There was no exotic travel or life changing moments in the summer of '10. That's not to say that there weren't a few grand adventures to fill the time between responsibilities.
A month or so before the end of the school year, a few old college buddies and I began hatching a plan for a re-union: Brian dubbed it our silver anniversary as it has been twenty-five years since the four of us--Brian, Steve, Marcus and me--played ball together (I don't remember any of us being in classes together). It all came together toward the end of July, when the four of us met at Canim Lake near 100 Mile House for five days of fishing. This would be the longest stretch I had spent with any of the fellas since our days on the hardcourt. Two things stood out about the trip: fishing in a float tube is zen-like experience and catching up with great friends is like slipping your hand into your favorite baseball glove. It's strange that with some people, even though years may pass, you just pick up where you left off. There was no awkwardness. I found my old baseball glove while giving the garage its once-a-decade clean this summer and even though I hadn't put it on since I grew too old to even play slow-pitch without hurting myself, it felt like a natural extension of my hand. That's how it was with the boys. Time wasn't needed for things to feel right. It was just five days of adventure and laughs. Brilliant.
A few week's after returning from that adventure, my wife and I left the kids in my mother's care, and headed for Manning Park for a few days of hiking. B.C. has some of the most amazing hiking in the world and several of these great trails are in Manning, including the Three Brothers which took us through twenty-two kilometres of alpine meadows and culminated with a climb to the peak of the first brother where we had a 360 degree view of the Cascade Mountains and beyond. During the six-hour hike, we saw half a dozen people. What better ways are there to spend a day than exploring nature with someone you adore? Not many.
Toward the end the summer, we loaded the tent trailer and headed out for a week of local camping and few last adventures. Another great hike to the top of McIntyre Bluff and hours of quiet reading sandwiched a trip to Hedley to explore the old Mascot Mines. This is something that had been on our to-do list for years and every time we drove past Hedley on our way to Vancouver, one of us was bound to utter, "One of these days we've got to do that." That day arrived. My wife, our youngest daughter, Emma and I spent four hours living history (our eldest two were in work mode this summer and missed this adventure). Seven tons of gold were mined at Mascot during its years of operation. The chance to explore the surviving buildings that were built into the side of the mountain was certainly unique. Emma, despite getting nervous in the dark mine shaft, loved the adventure. Sharing time on an adventure with a genuinely excited eight-year-old is amazing. If that eight-year-old is your child, it doesn't get much better.
We tend to associate exotic with foreign--a lush South American jungle or a black-sand beach on a Greek island. But exotic also means unusual or different. This summer may not have taken me to foreign shores, but it provide many exotic adventures.
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