A Beautiful Game

A few weeks ago I got laughed at by a co-worker for describing hockey as "a beautiful game". 

In retrospect, I think a lot of people misunderstand hockey. To outsiders, the perception of hockey is one of violence and brute physicality which leaves very little room for skill and finesse. However, in my completed biased and partisan opinion, there is not a single game in the world that combines everything together like hockey. 

Physicality

Let's start with the obvious. There is hitting in hockey. But a lot of times, it is a unique skill set. P.K. Subban is a very gifted player. I think a lot of people mistakenly assume that if you are big, you can hit and that is all there is to it. Subban is a little bit above average sized, but he is by no means unusually large. The key to his hits is his elite skating ability and timing. If you are terrible at either (and most human beings probably are), you are going to miss. This isn't football, where you can just wrap some guy up in your arms if he side steps you. Subban has to skate backyards, maintain his gap, and time his pivot to make this hit. 

If he misses, his target has a free lane to the net. The play he makes here is pretty devastating. But physicality in hockey is partially a mental game. The next time a player is flying down the wall with the puck, maybe he hesitates because he knows Subban is out there. Maybe he doesn't make the bold play because in the back of his mind, he worries about getting hit. A play like this impacts the whole game.

Because you are skating into them, these type of hits hurt. A lot. Ask Brad Marchand. Or Adam Larsson. But delivering them is an underrated skill. 

Footwork

When people hear about footwork, they might think of soccer or basketball. Maybe they think of boxing. Skating can be quite difficult. The human body was built to walk and run. Pretty much everyone can do it competently. Skating is quite different. And there is a big difference between slow, gliding, "public skate at the park" skating and skating in hockey. Unless you're a figure skater, you probably don't have the edge work to do it. You probably don't even know what edge work is. Matt Duchene (#92) has incredible footwork and edgework and it allows him to change direction and speed on a dime.

Stick Handling

Pavel Datsyuk. That is all. 

It is a longer clip. I understand if you don't want to watch it all. It's worth it if you do.

Datsyuk is strong, but at 5'11" he is not big. But you probably can't hit him either anyway. Someone tried to here. He can thoroughly embarrass you when you try and cover him (#39 is Logan Couture and he's an All-Star). He might walk through your entire team. Or he'll thread a pass through everyone (#33, the player he walks around, is Zdeno Chara - probably the best defenseman in the world). He's not bad in the shootout either.

Athleticism

Basketball players are super athletic. The amount of body control that elite NBA players like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade exhibit are incredible. Nate Robinson is listed at 5'9" and won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He is an athletic freak.

I think athleticism is an underrated aspect of hockey. Hockey is played on ice and in skates so perhaps it is difficult to relate at times.

Maybe Jonathan Quick gets a little lucky here in this clip. Or maybe he has incredible coordination. I think it's more the latter than the former.

Miikka Kiprusoff in the above clip looks back and kicks the puck out mid air with his heel and saves a goal. 

This Alex Ovechkin goal does not require any explanation.



There really is more to this game then meets the eye. But I'll stop here because this entry already has a lot of YouTube links. 

Suffice to say - there is something for everyone in hockey. Try it out sometime. It's a beautiful game.







All videos courtesy of YouTube. Photo of Nicklas Lidstrom is licensed in the public domain.

26.2: A Guide to People Who Want to Run a Marathon and Have No Clue How To

Way back in September of 2012 I ran a marathon. The original decision to run one was a rash, impulsive, borderline stupid decision. I had no idea what I was in for. When I started training, I realised that the last time I had actually run for exercise I had lived in a different country. I was completely unprepared.

Does this look like a person enjoying himself?

If you wish to to embark on this semi-fool hardy goal of running a marathon, perhaps you can learn from me what NOT to do.

When I lived in Taiwan I ran three times a week for thirty to forty minutes. For me, that gets you about 3 to 4 miles at the most. Not very far. I had a good friend that I would compare running times to. I would set a PR on my 1 mile, 2 mile, or 3 mile time and inevitably he would best it. Neither of us really enjoyed running that much so it became a sort of tortuous attempt to always one-up the other. This friend ran a marathon in 2010. His time was about 3:58:00. I told myself I could top his time so I started training in April 2012.


Things I did not know about long distance running beforehand:

1) Shoes make a difference. Who would have thought that running on 5 year old running shoes that were mostly worn out was a recipe for joint pain and extreme fatigue? There is some debate about what I call minimalist shoes (the ones that look like feet) versus traditional running shoes and the benefits and disadvantages. I do not really want to get into that. But be aware that we all have different running gaits (overpronation, supination, etc) and shoes are important. Do research. Choose wisely.

2) The wall is a real thing. I always thought that when you ran, you could fall into a groove and run indefinitely. Not sure why I believed that. It is completely illogical. Around the 17 to 18 mile mark, you get unbelievably tired. It is a feeling I have never experienced before. Even that 44 hour all nighter I once pulled left me with more energy. Once you start walking, you probably will not be running much afterwards. Once during training I ran 19 miles in 3:21:59. I think it took me nearly 40 to 45 minutes to cover the last 3 miles of that run. THE WALL - Very real. It can be avoided. See below.

3) Stay hydrated and eat. Consume running gels if you want to. Find something that works. At the same time, DO NOT drink too much water because it will lead to fun things like diarrhea and gastrointestinal issues. You might be in need of a bathroom while you are in the middle of nowhere. I have had personal experience with this. I will let you figure out what I had to do in these situations.

4) Time commitment. Do you like getting up early on Saturday morning? At the peak of your training runs (20 miles), you will be getting up at 6 am and finishing your morning run by 8:30 am to 9 am. If you are like me, you will come home to find your spouse still asleep. It is as if nothing ever happened. Except now you are pretty tired and the day has yet to begin. Aside from the weekly long runs, you will hopefully be running 3 to 4 times a week during the week days for distances that stretch from 3 miles at the beginning to 15 miles at the end. 

5) Ice water baths. This is probably nothing new for people who are actual athletes, especially those who have played contact sports. Being the unathletic child that I was, I never played in any organized sport. But for those that did, they might have soaked in ice water after games or practices. Why would you subject yourself to this? Is the running not painful enough? During especially long runs (16 miles plus), your body begins to break down a little and immersing yourself from the waist down in ice water prevents inflammation from occurring. It narrows the blood vessels and keeps swelling down. You will be much less sore the next day. If you decide that what I am telling you is stupid and that you would rather soak in a hot tub instead, you will regret it the next day. And probably the day after that as well. 

If all of these things sound appealing to you, then perhaps a marathon is something you should attempt. This is after all, just the training leading up to race day. You will spend 4 to 6 months doing what I have described above. Trust me though when I say that it will be worth it.

Bright Angel on the Grand Canyon

We spent the first week of November in Glendale, Arizona with my sister and her family. I had been to Arizona before long ago, but memories blur and fade with time and it seemed as new an experience for me as it was for Sam.

A View of the Indian Gardens from the Trail

During our time there, we made the two hour drive north to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We planned out a day hike on the oft trekked Bright Angel Trail. The trail head is close to the visitor center and while we did not have a specific plan or destination, we intended to exercise our best judgement and get as far down the trail as we could while leaving enough time for the somewhat more arduous return trip. I would like to note that this is a most unwise way to plan hikes because inevitably you end up going further than you should and the result is that you can find yourself in quite a bit of trouble on the return trip. The Rim Trail was awash with signs detailing near misses and fatalities due to overconfident people.


In this regard, we were fortunate to have the cool fall temperatures and a well stocked backpack of supplies with each of us. With the dangers of the summer heat behind us, we would not have to face one of the most potent pitfalls that the canyon brings.

A View of the Colorado at Plateau Point

Glendale was about 25 C (77 F) for our entire trip there. I think we were caught off guard by how cold the South Rim was comparatively. The rise in elevation is significant, and by the time we reached Flagstaff the temperature was only a few degrees above freezing. We learned, to our consternation, that the weather would be similar the following morning when we planned to start our hike. This was juxtaposed by the various signs and warnings we saw along the Rim Trail warning of extreme heat and the need to take adequate water supplies.

The Grand Canyon is one of the few places on earth that evoke a surreal quality. Sam described the towering walls of the North Rim as akin to a fresco, painted by the hands of an artist as opposed to a millennial process of the Colorado leaving its mark in the sandstone.

The Bright Angel Trail includes two rest houses at Mile 1.5 and Mile 3. Further on the descent, the trail bisects the Indian Gardens, a bloom of trees and vegetation, among the arid desert soils that is fed by a small stream.

We started early in the morning at 8 am. Just like the day before, the low sun in the sky at the start the descent cast long shadows and painted contrast into the cliff walls.

I read somewhere that most photographers, especially outdoor photographers, prefer to take pictures during the early morning or late evening because the sunlight is not so harsh during these hours. The noon sun overhead can wash out colours whereas the morning and evening sun bring them out. Walking down the trail a half hour after sunrise, it was not hard to understand why.

From the Indian Gardens, you can take a path that heads roughly north out to Plateau Point where you get your first (and for us, the last) view of the Colorado River. For all the grandeur of the canyon, sometimes it is difficult to remember that it was cut mostly by the mighty Colorado River, a river that requires a 4 hour hike just to get a view of.

I realise that I am fortunate to be able to do these things. Being outside, amongst one of the grandest of spectacles is not something everyone takes or gets the opportunity to do.

The draw with these hikes is that these kinds of things never get old. You could spend a life time in here and still be learning new things every day. It lends perspective. It might have taken 17 million years to get the vista that unrolls like gigantic scroll east and west before me. My life, long or short, is comparatively brief. A setting like this is a reminder that we, as human beings, have a spectacular opportunity to contribute and to do great things. The window is brief, but if you so choose, you can be a part of something big.


We took three and a half hours to get to Plateau Point. Surprisingly, our return trip would be only four a half hours.

The Return Trip

From the Bright Angel trail head to Plateau Point is approximately 9 km (5.6 miles) and a descent of 940 m (3080 feet). The round trip took us about 8 hours walking at a relatively leisurely pace. By the time we returned to the trail head, daylight was leaving us. It was a worthwhile experience. We will return again.

Hualian and the Marble Gorge

It was almost a year ago that we made a trip back to Hong Kong and Taiwan. We spent almost three weeks there. The Portuguese called Taiwan Formosa, which roughly translates to the Beautiful Island. For me it was an opportunity to look back on an island, and a people, that have transformed my life in a myriad of ways. For Sam it was an opportunity to see the island for the first time.

The 380 m tunnel entrance to the 白楊 trail

白楊 Falls

The last time I set foot on Taiwan, as a LDS missionary, my travel was restricted to a specific area. In summary, I was not permitted to travel north of Xinzhu (新竹) province, south of Yunlin (雲林) province, or east of Nantou (南投) province. As a result I became very geographically familiar with many areas and towns within these boundaries while remaining generally ignorant of what lay outside. 

One such area was the east coast, and more particularly, a gorge at least partially cut by the Liwu River.

Taroko (太魯閣) lies on the east coast of Taiwan roughly two hours north of the province capital. We drove up the gorge late in the evening to a small village called Tianxiang (天祥) where we would stay for two nights. 

The gorge is cut from marble. In contrast to the Grand Canyon, which features a great deal of sandstone, the marble walls of the Taroko Gorge are a polished white.

Most of the common hiking trails are fairly brief. For the more difficult routes, you need a permit to go deeper into the park. As we were not particularly familiar with the park nor had we proper preparation for it, acquiring a permit to take some of the longer hikes (10 km or 6 miles plus) was quite out of the question.

The trails open to the general public are cut through many of the cliff walls in a tunnel network. The first and most significant walk we did started via a tunnel that is nearly 400 m in length. The trail winds along the cliff side and ends in a pair of waterfalls as well as a small tunnel featuring a "water curtain".

The trails closed to the public wind up steeper areas of the gorge. Sometimes you need chains to pull yourself up as the pathway is not particularly well cut. Usually the trails requiring permits are blocked by a gate and padlock.

Chains on the 文山步道

However, one such trail (文山步道) was either not marked properly or there was (on our part) some general confusion as to whether or not it is a trail that

required a permit.

The reasoning for the permit is due to the tumultuous geological activity that Taiwan is subject to. Several earthquakes a year lend the landscape to frequent changes including rock slides. Often, trails can be closed without warning for several weeks a year as crews have to clean up after seismic activity.

Our original plan was to only spend a part of a day here. We spent over two. There is something uniquely fascinating about this place. Taiwan can be a busy mass of humanity within the cities that I had spent so much time in four years before. Here, there was an unusual solitude that masked a landscape that could literally change every day. I feel like we just scratched the surface of what this park is.

One of the last walks we did was late in the day in a trail called the Tunnel of Nine Turns. It is not much of a trail but rather a paved walkway cut through the cliff side. It serves as a trail head to a much longer and rugged trail that requires a permit. The Nine Turns road was congested with tour buses and tourists, so we hung around later into the evening in order to avoid the throngs. It got so late that by the time we headed back to our car, nightfall was already upon us.

Flash photography to find a way back to our car

There is no light in these tunnels at night. It was pitch darkness. We had to use flash photography to make our way back to the car. One of us thought it unsettling. One of us thought it fun.

My original intention in coming here was to see it once and probably never see it again. Taiwan's east coast makes access somewhat tedious by vehicle or train. But looking back, I think it would be worthwhile to have another look and acquire permits for a deeper sojourn into Taiwan's marble canyon.

The Lakes on Castle Mountain

Despite having spent a considerable amount of my life within sight of the Alberta Rocky Mountains, and having travelled through both Banff and Jasper National Park more times than I can remember, I still believe that these mountains are vastly under appreciated.

I think solitude is underrated in today's society. While treading a well marked trail with friends to a pair of lakes alongside Castle Mountain hardly counts as a quiet venture, there is great value in being away from the cities where the routine and tumult of day to day life coexists with us in our every moment.

Tower Lake and the larger Rockbound Lake lie near the south eastern slopes of Castle Mountain approximately 35 km (22 miles) west of the town of Banff. The trail to the lakes starts just off of the Bow Valley Parkway. It is a well worn trail that winds steadily up toward the mountain.

We met up that morning with Graham and Hayley and set out together for Banff. The four of us took the long weekend to make the quick drive to west and hike the trail. None of us had ever hiked the trail before but we expected that it would take most of the day as the round trip would be almost 18 km  (11 miles).

The trail roughly meanders in a north west direction into the arms of Castle Mountain and the ridge Helena Peak. The route climbed steadily to Tower Lake, the smaller of the two lakes and notable for the greenish hue of its waters.



Further up you climb a steep trail that switchbacks up a ridge which opens up in to a vast natural amphitheatre that houses Rockbound Lake.

Depending on your fitness level, the trail could be either quite difficult or relatively easy. There is no scrambling up to either lake, and the trail is so well marked that hiking shoes are not really necessary.


Longer hikes are good opportunities to talk and catch up. I find though that I spend a lot of my time reminiscing. This is compounded when I am with people that I have known since childhood. I find it interesting how we interact with the same friends over the years, especially as we grow as people.

Rockbound Lake is bordered by Helena Ridge on the north and the scree slopes of Castle Mountain to the west. I am told that if you hike on the eastern shore of the lake, you can scramble up the ridge and get a spectacular panoramic view. Unfortunately we started the hike later in the morning and we did not have the time to do so. Given where we were, it would take us until after 5 pm before we could return to the parking lot.

The original plan was actually to hike a much more difficult trail between Mount Cory and Mount Edith. It is getting late in the year now so I am not sure how many more opportunities we'll have to get out in 2013 but I am actually pretty excited to hit the trails again relatively soon. There is an opportunity to see a lot of things out here that in the 24 years previous of living here I have not had the eyes or interest to see.