This weekend, my wife and I left the kid at the in-laws and headed out to the mountains for some R&R. Ah, the beauty of the autumn leaves (and check out the depth-cued interpolated fog)…

As part of our weekend of rest and relaxation, we decided to take a 2.5hr/7km hike down Mount Tremblant (hmm, need to recheck definition of R&R). And, despite the burn in my calves, it felt eerily like playing a video game (of the platform/rpg hybrid genre, to be specific).

We had to purchase supplies (ie, water, snacks, etc) and optimally pack our inventory; We had to locate a map and get info on available routes; Once at the summit, there was a hunt for suitable “weapons” (notice my Staff of Mighty Walking +3).

On the way down the hill, we had to navigate through various stepping stones, branches and other precarious platforms (or slip to our untimely demise). Further, we’d take turns leading and then point out optimal paths over the platforms to each other…

True to rpg form, there was a cast of unlikely NPCs: Like the heartbroken dude walking up and playing his guitar simultaneously; The Japanese businessman tourist in full business attire (ie, shirt+jacket+tie+shoes) standing half-way up the mountain snapping photos; The crazy hobbit guy walking up barefoot!; The wench in high-heels standing by the waterfall; The moose by the lake; etc, etc. (note, I am not joking)

Sadly, no end-level boss to fight or spiffy cutscene - just a nice dip in the heated pool :)