A wee step up from accommodations in the RV!

Call it karma, call it good luck, call it whatever you want – we feel very fortunate right now.  Yesterday morning, I ran a half marathon from Pasadena to Marble Mountain (just outside of Corner Brook) and every step hurt.  But my old Sunday School teacher Rob Pollett from many moons ago worked at the ski hill and told me to stop in and say hi.  With arms extended, Rob bought us lunch and told us he had a villa free for us during our couple of days around the area.  Needless to say, we feel like we’re living the high life!  Our ’84 Citation parked out front sort of sticks out like a sore thumb, but we’re enjoying a couple of days of warmth and living “inside”.  It’s a gorgeous resort… it’s so tempting to want to go skiing (their longest run is 4.2 km!).  But instead, I went for another massage today and am resting.  This massage therapist had some encouraging words for my legs, and told me I should thank my ankles everyday!  He said it was rare to see a distance runner with such good ankles.  Also, I am now a proud owner of a foam roller which will help self-massage my quads and hamstrings daily and hopefully keep my IT band a bit looser.  So there is hope.  And we are so thankful to Rob and Marble Mountain resort for their hospitality and generousity.

Marble Mountain – beautiful!

Last night outside the main lodge, there were fireworks and some night skiing displays as part of the Corner Brook Winter Carnival.  Today (Monday), is also a holiday here (family weekend back home in Ontario) and the hill is packed with families out skiing for the day.  This has led me to think about my experiences outside growing up with my family.  Vivid memories include cross-country skiing outside of Winnipeg and road trips to provincial parks during summer vacation, with 5 of us crammed into a tent!  For some, ski vacations or trips to the cottage form the basis of those outdoor experiences.  For others, it’s simply the local park down the street.  It’s tempting to talk about accessibility and what outdoor experiences are affordable to some and not to others.  Our family could never afford those ski vacations or “cottage” times, but it didn’t matter.  Opportunities may vary, but economics doesn’t have to be a dominant factor in families spending time outside.  Time outside can always be free and it can always be fun.

My new foam roller… woohoo!

Certainly, there are deeper conversations that can play out surrounding this.  In the context of outdoor education, what outdoor experiences are available to those students attending private schools compared with those from low socioeconomic areas?  These are conversations a lot of us have had and will continue to have.  But for now, on this family weekend, a huge “fist pump” (my nephew Dylan taught me!) to the parents who make the time and the effort to get their kids outside!