Alpine Circuit, Lake O'Hara It’s funny how often the things that hold us back come not from the outside world, but from within. Self-sabotage. The quiet, sneaky, familiar voice that tells us we aren’t good enough, that we don’t deserve what we want, that maybe it’s safer to stay small. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately after reading Jennie’s book, Self-Sabotage No More . Her words hit hard, the idea that our unprocessed emotions, filters, and limiting beliefs can sha

Cascade Mountain, Banff The Beauty and Brutality of Living Wide Open There’s a new song by Max McNown called Both Sides of the Blade  that’s been echoing in my mind lately. It’s haunting in the most beautiful way... simple, raw, and deeply true. It speaks about how love, pain, and the sharp edges of life all coexist, often in the same breath. The title itself feels like a metaphor for the way I’ve lived my life, right there, on both sides of the blade. I’ve always said that i

Moraine Lake The Power of Showing Up Some mornings start off on a heated note, and yesterday was one of those mornings. I had planned a mother/son day in the mountains, a chance to reconnect, laugh, and breathe in the wild beauty that always feels like medicine for the soul. My son, however, had other ideas. He didn’t want to come. I tried to let it go at first, saying, “Fine, I'll go by myself.” But the more I thought about it, the more I realized we hadn’t spent real time t

Sunrise through an art installation at Oak Bay, Vancouver Island There’s a point when the noise, the pace, and the emotional demands of...

Yesterday I hiked to Arnica Lake, and like so many of my hikes this year, it turned into more than just a climb, it became yet another...

Reflections in the pond at Arethusa Cirque Mental health is our wealth. It’s the foundation for how we show up in life, at work, and for...

Looking back driving home There are countless sayings about change and moving on, but one of my personal favorites is this: If you drive...

Back end of Yukness Ledges & Opabin Plateau, Lake O'Hara If there’s one truth I’ve learned in my 50-plus years on this earth, it’s this:...

Glorious Mount Assiniboine I just had the absolute gift of spending three days in Mount Assiniboine Park, hiking with friends through one...

As a writer, the written word is a massive part of my life. It’s also the way I process life, the way I make sense of loss, love, fear,...

Top of Mount Lipsett looking towards the Highwood Pass Today I read a quote that stopped me in my tracks: “Shout out to people whose...

Mount Robson By Shannon Hurst Hiking into Berg Lake , cradled beneath the towering majesty of Mount Robson , was more than checking off a...

Jumpingpound Trail, looking into Kananaskis By Shannon Hurst | Gower Media I just got back from another whirlwind trip to the U.S., this...

Some days, when the blank page stares back at me with more resistance than possibility, I don’t force it. I step away from the screen,...

Alpine Circuit, Lake O'Hara By Shannon Hurst Some days, writing feels like standing on the wide-open prairie, flat, exposed, and unsure...

Bugaboo's By Shannon Hurst I try and get out hiking in my proverbial backyard as often as possible. On one of my last hikes up a ridge in...

Great Egret, Huntington State Park in South Carolina By Shannon Hurst | Gower Media Some evenings, when the wind softens and the sun...

Some trends race at you like a speedboat on a summer long weekend. Others arrive slowly, like a sunrise paddle across a still lake,...

Today, I spent the whole day in my garden. And not just the usual puttering, I mean hands in the soil, sweat on my back, weeds...

Have you ever stood beside a glacier-fed lake like Lake Louise or Moraine Lake and felt that sense of awe, the kind that reminds you how...