Ashika Morasiewicz
Outdoor Adventurer from the North Shore, BC
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Adventures with T1D
I’m an outdoor adventurer living in Vancouver, BC. I love exploring the outdoors all-year round with my family; whether we’re pushing for a summit or camping next to an alpine lake while challenging my Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). I hope to inspire others by sharing our stories and I hope to be inspired by like-minded Type 1s within our community.
Trip date: May 21-22, 2016.
You know there’s a May long weekend coming up when your local MEC is jam-packed with customers, loading up on camping gear and supplies, on a Wednesday evening. May long weekend holds a special place in our hearts; it sort of kicks off the camping/hiking season and, like bears, we come out of our hibernation and head outdoors to soak up the warm sun and bright blue skies over the course of not two, but THREE days. Not this weekend though, forecast showed rain, snow, overcast skies, and cool temps for most of it.
Long weekends around Vancouver can be a little problematic. In my experience, they bring crowds of people to all corners between Manning Park and Pemberton (and beyond). If weather is the slightest bit iffy, you can expect crowds at all the major huts/shelters. Based on the combo of a location the regular crowd likely hasn’t heard of, a long drive, and questionable road conditions (possible snow, downed trees, etc.), Ryan and I decided to head to the Birkenhead area to check out Mt. Ronayne. Read More
When you spend enough time in the mountains, you acquire a very distinct mindset; the way you think and see things start to change. Over time, we’re all the wiser through our experiences.
Here is a list of 20 things, I think we can all agree upon, only adventurers would know:
1. The 5 second rule is extended to at least 30 seconds when you’re outside and any food is dropped on the ground.
2. We’re not all a bunch of minimalist, vegan hipsters.
3. We’re also not a bunch of sodium crushing, nutrient processing, radical anti-government activists either.
4. We live and die by John Muir quotes; you know the ones: Read More
It’s taken the better part of a school year to figure this out; I’ve realized my time isn’t as abundant as it was when I was 18 years old.
My adventures and, subsequently, my blog entries have slowed down. I’m allocating much of my time into papers, exams, projects, and research. I’ve given up numerous weekends to these things and, collectively, I think it has taken a toll on me. I was of the mindset that school would be a Monday – Friday gig and I could continue doing what I do every weekend; spend time outside. Instead, in order to stay on top of things, I’ve had more ‘inside’ days than I’m happy to admit. I realize there are two reasons why this has become troublesome:
- My expectations of student life were absurd.
- Social media influences.
Trip date: February 27, 2016
My sister, Skeena (the family dog), and I recently checked out the Woodland Walk trail, located in Burke Mountain, Port Coquitlam. We were looking for a quick, mellow jaunt through the woods.
The Woodland Walk trail is a relatively flat hike; one of many trails created by the Burke Mountain Naturalists from abandoned logging roads in the Burke Mountain area. It includes some long, gradual ups and downs. The end destination is the Woodland Waterfall. From there you can either continue up to Saw Blade Falls or return via the upper/lower loops. The trail is accessible year round and does not encounter very much snow, though during winter months, I have seen snow at Saw Blade Falls – only a short distance and some elevation away. The best time of year to go is during spring melt, when the falls are at their best.
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