Whistler

Something undocumented about this summer is how much soccer I'm doing. 

I joined an adult league, I go to all of Avery's high school training sessions, and I've been watching all the Women's World Cup games. Lots of soccer.

I'm coaching the MS girls again in the spring, so I feel a drive to know more about soccer. 

So this here picture is after my soccer game in which a giant lady stepped her cleat right into the soft buttery part of the top of my foot. It was swollen and wrecked. I considered getting it xrayd because how much pressure can those little baby bones take? Surely not 150 pounds worth, right? 

Anyway, this happened the day before we went to Whistler. It cause me to pause and rethink climbing 4 miles straight vertically up the mountain. That and the 100 degree weather. 

It was 2019 pre covid the last time we came up to Whistler. 

So much has changed since then - the world, our kids, how we vacation.

We had to re-figure how to do it. Like, now the kids don't need entertained with parks and face painting and throwing rocks into rivers. 

Now most of them want to join the dads on the mountain. We've shifted from:

 the kids hanging with moms

 to 

kids hanging with dads. 

In the morning I was so conflicted. I wanted to ride with them, but I also didn't.

I wanted to ride with Avery, but she wasn't ready when they launched. 

I needed to stay and be a mom with Andrew, plus my foot, plus I'm a little intimidated. 

plus plus...

But this picture of the riders heading out to the chair lift gives me major FOMO feelings. Major. I want to be at the back of that pack! I want to bring up the rear, squeaking my brakes, feeling the feelings of fear and bravery on the top of the mountain. 

Evan was also so nervous about the scary Whistler trails. 

Here they are packed into the gondola.

While they rode, the other half of us went down to the village to eat and meet up with the bikers when they made it down the trail. 

Evan came ripping down, exclaiming "hello ladies!" 

He was so stoked - having a great ride, thank goodness. 

I asked, "could I have done it?"

He answered, "I don't know mom, there are some steep parts"

(I could have. Just slower.)

Anyway, after lunch and swimming and considering the zip line, we decided to meet the bikers at the top of the mountain by riding the gondola up, peak to peak. 

This was us non bikers on our way up to Blackcomb Mountain.

This is a glass box full of my very favorite people. We had so much fun bantering the whole way up. 

Those stinker boys tried so hard to throw litter out the window to watch it flutter to the ground. 

This was a glass box full of brave bikers on their way up to Whistler Mountain, then over to Blackcomb Mountain.

Then we combined the lot of us into one gondola - together on our way back to the top of Whistler Mountain. 

On the other peak we could see where Jim and Joe went earlier to the "Top Of the World".

Look at that crazy bridge!

(this was them on that bridge)

On the top of Whistler Mountain we got our traditional "kids in front of the olympic rings" picture. 

See the marmott putting on a show for us. He is so silly. 

Me and Avery vowed we were going to mountain bike next year 

and me and Lisa vowed we would ride the 100mph sasquatch zip line next year

and I vowed I would hike around all those top trails. 

Swear.