Visit through the Rockies.

We just returned from Banff and Golden, B.C. We gave a workshop out there and like every weekend or lecture that we give -- it's life changing. Living in the Rockies is so different than living in the city. I've been back for a few weeks already and still I'm dreaming of snow covered mountains and ice cold turquoise rivers. I think that everyone who shared the Golden Weekend with us can vow that there's nothing more beautiful than waking up to the wild...

Definitely our worries were different out there. We were thinking of Bears when we went out for walks making sure to double up with partners; and we were more aware of nature because it wasn't unusual to come across Caribou, Deer or Elk on the trails. Where we come across a few Dragon Flies around our parts of the woods, out there -- there were thousands of them. Bats swam with the girls at night. Daniela told us that sometimes they would come so close to her head that she had synchronize with them as to not collide. I was amazed by the yellow Butterflies. They were all over the purple lilacs and they were beautiful. I couldn't help but notice the perfume of wild roses all over the woods and was amicably informed that it was the reason why it was selected as the provincial flower of Alberta. Cool! I wouldn't mind finding information about our Quebec "Fleur de Lys" -- it's certainly not growing all over our wilderness!??

Katya was begging to see a Cougar all week. Instead she took pictures of Rams, Ravens and Elks. It's only once Linda told her the story about how her two dogs were hunted and killed by a Cougar that she changed her mind. And this wasn't in the B.C. wilderness -- it was close to Grande Prairie, Alberta. When I asked Katya one day -- "what would you do if you came face to face with a Cougar out there?" She replied like any good Mexican, now newly Canadian, urban girl: "I would go looking in my pokets for my camera!"

For sure things were different out in the Western Rockies of Canada and although we were there only for a week, this trip around -- we certainly came home understanding that it would take adjustment to be able to live around that region full time and all the time. I certainly appreciated on my way back the courage and the strength it took for early settlers to explore our country. It must have been a risky and deadly business.

There are still people who live close to nature. A few of our participants were some of those individuals. I have to say -- "it's amazing to be able to survive without Western Society and although I have the teachings, many of you have the skills." Together we can do it all and that was good to know.