Merritt & More Part 2

Day 2 didn’t get any easier. The rain was still coming down and the temperature had dipped to around 3 degrees. We had a tough day of climbing ahead of us and the bulk of it was right from the start. The first 50km was entirely uphill. We were feeling good, albeit very wet, as we made our ascent into the foggy mountains surrounding the Coquihalla Highway. The rain turned to snow and about 40km in I had a flat tire. Luckily Mom was close with the van so I set to changing the flat as quick as I could as Dad pushed on into the fog. After changing the flat I had been in the cold, covered in soaking wet clothes for so long that I started shivering so intensely that I couldn’t go on. Dad was left on his own to solo the remaining 80km.

Watching him from the car is terrifying. Every truck that passes seems to just miss him and waiting for him to catch up when we drive ahead is a nightmare of worry. Dad told us after he didn’t mind riding alone. He imagined himself in a breakaway in the Tour de France, escaping the peloton for a stage win with Phil Ligget announcing his every move, “Marsh seems to be in fine form, today just might be the day for the big man from Canada to hold off the pack and take the stage win in the mountains!” It was a long day with almost 7 hours on the road but the sun may finally come out tomorrow, and hopefully we can arrive in Kamloops dry and happy.

Erik

Why the Boys and Girls Club?

People have asked me why I chose the Boys and Girls Club as my charity for my ride.  It was actually an easy choice.  Over the last number of years, I have worked closely with the Boys and Girls Club in Ottawa, and have been very impressed with their focus on mentorship and leadership.  This is something that really hit home with me.  You see, I was lucky in my life to have had great mentors and leaders, and I took great pride in becoming a mentor and leader myself.  I am proud to say that I was a captain or assistant captain on every team that I played for (all the way back to minor hockey), and I have tried to remain a leader in my community since I retired from the NHL. 

I think sometimes people don’t put enough emphasis on the value of good leaders and mentors. If I had not come into contact with leaders like Bobby Clarke in Philadelphia, or Steve Yzerman in Detroit, I know I would not have become the player I was able to be.  Seeing their focus, work ethic, and commitment every day really led me to take a hard look at how I was conducting myself, and look at what more I could be doing to improve my play. 

But you do not have to be an NHL player to have that kind of effect on young people. You can be that mentor, that leader, that person that makes a difference in someone’s life. It can be as simple as taking an interest in a young person’s life, helping them to accomplish a goal they have set out for themselves, or being a sounding board for them when they need to talk something through.  Not much to ask, and the benefit can be so great.  

When I Was Young

By Erik Marsh

When I was young, Dad would take my brother and I on his bike rides. Early in the morning, with the dew still on the grass, Mom would pack us a plastic bag full of cereal and we'd cram into the trailer attached to the back of Dad's red road bike. I have no idea where we went or how long we were gone. I couldn't even narrow down exactly what city I'd have been in during these trips, however somehow I do remember them. At the time I couldn't comprehend the meaning of those rides and I didn't really care. The pure joy of going faster than I ever could on my yellow bike weighed down with its training wheels was all I needed. As I've grown older, life happens and I can't fit into that little trailer anymore but in different ways I still jump at every opportunity to get into that trailer and tag along with Dad, wherever we may be going.