Why We Call This Place Home...

This past week my Fiance and I did a new hike called Johns Family Nature Conservancy. I had heard about this hike and had wanted to do it for a while. Max had commented that there seems to be an endless number of hikes we can do (which is true).

At first I loved this hike because it was different, the land was drier, you were at a higher elevation, it was rockier, and you got a different view of Okanagan Lake - it gave you the impression you were somewhere else than Kelowna.

On our way back we looked out at the valley and it was beautiful. We chatted about how lucky we are to call Kelowna, the Okanagan our home. You have beautiful mountains and a vast and great lake in-between.

It’s moments like this, views like this, that remind me of why we live and explore, why we call this place home.

I Hiked Alone...Doing the Uncomfortable

Doing new things by myself can be a stretch sometimes. I’m not always comfortable exploring new places or doing certain things by myself. Hiking is one of those things that scare me to do by myself. Sometimes it’s not always fear but discomfort - driving to an unfamiliar location, finding parking, too many people, too little people, darkness, animals, etc.,

This month I did something that I was uncomfortable with - I hiked alone. Since Spring had entered the Okanagan I’ve been obsessed with wanting to chase Arrowleaf Balsamroot’s across the Valley. They’re these sunflower looking flowers.

I wanted to visit Knox Mountain to photograph these beautiful yellow flowers in full bloom.

What is typically a less than hour hike for most is a two-hour hike for me with all the stopping I do to photograph the flowers.

I wanted to visit at sunset in the hopes to photograph the Arrowleaf during golden hour.

At first this hike was just about photographing the Arrowleafs but about 3/4 of the way up it became something more.

I had never been able to scale the whole Knox Mountain in the past. In all the years I’ve been living here I’ve never been to the top because I’m not that physically fit and in my head I made climbing Knox Mountain like climbing Everest.

On this day I was at the 3/4 mark that I had made it to the last time. I had about 10-15 minutes left of sun before it would set behind the mountain. I debated turning around and going back down the mountain but instead I kept climbing.

I had come so far already and I knew if I could climb the mountain to the top, by myself that it would be a personal accomplishment that I needed.

When I made it to the top I felt courageous, brave, and confident. I reached a new height that I hadn’t reached before.