02.12.2007

I did a few late fall/early winter classics. Grotto Mountain (2706 m - elev. gain: 1425 m) and Mount Lady MacDonald (2605 m - elev. gain: 1300 m), near Canmore. I also tried Mount Borgeau (2930 m - elev. gain: 1500 m) near Sunshine Village, but fresh snowfall and very strong winds made the hike extremely difficult. I only reached Harvey Pass, at elevation 2530 m. Next time!

Andrzej



12.09.2007

A long weekend trip to Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Glaciers are almost gone, but "there is no such thing as global warming". The best part was camping and drinking beer by Flathead Lake. Of course I'm talking about imports because nobody normal drinks American beer, hahaha.

Andrzej



02.09.2007

The third time is the charm, or so they say. After previous unsuccessful tries on Mount Andromeda (3450 m) my hopes were high. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. No night collisions with wildlife, no problems navigating the very complicated route through Athabasca Glacier, no avalanche hazard. So what was the problem? Hahaha, time. Not prepared for a night on the mountain, after reaching the Southwest Peak (3435 m) I gave up and turned around. Sooo close!

Andrzej



22.08.2007

Mount Rae (3218 m - elev. gain 1000 m), located between Elbow Pass and the Ptarmigan Cirque in Alberta, is a very popular scrambling objective, due to its relatively high summit and modest elevation gain. Sometimes you can even meet people on the trail. Last Sunday, we were not so lucky (or lucky depending on how you look at it), we had the whole mountain to ourselves. A good hike with Antek and Peter.

Andrzej



10.08.2007

A few pictures from my latest summer hikes. Wind Ridge (2300 m - elev. gain 760 m) and Heart Mountain (2135 m - elev. gain 875 m). I hope the good weather is going to last.

Andrzej



24.07.2007

We are always looking for places we can retire for cheap, and one country that stands out is Ecuador. We did (okay, mostly Andrzej, lol) a lot of research and decided that it was worth a trip to check out the city of Cuenca as a possible option. Cuenca is a really lovely little city in the southern region of Ecuador, close to the mountains (sitting at around 2500m elevation). The city boasts a beautiful old town with lots of great shops, cafes, and restaurants. And plenty of expats! We could easily live there.

We also spent a few days in Atacames and a few days in Quito. Atacames is a small beach resort on the northern Pacific coast. It was very quiet, not many tourists, but had a decent beach and the people were super friendly. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is a sprawling city full of cultural and historic points of interest. The highlights, besides wandering around the old town, were visits to the Guayasamin museum and a trip up the TeleferiQo Cable Car, which goes up to 3945m.

Shona





11.07.2007

Bogota is a beautiful and very interesting city. Even with a large number of police and army guys around town, it’s hard to imagine that a never ending war is going on in the country. Too bad, because  Colombia could make a lot of money on tourism. Sadly, we noticed only a few, nervous-looking foreigners.

Andrzej



10.05.2007

It’s remarkable how Calgary has changed over the 17 years I’ve been living here. It’s not all about hockey and cowboy hats anymore, hahaha. Striking new architecture, modern art, and a more worldly feel. I guess sometimes even dirty oil money can be used for something good.

Andrzej



22.04.2007

Two of my pictures in "Top 10" of BBC's photo contests.
"Landmarks" and "My inspiration". Awesome!

Andrzej



03.04.2007

March is practically the middle of winter in Alberta. A lot of snow in the mountains and high avalanche hazard, so one has to be very careful when choosing hiking trails. My latest short hikes: Ha Ling Peak - 2408 m (elev. gain: 700 m) and East End of Rundle - 2590 m (elev. gain: 900 m).

Andrzej



01.03.2007

We've had enough of this winter business, time for a break! We booked a week-long trip to Manzanillo, Mexico. Prices were unbeatable so why not, right?! The resort was pretty good, though the pools were super cold and the beds quite hard. Still, a small price to pay to escape the cold. We even managed to get out of the resort to check out the city a little bit.

Manzanillo is a small city on the Pacific Ocean, well known for deep-sea fishing and, of course, all-inclusive resorts. Not much to see, though the port is quite impressive, and the ubiquitous main square with kitschy tourist shops. Not sure we'd go back there but it was great for relaxing and getting some much-needed sun.

Shona