It's Dad calling...

As the kids have grown up and moved away, I have to get used to a few things. I only see them for Christmas, or if I fly somewhere. What this means is that contact is a lot of email, Facebook, phone call stuff. I am not a good phone schmoozer, altho I'm getting better at it. One of the cool things about being out here travelling on my own is that phone calls with the kids bring me a lot of joy. It's great to catch up on their lives and get the news from home. But it is so cool just to hear their voices.

The coming years, we will likely be even more spaced about. I'm sure that I'll be spending a chunk of my time and $$ to visit them.

I'll likely be away for Christmas this year. I'm sure that will be tough.

You don't belong here

In the past year, I have been lucky enough to read a few books and see a few movies that really affected me.

As Canadians, we are so accustomed to the rule of law, that reading about or watching a story in which the rule of law doesn't necessarily factor in the equation is quite unsettling. One of the best aspects of traveling is getting to acquaint yourself with cultures that differ from your own. But how far from your comfort zone can you drift? The restrictions are not always external to yourself.

The Places in Between - Rory Stewart - Afghanistan
Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson - Pakistan
Sahara Unveiled - William Langewiesche - Northern Africa
The Kite Runner - Khaled-Hosseini - Afghanistan (book/movie)
Slumdog Millionaire - Mumbai, India (movie)

I have been lucky enough to travel in Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa and parts of the Caribbean. But in each case, I was always covered by a larger rule-of-law. I could put myself in stupid or dangerous situations, but in the back of my mind, I could always assume that the some sort of legal standard would apply, should I get myself in a real fix.

What has been fascinating about the Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sahara books is the concept of tribal law. Your safety is basically only as good as your connections. In Afghanistan, Rory Stewart successfully walked across the country after the fall of the Taliban. No central government (is there one now?), his letters of introduction good for about 2-3 days walk tops. He spoke a few of the languages (Dari and Urdu, but not Pashto). Like walking a minefield.

In Pakistan, Greg Mortenson has been building small schools in tiny villages. He learned very early on that he had to almost become a 'local' (and learn the language) in order to be able to help these people. Connections are everything. You can't fly in a helicopter, build a school and take off. The building would be razed within a week.

In Northern Africa, William Langewiesche spent months in buses and various forms of local transport, trying to get to places that few foreigners ever visit. Country and tribal borders took days to negotiate.

Every time I see images of Afghanistan, I want to go there and wander about. That is so naive. One can wander about Europe. I am about to embark on a trip that will allow me to wander about New Zealand. I even hope to get to South Africa, Botswana and Egypt. In Botswana, I'll have a friend with local connections and I might get outside the basic tourist zones. Realistically, I don't have the travel savvy or 'lets be buddies' personality to wander my way across a country in which there is not a strong central form of government.

Many of us are armchairs travelers. The reality of traveling in foreign countries can be damn uncomfortable. What struck me about the books above is how each person describes situations that they are in, and many of them would make a body physically uncomfortable, but it's the inherent or implied danger that is getting written about. The physical discomfort is a given. Extreme heat, lack of water, inconsistent food, bad health. Standard fare if you want to travel in these areas.

I am heading out on a nice, extended trip and expect to be uncomfortable at any given time and perhaps for long periods of time. Am I willing to be more uncomfortable than that? Never really thought about that until I read these books. So naive.

My desire to visit a place like Afghanistan has not diminished. What has changed is the rose-colored glasses. I now see it as a place that I don't have the skill-set or mindframe to be even to contemplate a visit. That may change. My mind is open.

Life in the slow lane

I left the career job almost 2 months ago. So, how is it going? Is not working a full-time cubicle job all it's cracked up to be?

You bet!

I realize that this is a unique time in my life. In a few short weeks, I'll be living in B.C. and hopefully getting around to being productive again. After a few weeks of visiting friends and relatives, I'll start chasing down some Wwoofing farms to work on. In September, it's on to New Zealand and hopefully 6 months of travelling. After that, I guess I start another career. Still have to put food on the table.

I am really enjoying this half-speed life that I am living. I'm busy everyday, but realistically only for a few hours. That still leaves a lot of uncharted time to deal with.

Is there any guilt? None whatsoever. My only real concern is the complete lack of routine and the loss of some healthy habits. I haven't stretched since I left Dal. My back tells me everyday, all day, that stretching is required. It will win out in the end, but for now, sloth rules.

Unless life interrupts, this is my daily routine

- Sleep in a bit
- Drink coffee, read paper, read email and online news
- Maybe watch a bit of Comedy Central and Colbert Report
- Work on house or travel to-do list
- Run errands (literally)
- Have a bath, beer and nap in late afternoon (So relaxing)
- Cheap, healthy supper (salads, pasta)
- Get in some reading or computer work
- Bed early (some things just don't change)

I'm really in no hurry for this phase to end. That being said, I am getting itchy feet and really looking forward to stepping out the door with my little knapsack and heading off for some sort of adventure for the rest of the year.

Sit Shiva

I just spent the last 2 weeks at my mother-in-law's, the first week providing support as her husband died, the second week being the funeral and shiva. The process from the moment of death was a unique way to deal with death in the family and community. Being there when someone passes naturally is also quite the experience. It is as peaceful as it is sad. Once death is confirmed, a special group from the Schule comes and cleans up the body and places it in a bag and transports it to the chapel. In most circumstances, the body is in the ground within a day. In this case, it was just coming up on shabbat, so the whole process is delayed a day. You would think that this would give people more time to get to the funeral, but of course, you can't travel on the sabbath as well.

The funeral was well-attended. The rabbi spoke, as did his son. My brother-in-law spoke and so did my daughter (representing all the grand-kids). The casket was a plain wooden box and it was placed in the ground and covered immediately by the pall-bearers. All in all, a very quick, efficient yet very personal process.

For the next 7 days, the family sits Shiva, as an amazing number of people drop into the house to pay their respects. This starts as early as 7:00 AM and goes as late as 10:00 PM. Lots of crying and story-telling. A very cathartic process.

Everything is amazing...Technology sucks

While it is very true that the number of things my computer allows me to do is quite staggering...it is also true that it allows companies to put a wall of technology between you and their products. It would be nice to think that if I couldn't get a human or machine process to help me at certain times, I'd vote with my feet and stop dealing with that company. The reality is that everyone uses these web sites and phone trees and sometimes you just have to suck it up.

My flight to New York this morning was cancelled late yesterday (after I checked in online). An odd enough situation, considering the time of year. The company was nice enough to phone me. Too bad for me, my pay-as-you-go phone was disconnected earlier in the day, so no phone call and no cancellation info.

Up at 4:00 Am to get ready to go to airport, one last check of website...Flight Cancelled! Just what does one do with this info? The AA website is intensive, but never mentions what happens when they cancel a flight. No info other than cancelled, no phone call and no human available at this time of morning.

The phone? I had upped my quota online on Friday, but not with a voucher or credit card, but with my online banking. Seems Friday posts don't happen till Monday and there is no human support on weekends for pay-as-you-go. I was online and voice-mailing Rogers about this from my home phone as American Airlines was phoning my defunct cell.

I have spent mucho time online and in phone trees the past 24 hours, yet it was still the 2-3 minutes of human contact that let me know what was happening, both with my phone and my flight.

Too funny, I suppose. Technology helping me get from one place to another on the planet and trying to keep me informed, while non-complementary processes were leaving me in an info/access void.

*** Of course, it's now the next day and I'm sitting in the airport, updating this entry with my little netbook PC while I drink coffee and browse my online blogs that I follow. I really like reading my local paper, but when online, I have access to such a wide variety of information.

Everything is amazing...Technology is so cool!

B

The Thrill is Gone

I was lucky enough to import a 1994 Saturn from the New York relatives in 1997. I've had the car for a full 12 years, and it's time is up. The previous car was a dealer-maintained Jetta, a very expensive option. With the Saturn, I opted to work with Speedy and a local garage called MacConnell's. I was quite pleased with this setup as it dropped the maintenance by a good 50% annually.

Once I decided to leave Dal, I also decided to maintain the car at an even lower level. This decison was made easier because the car developed a timing chain problem, which meant that it could turn into a very heavy door-stop at any given moment.

The thrill was the fact that the car continued to provide basic, safe transportation without a lot of input from me. I was amazed everyday that it kept going.

I re-cycled the car with a federal program called 'RetireYourRide'. Appropriately, I retired the car the same day I signed the papers to leave Dal. The car owed me nothing the past 2 years and I have been very pleased with it the entire time I owned it. It always started. Always.

The Thrill is Gone.

What Me Worry?

Hey! It's April 2009! Why does that date ring a bell? I know...it's the month at the end of the long tunnel. I've been at Dal for 276 months...and this is the last one. Boy, are my arms tired.

I have a To-do list as long as my shirt. House fixup, finances, computers, licences and contracts. I hope to be away from my house for up to a year. This presents some special problems. Nothing big, just a lot of little detail. I have been busy on some task or another everyday since January. There is no doubt I am psyched up for this change in my life track.

As a student, I was at Dal and had to pay $$$.
As a staff person, I was at Dal but received $$$.
As a retiree, I'm not at Dal and yet I still receive $$$.

HOW COOL IS THAT?

I am doing lots of reading, but the list may surprise you. Yes, I have been checking out cheap airfares, round-the-world stuff and visa/vaccine sites, yet the reading is mostly head-space stuff. I hope to spend 3-6 months in New Zealand and know nothing of the place. I am reading travel journals, following travellers on Twitter, reading a book about a walk across Afghanistan a few years ago, collections of travel stories, etc.

I am trying to be ready to travel...not anywhere specific. That detail is easy. What frame of mind will I bring travelling with me? That's what counts.

A lot of the long-term travel sites talk about fear. In my case dropping my career job, my $$$ status and the cocoon of insurance that currently envelopes me. What if this is all a big boo-boo? Why take this chance? This being the last month, I am signing things that kick me out of my current lifestyle. Fear is not in the bag of emotions. Neither is excitement (need to get past the post for that). The biggest feeling is expectation (really...worth the price of admission). Whatever is coming down the pipe, it will be different.

Will this be looked back upon as a bad decision? Irrelevant. It's the best decision (and in my opinion, the only valid one) for my current state. It is a major decision and wasn't made lightly. I've been wanting to jump off this cliff for 5 years, and now the time is here.

Take off the blindfold, buddy. I want to jump. I have to jump. I NEED to jump.

4 comments:

Dwight said...
It takes courage to jump. You live once...go for it!

See the fork, don't hesitate.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009
In another land said...
I wonder what you will be blogging about next April. I would bet any money you will be saying "what was I so anxious about?"

(and the code I have to type in to comment?... 'ratled')

nd

Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Jon said...
Godspeed, old friend...

Thursday, April 09, 2009
Delta Dave said...
Buddha said that expecations are the caue of sorrow - 1 of his 4 noble truths. If only you could get rid of the expectations and just go on.

Thursday, April 23, 2009
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Bridge Policy to Nowhere?

There has been quite a bit of chatter from the Bridge Commission lately about the possibility of raising the bridge tolls during rush hour traffic. Seems the Bridge Commission wants to help the local populous move towards a greener planet by helping us change our commuting habits.

This is just a tad disingenuous don't you think? We didn't see a lot of vehicle drop-off 3 months ago when the price of gas above $1.30 a liter. We also didn't see any reduction in the 80%+ of single-occupant vehicles. Although a price jump hurts, it doesn't change driving habits.

The Bridge Commission is not owned or controlled by HRM. It has bills to pay, debts to pay back, people to keep employed. Since the bridges are running near peak occupancy, raising the tolls is a great way to generate more revenue.

If HRM owned the bridges, my guess is that the option to control burgeoning traffic would be to make the center lane a commuter's only lane. Not so hot for generating revenue, but a proven way to change driving habits. Start taking time out of people's pockets, and you get their attention. This concept works in major cities all over the planet.

All long as we don't own the bridges, we cannot enforce any progressive traffic policy that includes those bridges. Instead, we allow what is basically a private corporation to pretend to care about the planet in the guise of trying to extract more money from a driving population that will spend more money to cross a bridge, but would hate to spend a nice big chunk of extra time to do the same.

The Original Giggle Sisters

The year was 1995. Was it really that long ago? Our group was now called the Gonzo Adventure Club. No use pretending that we were really runners anymore. The occasion was the 3rd Annual Gonzo bike trip. This was to be Claudia's first bike trip with the group.

We were 10 people but the whole group was together only 3 days. Bruce Murphy came on Thursday. He was off to a wedding in New York after the bike trip. Robert drove down from Montreal on his motorcycle on Monday. Larry and Carolyn dropped their kids off in Fredericton. Larry had to fly out to San Francisco before the end of the trip. Bruce Duffy, Gordon and Ross worked a basketball game in Halifax on Saturday night, then drove down overnight to meet us in Conway during the first day's bike. Claudia, Betty and Chris just drove down on Friday. How pedestrian!

The night prior to the first bike ride, we were all ensconced at Robert Sherburn's farmhouse in Franconia, New Hampshire. We had rented Pie Alley, which gave us a common room/kitchenette, bathroom and 3 bedrooms with various bed configurations. Nice to be a schmooshed together like that. Very social. Everyone has to give and take a little. There was a little beer and wine flowing, as compared to these days, where there seems to be an open tap running.

People were packing up and Claudia was having a hard time defending all the junk she wanted to cram into her bike saddle-bags. Gonzos LOVE to root thru your stuff and embarrass you about the garbage you have decided is necessary for the trip.

Claudia was learning a lot. She was also drinking wine with Betty Boop, a Gonzo whose total lack of sense of direction provides ongoing material. There came a point where Claudia's packing had to be abandoned. There is just too much frivolity that surrounds Betty whenever she cracks a bottle of wine. Serious gear packing, Betty and wine tippling do not go together. The 2 ladies got so silly, that someone named them "The Giggle Sisters", a tag that has stuck thru the years.

Now, whenever there is a Gonzo trip, and there are women involved, and they get into the wine and some silliness, someone will certainly start calling them the Giggle Sisters.

When I remember Claudia, it's that night at "The Farm". She was one of the Original Giggle Sisters.

WARNING: Habits may be habit-forming

Walking to work affords a lot of time and space to have things rattle about in your head. Every so often, a little gem pops up. If the idea starts worming its way into my waking hours, I examine it in more detail, and maybe come here to express my distilled thoughts on the subject.

I am a very habitual person. I get attached to clothes, dishes, movement patterns, you name it. I hate being late. I absolutely hate losing things. I wouldn't call it OCD, but I would call it anal. This is not new information, certainly not to the people around me. What is new is my way of looking at these habits.

In simple terms, my habits are habits.

For example, I am attached to my current coffee mug. Had it for years, will miss it when it's gone. Reality is, it broke a few weeks ago, and I am now OCDing on it's replacement. I'm not so much attached to the specific article, I just get attached to whatever I have. What I actually have is not that important. Who knew!

As I prepare to retire from Dal and go on hopefully an extended trip about the planet, I have been concerned about my habits and the long-term effect of wresting myself away from my home space. No biggie. I'll just fixate on the replacements that pop into my life.

It has been quite interesting naval-gazing on this topic.

Arrogance

Every so often, I end up discussing religion, usually with people who have a strong faith of some sorts. These days many people seem a little gun-shy when discussing opinions about things other than the weather and the reality show on TV last night. Us Canadians don't want to offend each other. We don't even want to disagree with people around us. Not polite, you know. Personally, I love discussing topics with people who disagree with me. The best way to clarify your own thoughts is to try and present them intelligibly, especially to a mildly hostile audience.

When it comes to trying to cipher whether I believe in a higher Deity or not, I get stuck at the same place. However we got here, the answer is too fantastic. I chose to spend my time trying to figure why we are here and what can we learn from being here.

I have no trouble with people who have very definite thoughts on this subject. I love the whole concept of evolution, and I enjoy reading about it wherever I can. I read Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle" and it blew me away. Evolution doesn't preclude intelligent design in my mind.

From my experience, there are two main elements of a person's religious beliefs when they profess to be a strong Catholic, Muslim or whatever. One, that you believe in a single, overarching creator and two, that your path is the only right one. You know, your typical

“No one approaches the Father but through me.” (John 14:6)

That's where I get really hung up. Does your average Christian really believe that there will be no Muslims in their Heaven? How can this be? Surely there are many paths to this one God.

By stating that your chosen path is the only one, you are effectively dooming millions and millions of people to some lesser after-life (if there is such a thing). I know people, very good people, from various religions. Do you expect me to believe that the Christian goes to Heaven, and the Jew somewhere else? How can this be true?

Is God so petty? Surely, we are all on the same path headed towards the same goal.

As nice as my friends are, the only word I can come up with to describe this attitude is arrogance.

Gaza

Been following this story for awhile. As someone who has lived in Israel, I definitely have strong opinions about the current situation. Simply said, the 2 state solution is probably the only one that makes any long-term sense, and events since 2006 have only made that possibility seem even farther away. It makes me sad that so many lives are being ruined by this conflict.

The United States is roundly condemned in many parts of the world because of the messing about they do in the internal politics and economics of other countries. Same with Israel and Palestine. There will be no peace until these people have real control over their lives. If I lived in Gaza, I'd be resisting the blockade and occupation with every fibre of my being and in any manner possible. I'd also be teaching my kids those same values.

What I am glad to see is all the assorted web links to all sorts of non-controlled information from both sides of the conflict. Where we have one side trying to dampen down all types of journalism and the other making it sound like a real fight, thank goodness there are other sources. Some are full of rhetoric, many are just stories about how the ongoing conflict is impacting their lives.

Retiring from Dal - Why?

In a mere 100 days, I will be leaving Dal and the IT computing world after 25 years. I am taking early pension. I will still have to work for a living, but then, who doesn't? I could stay at Dal another 10 years, and then fade off into the sunset with enough $$ to keep myself off the streets. Realistically, I have to leave because I am seriously burnt out.

I am taking a reduced version of my pension. Basically, I am trading personal options for financial security. I have to work 10 more years in my life, but it doesn't have to be here, and with the pension coming in, it doesn't have to be anything more than food&spending money. Yes, this will make me poorer as time goes on, as I'm pretty sure I won't end up in another pensionable job.

When I was in my early 20's, I used every cent I could find to travel overseas for 6 months. In Israel, I met the woman who would become my wife. After a few years together, we used up every cent we had to again travel overseas for 6 months. I have always thought that the trade-off was worth it then, and I'm damn sure the trade-off will still be the right decision.

My opinion on decisions. Make 'em to the best of your ability, and then live with them. No going back.

Enjoying Life

What follows is a 2-part blog on enjoyment. The first part is about enjoyment of things that you buy, like a fancy car, stereo or computer setup. The second part is about things that you enjoy that really have nothing to do with money. Enjoy...

Can you enjoy a $2000 stereo?

I have a stereo that costs about $1000 and I've had it for years. I have extracted enough enjoyment out of it already that if it disappeared, I'd have no complaints. What would I buy to replace it? Considering I spend 8-10 hours a day listening to music, you might think I'd get some nice new gear.

I like to break down my enjoyment of stereos into several areas of concern:

- Cost of the article based on my budget
- The setting in which I get to use the article
- How much usage I could realistically expect
- My experience in the particular area

COST

Like I said, I have a $1000 stereo, and would like to replace it with one worth about $1500. In order to enjoy such an expensive stereo, I'd have to be pretty comfy with the $$$, or the other factors would have to carry a lot of weight. Would I go into debt to buy a nice stereo, not likely. Budget-wise, I'd top out at around $500 right now. I don't see this changing much in the next few years.

SETTING

In order to enjoy a good stereo, you have to be able to listen to it. Not necessarily at a loud volume, altho that is the fun part of a big stereo. I mean do you have a nice room that lets you place the speakers properly. Are you in a neighbourhood when a few extra decibels won't have the cops at your door? Do you live with someone who does not want to hear your choice of music and thus you can only play the stereo when they are not around. Do you listen to music that can show off the range of your setup, or it is all Sousa music.

USAGE

This is the one that gets me. I spend many hours listening to music, but most of it on a $50 radio in the kitchen, a $150 stereo in my room or on my computer at work. The big $1000 beast is currently reserved for special occasions a few times a week. Now in the past, I used to run that thing all day. My kids tell stories of me shipping them off to bed, then me cracking a few beers and blasting (literally) the tunes for a few hours.

EXPERIENCE

I have heard stereos at $1500, $2000, $4000 and beyond. Realistically, for me, I'd top out at $1500. After that, I wouldn't get much out of it. Now, let me have the thing for a few years, let me listen to it for hours a days and offer me a stereo worth twice as much and sure, I'd be ready for it. But me right now, $1500 would make me very happy indeed.

So, you have $2000 burning a hole in your pocket and you want to buy a new stereo. Go for it. Myself, if I was looking for a new stereo, this is how I would break it down:

- Price $500
- Setting $2000
- Usage $300
- Experience $1500

I'd buy the $300 stereo, because realistically, I would enjoy that more than the other options.

Can you enjoy a $0.60 can of beans?

It has been argued that all pleasure is basically release from tension. Sounds simplistic, but think of hunger, sexual pleasure, having a good dump, getting that job after blowing the interview. We are simple beings. My questions is this: What does it take to enjoy a $0.60 can of beans? The word I use is contrast. What situation would you have to find yourself in that the can of beans provides a lot of enjoyment?

My buddy Doug and I decide to hitchhike to PEI in April. We're probably 21 or so. Being typical young people, we have few plans, clothes not meant for the season, little money and just a desire to go somewhere. We hitchhike to the PEI ferry on a Friday night after work. Our last ride is in a car chock-full of young people. No back seat. Literally. Just whatever is under a basic backseat. We are late for the last ferry. We arrive in time to actually jump onto the ferry as it leaves the wharf. I'm sure that is not allowed these days. We have to leap across 2-3 feet of open ocean water. Mucho fun already!

Off the ferry, no one picks us up and we walk for a few hours to the middle of nowhere and sleep in an abandoned car by a garage. Cold night, no food, no blankets, no booze, no drugs. Hey! Even more fun. The next morning we hike to Charlottetown, schmooze a bit, acquire a few groceries and hike out to the beach on our way to Summerside. Start up a little fire, sit on the cliffs and enjoy, really enjoy a $0.60 can of beans. One of the best meals in my life. How is that?

I use the term contrast. Sitting on the cliff, the view is beautiful. I'm with a good friend. We spent a tough, cold night. The sun is out. I am starving. The beans are tasty and hot. Like I said, we are simple beings.

I am still a runner. The advantage of being older is that it feels even better when you stop. Of course, the disadvantage is that the buzz lasts an even shorter time and I'm in some sort of pain the rest of the time. No idea what level of pain non-runners put up with. Don't really care. Running has so many advantages. On Saturday mornings, a bunch of us run, then head to a little diner for a nice, greasy breakfast. Guilt-free, thanks to the running.

Wrapping your hands around a piping hot coffee, with pancakes, eggs and bacon on the way is truly one of life's greatest pleasures. The staff knows us, we're rambunctious and whiny, but we we tip well. The conversations flows pretty good. Some of us only see each other this once a week.

When I look back over the time that I spend, I find that the things that I really enjoy usually involve friends and family, don't cost much and involve some sort of contrast, like not seeing someone for awhile or finishing a long run in the rain.

Keep that in mind when you decide to spend some serious cash, hoping to generate some enjoyment. I am a Gonzo, and we are famous for manual-powered sports. The guy who spends mucho dollars to tool about the woods on a fancy ATV with his friends could probably extract the same enjoyment with a mountain bike.

Think about it. Enjoyment is not something you buy, tho it can be earned.

Bedford Basin in a Blizzard? No thank-you

The Gonzos had planned to run the 28 km Bedford Basin loop on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, we were hit with a blizzard Wednesday that really hampered New Year's Eve festivities. I woke up early. The blizzard conditions continued and the roads were a mess. I decided to bail on the run and emailed the group. Spent the rest of the day shovelling out my house and car, and retrieving my daughter from Halifax.

Now, I run in cold, nasty weather, I run long distances and I run un-plowed, icy sidewalks. What I don't do is all these at once, particularly the running on roads in blizzard conditions. What would that sound like in a news bite if someone got hit by a car. Not a lot of sympathy coming our way under those conditions.

As we get older, we tend to be more fearful and less inclined to try new things. One of the best aspects about being a Gonzo or a member of Banook is that there is a group of people around to help push away any encroaching lethargy.

But there is a nasty side to this group-think. What if the group decides to do something just too far outside your comfort range? No one wants to be the spoil-sport and put up with the abuse, but realistically, groups can head off into activities that are not really defendable, should something bad happen. What about these snowmobile guys in B.C. last week. Surely, there were some mixed opinions about whether they should head out in bad avalanche conditions. I would love to hear the inside story on just what sort of reservations existed inside the group. We may never know.

Anyway, the decision to not try the Bedford Basin loop in a blizzard was a good one, and one I'd repeat everytime.