Art And Spandex

5 years. Doesn't seem that long...I guess that's a good thing. Erika and I took off to Canmore for our 5th anniversary. Nothing too exciting, we just needed to get away from Edmonton, back to nature. Other than a short hike up to Bow Falls (pictures to follow) we spent most of the time bumming around Banff and Canmore. It was surprisingly not that busy considering it was the long weekend, the unofficial start of the summer outdoor season. The hike was great, perfect weather including a sprinkle of rain. Bow lake was still frozen, but the falls were starting to...fall and the scenery makes me want to go back later in the summer.

Whenever I get out into nature it reminds me how much better God's art is than ours. Don't get me wrong, I love some of things people can do when they use their potential, but if I'm getting all my inspiration from non-perfect sources it bogs me down after awhile. God's designs are always so perfect, working together in harmony.

Realizing these things I need to get out way more this summer than I have in the past. Luckily, MacKenzie and I have found a new prophet in the world of backpacking and outdoor pursuits...Jardine...Ray Jardine. His book Beyond Backpacking is the new gospel on ultralight backpacking and we are slowly working at adopting his tenets for reducing weight and changing the way we think about the outdoors. Plus, there's a nifty chapter on head-shaving and really great recipes for Jello consumption. Soon we will be calculating the number of journal pages we need down to the line and discovering for ourselves how many bristles are absolutely necessary to leave on a toothbrush all with the goal of doing the West Coast Trail at the end of the summer with packs weighing 20 lbs at the most...and don't forget the Spandex shorts.