Anna and I grew up together. We spent a good chunk of our childhood climbing trees, exploring nearby fields and woods, and running around in nature. Although currently separated by miles (and a border), Anna and I regularly enjoy telling each other about recent outdoor adventures. This is her story.

Being in nature has changed my life. For years it was very difficult for me to be, to settle into myself, to slow my racing thoughts and heart, and to find rest. When I first moved to Vancouver Island, this was my biggest lesson: “how to be still”.  Fast forward five years later and my time living in the Cowichan Valley has been filled with endless opportunities to explore the art of being still and bearing witness to the mystery, beauty, and life giving potency of the natural world.

I live on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people, specifically the Quw’utsun peoples. As a settler in this beautiful region I acknowledge that my experience is one of privilege and requires continual self work and intentional learning to challenge my own assumptions and knowledge about the place I live. I have been humbled to learn of the ancient history of Indigenous people in this community and the continuation of their vibrant cultural practices here. I am grateful to be able to learn and explore the area that they have called home for time immemorial. 

Undoubtedly there is something very special about this place. You can feel it when the wind whips off of the ocean and blows through the towering nearby cedars and in through your windows. The opportunities to be immersed in nature here are endless. The ecological diversity of this region surpasses any place I have lived before. In a single day we can canoe in a nearby bay with humpback whales, sea lions, and seals; cycle west and see snow covered mountain peaks; plunge into the breathtaking Cowichan River; or hike amongst ancient Douglas fir trees that are more than a thousand years old. When I first came to this place for a visit, it captured my heart and it continues to do so every day. 

Some of my favourite adventures so far have consisted of trips involving hiking, biking, surfing, camping, whitewater rafting, canoeing, portaging and exploring unique areas all over the Island and the mainland British Columbia. The experience of wonder, of standing in awe of the vast beauty of this place never gets old. I have only to tell family or friends of some of our weeknight adventures to be reminded of the specialness of this place. The everyday habits of cycling, paddling and hiking never lose their luster and continually elicit a feeling of wonder in me. As I write this blog post, the breeze is blowing in our windows and carrying with it the sweet scent of spring blooms of lilac and osoberry. I am humbled with gratitude at the juxtaposition of everyday extraordinary beauty within creation. 

For the past year one of my conduits for outdoor exploration has been cycling.  Last year for my 30th birthday we planned a bike trip to visit Hornby Island. Off the east coast of Vancouver Island, Hornby Island has under 1000 residents and is a very unique place. It is two ferry rides away from Vancouver Island, making it a fun travel adventure. We decided to drive up the coast of Vancouver Island and take only our bikes as transportation on this little weekend getaway. Since this was my 30th birthday (kind of a big one) we would resign ourselves to go ‘glamping’ (glamorous-camping) with much more food and equipment than we usually take. Our friends had loaned us a bicycle chariot to tag along with our cooler, so we spared no weight expense with camping gear and any extras we wanted. 

After the first ferry stop we biked across Denman Island, another small island with just over 1000 residents. It was quaint, beautiful, and quiet. The ocean was in sight around every turn. Cycling achieves for me the necessary tempo to slow my breath, slow my mind, and to notice what is around me. As we biked along the coast of Denman, the sun glimmered on the ocean beside us. All I could think was, “This is exactly where I want to be today, on my birthday.” After the next ferry ride it was a quick cycling jaunt up Hornby Island to our campsite. We got right to setting up camp, dumping our gear, and then exploring around this funky and vibrant island on our bikes. 

One of the most magnificent features of Hornby Island is Tribune Bay Beach. If you Google Tribune Bay Beach your jaw is sure to drop with the exquisite turquoise water and endless sandy beaches that the aerial images reveal. Not so bad for Canada, eh? Contrary to popular belief, we are not all up here living in igloos and bundled up for a Siberian winter. Tribune Bay is one of Canada’s most beautiful beaches, and rolling in there on my birthday brought me to tears. Since I was a kid I have gotten positively giddy around nice beaches. Something inside of me snaps when I am walking towards a beach with soft sand and pristine waters, and I can’t help but run towards it, as if being drawn by a magnet. This is precisely what happened. 

For the rest of the weekend we cycled to wineries, restaurants, forested trails, and mostly to the beaches where we explored and rested for hours. We went in the water to go swimming and, to my surprise, it was not frigid. Often the Pacific around us maintains a fairly cool temperature all year long, making it not the most pleasant to swim in unless guarded by a wetsuit. But on this weekend the water was positively warm! As we wandered around the beach I began discovering sand dollars. First a handful of them, then as I dug into the sand and gazed closely at the beach around me, I realized that thousands of sand dollars were buried just under the surface! As I reached further and further into the sand, these creatures kept being unearthed. I was amazed. 

This weekend was filled with regeneration, quiet time, and exploration. The perfect way to enter into this next chapter of adulthood was to slow down and take notice of the people and places around me as well as to take notice of the things that bring life to me. Being in nature is one of those things that brings calm and soothing to my busy mind. Cycling all weekend and exploring incredible forests and beaches was the perfect birthday combo. 

While the world has seemingly slowed down almost entirely right now because of COVID19, we continue to cycle everyday (in a socially distant way) to take in our surroundings, slow our busy minds, and bring peace to what can be an anxiety-inducing time. It has proven to be a beautiful way to experience this spring and to be immersed in nature in new ways. When on my bike, I feel free and alive. Without being encumbered by ‘stuff’, fossil fuels, busy highways, human noise, and technological distraction, I find I can pedal away for hours and feel totally rejuvenated.  If you haven’t already, might I suggest incorporating an outdoor activity that allows you to listen, to smell, and to experience nature in a new way? Something without distraction, human noise, or interruption? Life has changed right now, but the world is still beautiful and has a lot to teach us.