The year of upheaval: 2021.
The ending of 2021 doesn’t just mark the ending of one year for me. It’s as if many years ended and began within this one; many seasons and years of change tangled together. It’s been difficult for me to sit down and write about this year; I have already worked so hard to leave it behind.
Laughing Falls.
A larch hike at Healy Pass.
From a long, chilly day out in the fall. Kanon and I had just moved into our new apartment, and brought Autumn home. Life changed again, but this time, I could finally start settling; rebuilding; renewing.
Flying.
I can be restless at home, but here, I find a strange comfort and a settling; a deep grounding in my bones despite the flurry of activity, of comings and goings, of hellos and goodbyes. I do some of my best writing, thinking and being at airport gates and on airplanes, several thousand feet above ground.
Autumn.
On bringing home Autumn, my 3 month old Australian Shepherd. I named her Autumn after the season in which she would come into my life; a season that holds significance for many a reason.
A weekend in Jasper with Colour The Trails: Part 2.
Moments from camp, our day hike to yet another glacier, and an icy swim in a lake. This is Part 2 of a two-part series documenting my weekend outdoors with Colour The Trails Alberta.
A weekend in Jasper with Colour The Trails: Part 1.
A hike on a glacier with total strangers, now my friends. This is Part 1 of a two-part series documenting my weekend outdoors with Colour The Trails Alberta.
Our last family hike.
On July 1st, J & Freya drove 3,200km away to move to Ontario—and took two very large pieces of my soul with them. This was our last hike together in the mountains, on the summer solstice, Sunday, June 20th, 2021.
A solo Sunday scramble with Freya.
One Sunday in May, Freya and I headed up to the mountains early to hike East End of Rundle (otherwise known as EEOR). It would be our first scramble (i.e., a trail that involves both hiking & climbing over rocks) together.
Friday in the forest.
A Friday off in the solitude of the forest with my sweet Freya girl. We explored the woods with no aim, no final destination, simply wandering and delighting in the signs of spring: the greenery, the wildflowers starting to bloom, the juniper berries, the squirrels and the sounds of the birds.
10 simple swaps for a more sustainable home.
If you’ve been looking to make the switch to a more sustainable life but you don’t know where to start, here are some simple swaps you can make at home.
Hiking in a summer blizzard at Cirque Peak, Banff National Park.
It wouldn’t be hiking in the Canadian Rockies without getting caught in a blizzard. It was the last weekend of August, and we set out to summit Cirque Peak, a 15.9km out-and-back trail in Banff National Park.
On being an outdoor Asian female.
In finding myself in active or outdoor spaces on a regular basis, I have noticed how there are fewer people of colour (especially women of colour) sharing these spaces with me, especially in the predominantly white mountain town where I live.
On always being the other and the increase in anti-Asian racism since COVID-19.
Last week, 8 people (6 of them Asian women) were killed at three different Asian massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia. There has been a significant increase in anti-Asian sentiment, as well as an increase in assaults against Asians since the rise of COVID-19.
A sustainable gear guide for winter hiking and cross-country skiing in Banff.
Wondering what to wear when you’re hiking or cross-country skiing in Banff? Here are some of my tips for the best sustainable outdoor gear for winter adventures in the Canadian Rockies.
An off-the-grid weekend at Mount Engadine Lodge.
A few weeks ago, J, Freya & I spent a weekend off-the-grid at Mt. Engadine. We left the laptops at home, bringing only our books, my camera and our phones. The last time we were here was about a week before the pandemic really “started"—before life in lockdown, in March 2020. Freya was just 6 months old.
The year like no other: 2020.
I have been pondering on what to write in this post for a while. It’s February now, and the calendar says it’s 2021, but in many ways it doesn’t feel like we have left 2020 behind.
A summer backcountry hiking trip to Assiniboine Provincial Park.
Get yourself friends who will say yes to hiking 80+ kilometres and 2,000+ metres of elevation gain over 4 days with you. In mid-August, Brittany, Sam, Justin & I hiked to Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park, a world-renowned mountain destination and home to the second tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
2020: July-September.
As I write this, summer is a distant memory. The sun bids us adieu before 6pm; the mountain peaks are snow-covered once again; and the temperature gauge flirts above and below 0ºC.
Ontario, Summer 2020.
On the last weekend of June, we packed two coolers, a couple bags, our camping gear and our dog into the back of our car and made our way to Ontario to visit Justin’s family and the farm. We drove over 3,400km through three provinces across four-and-a-half days to get there.