If you are interested in travel, I recommend watching Karl Pilkingtons tv show “an idiot abroad” he has a very unique outlook on travel, and life in general.
Besides laughing until your sides hurt, you will see some beautiful places and cultural experiences that could otherwise only be seen in person.
Photo credit: Downloaded from the chive
Few things measure up to a good view and a fishing pole. Add a good beer and it doesn’t get any better.
Road tripping to Lethbridge a while back we decided to stop off in Sparwood and climb the “worlds largest truck.”
On May 25th my cousin and I will be leaving for the country that invented pizza and perfected ice cream.
Lost somewhere near Fisher Peak
Last summer I realized that I had committed a carnal sin. My entire life had been spent in and around the kootenays, southern British Columbia; right in the middle of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and yet I had never reached the peak of any mountain.
Seeing as I had never done it before I was scared to go it alone, with a myriad of Canadian wildlife living on the mountain it was possible I would never return. So naturally I wanted a fearless comrad, if for no other reason than to drag me off the mountain.
With some careful maneuvers and sneaky wordplay, (“hey dude, you wanna climb fisher peak”) I convinced my cousin to come along.
Fisher peak is the most famous and tallest peak in the area, some pro climbers have even compared it to mount Everest, not in height but in the formation of the rocks and style of the climb.
We grabbed a backpack, some water and snacks, and took off toward the mountain. With my trusty cell phone gps, what could go wrong?
After about 45 minutes on the highway we came to a dirt road, with my eyes glued to the phone we skirted the mountain. Eventually we came to a logging road but still the phone screamed “forward.” By this point it was obvious that we were lost. The road had been washed out, broken down, and had ruts cut almost a foot down on each side but we were determined to climb this mountain.
Middle of nowhere at the end of a logging road
We had no idea where we were, nor which mountain was Fisher. So we choose the tallest mountain in sight, doubled back, parked the truck and started hiking.
With great difficulty we managed the dense forrest at the base. After more than one branch in the eye we made it to the treeline and started on the rocks.
Ignoring the fear from climbing straight up a cliff with no safety gear, this was actually a lot of fun. And It turns out that broken shale is actually really sharp, gloves would have been wise.
Beautiful view of the valley where we parked
It took almost 2 hours but we finally stumbled to the peak. The feeling that you conquered nature, and the quiet beauty of the landscape has no equal.
Across the gap between mountains we could see fisher peak. We had driven around the entire mountain.
Despite being the wrong mountain there was a certain satisfaction of treading off the beaten path and going where very few had gone before.
I would have loved to stay for hours on that peak, but just our luck, a storm moved it. We took one last look at the valley below and began our descent. Almost sprinting, trying to stay ahead of the rain while trying not to slip on the loose wet rocks.
The fog creeps down the mountain
Regardless of the situation, make time to enjoy the view. We managed stay ahead of the storm until we reached the trees. The wet branches, puddles, and pools of mud made the crawl to the truck very difficult but we made it.
With our clothes drenched and smiles on our faces we hopped in the truck and went home feeling like kings.
Beautiful view from the top of the tower of Pisa
Wanderlust 