Tantalus Mountain Range, British Columbia, Canada / July, 2015 –

This was truly an amazing day but I can’t tell you everything or else I’d be revealing a surprise from one of my stories from ‘Confessions of a Weekend Dad – Book 3’. And no, this isn’t John Denver’s song version.

I was travelling on the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons, BC, with Sunday (our friend from San Miguel) and my wife – Louise. While walking on the top deck I had a surprise encounter with my good friend Chris, who I hadn’t seen in almost five years. Long story short, we celebrated our chance meeting with a flight in his Cessna 182. We flew from Sechelt, along the Sunshine Coast until 15 minutes later, we were circling downtown Vancouver taking in all the buildings and bridges. Then we made our way along West Vancouver and up through Howe Sound (a fjord leading to Whistler Mtn.), while tracking the Sea to Sky highway.

As we picked up altitude, we flew over snow packs that were at their lowest levels ever! We were witnessing sights never seen before and it was incredible. (I’ll show more another time.) The visibility was outstanding. It just doesn’t get any better for flying and sight-seeing. It was simply breath-taking floating over glaciers glistening in the sun with crevice reveals and blue ice formations. Shadows were accentuating the numerous cracks and patterns in the ice but also the contours of the wind swept snow. Jagged rocks in all shades grey, with hints of brown, jutted out in sporadic moments.

This photo is one of many that offers a sense of timelessness in a world avoided by most living creatures. No green was present any where near these mountain tops. It was a harsh beauty that seemed so dormant having survived millions of years of erosion. The patterns were mesmerizing as we glided effortlessly over and through the random peaks as we climbed up over 9,000 feet. I was truly in my element with my heart nudging me in my throat. It was also an unexpected surprise treat with a dear friend. Life proves its value on any given day.