CBC-Sports

A break before the playoff drive

February 27, 2009 04:07 PM | Posted by   Kelly Hrudey  

As I’ve mentioned before, there are periods when NHL players need a break. The same goes for broadcasters (at least I do) to recharge our engines for the playoff push and the grind of the playoffs.

Last year at this time, Donna (my wife) and I snuck away to a little piece of heaven on Vancouver Island called Tofino.

This past week for our annual getaway we drove a couple of hours from our home in Calgary (through whiteout conditions because of a raging blizzard) to picturesque Lake Louise, or as it’s commonly referred to, a “gem in the Canadian Rockies”.

This was no holiday based on R and R though.

As both of us are avid outdoor types we chose to introduce ourselves to a couple of new sports.

The first activity was the incredibly tough sport of snowshoeing. The blizzard that hindered our drive dumped 30 plus cm of fresh snow during the night, we awoke to even more falling snow. We were undeterred and chose a trail called the “Great Divide” which is based on the fact that it actually crosses the divide, which separates the waterways, headed east and west.

Getting to the trail required a short (20 minutes) but difficult section of breaking trail. Even with the help of snowshoes this was very demanding.

Luckily for us, Kingmik Dog Sled Tours had been out earlier that morning breaking trail on the divide which made our travel somewhat easier. Even in temperatures hovering around minus -20 C, we managed about three hours in the backcountry.

It was surprising how little we felt the chill in the air because of the strenuous nature of the sport.

The next day we chose to join the Kingmit Team for a two-hour dogsled ride.

Our guide, Megan Routley, has plenty of experience with the dogs and her knowledge impressed us both. Not only does she guide the dogs, she also enters races, so we had the joy of being with an expert.

After about 90 minutes, Donna was even able to guide the dogs with Megan’s help. Poor me, two women drivers. Yikes!!! Just kidding, Donna did great as always.

These dogs are bred to run and clearly love doing so; in fact, they even looked back at Megan when we took a short break. There’s also no doubt they’re very well taken care of.

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