to this day has the story to hang over Duncan’s head, until she seeks her revenge…watch out Duncan!

               Grandma W is the kingpin of a family currently 22 in number, and this is just children and grandchildren (soon to grow with grandchildren-in-law... as my sister has just become engaged, Congrats Kate and Adam!) and somehow she manages to be at each important event, trounce people at bridge, sew almost everything she wears AND help organize our Paterson family reunion (which by the way is attended by over 300 tri-annually).  She was also always there to take us in when we were sick. I remember being bundled up in snowsuits in July and cranking the heated seats. It always worked. We would simply sweat out the sickness.  I also remember always having the most amazing Halloween costumes out of my friends thanks to the annual weekend at Grandma’s house where “we” sewed them (any chance you and your Singer could come to Vancouver this weekend?).

Both these women are role models for everyone in their big loving families, and we would like to thank them for not only being so supportive of our newest endeavour, but also for each and every thing they’ve done, do and are. We love you both!

Grind #14 - Friday October 15th
Grind Time - 47:13

            About half way through this fundraising mission we decided we could go a little further than we originally anticipated and would attempt to complete 25 Grinds by October 30th. On Thursday, We sat down and mapped out a schedule of how we could accomplish this and determined that we needed to do four grinds in the next five days. Jill picked me up from work and we headed over to the Grind for #14 to reach our second Kilimanjaro. We were running a little late but figured we'd be alright as we still had about 75 minutes of daylight and the drive hadn't been too bad lately. We drove downtown and headed towards Stanley Park to find ourselves in a complete deadlock and proceed to not proceed anywhere for a good fifteen minutes. We tuned into the radio traffic report to see if the Lions Gate bridge had dropped out or perhaps a meteor had landed in the middle of the Stanley Park Expressway. Turns out it was even crazier than both those situations combined - a stalled car, in the opposite direction, and everyone was slowing down to look. Now this, I totally get. This is what I usually do when I see a stalled car: "Whooooooooooaaaaaa, what is that up there Jill? It isn't? No, it can't be... That car isn't moving at all! It's totally stalled! Wait, hold on a minute... I just need to grab my camera and I'll take a picture... put it on aperture of F2.0, flash or no flash? Okay, no flash. Slow down Jill my camera's not ready yet. Should I take a video? Look... behind us! There's a thousand other cars that aren't moving too! Incredible!" Jill and I are very fortunate in that we rarely have to drive to work or much of anywhere for that matter. Having said that it doesn't take long for Vancouver drivers to get to you. Growing up in Kingston where a traffic jam often means three cars at the Princess and Ontario St intersection because the Wolfe Island Ferry's come in. I'm sure some of you may have read about the two-week long traffic jam in China a couple of months ago. Two weeks. How does that happen? One stalled car, that's how. Unfortunately we reached a tipping point in the traffic jam and realized we weren't even going to make the base of Grouse by nightfall and had to turn around. This upended our whole schedule that we'd put forth for ourselves in order to reach our goal and our goal had just become a heck of a lot more painful - 4 Grinds in 4 days.

 
            Friday we left work early to make sure that we would make it in time to show that Grind who's boss and arrived with plenty of time to spare. We pushed ourselves decently hard considering this was to be the first of four consecutive Grind days and reached the top as the Sun was setting just in time for some great pictures.

      

Grind #15 - Saturday October 16th - Slow as Molasses
Celebrity Guest Appearance - Will Crosby
            
           When we woke up on this glorious Saturday morning we thought wouldn’t it be a good idea to invite a friend along for our hike. We have to admit that there was an ulterior motive. If we could find a friend who wasn’t doing the Grind every day (and thus didn’t have the Posterior Grousus Maximus Assus Painus muscle – See Grind #3) or had stayed out late the night before then we would have a bit of an excuse to maybe not go as fast, considering we were only at #2 of our 4 in a row line up. Will Crosby kindly volunteered for the job!  Though we joke, Will is by no means slow but thankfully he was not planning on Grinding that day, so we had the element of surprise. We reached the top in good time and headed down the mountain to meet up with our friend Brendan Myles for a beer as he was passing through town for the day. Brendan and Karen are good friends from Kingston and Dalhousie and being the philanthropic type they are supporting our efforts as are many of you. It was great hanging out with my old roommate and catching up on how time has flown since we graduated a few years ago and how we've become contributing members of society (at least Brendan anyways). They're also responsible for the first wedding among our friends a couple of years ago which was an incredible time; poofy wedding dresses, plaid yamulkes, scotch and all. We packed it in and psyched ourselves up for another big day tomorrow - although there was an added challenge to both of our days...

Jill tries not to breathe in

Grind #16 - Sunday October 17th - The Day of No Rest
Grind Time -  51:02

Today was shaping up to be a great day. After completing our third grind in as many days we headed down the mountain to indulge in some 'leisure' activities, which seem to be few and far between these days! Andrew, one of Duncan’s co-workers, seems to truly enjoy donating to anything that will cause Duncan pain. Most recently, Andrew generously gave Duncan his old golf clubs, and promptly invited him to what would certainly be a very painful (emotionally and physically) semi-annual golf game for the year. I (Jill), although enthusiastic, had not been invited. Perhaps due to my very very sliced shots the day before, when at the driving range. Duncan assured me that it’s alright he’s a slicer too and it’s better to be a slicer than a, um… someone who hooks it. In my defense, it was my second time ever and I was using Duncan’s clubs… okay, I can’t golf (yet). Apparently enthusiasm doesn’t get you very far in this ‘sport’. So I decided to begin the other annual sport, Christmas Shopping. Duncan complained about how he had to walk another 10km mid-Grindathon in hilly North Van while I got to go “shopping”.

Now many of you would argue that Christmas Shopping is by no means a sport. I beg to differ. In fact I think it could be placed on par with golf (excuse the pun). Let us consider the qualities of each in terms of sport classification requirements. First, cardiovascular exercise. In the game of golf, I believe there are two levels of exercise: those that walk the course and end up getting a good amount of moderate cardio, and then those that drive the course and unless you count the pushing with the toe on the gas pedal, get none. While I do admit that Duncan did walk the course, let’s be honest how many of you do…who wouldn’t love to zoom around on those miniature cars, it’s like bumper cars with no boundaries. Here Christmas Shopping is a clear win. The only ones not walking are the old grannies in those huge, all terrain motorized vehicles that they zoom around on downtown and to the grand canyon and such. And I am sure they get enough blood pumping thanks to the thrill of the chase trying to mow down pedestrians and cars. Next we have skill. I have to admit Golf does require quite incredible finesse. Hitting that little white ball straight is not easy! I think this is why the fairways are always curved. Christmas Shopping certainly requires finesse, balancing a full black coffee, wearing a white jacket, carrying shopping bags and a purse, walking down a packed street of pushy women and children…now THAT is skill! Further impressive are those women that do it with all their kids in tow. To be honest, I’ve never mastered the skill involved with shopping. Perhaps I’m not a finesse sport athlete, I’ll stick to running. Okay, we’ll call skill a tie. Now for the most important aspect of sport: competition. Here Golf has NO chance. Picture this: A lovely game of golf on a pristine golf course with a silent crowd watching a single player take their time lining up their shot, practicing and then executing their play, followed by gentle applause. Plus, we all know Duncan was no competition with the guys who golf all year (his words, not mine). Now, picture Christmas Eve or Boxing Day shopping. I’m sorry, until all golfers are swinging their clubs at the same ball for the same hole, you just will never reach the level of competition that shopping has. Let’s tally the score: cardio = shopping, skill = tie, competition = shopping. So if we’re calling Golf a sport, then I hereby declare that Christmas Shopping be officially named a sport!

           Needless to say, Duncan had a successful game of golf  as he managed to get over a hundred points! Apparently that’s pretty rare. I came home Christmas giftless, and we were both exhausted and not looking forward to Monday’s Grind. So we carb-loaded with my first Lasagna (which we’ll have leftovers of until Tanzania) and crashed.

Grind #17 - Monday October 18th - A Somewhat Silent Assent
Grind Time - 49:40

           We pulled into the parking lot of the grind to find it surprisingly empty. This time of year it seems that people are fairweather grinders. So on grey cold days they stay snuggled up by their fires at home… not us though! We promised to grind it out till the bitter end considering how amazing everyone has been with this endeavour! We ran into a friend was doing the grind that evening, Andrew Elgar, who was among the few people who toughed out the weather.

Today on the Grind, we saw a total of 5 other people. It was empty! Especially when you compare it to the zoo it was all weekend! We saw three nice women, Andrew, and then an eccentric older gentleman. This fundraiser has been wonderful not only because of the amazing support we’ve received but also because it’s given us more insight into Vancouverites. This guy certainly was one of them! As we approached him he bellowed out that we had to be masochistic to be Grinding sleeveless in October (he was sleeveless himself of course, though he hadn’t seen shirtless Duncan yet). Then as we huffed past him, he kindly informed us it was not polite to pass your elders without permission: “You must be from Toronto!” We chuckled as he then explained that should we hear a loud burp it was just him being eaten by a bear, and not to worry about it. A few paces later we heard a very loud burp…it was just the beer he’d had at lunch, so he explained. He proceeded to continue a conversation with us as we climbed ahead. In the end, it was more of shouting conversation up the mountain. But we learned that you can never stop on the Grind or risk getting eaten by bears or worse cougars (not true, don’t worry mom), that long sleeves are necessary in the month of October, that beer is a lunch time drink, and that people from Toronto don’t know how courteously to do the Grouse Grind. He certainly entertained us while we hiked!

With our four in a row line up complete, we were ready for a day off (consisting of 2 hours of basketball for Duncan). 

Grinds 12 and 13 - Grinding off the Gobbler!

Grind #12 – Friday October 8th - Grinding up an Appetite

Grind time – 45:40

                Another record breaking day! We really thought that this would be getting easier by this point though we assure you it’s not! When this began we pictured ourselves at the midway point of our fundraiser literally skipping up the mountain and getting in reps of 100 continuous push-ups at the 1/4 points. Needless to say we feel great physically though we feel that since we’re raising close to $300 for every grind that we ascend we’re committed to pushing ourselves to the limit to show how dedicated we are to feeling that pain we promised you. We really want to climb in under 45 minutes and it’s starting to look more attainable every time! Since it was a little cooler we were able to take on a new strategy to climb without the need for Duncan to bring several litres of water and a full change of clothes for the top. Miraculously, we were able to take shorter breaks to drink which cut about a minute off of our time. We’re thinking of wearing the LZR swimming suits that made such a huge splash in Beijing to cut down on wind resistance or perhaps shaving our head and limbs. This always reminds me of my brother Robin who competed at the University level in track and assured me that shaving his legs seriously cut down his time, regardless of the fact that he had a giant Afro! Upon arrival at the top, Jill and I decided to do one serious photo and one ridiculous photo though apparently we weren't on the same page...

Sponsorship Shoutout!

             Our Shoutout today goes to the great people who fed us over Turkey weekend, where any air that had been left out of the spare tire around my (Jill's) mid-section was promptly reinflated (just kidding, Duncan here). Our first dinner was at the Nanaimo Corbetts with Vaughan, Linda, Emma, Cleo and Casey where we had a fantastic feast and managed to finish our overflowing plates over laughs and stories. The only down side was when my family was lining up to take advantage of my poor cribbage streak, though I fully blame it on that sleepy Turkey ingredient Tryptophan. We awoke to a gorgeous Sunday morning and headed down to Shawnigan Lake to visit our friends Bryn and Ryah who had managed to find a great place on the Lake to stay for the winter. Though they had their thanksgiving dinner the day before they still had plenty of Turkey left as the bird they'd got was of epic proportions. I'm serious here folks, this drumstick was literally the size of my head. It was like a giant novelty trick drumstick that you buy at a joke store. I even had to ask Bryn: "Hey Bryn, is this giant novelty drumstick that you buy at a joke store?" Apparently it wasn't. We had another feast, another couple of beers and eventually passed out as the second wave of Tryphtophan kicked in. We took the ferry back to the mainland the next day and made it back just in time to arrive at Duncan's Mom's cousins Bill and Nancy and their wonderful family for our final night of Turkey feasting. They've always been extremely hospitable since we've moved out here and there's never a dull moment in conversation when we're altogether. Everyone who hosted us showed genuine interest in what we were doing and they all offered both emotional and charitable support. Thank you Vaughan, Linda, Cleo, Emma, Casey, Bryn, Ryah, Bill, Nancy, Tim, Steph, Jenny, Ross, Ryan the Pirate and little Julia for making us feel at home this Thanksgiving!

Grind #13 – Wednesday October 13th - Grinding out the Gobbler

Grind time – 44:14

   

            We were full of Turkey and hadn't grinded in 5 days so to be honest it was a bit of a crapshoot how today was going to go. We started strong and as we watched our splits we knew we were on pace for that elusive sub-45 minute grind. We reached the top and checked the timer on my phone to see that we'd just made it! It was a beautiful night and we had a great view to celebrate our achievement. We have cut over 13 minutes off of the first time we posted a dozen grinds ago and we're going to keep on pushing ourselves! Mehrdad was grinding that day too, who you may remember decided to cleverly sponsor us based on our time (at least it seemed clever at the time). Don't worry Mehrdad, you don't have to get used to this as that was as painful a grind we've done and we won't be doing that every time! After ingesting about 15 pounds of Tryptophan and posting a sub-45 minute Grind it was time for a nap...

So many people to thank! Starting with Jill's convenient head elevation...

DJ GRIND OUT!