In The Seven Sins of Memory, author Daniel Schacter describes the ways that the mind forgets and remembers. He divides memory’s malfunctions into seven fundamental transgressions or ‘sins’, while arguing that these features of human memory aren’t necessarily good or bad but all serve a useful purpose. For example, persistence is one of the sins of memory that can lead to things like post traumatic stress syndrome but it is also necessary for long-term memory.

Joffre Lakes is one of BC’s most beautiful and relatively accessible alpine lake hikes or runs. There are three lakes in all (Lower, Middle, and Upper Joffre), with Upper Joffre being by far the most picturesque.

I’ve actually never been there in the summer, but a group of us did decide to run it the first weekend of December including my friends Chloe, Shannon, and Joel. It took just over 2 hours and we had a great time playing in the fresh pow.

2013 was a huge year for me; my first full season on the trails since making my move from road to trail running last year. I met a ton of great people, finished some great races, and ran in some pretty incredible places. Most importantly, I managed to stay healthy and injury free which never happened while I was running road.

As I look ahead to 2014, I figured I should take a moment to reflect.

I wanted to provide an overview of the inReach SE manufactured by Delorme which I recently got, specifically from a trail running perspective.

There are plenty of comprehensive reviews out there of all the product features and benefits, so I thought instead that I’d just quickly point out how I hope to take advantage of some of the device’s unique features in the backcountry running and racing that I do and to show you the device in action.

The Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) double-crossing is an amazing 46-48 mile journey, depending on your route, with over 11,000′ of elevation gain in temperatures varying well over 70 °F (21 °C).

The run is typically done from the South Rim to the North Rim and back, often starting on South Kaibab trail down to the river and Phantom Ranch since it’s steeper but shorter, along North Kaibab trail to the North Rim and back, but then back up to the South Rim along Bright Angel trail which is a little more runnable and with frequent water stations.

It’s on many an ultra runner’s bucket list, and for good reason. The incredible views and beauty this route offers at every turn are hard to beat.