More mountain "elevation"...and a thank you.

"Ha Ling" peak (r), from the Canmore Nordic Center.

For reasons too complicated to explain, my head and my heart are back in the mountains. We were there, amidst those very peaks, just a few days ago. It was a very special time with family.

Not many years ago, Joan and I hiked, and then scree-scrambled, to the top of Ha Ling, the peak on  the far right of the image above. From the top, it felt like you could see forever. The complex terrain in every direction made complete sense from our high perspective.

At valley level, it can be quite a different story. It's possible to get disorientated, even lost, when the trail becomes unclear and you are "hemmed in" by forest and mountainsides. Getting some elevation can be the key to discerning where you are. I think it's the same in life.

It's been my experience that when the road ahead is not clear, it's essential to get some elevation, some new perspective. That's not always easy, but the effort is essential. We may achieve that "elevation" when we share our situation or our concerns with a trusted friend. It may emerge at some magical moment on a trail run, or in the pleasant effort of propelling the kayak, with a strong and even cadence. Sometimes, in the context of quiet and contemplative meditation, that moment of clarity suddenly surrounds and embraces us. "Elevation"...a key to finding our way. If the truth be known, when my heart and mind return from the mountains...I may try all of those strategies.

And yes, warm thanks to the folks at kayakcanoeblogger.com for including us on their Top 13 Favourite Blogs - we were quite tickled. Thanks also to blogging friend, PO, at Paddling Otaku for tipping us off about the news. Congrats to neighbouring Island blogs Gecko Paddler and John's Kayak Adventures - we probably all felt a little "elevation".

Duncan.

Going "home" again, to the mountains...

Back "home" in Canmore.

For these past few days, we've been a long way from our Island home, and a long way from the water. Although Thomas Wolfe suggested, in the title of his book, "you can't go home again"...sometimes you can. The elements that thrilled, "once upon a time" and gave value to life...can wait patiently for your return and bid you a warm welcome.

Mountains have framed many of our places of abode over the years. We lived briefly in Waterton Lakes National Park, four years in Grande Cache in the Rockies north of Jasper, and then five years in Banff National Park. We had a small home in Canmore, beneath the majestic "Three Sisters", standing "tall" in the image above. From our location on Vancouver and Gabriola Islands, snow-capped mountains thrill in almost in every compass direction.

An ancient writer recorded a personal impression of these high places when he wrote, "the mountains bring peace to the people". Indeed they do, at least that's always been our experience. There's something that strikes deep within the soul about a topography that, in human experience, remains unchanged over countless millennia. In terms of our recorded history, the mountains we see today have always been there - and in the context of any meaningful future time, they always will be there. In a world of constant change, there's something reassuring about that fact.

Both my parents are now "home" in the mountains of Canmore, their life-journey now complete. We will return often - to hike, to run on the trails, to enjoy the amazing treat of a maple bagel and a soy latte, to be thrilled by peaks that reach into the sky...and to experience the peace that such high places bring. You can go "home" again...be it only for a visit.

Duncan.


PS To our most patient and understanding sea kayaks...not much longer, we promise. ;)