As I lay awake…

As I lay awake in bed suffering from insomnia, anxiety, and the deleterious effects of various medications (and I not trying to be melodramatic here), I often use a relaxation breathing technique to try and mellow out my brain and body. It is something that seems to work better if I try and focus on something at the same time, so I have been focusing on places that have been special to me at one point or another in my life. This seems to be a period of intense reflection in my life these days – where I am doing a lot more introspective looking back rather than creatively planning ahead, so thinking about places that were special just seems to flow naturally. Here are a few of those places:

Treeline on Mt. Lady MacDonald (Canmore, Alberta). Can’t tell you how many times I have hiked up Mt. Lady McDonald. After you break through the treeline you come out onto a shoulder where you are looking up the Bow River Valley towards Mt. Rundel and Tunnel mountain. A specacular little perch. It is not especially high or “grand”, but it reminds me of time I spent in Scotland hiking the Western Highlands. The allusion will not be apparent, but when unsettled weather created in the afternoons starts blowing in those ephemeral storms with their swirling clouds and swathes of atmospheric lighting playing off the mountains and the valley, it does seem apt.

Burstall Pass on the Smith-Dorrien road between Canmore and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The hike itself is nice but nothing special, but at the pass there is a little ridge that provides a view of the Spray valley with Leman lake nestled in the trees. A wide panoramic view that really lifts the spirits. For me it is a classic Rockies destination, and for extra effort you can hike down into the valley and enjoy and explore along the creek, truly wonderous stuff.

Joshua Tree National Monument. I love this place. Can’t recall how many times I visited the place before my life changed and I had my daughter. Can’t wait to take her there and share those crazy canyons and ridges.