I have recently done something that has surprised me - I've stepped outside of my comfort zone and have started my own YouTube channel. Filming myself and being in front of the camera doesn't usually sit well with me, but this past week or so, I've made a couple of short videos, and I've actually found myself enjoying doing them. They're far from perfect, but given I'm a complete novice with minimal quality equipment at the minute, I'm really pleased with how they've come out.
Working in media even in the hobby capacity is certainly a far cry from my role as a project manager at GE. I've always enjoyed being creative and I love writing, which is why I've kept this blog going for almost 12 years. I also enjoy making things, and I've done some pretty big latch hook projects in the past, which are sadly tucked away in a box in the basement rather than on display for all to see.
In more recent years, I've become far more interested in the lens, and sometimes I'm surprised by the creativity and eye for detail that I tend to have when taking photos with my good old Samsung! There's been many a time that I've wanted to become a professional photographer, and as a teenager, I always wanted to work in journalism, yet my choices in life led me in a completely different direction. Now, as a near 48 year old, I am unable to find employment, and I'm finding myself exploring old avenues, eager to learn and develop skills and knowledge that may take me on a journey to fulfilling the dreams and ambitions I had a teenager. Crazy right?!
Not surprisingly, my videos thus far have had a running or dog focus. Being with our 3 pups or out on run brings me so much joy along with a sense of achievement, and whilst I'm extremely self conscious pointing a camera in my face and talking to myself in public, I have no issues talking about these two topics given that they've made me who I am today.
I have so many ideas for videos, but I also have to be patient whilst I learn the ropes so that I can start to look a little less amateurish. I also need to seize opportunities, and when I 'm aware of an event or something that might provide good content for a video, I have to act on it rather than sitting around deliberating.
Last Saturday, I admit to having missed such an opportunity.
It was the Pack Mentality annual event - a trail run in the Edmonton river valley with some pretty interesting sections. I really wanted to try filming a "race review" kind of thing, but I was being joined by a couple of friends and I didn't want to slow them down by stopping every 20 minutes to film something. I also wasn't sure whether they would feel comfortable being on film, and not wanting to put them on the spot, I decided to leave the gear at home and figured we'd would instead just enjoy a lovely trail run on a gorgeous mild and sunny winter's day in Alberta.
Pack Mentality was a little different this year thanks to the pandemic, and our little group of 3 were sure to follow all event protocols to keep us safe - you know the drill - wash hands, wear a mask, keep your distance.
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| Map of the course for Pack Mentality |
Although a warm day for December, there was still snow underfoot but it was great for running and nothing like what I'd faced when racing a couple of weeks ago at Chickakoo. The river was still frozen and huge slabs of ice hugged the river banks, making it look dramatic and interesting. The single track trail was like being on a roller coaster as the pathway twisted and turned amongst the trees, and they treated us to lots of dips downhill along with some climbs.
Arriving at foot of "End of the World", the route became more technical as the trail tracked the river's edge, and some sections were extremely icy, with a slip potentially leading to a fall into the chilly waters. The wintry scene however was spectacular with the view across the frozen river looking like Arctic tundra.
The Quesnell Bridge marked the half way point and signified the need to cross to the other side of the North Saskatchewan River, before turning and following the north side of the river for the return leg.
We were all feeling really good and moving smoothly, catching some of the other "packs" that had started their run earlier than us. Passing through Buena Vista Park, we encountered some rambunctious but rather playful pups in the off-leash dog park, some of which ran alongside us eager to play, but as the dogs thinned out and the trail started to narrow again, we started our approach towards what would be the trickiest section of the day.
We had been warned that some parts of the route might be a little tricky, and as we were confronted by the steep icy downhills and random icy and snowy covered stairs, it was time to resort to some bum sliding. The lack of a defined trail meant navigating giant ice slabs whilst clinging to thorny bushes to maintain balance, and on some stretches, I was really wishing I had brought my traction aids with me. As I soaked up the views around me whilst scrambling alongside the river, it struck me once again just how pretty this river valley truly is. The colours reflecting on the ice from wintry sunshine were sensational, and I was thankful that we had at least managed to capture our time out there in a few photos, if not in a mini documentary.
We completed the 20km in a little over 2 hours which I think was enough to give our team the victory over 20km. Sadly, given current restrictions, the usual post-race visit to a coffee shop was put on hold with the three of us heading home to our families instead.
A good chat with Andy when I got home led to us making the decision to head out to Chickakoo Lake on Sunday. He had purchased some new gear for me to use when recording, and with me having already planned to do a short 5 or 6k trail run out there with Wilson, Tillie and April , we thought we could use the time as an as an opportunity to become familiar with using the new equipment, whilst also capturing some of the magic of running with our three dogs.
Not surprisingly, Chickakoo was very busy when we arrived mid afternoon, and in hindsight, I really do think it was too busy for what I had hoped to achieve with the recordings. But on the day, I had so much joy running along those trails with the pups, all in unison with eachother, and all of us smiling happily. Being late afternoon in December, the sun was already low in the sky, but it cast a stunning light through the branches of the trees and it looked magical.
The three pups did so well despite all the other people out on the trails, and there were plenty that had their dogs off-leash that caused a bit of mayhem when we tried to run past. It was also a magnificent feeling when I heard people commenting on how wonderful we all looked as we ran together, and asking if we were a competitive dog team.
But although we were really enjoying the run and Wilson, Tillie and April had their tails and ears pointed to the sky, it was a little too busy for us so we made a turn and switched to some single track. This made it much more difficult to run shoulder to shoulder, and as we positioned ourselves in single file, we kept tripping on each other as the pups jostled for their positions.
We somehow ended up at the scout camp and knew we needed to get back onto the main trail, so a bit of weaving through some deadfall brought us back on track, and I could see the smoke from the campfires just ahead which would take us back to the parking lot.
We'd had a wonderful run but I still hadn't quite got the footage I wanted which would accurately portray just how well the dogs run together. It was still far too busy at the parking lot so we decided to head over to the equestrian parking area instead, under the illusion that this would be much quieter. How wrong we were!
We spent another 20 minutes or so waiting for people to disperse so that we could have a bit of space, and as the sun was starting to set, we finally captured just a couple of those magical, quirky moments that show the true personalities of the pups. I was happy, the pups were happy, it was time to go home.
I've since looked at some of the footage from Sunday as I try to piece together this week's upload, and I have to say that I learnt a lot in watching it back. I can see the strengths in what we did, and I can see some areas for improvement that I will work on for next time. But the greatest thing I saw in those videos is the sheer joy and happiness that being out on the trails with my dogs brings - I look happiest when I'm outdoors, I look happiest when it's just me and the pups, and when we are all out there running together as one, it truly is a magical experience that gets better and better every single time.