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.