Into the canyon

'Canyoneering'

A couple of weeks ago I came across a post on an outdoor forum that discussed McGillivray Canyon.  It's a local area and, judging by the photos, seemed to be a hidden gem.  I was immediately inspired to go, but didn't have much in terms of directions.  This time of year - when the canyon is mostly dry - proved a good time to scope it out, so four of us armed ourselves with harnesses, carabiners, quickdraws and short rope.  We were ready for an adventure! 

We had no issues finding the canyon, and because of the little water we had rock that was nice and dry, providing us with good grip along the way.  The chains, cables and pools provided the most excitement.  We climbed up past rocks, had fun on the chain next to the 'water slide', and kept deciding between the low routes (logs in water) or the high routes (logs seemingsly suspended in air).  We knew that there was a 'secret' about the ladder that shouldn't be trusted, but figured it out.  The Indiana Jones boulder was an obvious landmark indicating the end of the canyon.  Just how much longer will it hold?

I have to admit, though, that I was a little disappointed that none of our gear was necessary.  I wanted to hang off a cable in a harness :-).  It's probably best to have seen the route so dry, as that would give me an idea of what's below if I attempt this again in summer when water levels are higher.  Wet conditions will definitely bump up the difficulty a notch.  I'd also like to find out more about the climber's routes in there.  If there's something that's actually a beginner level, it could be a cool spot to go for climbing as well. 

Does anyone know what kind of fossil this might be?

Chemo

On a tougher note, this past week my mom's CA125 levels have increased for the first time since the ov.ca. diagnosis.  It was shocking news, makes you feel like this could potentially already be a recurrence.  We are so hoping that this is just due to a slight infection, maybe something related to the fever last week, and that it'll drop again.  Fingers crossed!!!  It'll be another week before we get the next CA125 score.  This medical game is rough.  It sucks so much energy out of you and when you think things finally have settled a bit, something else comes flying your way.  Here are the latest numbers:

          November 1 - 18.2
          November 8 - 20.0
          November 9 - 21.7

In a way I feel tired and drained from this rollercoaster.  Not looking forward to the big g. meeting on December 9th, but I'm at a point where I finally want to know.  I'm itching to get away for a couple of nights ... a little log cabin amidst the snow, playing with the camera all day, then sipping wine by the fire?  One day it'll happen! :-)