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Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Day 0, Sat, Nov 1 – Banff – F**k You David Lama



Woke up exceedingly tired with Max and Shirley at The Mount Royal Hotel in Banff.  I told Shirley I was going to sleep a lot in the next 90 days.

Helen & Greg met us about 9:30 at Spray Lake Parking lot just pass Banff Springs Hotel. We had a nice hike to the top of Sulphur Mountain, then Greg and I ran down the back side.  I LOVED this run. I haven’t been running much – and I love the feeling of the pain my legs were feeling.


Greg & Helen had packed a lunch (Yes – pickle sandwiches, a reminder of our Great Walk Across England with them in September). We said good-bye, returned to the Hotel to warm up & shower, then spent the afternoon shopping in Sporting Good Stores for a more water proof jacket for me, warm pants & a warmer set of gloves.

It is Opening Night for 39th Annual Film Festival. We went to the film, David Lama Cerro Torre.  There was an exciting short film announcing all the excitement of the Festival. While Shirley felt Cerro Torre was repetative and hoped it would end,  I really enjoyed it. (At 16 years old Lama won the World Championship Indoor Sport Climbing tittle. Shortly after he announced he would “Free Climb” one of the most respected Mountains in the World.  He and his film crew, from Red Bull, caused MUCH controversy over three years as he reached his goal.

(I’ve been wanting to come to this Film Festival for years. I couldn’t help but notice that most of the audience seemed to be in their sixties, many over weight.) 

It was the North American Premier, so David was there for a question and answer. 
“How did you react to all the negativeness. How did it affect you?”
He claimed, “I tried to be respectful of peoples values and concerns, to understand the concerns, realizing that not everyone has the same values. However, I could not react much to those who simply wrote, “Fuck You – David Lama”. He laughed.

The film ended at 11pm, but then there was an after party nearby.  It’s an hour pass my normal bed time, and Shirley has itchy legs – a sure sign that it’s pass her bed time.  Shirley suggested I go & walk back to the hotel on my own afterwards.  Probably it is a great opportunity to meet all sorts of adventurers, perhaps explore ideas and plan my own impending adventure.

Shirley began encouraging me to hang out in Banff. “You always wanted to come to this film festival. Now you have the time. Stay here – go to the Library, find some books, see some films and speak to all the adventurers here. You don't have to suffer, you know.? I just don't see why you want to ride on the road with all those trucks going by."

It was an option.


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