Thursday, September 21, 2006

hiking? what?

so i'm taking hiking 101 at TWU this fall. yes, it's a class...worth one credit. one credit is what i was short graduating with my BA in 2004. no. i do not have a BA. I'm a fully accredited teacher by the province of British Columbia but I am one credit short of a BA.

i'm hiking to graduate.

i know, it's totally insane. faulty grad audit missed that i'd be short a credit and i guess all my counting and recounting proves my inability to do math. i've begged and pleaded and no one will waive this measly credit hence a hiking class that takes place on four saturdays this semester, a hiking journal, and a "personal library" assignment. i can do that while working, right?

so i go to the first thursday night "class" which is the only lecture class there will be. yes, lecture on hiking. i also was suprised. however, i learned the following:

> dress in layers.
> come prepared with water, extra clothes, extra food, and a whistle. "we need to be prepared to spend the night."
> if lightning storm starts, "there's no good place to be". the best option is to stand on your backpack in order to remove yourself from the ground.
> if a bear attacks you, you "don't swing first". after the bear takes it's first swing, fight back with all your might. aim for the nose. you're fighting with all your might because "it's going to take a couple swipes and finish you".

yes...he really did say all these things and the things in quotations were word for word what i wrote down on my paper. it's sounding a little bleak.

sharelle is RANDOMLY in my class...how great is that? however, her first hike was last weekend and i'm going this saturday. he gives you six dates and you need to be there for four of them. if you miss ONE of the four, you fail the class. augh...the pressure!

anyways...i figure with all the complaining that i do when hiking with tim, this will be a good opportunity for me to learn how to hike without complaining. plus i never ever carry a backpack because i'm so pathetically weak and now i don't have a backpack carrier for me so this will be a whole a new hiking experience.

i'll be hiking somewhere around mt. baker this saturday. stay tuned...

5 comments:

Ang said...

we both know it's a good thing I'm not in this class. I'm the worst influance on you. I just want to talk.

Alyssa said...

I wish I had been able to hike for credit... good old TWU. SO crazy that Sharelle is in your class... I was reading about it in her blog too! Watch out for the bears... yikes!

Anonymous said...

I love that you and Sharelle are in the same class. I think if you two are on a hike together (which sounds like this will happen at least 2x?), you should try to hide on the way up, and then join everyone on the way back down, only if you get tired of course. JK...it would be pretty crappy to fail HIking 101. Anyhow, show that bear who's boss.

Sharelle said...

so - i did the first hike and wanted to die.
well not really, but wow, it sure was intense.
i think i may have been the last person to arrive at the summit.
and i keep asking myself:
"why didnt i take tennis"
haha.
looking foward to october bec.
and hey good luck tommorow.
last time i checked - you run triathalons, you will be fine.

Anonymous said...

only in BC....