mountain retreat
the first time i went to the mountains during the month of may was over 10 years ago. i had went with friends to attend an elac (english language arts council) conference. it was loads of fun and i discovered the charm of jasper national park during the off season. ironically when i was there this year, the elac conference was going on and i felt a longing to go back to the world of teaching.
three years ago in may, duke and i rented a cabin just outside of the town of jasper and tried to find some peace after our worlds had been shattered. it was the perfect place to go and we found it incredibly healing to be surrounded by all that beauty and power.
last year, duke had a gig so we got to revisit that beauty shortly after grieving through april and the anniversary of our loss. last weekend we packed up the drums and headed off to the mountains again to play the same gig a year later. it was a super relaxing trip and we spent some good time sitting around and talking and catching up with some people that i hadn’t seen since last year. we also made sure and to leave ourselves plenty of time to hike around with our cameras and new lens gear. it was a workout because the new lenses are not lightweight but oh so much fun.
i took a ton of photos over the weekend and though i managed to dump them onto my laptop when i got home last night that is pretty much as far as i got before my droopy eyes found me hitting my lovely bed. we stayed at a beautiful hotel lodge paid for by the company who hired the band and were treated to lovely meals, however, i somehow never manage to sleep all that well unless i am in my own bed and i suppose staying up until the wee hours of morning didn’t help the matter, heh heh. last night i slept for a good nine hours and i almost feel like myself again which is good because may is a busy busy month and i need to be rested to get through it.
whenever i go to the mountains, i feel myself growing inside, there is a power in the rock that feeds my soul and an expression in the sound of the wind, the crisp of the air, the way the sky dips down and the waters icy drops refresh and in the spring, there is magic. the snow receeds, tiny bits of colour subtle against the landscape begin to cling to the green. water begins to rush and bubble down across pebbles and boulders and filling bowls of sand. there is an expectant energy that breathes our bodies and our minds.
bliss.
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