Adventurous women in adventurous endeavors

Personally, I would not consider myself to be an “adventurer”. Sure, I like to push myself and try new things, but climbing Everest is not on my bucket list. Climbing Kilimanjaro and hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc are, but they are in a whole different category.

Maybe that is why I was blown away this week when I attended the Women in Adventure Sport Film Festival. Held in Arlington, MA, the event was organized by CMPZ Productions, who have hosted the Banff Film Festival for 16 years. The two guys (!) behind the festival uncovered an amazing array of films that ranged from Annapurna: A Woman’s Place — the story of the team of 13 women who were the first Americans and the first women to climb Annapurna in 1978 — to Kick Like A Girl — about a team of 8-years old soccer players who play in the boys’ league in order to get some competition.

The stories told in the 11 films (screened over 2 days) varied considerably but a single theme ran through them: perseverance. In each film, women took on a challenge to do something different. In some cases, it was to take on a physically difficult endeavor — like rowing across the Indian Ocean — while in other cases, it was to go against cultural traditions — such as participating in motocross in Indonesia. In all cases, the women were inspiring for what they accomplished.

Some highlights:

• The “Heartstrings” Award goes to Heart of the Sea, a film about Rell Sun, a pioneering pro surfer, who battled breast cancer for 14 years. She never let go of her passion for surfing, even when she was too weak to paddle; she simply got someone to push her board into the surf so she could the ride the wave while lying down.
• The “Which Way is Up” Award goes to Women at Work, a self-filmed odyssey about three women who free climb Mount Proboscis in the Cirque of the Unclimbables (in the Northwest Territories). From the helmet-mounted camera, we have a view down to the valley floor — 2000 feet below — and up to climbers above — who look like they are working their way along a roof of granite thanks to the angle.
• The “Look Out World” Award goes to girls of the Mighty Cheetahs soccer team from Kick Like A Girl, one of whom said: “When we play together as a team we are superheroes and we can do anything.”

I’ve always felt that sport can be transformative. You push yourself physically and mentally to succeed, which can give you a self-assurance that translates into all parts of your life.

Many of the women in the films talk about the confidence they have now thanks to their sport. In addition to pushing personal boundaries, many of these women were pushing cultural norms, which can be transformative not just for the individual but for society. Breaking norms and creating greater acceptance of what women can accomplish will only make our world a better place.

Learn more about the films and the filmmakers on the festival website. The organizers — Kevin Shea and Paul Fitzpatrick-Nager — are planning to take the festival on the road. Be sure to let them know you want to see it in your town.

You can also check out some of the films online:

• Women at Work — three women free climb in the Cirque of the Unclimbables (in Canada's Northwest Territories).
• Kick Like A Girl — adorable and articulate 8-year old soccer girls take on the boys
• Shattered: Rescue on The Grand — an unexpected rescue get capture on film
• Send It Sistah — beautifully shot film about "highlining", the art of balancing on a 1" web slackline strung high above the ground
• The Eighth Parallel — young Indonesian women who challenge convention by participating in rock climbing, motocross, mountain biking and surfing

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Eleanor Roosevelt



Staying put at the cottage

When I sold my house in Ottawa at the end of May, my plan was to spend the summer at the cottage while I worked out where to move next. As it turns out, I’ve been running around so much that I’ve barely spent any time here at all — no more than 5 or 6 days in a row.

The amount of travel I’ve done is illustrated by a glance at the odometer of my new car. Bought in mid-June — only 3 months ago — it reads 10,000 km (6,000 miles). It used to take me at least a year to put that many miles (or kilometers) on my car.

This revelation made me decide it was time to stop moving — and stay put at the cottage — for a while. It’s been a lovely and quiet few weeks now and I’m feeling nice and relaxed. Nikita the dog and I have gotten into a bit of a routine. We walk around the bay most mornings, past my cousin’s place and up the ridge on the other side of the bay. After all the driving around, we both need the exercise.

Throughout the summer and now into the fall, there has been an incredible amount of rain here. The direct result is that the water level in the lake rises, sometimes rather rapidly. More than once, the dock has floated away. And more than once, I have jumped in the kayak to wrangle the wooden sections back to the shore.

After a few episodes of dock hunting, I decided to pile rocks on the dock. Now, I’ve done this before, but with just a few rocks and it really wasn’t very effective. This time, I was determined to weigh it down so it couldn’t go anywhere. It worked but there were so many rocks that there was not much room to walk around (it’s not a very big dock to start with). It was weirdly cool to walk on the dock while it was under several inches of water, with no concern for a sudden dunk in the lake when it is revealed that the section you are standing on is no longer supported at one end.

In addition to our exercise walks, Nikita and I take a stroll down to the lake in the early morning (as the sun was rising) and in the evening (as the sun was setting). The mornings are particularly magical. Often, curls of fog slide across the still water and visibility is pretty limited. Then, a breeze will move the fog aside, revealing a lone loon in the middle of the lake.

To the Pinnacle!

Just as Hurricane Tropical Storm Irene blew through, my friend Ann drove to visit me at the cottage. Wind and rain swirled around her as she slowly made her way through Montreal traffic. She made it in one piece, but she was a little wound up by the endeavor.

The next day was lovely, so we decided to take a hike. We didn’t want it to be an all-day adventure, but we did want to break a sweat. As I perused the mostly outdated brochures that we keep around the cottage, I remembered a hike I had taken last summer that fit the bill perfectly. Located in the tiny town of Baldwin’s Mills, Barnston Pinnacle — or simply “The Pinnacle” as it is now known, tops out at about 665 m (2181 ft). On a clear day, the views from the top are quite spectacular.

When I was about 12, my mother and I climbed Barnston Pinnacle. At that time, the access was through private property but, as a long-time resident of the area, my mother knew the way. Today, the Pinnacle is part of Harold L. Baldwin Park, a 200-acre preserve that was donated by the Baldwin family.

After leaving the car in the designated parking lot beside the church and the general store, Ann and I, plus Nikita the dog, head up the road to the trailhead. The trails are well-established and well-marked. The first half is deceiving for its lack of difficulty while the second half becomes much steeper and stays that way, but overall, it is not really a difficult climb — a gain of about 250 m in elevation takes less than an hour.

After hiking along the wooded path, we emerge at the top where rocking outcroppings provide the perfect setting for a picnic with a great view. Even though it was a little overcast, we could see a number of local ski hills in both Quebec and Vermont — Orford, Owl’s Head and Jay (I think).

The cliffs of the Pinnacle are popular with rock climbers as well as the summer home of peregrine falcons, but it was a quiet, mid-week day and there were no birds, climbers or other hikers while we were there.

Round trip, it took us 2 — 2-1/2 hours with some time at the top to admire the scenery. Just what we needed to get a little exercise. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera at home so I don’t have any photos to share. However, I did find a painting by John Lyman — which is a lovely illustration of Barnston Pinnacle with Lake Lyster at its base.

Barnston Pinnacle, by John Lyman (c. 1948) — owned by the National Gallery of Canada.