It is hard to fathom that my last blog post was written 457 days ago! The past fifteen months have both flown and crawled by, which is nonsensical I know, but it is probably how many of us feel about this unprecedented covid epoch.
As I revisited the back end of this website this afternoon, I was surprised to see the amount of time that has elapsed from the last entry. Not to mention my frame of mind with the last entry, as it was anything but hopeful. I can’t really recall the emotions that precipitated that post, but obviously, they were a mix of dread and despair. I do remember thinking for a time that I might need to buy some bullets and drag the trailer out to the David Thompson Corridor, and thankfully that need never presented itself.
With that said, it has been a trying year. Running a hospitality business during covid has been a challenge, to say the least. I am thankful for our staff who through the entire affair demonstrated perseverance and unlike so many other establishments, we were able to remain open throughout it all. I am not going to pretend that these last fifteen months were anything but trying, and yet, through these past months, I personally have regained my footing, my perspective and my enthusiasm for what lies ahead.
My decade of adventure was battered but not defeated and I have continued to find ways to spend time in the mountains. Added to time on the face of those rocky companions, I now spend time in the streams which circulate around their feet. While I am a poor example of what some call anglers, I have caught and released my share of fish these past months. Assuming that my upcoming trip isn’t thwarted by smoke and fire, I am heading to the Gold Range of the Monashees in a week for seven days of off-the-grid climbing where summits will be on the docket every day. Supposedly there is cell service at the top of one of the mountains, and if I get there, I will send out some photos, so stay tuned to Instagram during the week of the 8th.
Transcend has survived this past year, and more than that has been refined into something that it wasn’t prior to the pandemic. A number of folks have departed and with that, there has been room for new growth, perspective, and new energy. I am looking forward to the Fall and hopefully to a time and place where people feel comfortable gathering with one another once again. The loss of community as a result of the need to isolate has been difficult at best, and I fear that the repercussions of that isolation will have long-lasting implications. With that said, I also see in so many around me an eagerness to return to a more social way of being, as we all yearn to be known, and share time with those who know us.
I apologize for the Christmas Letter’ness of this post, my wife says that I only write when I am in turmoil, which may be true? When I saw the gap that has persisted between posts, I thought it important to write something, if only to move the unread margins of this electronic journal away from the angst of the last entry. Not that I feel the need to apologize for that post, it was real at the time, but rather acknowledge the distance I feel today from that place I was at 457 days ago.
I am grateful for many things despite the trials of these past fifteen months. Grateful for those brave individuals who have journeyed with me listened (or perhaps more accurately) endured my rants, walked the river valley with me, climbed mountains, waded streams, and shared a seat in my little boat. I am grateful for those who continue to believe in me, despite my idiosyncrasies, and rough edges. I am grateful for a wife and son who patiently endured my time in the maze of my emotions and can now bask in a more tempered and joyful companion. And while I don’t view this past epoch of covid as anything but tragic and frustrating, I am grateful for the trials and hardships faced during it. I have had to look into the dark mirror and wrestle with the man that was starring back at me. And while I have not emerged from the dark cave unscathed, nor fully whole, I have discovered that I have had the courage to act when necessary. I have discovered that the opposite is also true, that the lack of courage to act when required ultimately results in the forfeiture of the privilege to lead.
You would think that after fifty-two years, one would acquire more wisdom along the way. I guess I have a small satchel that I carry with me, and thankfully there is room therein for plenty more. Perhaps this leg of the journey will serve up more than those I have travelled previously. What I do know is that life is not a popularity contest. Not everyone I encounter will fancy me, just as I do not like everyone I meet along the way. But to those who do find time and energy to journey along as a companion, if only for brief stints, know that I am grateful for you, as I am a better man for your company.