Barbara B.'s Adventures: City to Nature

Up until a few years ago I was, by anyone's definition, a city person. For vacations I'd seek out places that were busy: London, Paris, New York, Boston, Phoenix, Los Angeles. After having lived in a small town I was enthralled - these places offered so many things I hadn't experienced before. I remember being shoved into the tube in London, spending a night under the Eiffel Tower for Bastille Day, spending the evening on Boston's harbor for July 4th, walking through Harlem with a touch of fear, experiencing the grandeur of Monaco, and the sensory overload of Times Square. I loved it all, and most of these places I went back to on numerous occassions. Yet a few years ago, something happened. I don't know what triggered it exactly, but I no longer felt the urge to see cities for their architecture or for their busy-ness. I yearned to shut off some of the constant demands that are placed on us, and experience something new: nature. I had lived in the mountains for a number of years, but surely you wouldn't make it up to the tops of the peaks you'd see every day, at least not without ropes. Or so I thought. I came across some activity that was then unknown to me at the time: scrambling. I was intrigued. But with the hardcore group out there, I also felt reluctant to give it a try, fearing I wouldn't be able to keep up. I guess I shared this with someone, don't remember what hike it was on, but a while later I had a mentor in a way - someone who said we'll do a moderate scramble, would I be up for it? We drove down Hwy 40 and I still didn't know what peak it would be. Mount Tyrwhitt. Mount what? How do you spell that so I can look it up? Perhaps the loose stuff on there isn't the best for one's first real scramble, but I made it and I was hooked. There's nothing like feeling how lucky we are to be able to experience this - something relatively few people do, experiencing those views, the elements, the satisfaction. With everything that's happened this year, I think I've become more 'attached' to nature - I find getting out there therapeutic, healing, soothing, relaxing. I love the solitude, discovering new places, the smells of the trees, the taste of the snow.

Karma - or something like it. I've never really believed in things like this, don't even really know what all it's supposed to be, but I'm starting to believe that things happen for a reason and we become better because of it. Yes, there are challenges - big challenges - but that's why balance is so important. I've come to learn that it's really the small things that make a big difference, that help us appreciate and enjoy things. The feeling of being totally alone out in the wilderness, hearing nothing but the wind, some birds chirping away, and your own footsteps - those are the moments that are precious. For me work has just become a weekday activity; I no longer let it consume me for there are things far more important than that. Life is to be celebrated. How do we celebrate it every day?

Earlier this year a friend had sent me a link on summit stones. I looked at it and thought it was a neat idea. Painting rocks meant stepping back to take some time. It's not like typing something up in a minute. A couple of days later I searched for a little rock and began colouring it with some old acrylic paints that I've had in the closet since I worked on some set designs some 12 years ago. My mom had just been diagnosed with cancer again, so I figured I'll leave one painted rock out there - as good luck to her, and to push myself along. I was forced to slow down, to think of what I'd put on, and then patiently wait for the paint to dry. The blog is Summit Stones, a person's account of leaving the most intricately painted rocks on summits and elsewhere for people to find. It's their way of sharing some good mountain karma, not to mention musings that are absolutely eloquently written. I enjoy it for that, for getting some insight into nature and our various adventures out there. We are so lucky to be so close to the mountains that we can just head out whenever a fancy hits us. We can hike, we can climb, we can record, we can enjoy. It's a place where we can just be.

This was then: