"Quatre Putains En France" Blog

With Mandy getting two weeks off in November we decided that we should take advantage and get away somewhere. At first we were considering a trip to Vietnam. Amanda had been doing some research and it looks like a spectacular place to visit - history, food, culture, geography, and cost were all favourable. In the process of looking at flights we noticed that there were direct flights available to France from Calgary, for the same time we were available to travel, and for only $550/person return... After some quick discussion we decided to jump on these tickets, and put Vietnam on our list of trips to do.

Shortly after we did this we had our good friends Audrey and Gerry over to the house for a visit.  One thing led to another and we convinced them to join us.  They booked flights right there and then without hesitating and we are now a gang of four on our way to beautiful France for two weeks of world history, family history, food, Tour de France route seeing, and maybe even a hike or two!

Our rough itinerary is as follows:

• Normandy/Brittany to retrace some of JM's grandfathers first steps during WWII
• South through Bordeaux to Carcassonne, the namesake of one of our favourite board games
• East to the French Alps where we will stay near a ski town/hang-gliding Mecca in the mountains
• North to visit JM's dad's family home towns
• Back to Paris for three days of touring and sight-seeing

It promises to be a great trip with great friends, full of history, nature, good food, arts, and culture.  We are really looking forward to it, and hope to document most of it in a blog that you can find here or in the sidebar under "Previous Adventures".

Mont Saint-Michel - We Plan On Stopping Here While In Brittany

TGOC 2024 Blog

Mandy had wanted to try do a TGOC crossing with the whole family this year, before the boys finish school and all go their separate ways.  By the time registration came around, Mandy had started a new full-time job 😢, and Ty was planning some summer races😭 - so that left Ben, Sam and I.  I am sad that Mandy and Ty won't be there, but I am excited I will get to share the experience with Sam and Ben.

We have submitted an ambitious route planned, but I know the boys are up to the task - as long as they wait up for their old man!  Highlights will include:

• Loch Morar and the Sgurr na h-Aide ridge
• Glen Finnan Viaduct (from the Harry Potter movies)
• Seeing and walking around Ben Nevis (tallest mountain in the UK)
• The bridge at Corrour Station (from the Trainspotting movie)
• Camping near Falls of Tarff, and walking up Glen Tilt again
• Climbing Lochnagar
• Experiencing Tarfside for the first time
• Finishing on the beach at St. Cyrus again

I am on the mend from a pretty serious back issue that had me off my feet for the better part of two months, but my recovery has been progressing, and I will try to do all the right things to make sure I am ready in time.  Fingers crossed, and please send any positive vibes you can!

If you feel like following along you can access our blog here.

We Plan On Camping Near Here On Our First Night...🤞

"Fifty In Florence" and "Two Frenchmen In Ireland" Blogs

With two amazing trips planned for April/May come two more travel blogs...

After having re-connected with some of our high school friends during Covid, Amanda planned a 30-year high school reunion for our graduating class last year.  It was a huge success, and out of it a group of girls hatched a plan to go on a trip together to celebrate a milestone birthday year for all of them. (I won't say the number, but it sure is a NIFTY year!!)  Amanda's plan is to travel to Rome to meet up with a couple of the girls for a few days before the whole group meets in Florence for a week.  After that, her and one of the other girls are going to carry on to Spain for another week.  Her blog is called Fifty In Florence and can be found here, or in the side bar under Previous Adventures.

The Duomo In Florence, Italy

As for me, my dad has been hinting for the last few years that he would like to go to Ireland, as a bucket-list item he would like to check off.  We have finally managed to make that trip happen and will be leaving in ten days.  Our plan has us flying into Dublin (3 days), then travelling on to Dingle in the south-west corner (3 days), Doolin on the west coast (3 days), Belfast (4 days), and a quick trip over to Edinburgh, Scotland (3 days).  The blog is called Two Frenchmen In Ireland, and can be found here, or in the side bar under Previous Adventures.

The Cliffs Of Moher, Near Doolin, Ireland

TGOC 2022 Blog

I have created a new blog for our TGOC 2022 crossing.  The link can be found here, or on the right under the "Previous Adventures" list.  We hope it will be a great adventure and hope you enjoy following along!

Training Selfie On Powderface Trail, Kananaskis

New Blog

With the end of the MMHC blog comes our new blog: JM and Mandy Hike (And Other Outdoor Activities).  The link can be found here, or on the right in the "Previous Adventures" list.  I will be trying to do a better job than I have the last few months in staying up to date.  Thanks for checking in, and for reading along!

First Real Training Hike

Well, with less than two weeks for me to go, and under five for Amanda, we got out for our first real test walk this past Monday.  We did a 16 km hike with the MMHC on Death Valley Trail in Kananaskis, west of Turner Valley.  We had a beautiful sunny day with temperatures just warm enough for t-shirts.  The trail was a little muddy for the first few kilometers, thanks mostly to the horses that have been using the trail.  We were more than a little surprised at the lack of snow, but that made for better walking.

Looking back south to Death Valley, Kananaskis

Amanda, Kirsten, and I loaded up our packs to near-trail weight.  I had packed tent, sleeping bag, stove, fuel, 2L water, and a gourmet hot dog lunch complete with all of the fixings.  Cooking the hot dogs was fun, but not really the ideal energy food - I don't think they'll be on the menu when we get to Scotland...  It was good training to get the stove out and boil water, though.

Kir and Mandy (and Cedric) at the viewpoint

I think we had a pretty strong walk, and were able to iron out a few equipment kinks.  Our feet felt good, with only one of us getting a hot-spot - better now than in a few weeks!!

What's Up Next...

Amanda and I have two big trips coming up.

Ben and I, and his good friend Zach, are headed back to Scotland in an attempt to finish the Scottish National Trail (https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/scottish-national-trail.shtml).  In 2015 Ben and I completed Kirk Yetholm to Pitlochry.  If everything goes according to plan we will complete the section from Pitlochry to Cape Wrath after eighteen days of challenging trail and conditions.

Ben and Zach - Training Hike #1

Amanda and her best hiking buddy Kirsten, are also headed for Scotland to complete TGOC 2019 (https://www.tgochallenge.co.uk/).  This event is a West to East coast crossing of Scotland, on a self-crafted route.  Amanda and Kirsten will start in Oban and end at Dunnottar Castle just south of Stonehaven.  This will be Amanda's second TGOC crossing, and Kirsten's first.  I sure hope Kirsten has been practicing her camp cooking skills - she has some big hiking boots to fill in that department!!

Amanda and Kirsten - Training Hike #134

When Ben, Zach, and I finish our walk, we will head to Fort William the next day to meet Amanda and Kirsten, and transfer some essential kit to them.  They will then hop on a bus to Oban a couple of hours later to get ready for their walk which will start the next day.  A two-hour window to end one trip and start another - no pressure, right??

We both hope to keep a blog as our hikes progress, so please check back if you are interested in following along.  Thank you for reading!