Float Planes, Water Bombers, and Houses on the Water

Arrived in Yellowknife a few day's ago attempting to get a job rolling and places to train besides my room. As far as work goes, you couldn't ask for a better jobsite that is right beside the lake. The only draw back at the present moment is truckloads of steel and materials that are sitting on the highway. Sitting because of the 176 forest fires that are burning up pretty much everything including the roads. It's pretty sad the amount of forest fires burning in western Canada right now. Water Bombers are flying over continuously, fueling up and back out. I have to commend the brave men and women that are fighting those fires from above and on the ground. I hope they all come home safe.

As far as my training goes at the present moment all it has been in my room. I have scoped out some walking trails that are of various terrains I intend to run on. I hoping that I can find some isolated areas and use one of Sihing Krebb's suggestions of reaching a destination and doing forms or anything pertaining to Kung Fu. I also located the local rec center so I'll check that out too.

I did manage to smuggle my Long Axe in the sea can so I could keep my weapon form sharp. I have figured out a few blocks and strikes that I want to add into the form. This once again however poses a challenge. Without going into specific details, you have to really watch where you train here, let alone swinging an axe around. Fortunately one of the guy's on the crew used to live here, so he is helping me find an isolated spot.

Well that's all I have for now, more to come and hopefully some pics or videos. I hope you are all doing well in your training and enjoying summer.

Your doing what?!?!

Well 8 more days and I'm off to Yellowknife. I sit with a lot of mixed feelings. Excitement of a new career challenge and another way I'm going to have adapt my training. Some would view this as a really stupid move considering this is a grading year. But unless your willing to come up to me and tell me this or give me a whole pile of golden advice, I don't really care what you think. Because I see it as an opportunity to show you can move the kwoon to a remote area and still uphold your commitments and still maintain your training. Easy to say yes, but I've done it before and I'll do it again. The only difference is this, you are going to see me train. You are going to continue to see my daily posts on the website. The team and even perhaps the school is going to see it by me recording video footage of my Kung Fu and posting it on the schools website. My blogs are going to be more frequent as well. I'm basically taking those of you that chose to support me on this challenge every step of the way. My intention is to seek advice and support from people on the team and hopefully inspire others. I also want to promote the schools website and use it for what it was intended to be used for in the first place. Through this I am hoping to create a tool for those that are out of town a lot or chose to train privately. You still need help no matter who you are or what level you are. If this pans out the way I am hoping it will, this will set a standard and offer a tool to next years team. There is always going to be someone who is going to have leave town or chooses to train at home.

Other feelings I have are concern. Concern that I am going to fail another year because of my absence. Intimidation through my overall knowledge of all that I need to know, and just how much I don't know. Regret that I am going to miss another bootcamp and possibly another forms seminar. I will be missing a whole pile of classes that I really need. The odds are not in my favor really. So why do it?
 To prove to myself that I can do this and I can pursue advancement in my career, better my life and training through staying loyal to the I Ho Chuan program and be ready for the fall. I'm staying positive though. The only thing I have to be concerned with is work, eating properly, and training. I don't have all the other distractions that are in my every day life. So this is as a really huge bonus. Another advantage is that one of the guys on my crew has training or has trained, so this gives me someone to work with if I need a crash test dummy.
 If I fail, at least I can say I put my heart into it and tried. If I succeed I can chalk it up as one of the greater challenges I have ever done. See you at the kwoon.