Day 2,872

Growth:

One of the hikes we wanted to do today was PACKED!!! There were people and cars everywhere in the park and along the beginning of the trail. The trail itself was okay, nothing too special. We wanted to do it specifically because it was on the way back to Calgary and it was one Becky and I weren’t able to finish the last time were here (long story, we’ve got a nickname for the trail due to the companions we had on the trail who insisted we were on the wrong trail). Due to bear activity and lack of the mandatory bear spray we opted to leave early and find a different hiking location.

By the time we drove through the crowd and past another park with a completely full parking lot we were nervous that our new location was also going to be packed. As it turned out the lot was only about half full! The hike then turned into an awesome experience as I’ll discuss more below. The hike around the lake was more scenic in many ways than the busy location and we enjoyed it tremendously. It was a great reminder for me that the busiest and most popular isn’t always the best.

Appreciation:

Shortly after starting the hie we heard the loons on the lake. Very soon they were swimming towards the area we were heading towards. We found a quiet spot on the grass and chilled while watching the two adults and their chick swim, fish, and preen. As the loons did their thing a muskrat decided he wanted some attention too so he swam right past and hung out nearby in the water. We just sat and enjoyed the show for many minutes. What an awesome way to wrap up the hiking of this vacation!

Presence:

This morning Becky and I got up and moving early to attempt to catch the sun coming up over the mountain to light up Emerald Lake. We weren’t quite sure exactly what time it would pop up over the mountain so we got there early and enjoyed the silence for an hour and a half while sitting on a bench alongside the lake. Everything was so still and calm, it was excellent! The sunrise was amazing even if it only lasted a moment before being gobbled up by thick clouds, but the best part was just sitting and enjoying the moments of serenity with Becky on the bench.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,871

Growth:

My body is pretty sore and that’s an awesome thing. Over the past week we’ve put in a lot of miles hiking on quite an increase of elevation. Doing this almost everyday for a week has left me feeling a bit tight, sore, and pretty tired. Feels like a successful vacation to me!

What I need to remember is that this feels great as I’m doing something that I am passionate about with a fun purpose, how do I create that same sense of purpose in my normal exercise to stay smiling while working out? If I can do it here I can choose to have that same attitude at home.

Appreciation:

The past week has been spent in very close quarters with my family. We may drive each other nuts once in a while, especially when we have this much time all together, but there’s no others on earth I’d rather share this experience with. From laughs to smiles to frustrations to shared moments of awe the memories I’m making with my family will be amongst the greatest treasures of my life. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to spend so much time with my family creating these awesome memories together.

Presence:

What an awesome moment this was this morning as we hiked along Emerald Lake…

Thanks!!!

Day 2,870

Growth:

“Trials of miles and miles of trials.”

John L Parker, Once a Rummer

Time spent on the trail ticks by at a very different pace and thoughts run in slightly different directions. While we are hiking s a family there are many moments of silence as we each dive into our own thoughts. In those moments of quiet the mind has no distractions, no noise, no upcoming calls, only the trail in front of us and the surroundings. This quiet provides the opportunity to think and to enjoy true stillness – even while hiking. My thoughts get more clear, are more focused on what is really important, and are more insightful.

Miles on the trail can be some of the best medicine for the soul and I’m grateful for the opportunity to enjoy it.

Appreciation:

When we do family vacations we often eat in rather than going out to eat. Sure, restaurants are delicious, but home cooked food really hits the spot in so many other ways. There are also so many additional benefits to this. We split up cooking and clean up duties. We spend time together talking over dinner at the dining room table. We have more time together and have a more relaxed evening. Vacations are awesome, but some family traditions are all the sweeter when they happen while traveling.

Presence:

Sitting at the end of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail the four of us all sat in silence on the rocks looking at the truly awesome sight in front of us. There was monster of a rock structure towering over us and a mountain that made that rock look truly minuscule by comparison. The massiveness of what we were experiencing was nothing short of wondrous. In that moment of quiet we were all in the presence of something greater and were sharing that moment with each other without saying a word.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,869

Growth:

Remember how important it is to take care of my body. While I was able to knock out the 3,100’ of elevation gain and keep going the entire time I couldn’t help but think a few thoughts:

• I’m thankful I’ve kept myself in the shape to do this
• How much more would I have enjoyed this hike if I were about 30 pounds lighter and in better athletic condition?
• If I want to continue to do these types of hikes into my 80’s what should I be doing now to prepare?

Without physical health it is so much more difficult for me to live into my best self. Take better care of this body and it will reward my mind and spirit with more adventures.

Appreciation:

So much to be thankful for today! Definitely a list kind of day.

• Being with Becky to knock out one of her bucket list dreams
• Seeing Dominic dive into learning about living his best life through outdoor activities
• Watching Gavin see how he can power through and use his strengths to accomplish his goals while he was bouldering
• Having an awesome guide who was a blast to talk with, interacted superbly well with our boys, and who made the experience all the more positive and memorable
• Being in a near constant state of awe and wonder in one of the most beautiful places on earth
• Spending time with my family doing what we enjoy most, outdoor adventuring

Presence:

I can’t begin to do justice by explaining how beautiful and truly awesome the Lake O’Hara area is. My mind is still reeling with the enormity and grandeur it took in on our hike. Around every corner was another source of a sense of wonder. One of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done, no question.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,868

The nice thing about creating a blog is that I can change the rules as I see fit based on how I’m feeling and where my thoughts are taking me. The objective is to spend time focused on reflecting on what I am grateful for throughout the day. In so many ways it is a much needed opportunity to pause life and dive inside to remind myself to be appreciative of all the blessings the day has provided. While I have been focused on a Growth, Appreciation, and Presence based format my thoughts on the hiking trail today have led me towards one specific train of thought so I’m going to roll with it tonight and will likely get back on the normal track tomorrow.

Throughout the past few days we’ve been surrounded by the mountains. The behemoths seems to constantly remind me of just how small I am in the big picture of things. They completely dominate the landscape and are only seen in partiality, one must travel over them in order to start to soak up their massiveness. There’s another way that they leave me seeing my place in the universe…

One constant on this trip has been the power of time. I get frustrated when I pull up to a stoplight that just turned red, when I have to wait in a line at the grocery store, or for a variety of things that cause me to feel like I am missing precious seconds or a moment. Seconds. Moments. God forbid I lose an hour or more! I measure life in moments, hours, days, weeks. In the extreme I may even measure it in years.

While hiking the valley carved out by a glacier I couldn’t help but focus on the smooth rippled rock I was stepping on. The rock was slowly carved and smoothed by the grinding of glaciers and sand over thousands of years. Literally ages. The glacier ice that has since receded and stood sentinel above us is older than I am by hundreds of years. The ice makes my life look life a flash in the pan!

The mountains themselves are an entirely different story. These specific mountains were created over ONE HUNDRED MILLION years ago. If I lived 1.2 million lifetimes I still wouldn’t have been around to see them. They were slowly created by the pressure of plates pressing against each other for a wildly long period of time that my brain can’t even being to fully comprehend. The mountains tower over me and have been around long before humans and will continue to be here long after us. Another way in which they put me in my place and help me see just how small I am – in size and time. What a powerfully humbling realization / recognition.

The way that I see time sometimes needs to be slowed. Pause and remember that time stretches on much longer than I realize. Yes, sometimes the seconds matter, but more often it is okay to slow down and let nature take its course.

Time moves differently for humans and mountains, but there is much to be learned from in that difference. Sometimes the greatest and grandest things in life take a very long time to shape and form, don’t rush them, let nature run its course.

This trip has been an awesome opportunity to spend time in quiet thought and contemplation in addition to spending time with family. I’m grateful for the ways the concept of time have started to work their ways into my brain. It seems there’s something here I really need to learn. Mountains – I’m here and I’m listening.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,867

Growth:

Remember that rest is okay, even on vacation. I don’t always needs to go full speed all the time. Pause, breathe, unwind, relax, and be rested. Tonight I’m calling it a night earlier than usual, especially for a vacation night. Time to rest up and be ready for a full day tomorrow!

Appreciation:

While it is easy to remember when the weather doesn’t quite work out as planned it is really difficult to remember all the times the weather was absolutely perfect as happens more often than not. On our drive from Jasper to Field the skies got increasingly more and more hazy from smoke. For the previous couple of days the haze was very light and we had wonderful views of the mountains in the distance. Today was an entirely different story as the smoke almost completely choked out the view of the ranges that were crystal clear only 24 hours prior.

Had we done our glacier hike today rather than yesterday the entire experience would have been very different. We totally lucked out and had favorable winds and skies and I didn’t completely appreciate it until today. What an excellent reminder to appreciate all the wonderful weather we have when we have it, so easy to take for granted, but still so deserving of appreciation.

Presence:

Throughout our hike atop Whistler’s Summit today was filled with many moments of presence. We occasionally climbed giant boulders, joked around for pictures, and took in the amazing beauty all around us. Such beautiful sights from 4,600+ feet above the town of Jasper, including seeing the bungalows we’d stayed at along the Athabasca River, so easy to be present in the moment.

I almost feel like I’m on cheat mode during vacations like this… so many moments focused on the here and now as there is so much to be intensely focused on. This area is so beautiful, I am so grateful for our time here!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,866

Growth:

The small incremental changes can be difficult to notice, but larger changes shown at extremes can rock us to our core. Today we saw how far the glacier we first visited twelve years ago had receded since our past visit and it was heartbreaking. We stood at the spot we’d stepped up onto ice twelve years ago and were still well over a quarter mile of ice away.

Watching it daily we would have missed the change. Seeing it after do many years was shockingly obvious.

Appreciation:

The entire area around the Athabasca Glacier is so beautiful it is hard to put into words. The entire valley is surrounded by picturesque mountains covered in glaciers and causes the senses of distance and perspective to be so distorted that it’s almost impossible to take it all in. To have the opportunity to spend a few hours there was such a gift!

Presence:

As we stood over the mouth of a waterfall the sound echoed so loudly off the rock that I could feel the sensation of the sound in my chest. It was wild!!! So much raw power from the waterfall, to see it, hear it, AND feel it was awesome!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,865

Growth:

It is so easy to learn vicariously through the actions of someone else. Today we saw two adults pretty much lose their mind over a dispute of a parking spot while we’re surrounded by mountains and natural beauty. While it was easy to stand back and realize how crazy they were being it really hit home when I asked myself, “when am I like that?” There are so many times when I’ve lost my cool when the best thing to do would have been to calm down, relax, and focus on what’s really important. As one of my favorite thought leaders recently said this…

I can confidently say that I have never once lost my temper and afterwards said, “I’m so glad I did that.”

Ryan Holiday

How true! This afternoon’s display was a reminder to me to pause, breathe, and choose my emotions and response rather than allow my emotions to be in control out of reflex.

Appreciation:

Our hikes today were mindbendingly amazing!!! From the moment we got out of our car my brain struggled to comprehend the enormity of what we were seeing in front of us. The walls of granite shot seemingly straight up above us and caused an almost vertigo sensation as I looked up. We later saw glaciers, waterfalls, glacial lakes, and pretty much everything in between. The hike up was pretty ridiculous, gaining 2,250′ in less than three miles. Throw in the random sounds of rockslides echoing through the valley – it was AWESOME!!!

Our second hike was along a valley in which the river seemed to cut the rock like a hot knife through butter for a hundred-ish feet. The rock formations were patterned and seemingly random at the same time while the colors of the rock shifted from chalk white to dark gray. Occasionally there were what appeared to be waterfalls coming right out of the rock and then draining into the river. So cool to take it all in.

The sights of today have been amazing as has the conversations we’ve had as a family. I’m so appreciative of our prioritizing family time like this, for hitting the pause button on much of life specifically to spend time together creating memories with each other.

Presence:

Becky woke me up a bit early this morning with a huge smile on her face. In a matter of seconds I was out of bed, standing at our window, and watching an elk only a short distance from our bungalow! There were elk wandering the entire property munching on grass as they slowly meandered across the open spaces. What a surreal moment, hanging out with elk all around us!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,864

Growth:

Nothing like the grandeur and majesty of mountains to quickly remind us of our place as humans. They’ve been here since long before us and they’ll still be towering over long after we’re gone. The sense of awe and humility when in the presence of mountains is medicine for the soul.

Appreciation:

Today was a relatively long trace day but it started out as almost all Mondays do – waking up before 4:45am and getting in a four mile run. Knowing we’d be sitting s lot today we decided to get done exercise in before travel. It felt great to get moving, it felt better when I was sitting to know I’d already gotten some exercise in, and I’m going to sleep so much better now as a result. So easy to sleep in, so much more rewarding to wake up and move.

Presence:

The sounds of the oohs, ahhs, and wows from the backseat were priceless!!! The ones from Becky and I in the front sweet were awesome too! So happy to be sharing one out favorite places with the boys, so many magical moments already, and we were just driving today…. Bring on the hiking!!!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,863

Growth:

If the world really wanted to tap into the most positive clean energy source ever they need go no further than Becky’s pre-vacation energy!!! The way she lights up before vacation like this is amongst the most inspirational events I have the opportunity to witness firsthand. The smile on Becky’s face is priceless, her happy nervous energy is infectious, and the pure joy she exudes causes me to fall in love with her all over again! Whenever I’m feeling a little down I need only remember her today and I’ll be smiling.

Appreciation:

The boys just got back from having an incredible time with Mom and stepBrad. They came home totally exhausted and smiling ear to ear! We got to hear about their adventures and all the awesome memories they made over supper and throughout the night. In talking with Mom it seems the feelings were mutual and they had an amazing time together.

Soooo thankful my family creates the opportunity to share time together like that, what a wonderful way to strengthen relationships and connect with each other. Many of my favorite childhood memories were created in a similar fashion with my grandparents, I’m beyond grateful Mom and the boys are continuing the tradition.

Presence:

Greeting everyone at church today was a nonstop smile. We got to spend so much time in brief conversations with so many friends while having the opportunity to get to know others. Each person who can’t in and smiled brought a ton of joy, such s gift to have the opportunity to greet them. Thank you to all of the wonderful parishioners who came through our doors today, you all brightened my day and kept me totally focused on the present.

Thanks!!!