Over the past week-and-a-half I've become fascinated by Whistler's wildlife. There are over sixty bears in these mountains; all hibernating at the moment, of course - but every bustop contains a notice about 'human-bear conflict'. A very Canadian phrase. Every time I see it I'm tempted to write 'which you'll lose' at the end. Not that bears are aggressive unless seriously provoked. But they do seem very resourceful and constantly hungry. If you a leave a barbecue uncleaned, they'll destroy it; leave a locked freezer in your garage, they'll break in, snap the padlock and lay waste to your Deep Pan Hawaiians. Infuriating, doubtless terrifying if you happen to encounter a bear face-to-face; but I can't help but admire their nous. And after all, they were here first.
We have a resident jackdaw, whom we've imaginatively named Jack. He nests in the trees near the apartment and makes an appearance most mornings, hopping onto the balcony and peering in expectantly at us. I gather that breakfast is required, which we've so far failed to provide - mainly because of the notices plastered everywhere warning us not to leave food out. I know it's hibernation season, but wouldn't it be hilarious to wake up to find a bear on the balcony scoffing Jack's bird seed.
Staying on the bird theme, at the base of the Harmony chairlift on Whistler Mountain, there nests a particular type of bird. I don't know the species, but apparently if you hold up a ski pole, said bird will land on top. Must try that at some point - full report in due course.
Everyone who knows me knows I love dogs, and Whistler is full of them. Barely a day goes by without an encounter with an overenthusiastic labrador or golden retriever. Or - my favourite - an Alaskan husky. Last week we came out of a ski shop to find a husky puppy tied up outside, looking mournful and abandoned (while her owner was twenty feet away in the shop). I bent down to stroke her, and within seconds had competition from a four-year old, her father, and my wife. Husky puppies are about as cute as cute gets.
In amongst all this we have, of course, continued to throw ourselves repeatedly down the mountain, with ever-improving technique. With Marianne and Stephen leading, I've begun to explore Whistler's legendary bowls - wide-open, powder-filled playgrounds. They're spectacular and steep and focus the mind like you wouldn't believe, but the thrill they provide is addictive.
This week we've adopted a charming German lady named Kiki (Kirsten) - or maybe she's adopted us. I met her in ski school last week; she's travelling on her own for a year and since nobody should ski alone, I invited her to join us. It's worked out brilliantly - aside from the fact that she's great company, she's also at the same skiing level as I am. Which means that we egg each other on. We'll be sad to see her go at the end of the week.
Cheryl and Simon have been pushing their limits in ski school since Monday, and regaling us daily with tales of daring and bravado. In fact, Cheryl has the same (excellent) instructor that Kiki and I had last week. We're looking forward to skiing with them on Thursday once they've finished ski school.
Soon it'll be all change again - Marianne's older brother Joe arrives on Thursday night, followed on Sunday by her parents. I can't believe that we're not yet half way through the Odyssey. Time to get moving now - my morning off is nearly over, and the mountains await...
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