My 52nd birthday: Jan 7, 2009

Jade Lake Pass
View On Black

Birthdays can be a good time to take a close look at those things that make a person feel grand. And, since I believe people should get at least one wish on their birthday, I've done exactly that. For me it is quite simple: I have to be out in the hills, far from the madding crowd. It lets my spirit soar -- it always has.

What I get from an adventure in the hills and mountains is sheer joy -- even (especially!)if the day or the trip features inclement weather and hard going. And joy is, after all, what I think we all strive for. When speaking of his exploits on Mt. Everest and why he undertook such danger, Sir George Mallory said " We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for." A very sensible outlook if you ask me.

This picture is from one of my favourite mountain parks -- Mt. Revelstoke National Park, near my home town of Revelstoke, BC, Canada. I hiked and climbed in this park from my days as a teenager who often played hooky from school to spend time in the hills. I still try to get back for a look-see every year.

This shot, which is probably my all-time favourite picture, was taken with a Canon Digital Rebel -- the first version Canon brought out. The lens was the inexpensive kit lens that came with the camera. I couldn't love this shot more if Ansel Adams himself had taken it with the very best equipment money could buy.

The day, July 30, 2005, was perfection itself -- my husband Mike and I were out for a doddle and we decided to head up the Jade Lake Pass. The weather was balmy, a fresh breeze kept the bugs down, and we had this view all to ourselves.

The details: f/16 at 1/125 second with an 18 mm lens. ISO 100.

I plan on spending a lot more time in places like this -- hopefully making more pictures like this.

I think that Edward Abbey, that great anarchist of the American western desert summed it up best:"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit". I'm looking forward to another few years of searching out the bare necessities of life.