(continued from Part one: The holiest of weeks in Antigua.)
It is dawn. Spiralling upward, a rickety metal staircase presents the first task of the day: climbing up from the kitchen to the rooftop terrace with a full cup of coffee, each step creaking and tentative, and hopefully not losing my precious liquid along the way. As I emerge victoriously to the open air from the shadowy indoor light, the sun simultaneously crests an uneven horizon, casting its first light …
Every year, as the calendar flips from August to September, the flow of tourism that descends upon Canada’s natural wonders retreats back to urban comfort. As the wild returns to the wilderness, so do I for my annual shoulder season adventure. This has become an annual pilgrimage for me over the years. With all the wildfires that have been tearing through western Canada this year, my plans were more fluid than usual…and by fluid, I mean that backcountry plan after plan…
Every time I find myself returning home to Canada, I am awed by the vast open spaces we have here. Every. Single. Time. The contrast with the high human density common in most other places around the world is stark, and this uniquely shapes both the land and all of us creatures who call Canada home.
Even today, in our modern world, the word Canada conjures up strong images in our minds of expansive landscapes. In this there is a shared national identity amongst diverse multiculturalism;…
When you think about it, plane travel can be a jarring experience; rising early, entering the corrals of airports with a ticket in hand, and coming out the other side in vastly different culture and environment…the differences introduced within a single day can be extreme and quick. Getting outside of your comfort zone can lead to a lot of growth on the road, but equally important is the potential for these contrasts to help you appreciate at home what you may have …
(continued from Part 2: Four corners of the Haida Gwaii by bicycle)
Ferries provide access all the way down British Columbia’s otherwise inaccessible coast. From the Haida Gwaii, this was the peaceful expressway to access southern British Columbia without making a huge diversion inland. Port Hardy, at the northern tip of Vancouver Island, was the port of arrival for the push to southern Vancouver Island and ultimately Vancouver, and it was also where my …
It is tempting in life to want to see it all; to cover as much ground as possible and leave footprints in a long list of places. This breadth of experience does have its merits, but it also has its sacrifices: namely, depth within each experience. Personally, I increasingly value the depth side of experience and choose adventures that are more in the slow travel category these days rather than trying to see the entire map. There really is a big difference between…