outdoors bonus pt 1

 the weather this fall has been consistently gorgeous.  this october was the most beautiful one we have witnessed in the valley.  it worked out that i could be home a lot as well and our family took full advantage.

 exploring the backwaters of the fraser river.  in surprisingly waterproof rain suits.

 and kayaks

 and logs

 and bikes

i was able to get out to vedder mountain a fair bit.  taking advantage of late season fitness two friends and i decided to do a lap up and over the mountain.  my typical run is the purple line.  4 hrs of beautiful forest riding and i didn't take a single picture.

 mike and mike and rob and i got up early one morning to hike cheam.  we timed it well as it snowed 15cm up there the next morning and has been snowing a lot more since.

 we were well onto the prominence before the sun topped lady to give us full day light.

 the fog rolling up the valley from the ocean looked like a giant pillow, punctuated by peaks.
our friend RJ took this picture from the peak while camping up there the night before.  we met them coming down just below the summit after they had cooked themselves up a huge bacon and eggs breakfast.  my kind of campers.

 anyways, being at the top was pretty sweet.

 niko loved it too.  he still stresses me out by striding casually along cornices with huge exposure.

 on the way down we took extended breaks on snow fields and on a saddle and in an alpine meadow by a meteor crater.  we didn't want to be done the hike.  mike vk even stripped down and went for a swim.  not as warm as it looks.

 the next day ty and zeke and i ripped it up in the leaves.  glorious fall.

 a few days later we got seriously stuck in the mud by the river.  the treads filled with sand and mud and we just slid further into the muck.

 ty enjoyed helping me dig out the tires while waiting for rescue hero chad and his handy winch.

and we haven't even gotten to halloween (another beautiful night) or my last alpine bike ride or (today) ty's first mountain.  that's enough for now, but there's more to come.  october was amazing!