A Great January Day in Canada!

Today encompassed a good running outing, dinner in a Pub with friends and a good old Hockey Game - the Vancouver Canucks vs the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After last weekends outing we all decided to run together again this weekend. Neil and I had tickets for the hockey game in the evening so we suggested to start the run later than usual so we could tie our trip into the city with the game. Craig very kindly offered his place as a meeting place and for a shower post run. Sibylle, Wendy, Craig, Neil and I set out at 12 noon for a run in North Vancouver's Lynn Valley. It was the first day the sun was out for a week or so and many people were out enjoying the trails. We ran through Craig's neighbourhood and saw the elementary school he attended as a child and a few other memorable sites. We joined the trails at Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve and followed the Lynn loop trail to Norvan Falls. On the return we took an upper trail which Craig calls "Long Lynn Loop". The sun was going down in the sky and we crossed a lot of water crossings. We were all starting to feel the cold so it kept us moving. Craig had a slip on some slippery roots and went down hard. He said he was OK and from behind me I heard him mention that his "cheek" was sore. I overheard Wendy taking a look at it and saying - yeah Craig it's a little red. Looks like that might bruise! Well later on I asked to see the red cheek and suggested to Neil we should take a photo of it. Craig points to his face - oh my - I really thought he meant the cheek at the other end of his body. This of course brought us to a fit of laughter. Neil had some interesting questions about the old growth forest that were preempted with justifying his questions saying I grew up in Scotland and we don't have woods like this there! We joined the Varley Trail at Lynn Headwaters then popped out onto Lynn Valley Road for a few km run down to Craig's condo. 4 hours total. We quickly showered (Wendy and I noticed we were faster than the guys!) and walked over to the Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub for some well earned food. We all had places to be so it was a quick bite to eat with some good laughs. Neil and I were happy to find parking near GM Place as many Vancouver roads are already closed for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Olympic Fever is rising! We just need more snow in the next few weeks. Vancouver Canucks had a spectacular win 6-2 over the Pittsburgh Penguins who were last seasons NHL winners. Go Canucks Go!