Ski Tour 1 by Aaron James

When I would sit I began to feel anxious and when I would stand my hands had to be occupied. Not able to convince this heavy elephant sitting on my chest to move and fighting the surge of a tide, simple was becoming tiresome. Thinking that any task should I try it was just not attainable, I tried to escape, even tried to escape Ski Tour 1 this semester.

What was I mostly mental? Passing up on the opportunity to shred “the Pow” and take a flight on my first helicopter ride.

A Christmas break with a weak surface hoar that could break with even the slightest trigger made getting back into school mode for the second half of the year a bit tricky. Having triggered it all on my own though. Going touring was just what I needed.

It was a 7-day ski touring trip to the Esplanade Range, backcountry ski touring! My first introduction and she definitely gave a firm handshake. Learning the outside and inside edges “how to” ski backcountry terrain, route finding, hazard evaluation, and winter camping skills. Made for a grand and very steep learning curve.

A field class of ten with two guides made for three flights into the Sunrise Lodge, factoring in gear. At 7000 feet this was to be what occupied our lives for the next seven days. Who knew classrooms could be so nice. All of us eager to learn and scratching our heads wondering what mother nature had to offer us. Better yet what our guides had to throw at us.

When we got to the lodge the guides wasted no time, our first lesson was given. The lesson was that as a guide you are always doing something. Have you ever seen Brad Harrison with a shovel? There was shoveling to be done, paths needed to be cleared, outhouses needed to be accessible, water was to be retrieved, and a fire that needed to be stoked. As we were all put to task trying to get everything settled. Looking around though I think the only thing on our minds was “when are we going to go ride?”. Ending off our first day with a short tour, getting a feel for where we were situated made for a great first day.

Alarms sounded down the hall starting at 600hrs, everyone was to be ready to go at 730 everyday. Before taking a seat at the breakfast table, making sure that you had taken the time to check what was going on with the weather outside, lunch was packed; gear list for the day was checked off. Being prepared for our morning guides meeting was the beginning of our class each day. Talking about the current weather condition, considered what we expect to happen with the day based on what information we had, the things to look out for, and what was there for the shredding.

Each day was filled full of field experience. Practicing transceiver rescues and participating in simulated scenarios made for high intensity days. “Okay guys, you are now stranded with no way out and you only got what you have on you to survive for the night, Go!”

With a lot of laughs and a positive learning environment made those long and intense days well worth it and too short.

When our week was at its end, leaving the bliss and being dismissed from Ski Tour 1. Left us with smiles and wishing that getting snowed in had been an option. When we as adventure students are away from our apartments amenities and giving a whole new meaning to bodily smells. Life is alright.

Ski Touring 1 crossed my path at the right exact time. As I am sure my fellow classmates took away an experience that only they could explain also. The twelve of us had a blast; friendships were made, good turns to be had and abundance of stories and inside jokes that will be remembered. “So Ski Touring 2, you go up right and then like come down right?”. Laughs were shared and seemingly so a lot of food was always on the table.

The 2012 Thompson Rivers University Ski Tour 1 Trip to the Esplanade Range was a great time. And I can’t seem to find that elephant, so watch out!

Kootenay River Trip Report by Sharman Learie

Kootenay River

Dates: July –August 2011
Location : Kootenay River
Access : Highway 93 East of Radium Hot Springs
Duration : 5 days on the water
Distance : Approx 90 km
Difficulty : Easy Class I/II+ at late summer water levels

Trip Members: Matt Kellow, Jude Shugar, Sharman Learie and the Boyz

Trip Description: A scenic float through the Rocky Mountains. The trip begins with a meandering and braided river course and gradually builds in intensity. Turquoise water, splash white water, canyons, Hoodoos and wildlife. A classic multiday river trip in southern BC. While we took 5 days to travel the river it certainly could be done much quicker.

July 27 Drive day Kamloops to McLeod Meadows – 6 hrs. with stops.
• $20 for camping
• $9 for fire permit
• Park fee must be paid for everyday in the park (it amounted to over $90 bucks to park our vehicle in the Kootenay National Park for 5 days)
• Park in Dog Lake Day use Campsite in a fair state of disrepair. Amazing to see what the lack of federal funding has led to. However, for an additional $9 bucks we had almost unlimited firewood. High water had destroyed several sections of the campground and the roads. With some driving around we were able to find a pullin and short path to a suspension bridge where we loaded the boats.

July 28 McLeod Meadows to Cross River
3 hours – Class I
• Top section very braidy lots of wood. Valley tightens up once you leave the road. Cross River – very buggy, thousand of mosquitoes. Nice site with hike to waterfall up stream. Confluence gravel bar excellent camp and breeze helped keep bugs down.
This was a tough campsite with kids…there were 10’s of thousands of mosquitoes here. Luckily as a group we had a 5 person tent. It became the sanctuary for the boys well the dads set up camp, cooked dinner and got the group settled. There must be a swamp or low spot nearby as a hour down river we passed another group camped at a very nice site river r and they were calmly sitting in their lawn chairs. We couldn’t believe it after the blood donation we’d given to the mosquitoes up stream.

July 29 Cross river to Paliser River
3.5 hours – Class 2 – 2+
• This is the big WW day.
• Starts about 45 minutes downstream at 1st bridge. River Canyons Up Splashy rapid under bridge. Horseshoe Bend has a forest rec site on inside corner. Inside corner on bottom of bend has best rapids. Far less buggy downstream another big site approx. 45 min down from cross river on river r. Palliser site hugs open grassy area river r or another site at confluence river L. short hike downstream river R to clear-cut gives a great view of river. The Palliser campsite on river right is a classic spot. Wide open, sunny with a small swimming eddy downstream. Great place to let the boys run wild while the dads held down the fort. We found a short hiking trail downstream that could be followed over the plateau to another campsite below the confluence of the river.
July 30 Rest day Paliser
• Day spent enjoying the sunshine and the river!

July 31 Paliser River to Gibralter Rock
3.5 hours – Class 2 – 2+ (3)
• Paliser rapid right off the bat. Must run in rafts splashy but no hazard. Can be snuck on side channel river R – but log in there. More canyon, rock bluffs and head walls. Class 2 with floats in between. Watch for waterfall on river R 15-20 min below white river has nice flat campsite river L but had RV’s. 2nd bridge provides possible alternative take out if you wanted shorter trip. L Hoodoo’s below white river, spectacular. 2 good sites at Gibralter Rock 1st river r above rock. 2nd sandy site below or mid-
squeeze river L. Nice cedars, benches, tables. Nice site with spectacular views of Gibraltar Rock. Another site not to be missed on this trip.

Aug 1 Gibralter Rock to Canal Flats
3 hrs. – Class 1
• River opens up. Becomes progressively slower and more braided. 3rd bridge approx. 2 hours in, adds
a nice alternate take out that avoids super braidy slow section below. Large sand beach river R after
highway bridge. Shady spot to park.

In hind sight it would be worthwhile shortening the trip and taking out at the 2nd bridge> While it would lengthen the shuttle the last half day is slow and anti climatic compared to the river upstream.

Other Details

• Shuttle 87 km – 1 hour
• Bank and grocery store propane all at Radium Hot Springs.
• Topo Map# 82J12, 82J05, and 82J04
• Backroads map book also handy.

Life Goes on at Stellar Descents…by Jay Martin

Another season is coming up quick for our little TRU legacy business, Stellar Descents Backcountry Adventures. I am proud to be an owner of a company that was originally founded by now Program Director, Sharman Learie and Adventure Studies grad, Adam Devita. The company was founded in 2004 and has since been passed down the ranks of further TRU alumni. My business partner, and fellow Adventure Program Graduate, Danny Cooke and I, are literally counting the days until life consists of morning coffee on the Stellar deck, the excited chatter of arriving rafters, the jokes, the story telling, and of course, the white water.

I became part owner of Stellar Descents in 2010, one year after I had graduated from the Adventure Program, and after two years of being a river guide. I was a keen kayaker, looking for a way to maintain the river guide lifestyle, while gaining an influential foothold at the place I worked. I was offered partnership at Stellar Descents, and the opportunity was a perfect fit.

Stellar offered me the perfect crash course in how much I did not know about business. However, there could have been no better environment to hit the ground… stumbling. It was a small investment; therefore low risk, a small operation; so easy to analyze, debate and adjust any policies, and if after only four months, you wanted to strangle your business partner? It was okay, because the season was over, and you could take an eight-month break. Best friends again come spring.

Stellar Descents has since become a home away from home. We are a small company, chugging along and making small improvements every year. It has become my “Zen Company” so to speak. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Tourism Management, I have begun working for an aggressive event planning company in Vancouver. I have my own office, I am given relative freedom in regards to decision making in my department, decent compensation and regular opportunities to move upward. Life is good, and I enjoy my work. But the pace of life reflects the pace of business. And in this environment, one is rewarded for an aggressive and competitive nature. No matter what project, strategy or idea I am working on, my end goal always remains the same, to increase the profit margin. I thoroughly enjoy this challenge.

However, often I sit back and think about my summers up at Stellar Descents. We may never be a very profitable company. We are a small player, competing in a tough market during hard economic times. We have aging assets and limited cash flow. We are the inevitable underdog. This season, we will probably not make enough revenue to drastically change our marketing campaign. We will probably not make enough money to upgrade our company vehicles. But we will make enough to go rafting. We will make enough to put smiles on peoples faces, laugh with our friends, live on the river and open up next season to do it all again. With a limited budget for growth and expansion, we are heavily invested in one thing: Lifestyle.

This summer, when we open the doors for business, there will not be many certainties. The weather could be terrible. The water could be low. Travel may increase, but it probably will not. A few things however, are certain. I will definitely pump rafts. I will definitely tell jokes. And I will definitely go kayaking. If I am the first to the base in the morning, I will make the coffee. And sitting in front of the Stellar Shack on a quiet morning, with the Fraser River behind me and snow-capped Mount Goslin in front, that coffee will be fantastic.

Rock Expedition 2011

Eddie Gapper and Chris Volkart put together this entertaining video slideshow of the 2011 Rock Expedition. Watch and see how much fun climbing can be, Well made guys!

 

Gilles on TV!!

Rapid Media interviewed Gilles while he was at the Outdoor Adventure Show in November 2011. Great interview to find out rudimentary information on the program, what sets us apart, and where are students go after the program. Watch the interview below! 

My First Semester in Adventure Studies at TRU by Keiran Rankin

The last few months have been a whirlwind tour of hard work, fun and adventure unlike any other time in my life.  From day one it has been go, go, go! But unlike the rush of a “normal” post-secondary education, this is a workload that you hope will never end.

Our first day at TRU was spent with introductions. We heard a little bit from everyone about what their experiences have been in the past and why they were here. Dave Freeze, one of the faculties’ most hilarious instructors, facilitated some icebreaker games with warmth and zest that we have come to know him for.  He also read us a poem titled The men who don’t fit in. It struck a nerve with many of us who have tried many other programs that didn’t turn out for us in the end. Were the kind of people who don’t see success solely in terms of how much money we make; we just want to work doing what we love. Were an eclectic bunch of people in Adventure Studies at TRU and proud of it.

We were given a tour of the facilities on campus which includes the programs epic gear bay.  Dozens of canoes and kayaks line one wall while others are chock a block full of rows of paddles, PFDs, helmets, Ice axes, skis and racks of climbing hardware. Row after row of shelves are piled high with climbing ropes, tents, tarps, stoves and the miscellaneous camping gear. The programs vehicles are parked outside; fifteen passenger vans equipped with dually rear wheels and massive stainless steel gear racks. This is a gear-hogs heaven and not a bad place to be if the zombie apocalypse comes.

That evening we had a welcoming barbeque where we had a chance to meet the second year students and fatten up on some free burgers. A hacky sack circle was soon formed and I had to draw upon all but forgotten experience from high school. It was amazing how fast friendships began to form with a group of people so diverse yet so like-minded. Plans were being drawn for runs on the nearby Adams River for the few free days we would have over the next month.

Our first field course was Wilderness Travel. We spent a few days in class going over orienteering, leave-no-trace principles, weather observations and other theory. We headed out to Wells Gray Provincial Park to test our mettle on a back packing trip off trail and through the forests and alpine meadows around Trophy Mountain. We split up into groups of six students each led by a mountain guide, most of which were former TRU students.

Each day we would each take a lead for a portion of the day and were expected to pinpoint our position on a map and any given moment. Our major goal for the trip was Battle Mountain.  We camped up high at 7500 ft. and woke at Six am to a Tequila Sunrise over the Monashee Mountains. It was an amazing experience that helped the group bond.  We reached Battle Mountain without a hitch, but holy moly it was Ptarmegeddon up there. We must have seen a dozen of those fuzzy footed mountain pheasants. We all learned a lot on Wilderness Travel about pacing, route finding and leadership principles.

White water kayaking was my moment to shine. I have been paddling both canoes and kayaks on B.C. Rivers since I was 14 years old. Because of this I was able to help other students and focus on learning new techniques. We started out in the pool on campus where we were given a crash course in wet-exits and Eskimo-rolls. Next, we moved down to the Thompson River here in Kamloops and practiced some basic strokes with the assistance of second year students and a number of instructors.

With the basics covered we headed out to paddle for three days on the Clearwater River.  We stayed at a bible camp in the town of Clearwater which was a real treat. We had warm bunks and a full size kitchen to come home to after each gruelling day of “pain and repetition” which head instructor Sharman Leary insisted was the key to success.  As we upped the ante to grade three rapids many of the new paddlers were falling over and pulling out. Watching the instructors pick up the pieces of our self-described “crazy train” was entertaining to say the least. Our final exam was on the Adams River’s grade three canyon which suited me just fine since I have paddled it before. Most people did really well and the course won over a few converts to paddling white water for life.

The last field course I did this fall was a basic Mountaineering course in the Rocky Mountains. I was really excited for this course since I have wanted to push my hard skills in the mountains for some time now. I have been scrambling for years but have wanted to learn about rope work and glacial travel. Our course took place on the Wapta Ice Field near Lake Louise and was led by some extremely experienced mountain guides. We hiked into the Bow Hut which is a palace compared to many of the mountain huts that I have visited in the past. It has a separate sleeping quarters and a spacious kitchen. The outhouses are even accessible without leaving the hut!

We used this as a base for the next week to travel out across the glacier and ascend a number of the area’s prominent peaks.  We practiced travelling as a rope team across glaciated terrain crevasse rescue.  The white out navigation that we had been anxiously awaiting since wilderness travel finally materialized and made for an interesting day ascending Mount Hable. The knife edge ridge of Mount Olive was also very exciting. The fantastic view of many other peaks in the Rocky Mountains that its peak offered was the highlight of the trip for me.

With the field season over it was time for some “real school”. We had two courses this semester. Guiding Leadership taught by Terry Palechuk and Ian Stewart- Patterson, both experienced mountain guides. Introduction to the Adventure Tourism Industry taught by Angela Bueckert a former student at TRU who has worked for years as a sea kayak guide.  It was hilarious seeing a group of students that so obviously pined for the outdoors trying their best to sit still and take notes, but with numerous breaks filled with hacky sack sessions to burn off our energy, we got it done.

In fact we all learned a lot from these courses. Guiding Leadership taught us techniques for leading and facilitating groups in outdoor environments, group dynamics and decisions making; all extremely useful skills for aspiring guides. Introduction to the Adventure Tourism Industry really forced us to tease out our goals in the industry and to make a plan about how were going to get there. I now have a much better understanding of how the industry works and where I am headed.

Classroom courses are now over and we are moving on to a Wilderness First Aid Course before our Christmas break. I’ve made a lot of great friends here at TRU who I go to the climbing gym with and paddle on our days off. Unlike other university programs that I’ve been in there is a real camaraderie that can only be formed by spending time together in wilderness settings, rescuing each other from a rapid, and holding a fall when someone steps into a crevasse.   My first semester here at TRU has been a blast and I’m very excited about the Ski-Touring and Professional Avalanche courses that we will be taking early next semester.  Don’t tell my parents, but for the first time I don’t want to go home for the holidays.’

Where are the Whales – by Joël Lavigueur

“So… how far do we have to paddle to see the killer whales?”

“Well, I took an appointment with this orca pod I’m buddies with, the A24s, and they told me they would be hanging around Blinkhorn Peninsula. So if we keep this pace up guys, we should be there in about 45.7 minutes tops.”

Of course, I didn’t really answer my client’s question with total sarcasm, though I was strongly considering it. It was mid-August and I had already heard what seemed to be a thousand queries of that kind. “Will we see orcas?” I DON’T KNOW! “Where are the whales?” WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE! Loosing patience with clients is very hard on gratuities and not so heuristic. Deep breath, centre your chakras, smile, “You see, with marine mammals like orcas and humpbacks, we can’t really predict when and where they’ll be once we’re on the water. Of course, the more time you spend out there, the more chances you’ll have of spotting them. Today we’ll be out for about 7 hours, so let’s keep our ears and eyes keen but not forget about all the other cool wildlife we can find.” That’s right! While my group scrutinizes the middle of the strait for big impressive whales, I have my eyes on the rocky shore and seabed. It’s low tide!

“Hey! check this out guys!”

Reluctantly shifting there attention to their exuberant dreadhead guide, they quickly forget about the whale hunting.

“What is THAT?” “It’s so slimy!” “Look how many legs it has!” “Is it poisonous?!”

“THIS, my friends, is a Sunflower Star. The fiercest fastest predator of the intertidal!”

“Can I hold it?” Not to my surprise I turn around to find my youngest paddler with big googly eyes holding his arms out towards the 24-legged spiny, spongy, slimy creature.

As simple as that, they divert their efforts from finding big majestic sea mammals to unearthing (unseaing?) intertidal critters. From whelks to sea urchins to leather stars to kelp crabs, without knowing, we find the whole spectrum of creatures who’s ancestors are… OUR ancestors. Yeah I know, creepy!

“But we are descendants of Adam and Eve”

“eeeeee… Hey look! Dall’s Porpoises!” Perfect timing… Never talk about politics, religion or

money with clients. EVER!

“The Dall’s Porpoise is actually the fastest marine mammal on Earth. And would ya look at that, we’re already at our lunch beach!” It’s all about diverting there attention and distraction. While my group either turns over rocks looking for crabs or keep an eye offshore, I prepare a delicious pick-nick. That is, spread the table cloth on a log, open tupperwares and mix salad ingredients as if to show off some kind of backcountry meal prep skills.

“Lunch is ready!”

On the menu today (and every day-trip): Greek salad, pitas, hummus, cookies and Pringles.

“Oh wow! How colourful!” ” I don’t eat this well at home.” …you’re serious???

Lunch is a good time to relax and get to know my clients. It seems I am two different guides on the water and on land. In my boat I’m constantly telling them where to go, what to look at, answering questions. On the beach, they won’t go far, they can finds critters themselves and they too need a break from asking questions. Today we talked about French and language immersion. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the first time. It usually starts with: “So where are you from, Joël” “Montreal” “Oh! So do you speak French?” “Yep, it’s my mother tongue.” “But you don’t have an accent” and then arises a conversation about language immersion and sometimes goes through Québec separatism which I quickly divert to “Enough about the French, how about you guys, what do you do back home?” My first clients however, a couple from North Carolina, knew more about the Québec Patriotes then me! Seems the husband was all in to books about Wolf and Montcalm, Papineau and Taschereau. So it was one of the rare times were I talked politics, well… more like history right?

“Alright everyone! Let’s pack up and get in our kayaks.”

The way back is a lot different. Apart from being in a digestive coma, most of them also seem to realize where they are and how big it is. They’re lots of silent moments and I love looking behind me to see the majority of them gazing around with admiring eyes, spotting their third bald eagle and fifth harbour seal. If I did my job right, they forgot about the killer whales. They understood that they weren’t in a zoo where around a bend, humpbacks would be breaching everyday and around another, orcas would be spyhopping constantly. This is the Wild, the Unpredictable. This is Mama Earth’s turf, not ours.

Speak of the devil (not that she is or anything), thar she blows! As usual on a Johnstone Strait afternoon, the summer Northwesterly picks up and forces us to hug the shore. With just my luck, max flood was happening and we end up eddy-climbing our way home. Thank you whitewater kayaking! “Just power through the eddy line and keep turning left with your rudder after crossing it” Just the excitement they need to finish up the day. We paddle in to Telegraph Cove like pumped and like superstars smiling to the hoard of tour bus tourists photographing us.

After thank yous and hand shakes (some with surprises in them), I take the time to thank them. Looks of puzzlement follow and I quickly explain “Thank you for making my job feel like avacation.”

I spoke to soon. It’s time to clean up. Dishes, leftovers, rinsing gear, hanging PFDs, putting kayaks on their racks, filling a log, helping a group after their 3-day journey on and on until, the light at the end of the tunnel. My boss walks back from the general store with 2 Bowen Island 6-packs. We assemble around our pick nick tables and finally unwind. The guides are exceptional all back from their trips the same day and we have 2 fresh Coho’s marinating. Perfect reason to celebrate. The Pit awaits!

Telegraph Cove is a resort town and the only accommodation is camping or 235$/day houses. The staff from North Island Kayak and the Seahorse Café however have a spot to ourselves: Creekside, that we lovingly nickname the Gravel Pit, a barren lot of big sharp gravel flanked with a dozen trailers. Some are lucky enough to have running water, propane hook ups and a level ground. I’m the new guy, so I got the trailer that was suppose to go to the dumpster for being to mouldy. “Naaaah, its fine! Just needs a little scrub with Javel right?”

Can you say understatement?

After a quick clean in the recycled phone booth we call our shower, I cook some rosemary and dulse rice and a plate of my now famous garlic bread. By the time I’m done, I can smell the fire slowly cooking the delicious fishies. The Tide Rip Bear Tour guys are there and most of the Pit’s population. The word had quickly spread and the girls from the Whale Interpretative Centre, Stubbs Island Whale Watching naturalists and the campground managers were all gathered in the Pit to enjoy a colossal pot luck. Laughs, stories, dancing, drinking and eating ensues as I tell myself “Now this is my kind of Summer! I’ll be back next year no questions.”

Cheers to my day off tomorrow!

Click on the link to watch Joël’s Summer Guiding video: 

Adventures in Chile by Gabriel Cote-Valiquette

After graduating from the Adventure Guide Diploma, I decided to transfer my 2 years into the BIS. I chose this program because it is quite open and gives me the opportunity to travel while continuing my studies. I felt the need for adventure so I signed up for a student exchange in Viña del Mar, Chile (1h30 out of the capital Santiago on the coast). As a kayaker, my dream has always been to paddle in this country.

It was definitely a big shock to arrive in Santiago, home of 6 million people, and travel with all my kayaking gear in the public transit system. Most of the good kayaking in Chile is down south, around the city of Pucón (about 12 hours away from where I live) so I was expecting to only be able to paddle during my summer vacation. In Chile school ends December 7^th and starts in March so really my reason to study in Chile was to spend those 3 months kayaking there. Luckily, after a little research I realized that there is some great kayaking and rafting on the Maipo River just 60 km south-east of Santiago in the Andes mountains. The Spanish program I am following offers a 3 day weekend so I traveled there every week to spend as much time on the water as possible. I was very well hosted there by a company called Cascada de las Animas, which is an awesome camping resort with many different activities, including rafting, zip lining, horse back ridding, etc. It is owned by a well known Chilean family, the Astorgas. They have a long history in the world of whitewater here and recently, their rafting team composed of 6 cousins did very well at the Rafting World Championship in Costa Rica. I made great friends there and was even able to work as a security kayaker. They even let me raft guide in Spanish once, which was an awesome opportunity for me.

I am now fluent in spanish and after spending 10 days in Pucón a few months ago, I managed to make enough contacts to possibly work on the Futaleufu in January and February. It is known as one of the 10 best rafting destinations in the world so this is great news for me.

Studying in another country was one of the best things that happened to me. I learned a lot about myself by looking back at me threw the eyes of a totally different culture. I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity and I am thankful to everyone who made this possible. I was also fortunate enough to arrive in Chile in a time that might mark history. As you may have heard, there are big protests here against the current education system and profits that are made out of it.

I attached a few pictures and videos… I hope they will make you want to visit Chile!

¡Que estén bien!

Gabriel

A typical sunset in Vina del Mar

Kayaking in the Andes on the Rio Yeso

Gabriel on the Rio Claro

Check out some video here!!!

Into the Vortex: From Sedona to Mount Shasta – Jessica Haist

As I was strolling along looking for seashells in Big Sur last month I found this clear quartz crystal just laying in the pebbles as if it was waiting for me. I suddenly felt lucky, charmed if you will.

In Prescott, I live quite near the epicenter of crystal and vortex mysticism, Sedona Arizona. The word on the street in Sedona is that there is a vortex that will take you from Sedona all the way to Mount Shasta in California.  I had been planning on climbing Mount Shasta with my friend Leia for about three years and we had finally set a date for the climb: April 30^th.  I felt as if finding this crystal was some kind of sign, so, when my friend Vanessa came to visit me and we headed out on some South West adventures together, I took the opportunity to visit Sedona and one of its’ many crystal/vortex shops.

In the Kaleidoscope store in Jerome

I felt silly going in there at first – I’m not really a believer in all of that hocus pocus, I didn’t want to get a photo of my aura or have my future told, I was just curious about my crystal and wanted to ask what it might be or mean. I sheepishly looked around the shop for a few minutes, checking out the different rocks, crystals and other talismans that were for sale, until I worked up my courage and approached the friendliest looking woman in the store. “Hi, I found this crystal on the beach last week, and was wondering if you could tell me anything about it” I said hesitantly. The woman took my crystal from me and gave it a look. “Wow, you are lucky!” She said “This is a quartz crystal. Quartz crystals create clarity and focus. You should make this crystal your own…” She gave the crystal back to me. “Say a prayer for it, use it in your third eye…” She paused and issued this warning: “Quartz crystals tend to bring out the light in people, but sometimes to get to the light you need to wade through some darkness”. I thought about this for a moment, sure I thought, I probably have some darkness I need to attend to, so I guess we’ll see how it goes. I thanked the saleswoman and walked pensively out of the store. On my way down the stairs from the shop I glanced back at the sign attached to the metal railing. On the sign there was a large photo of the woman I was just talking to and underneath read: “Psychic readings from Naomi”. The woman was a psychic, I better pay heed to what she told me.

Examining my crystal in the Bell Rock Vortex

Vanessa and I continued on our journey, with a brief stop at Bell Rock, which is the site of one of the three local vortexes in Sedona. Vanessa and I climbed up the steep sides of Bell rock to reach the highest point we could without requiring ropes and I dutifully brought out my crystal, put it at the site of my third eye and thought about my upcoming climb of Mount Shasta. I was hoping I would be able to get to Mt. Shasta through the vortex – without all the trouble of flying and driving, but to no avail.

As I dropped Vanessa off to catch her plane back to Vancouver, I hopped on my own plane to San Francisco to meet up with Leia. We spent the night in SF and then on Thursday drove the 5 plus hour drive up to Mount Shasta where we visited the Forest Service office to get permits and the latest weather info. The ranger informed us that there were crazy high winds above 12, 000 feet. They were supposed to get up to 80 mph on Saturday before dying down on Sunday. We had originally slated Saturday as our summit day, but had to reformulate our plan to include picking up our other climbing partner Jason and spending the day in Shasta City hitting up the bakeries and thrift shops. Sunday would be our day. We did the four mile, four thousand foot slog up to base camp at Lake Helen on Saturday afternoon and spent most of the evening digging out a platform and creating walls for our tent, then melting lots of snow for drinking water for the following day. Leia had filled a Poweraid bottle with boiling water and put it in her sleeping bag to warm it up, but much to all of our dismay the bottle opened in her down sleeping bag and completely soaked it, luckily avoiding the rest of our down nest. We tucked into bed that night around 10pm having wrapped Leia up in our two bivy sacks and stuffing them full of our extra layers. Our alarms were set for 4am, an alpine start. As soon as our headlamps were off and our heads hit our ‘pillows’ the wind began to howl, and continued to do so until my watch alarm started to sound. None of us moved. We were all awake because none of us had really slept. Finally Jason got up to pee and discovered that the whole vestibule of our tent was full of snow that had been blown in during the night’s winds. No one else at base camp was stirring, even though we had all set a common wake up time. How high were the winds at the summit if they were still so high here? Will we have the energy to get all the way up if we’re already exhausted? Was it even worth it to wrestle with our clothes, boots and crampons? Everything seems much more difficult when you’re laying in your warm sleeping bag with no exposure to the elements. We continued to lie in our bags.

The slog to basecamp

Finally, I convinced myself that we had come all this way for a reason so we might as well give it a try. I sat up in my sleeping bag and announced, “I’m going for it”. Jason had been waiting for his queue and shot up in his bag as well. Leia took some convincing as she had had a cold, sleepless night and her hip flexor was bothering her from yesterday’s hike, but finally she conceded and agreed to give it a try. After suiting up and eating a quick breakfast we were out on the snowfield making our slow ascent. By now there were plenty of people climbing up the large wide open snowfield and we plodded along, passing guided groups and a group of Shasta Mountain guides doing early season training. Eventually we made our way to the top of the ‘Red Banks’. We were told this would be the place to asses and decide to go on, or turn back. The winds had died down and I was feeling great – elated even – to be on a beautiful mountain (crystal in my pocket) and feeling excited to keep going. And that’s just what we did. We continued along the narrow ridge, up another steep gradient to the bottom of the aptly named “Misery Hill”. The winds had picked up, but we knew this was the last pitch until the summit. Having crested Misery Hill we could see the summit ahead. We regrouped, drank some water and headed towards it with mounting excitement. On the final climb to the top I was reminded that Mount Shasta is actually a great volcano when I smelled the sulfur that is wafting out of what must be the portion of the crater that still vented out the top.

I waited for my climbing partners at a knoll just below the summit, I wanted us to all make it up at the same time. We scrambled up the last little bit and onto the tiny nub that is the actual summit. Jason, Leia and I celebrated briefly on the top with hugs and photos and signed the summit register. For all of our doubts and apprehensions we had waded through the darkness and found our way to the light, the top of Mt. Shasta. Vortex or not my crystal had gotten me to Mt. Shasta without too much trouble after all.

Jason melting snow in camp

Jason and Leia from the top of the Red Banks

On the summit

Former Adventure Guide Student Becomes Part Owner of a Kiwi Kayaking Company!

Throughout the program Bronwyn Fehr was consentrated on sea kayaking. She finished the Adventure Guide Program in April 2010, and spent the summer directly after sea kayak guiding in Tofino. It was in Tofino that Bronwyn met Dale Burrows, a kiwi, who was in Canada travelling and working as a sea kayak guide himself. After the summer season died down in Tofino the two headed off to see what adventure they could find in New Zealand. And adventures they found, the two are now owners of a sea kayak guiding company on the southern most inhabited island in New Zealand, Stewart Island. The company is called Rakiura Kayaing. Check out the website at: http://www.rakiura.co.nz/Welcome.html

A beautiful rainbow to please the tourist

Not to bad of a place to call home!

Incredible spot for a twilight paddle

Dale and the company mascot