Flog Number 1 - A Windy Day Over Alpha Lake Whistler BC

It was one of those days where you don’t really plan much, you just end up moving the entire time.

We’d already put in a solid stretch walking through Whistler. Started out casual, just heading toward the village, but it turned into something closer to eight… maybe nine miles by the time we were done. No rush, no destination that mattered that much, just walking, stopping, taking things in, moving again. The kind of day where you feel it in your legs a bit, but in a good way.

By the time we got back, Nicole had to jump into some work. Laptop open, focused, back into it. That’s kind of how these trips go, it's not fully “off,” it’s more like a mix. Some downtime, some work, just shifting between the two.

So instead of sitting around, I figured I’d take that window and do something with it.

Grabbed the Avata 2 drone, headed out, and decided this would be a good time to try something different, call it a “Flog.” Not a vlog, not a blog… just a flight log. Turn it on, talk a bit, fly, and see what happens.

Right from takeoff, you could tell it wasn’t going to be one of those easy, smooth flights. The wind was there. Not crazy, but enough that I had to pay attention. Switched into manual mode, got it dialed in, and I could feel it immediately, the drone leaning, pushing, needing constant input just to stay where it should.

Still, once you’re up, it’s hard not to appreciate where you are.

Out over Alpha Lake, everything opens up. Water below, mountains wrapping around in every direction, little pockets of activity here and there—boaters, people along the shore, townhouses tucked into the landscape. It’s one of those views that doesn’t really get old, even when you’ve been walking through it all day already.

Flying higher helped with the signal, but it also made the wind more noticeable. You could actually see the drone fighting it, tilting, correcting, drifting if you let off for even a second. It turns into less of a relaxed flight and more of a conversation between you and the conditions.

Drop lower, and the wind calms down… but then you start dealing with trees, signal dips, and obstacles. So it’s this constant back-and-forth, stay high and fight the wind, or go low and deal with interference. No perfect option, just adjusting as you go.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, it hits you that this is kind of the whole point.

Earlier in the day, it was miles of walking. Now it’s flying over the same area, seeing it from a completely different angle. And in between, there’s still work getting done, videos waiting to be edited, content being captured without really forcing it.

Nicole’s inside working. I’m out here flying. Same trip, two different modes, both productive in their own way.

The battery starts to drop into the mid-range, and the wind isn’t letting up. Signal’s still decent, but I can feel it’s probably a good time to head back. No need to push it.

Bringing it in, dropping altitude, the wind eases off almost immediately. Everything smooths out again, like flipping a switch. A quick reminder of how different things can be just depending on where you are in the air.

And that’s about it.

Nothing overly dramatic. No big moment. Just a full day, walking, working, flying, stacked together in a way that makes sense when you’re actually living it.

That’s the idea behind these Flogs.

Not just the flight…
but everything around it.