Back in Balance

This morning I left home not knowing where I was really going to go but ended up heading towards a short little 5 km trail at Jack Point that I have been wanting to hike for years. Up until a month ago though, I didn't know where the trail head was so was unable to come here and explore.

So although it was raining I decided to give it a try and wow...it was a beautiful little trail and the perfect place to find some alone time and just soak in the quiet of nature. 

Life doesn't always go as we would like, there are curves and twists in it all the time, which I guess is a good thing. As I walked among the arbutus trees filled with twists and curves it reminded me of what life is like. 

They, like the people in our lives are all beautiful and amazing to be with yet there are some trees that look like I feel at times...old and gnarly!

And then others looks so very perfect, like I wish I could be. However nothing is really perfect in this world and we just have to take it as it comes.

We are all so blessed to be surrounded in such beauty and it is a great reminder for me to always be thankful. There is just so much to be thankful for.

And when some days you feel like you are all alone in the world....

a friend just pops by or up and reminds us that we are never alone, there is always someone there when you need them. 

It was a great morning, sitting quietly by the water listening to the waves gurgle around the rocks. As much as I love hiking and caching with my pals, every now and then I need to escape out on my own and just be still with nature.

And as always, after a few hours out in the rain and wind, surrounded in beautiful creation, life is back in balance and my soul is recharged with hope and an inner peace. I am thankful.

Escaping

Sometimes in life one just needs to escape. Not only to escape from the daily life of work and stress in one's life but to escape from the wider world and all of it's continuing horror.  This past weekend I did just that. I spent two days up in Comox having fun and sharing in lots of laughter. Laughter to me is the best medicine when life gets me down and laughter is at its best when you share it with those you love. 

Friday night we took a quick stroll down to the beach to walk the dog. The wind was blowing and the waves were large and foaming on the shoreline. Walking near the ocean in the wind is one of my favourite things to do and it always brings a smile to my face. 

It just feels so good to have the wind on my face and even better if the sun is shining as well. It's a great way to connect with creation and be thankful for the simple things in life. 

Saturday we took off to Nymph Falls and went in the opposite direction of the falls hoping to make it to Comox Lake and the damn approximately 6 kms away. It was a beautiful trail that followed the river for some time before heading off into the woods. It was very quiet in the woods and gave us a wonderful time to chat and catch up. We really didn't see any other people on the trail and at times the quietness of the forest was rather spooky. Looking across the river at the swans against the frozen snow brought a sense of peace and calm.

There was much more snow on the trail than we had anticipated so we had to turn around before reaching our destination. However I do hope to give it another go in the spring when the walking will be much easier and the scenery will be full of different colour.  

Sunday we woke to rain but decided to go forward with our snowshoeing adventure on Mount Washington. By the time we reached our destination just down from the actual ski hill the snow was coming down in huge large wet flakes. It was beautiful. 

We headed out and went off trail through the trees breaking our own trail. It was quiet and magical. 

The snow drifts were clear of any tracks and we felt like we were out in our own little world. Eventually the snow stopped and the sun came out and the whiteness of the snow and the views were just amazing.

 We stopped on the side of the small hill and shared in a lunch before heading back up hill to the vehicle. 

Upon reaching the crest of a small hill we posed for some silhouette pictures against the sun, however I stepped on my own snow shoe and tumbled backwards into my daughter sending us both into the snow with lots of laughter. 

It was a weekend full of fun and laughter and most of that laughter was at myself and to me that is the best kind of laughter. When one feels free and safe enough to just laugh at their own fears or silliness with people they love it restores. It drains away the tension caused by stress and just allows one to have relaxing fun and forget about the rest of the world, if only for a few minutes. 

I am thankful that I am able to escape from the "real" world and enjoy time out in nature. So many folks are unable to. They are dealing, on a daily basis, with the horror of others cruelty because of their race, religion or other factors in their lives. Today as I returned to work and folks shared with me their disgust over what is happening in our world this week, I was able to just sit and listen and be present thanks to my restorative weekend. I find the politics on our world frustrating because it gives me a sense of helplessness. I feel there is nothing I can to do that will make things right with the world. Thankfully, when life gets too full of cruelty and negativity I shall be able to look back at this weekend and remember the laughter and "escape" once again for a few moments of time. If only it was so easy for all. 

Reflecting Light

I love the moon and have for most of my life. This week as I drove to work I looked up to the moon, in its full state and admired it's beautiful bright white glow. Even though it is 384,400 km away from the Earth it shines down in the night casting a beautiful light across our planet.  I wondered why I love the moon so much and not the sun. After all the sun gives us warmth, it gives us light and is a requirement for all of creation. One would think that the sun should be more worshiped than the moon. On the other hand as much as the sun gives us life it can also bring us great harm, whereas the moon, powerful enough to control our tidal waters, doesn't do harm to us as people.

I realized that the reason I love the moon is because it doesn't shine its own light but reflects the light of another. It is how I want to live my life and what I feel we are called to do. We aren't here to stand alone and be boastful in our deeds but to reflect the light of our creator and share that light with others. It's what we do at my church,  every project we do, we do together, reflecting the light and gifts of each other and share it with others in our community and world. Without the sun the moon wouldn't have any light to reflect down on us in the night.  Without the support of each person, we wouldn't be able to do all that we do. We need each other. The light and love that surrounds us, gives us the hope and strength to work together to make this world a better place for all people. It all takes time and hard work but step by step, as a team, we make a difference in many people's lives. 

When I think of all the good work that non profit organizations do in our community it is just mind boggling. There are so many people who volunteer their time to help others through food banks, thrift stores, health programs and social groups that raise funds to support local projects. Every time we take part and offer our time and gifts we are reflecting the light onto others.

The other evening my daughter and granddaughter and I went to sit at the beach and watch the moon rise. As it rose it was a beautiful orange colour and was just gorgeous as it reflected light across the waters. My granddaughter who is two was so excited to see it come up over the mountain.  That night she had a sleep over and when she woke in the morning she looked out of my window and saw the moon. She was so very happy and kept saying "moon, moon, white, white"  She noticed that the moon when up high in the sky was white whereas when we had seen it earlier it was orange in colour. It's so wonderful to share some of the simpler things in life with younger folk and share in their excitement. 

So when you are out at night or just feel surrounded by darkness, look up at that beautiful white moon and remember the light and love of creation and  all that we do when we reflect that love and light onto others. Reflecting the light and love of others is what will make our world as beautiful as the light of the moon shining across the deep waters of our planet, bringing light to our dark times. 

Great day!

It's been a great year so far with a couple of days of hiking in our snowy weather. Today we decided to skip the ice and snow and head to the beach and cache. We walked along the trails and beaches at Rathtrevor Park and the weather was fantastic! Blues skies and yet still around 0 degrees. 

We spent more time taking pictures than we did anything else but it was a peaceful morning. The mountains in the distance were just spectacular with the sun shining down on their snow covered peaks. Not only were the mountains covered in snow but so was the beach.

Was I ever surprised to find snow at the beach! We are having one of our coldest winters ever and I have never know it to stay below freezing for so long. The waterfalls and streams are all frozen over but it never dawned on me that there would be snow at the beach! 

Never before have I seen snow on seashells and seaweed. It was just beautiful to look at. It just goes to show that one never knows what you might find when you head out on an adventure.

It's true with most things in life. Life changes, things happen unexpectedly, one just never knows what might happen or what they might find on their journey. I have to admit I am not great at surprises. I like to plan ahead and know what to expect when I go somewhere and yet when I am out exploring,  I love not knowing what lies around the corner. It brings mystery to the day.

Last year was a difficult year for many of my friends and folks in the world. The unexpected is not always positive or a good surprise. Sadness and difficult times can reach out to us without a moment's notice. It's what keeps us making the most of each day and taking nothing for granted.  

I pray that this year will continue to be a year full of wonderful adventures, filled with time outdoors exploring and connecting with creation and lots of positive surprises, like snow on the beach,  in everyone's lives. 

Having it all..

I quite often find myself saying to people "you can't have it all" or "you can't have your cake and eat it too" because in life we often have to make choices between one thing or another but I found out that some days you actually can have it all. I belong to the online group "Take a Hike, Vancouver Island" and people post such wonderful photos of hikes they have gone on. Its a great place to get information about where to hike and what the conditions are like plus a place to meet other hikers. Lately there have been lots of pictures of waterfalls and I have been wanting to hike to one for some time but it just has never worked out. 

This past Saturday my friend and I had planned to go hiking. It had snowed the weekend before the surrounding mountains were still covered in snow thanks to the -5 weather we have been having. I had so wanted to hike to a waterfall however, I knew the weather was about to change, so if we wanted to hike up the mountain into the snow we needed to do it this weekend. So we chose to hike to the cross on Mt Tzhouhalem, a trail we have hiked many times. We would head to the cross and then go up on the ridge and to the summit making it a circular hike and hopefully find some fresh untouched snow. 

It was a great day and the trails were still snow covered right from the car park. We seemed to be the only two on the trail and the snow brought a wonderful silence and stillness to the forests. 

It was so very peaceful, although one had to be careful as it was a bit slippery in places. Everything always looks so different when its covered in snow and we were treated to many beautiful views as we hiked along. 

We reached the cross in a little over an hour and took a lunch break sitting just below the cross. 

As we started to head over to the ridge trail, I got thinking about those waterfalls I have been wanting to get to. How cool it would be to see one that could be partially frozen. Thankfully my hiking pal was obliging and we quickly changed our plans and headed back down to the car. 

We headed over to Stocking Creek trail where we knew we could be at a waterfall within 30 minutes. Once again we were all alone on the snow packed trail and surrounded in a world of white bringing with it the calming silence. 

Thankfully we found our way to the waterfall which I had never been to before. It was running quite strongly but all along the side long clear icicles were hanging. I was so thrilled to be there. 

It was a great day and doing two short hikes gave us both the joy of a mountain top and the sounds of a waterfall. 

Life is always so very busy, the days fill up rather quickly and I find myself continually making compromises. Wanting to do this but needing to do that. Its a continuous battle in all areas of life. There just isn't enough time in the day to do it all or there just isn't enough money to do it all. I can't be hiking every weekend and still find time for my family and all of my friends. 

Life is always asking us to make choices. Today however after making the one choice, I was able to make another and was actually able to "have it all" I came home feeling truly blessed to live in a valley that offered mountains to climb and waterfalls to visit all within a few minutes drive of each other. I was also very thankful to have a friend that was willing to indulge my whim. It was an amazing day that left me spiritually fulfilled as it always does when I get outdoors and connect with nature. 

Making Lemonade

Life is not always easy, especially in times when there is so much sadness and pain in our world. Vehicle accidents, people dying way before there time, countries at war and the slow destruction of our environment. We are constantly being faced with news that is hard to bear. We never really know from one day to the next what will happen in our lives. We all have our hopes and dreams, some of us even plan way into the future. Many times those dreams are not filled because life doesn't always go as we want it to. 

It's important even on the darkest of days for us all to find the good and be thankful for what we had or have and what we are able to experience. Even as we grieve, depending on the loss, we can remember the good times or we can seek new directions and allow ourselves to move forward. 

On days when life doesn't go as we want it to or be what we had hoped for and sadness enfolds us, it helps to get outdoors. When we are outside in nature we can soak in the beauty that surrounds us and eventually we can let go of some of the pain we are feeling. 

Being out in nature restores me, reminds me of all that is good in our world, reminds me to be thankful for all that I have. Breathing in the fresh air, soaking up the sun or the rain, depending on the weather, energizes me and gives me a sense of joy. Whether hiking a new trail or an old trail there is always something to new to see and be amazed by. 

Bright colours that catch my eye, beautiful greens that are even brighter in the rain and fungus of all shapes and sizes. 

Sometimes the tiniest of things in life can bring us great joy and help us to breathe and get respite from our struggles in life. When I see something so small growing against all odds it brings a smile to my face and gives me strength reminding me once again how blessed I am. It can give me hope that tomorrow will be a better day. 

Some say "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" and for me hiking on the trails, exploring the forests that surround me and being amazed by this extraordinary world of ours, helps me "squeeze out the juice" to make that lemonade. There would be no joy or love shared without there also being some pain so on those painful days get outdoors, it's the best medicine life can give us.

Why do I Cache?

Why do I cache? It is something I often ask myself especially when I think about what geocaching really is. It's people looking through bushes, buildings, playgrounds or where ever the cache is hidden and they're doing this to find usually a little plastic box that is full of "treasures" but what are really items bought from the dollar store. Yet I continue to go out in search of caches. 
One of the benefits of caching was that it has gotten me out on trails that I never knew existed. I would look on the geocaching map for groups of caches and know there was a trail there and head out. 

From there I joined a Facebook hiking group where people post pictures of their hikes up amazing mountains or to beautiful waterfalls. I was hooked on hiking. There are so many beautiful places on this island and off of this island to explore. 

Now I realize I could just look at the map, see where the trails are and head out and just enjoy the hike and the exploring of the area. There really is no need to spend time stopping to look for the hidden "treasures" along the way but I continue to do so.  Why? Because it is fun! That's it! It is simply fun to find little boxes or other items. I know I could hike further and see more of nature if I didn't stop along the way but I do enjoy the hunt and the find. I then come home and log them and watch the total of my caches grow and grow. 

I am very thankful to the folk that place the caches and especially for the ones that are different and fun. You really never know what you will find when you go looking for caches. 

This past weekend I went back to Seal Bay park in Comox and cached with my two caching buddies. We had a great time and although we had hoped to get 20 or even 30 caches we only had time to find about 13 of them. Still it was fun exploring the many trails and using the gps to figure out which trail to take. This park has lots of fun caches in it and on my last trip here we found about 20 of them so it was great to return and find a few more. 

 Its wonderful to have a large treed park right near the town so that one doesn't have to worry so much about the bears and cougars that one can run into out in the woods and mountains.

 It's also relatively flat so its a place to come for a fun family day. There has been a lot of rain on our island this past month and the streams were running and there were lots of little ponds among the beautiful green ferns. 

There were also many different types of mushrooms along the trails. 

They were growing on the sides of logs, stumps and the ground. 

There were so many different colours and shapes and some folks were out there definitely looking for the safe ones to pick. 

 The trails are divided for foot or horse, on leash and off leash for dogs - just a great place to bring the family. It also borders on the ocean although this trip we didn't get down to the beach. 

I can't wait til my grandchildren are old enough to go geocaching with me. I think they will love it and it will be a great way to introduce them to the outdoors. 

This park will be one of the first on my list because of the cool caches that others have hidden, it's easy travel pathways and the beauty that is found every time I come here and when one gets tired of caching there are benches big enough for three and one can have fun taking selfies.