Janice Strong - Mountain Footsteps: Hikes in the East Kootenay of Southeastern British Columbia – 4th Edition

The Southern Tarn is the smallest alpine pond of the three Brewer Creek Tarns.

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PREFACE

My journey of writing Mountain Footsteps began with an unexpected flash of inspiration more than 25 years ago, in 1991.

A group of friends and I were watching a video about what seemed like some pretty airy-fairy stuff: Discussing the Making of Personal Change. I thought to myself, I dont need to change anything, but I will sit through this anyway.

During the movie a persuasive and soothing announcer asked the video audience to follow his suggestions: Close your eyes and think about yourself. As was typical with 1980s new-age media, he asked, Are you happy? blah, blah, blah

Okay, I thought, I will play along with this.

Soft, cloud-like music accompanied the narrators calm voice as he continued his rhythmic questioning: What do you like to do? Well, of course I knew that answer. I like to hike and I like to take photographs.

Are you doing what you love now? his voice murmured.

What is this fluff? I wondered, but I kept listening. I looked around the room and my friends had their eyes closed in pensive concentration.

What a waste of time, I thought.

The narrator continued in his velvety-smooth voice. How can you turn your passion into something to share with the world?

Then, like a bolt of lightning across my brain, out of nowhere, came the thought that I should write a hiking guidebook to the East Kootenay.

I immediately dismissed the idea. Yeah, right. Me? My thoughts raced: I dont know anything about writing. Okay throw that crazy idea out. I cant do it. And to settle the issue: I dont know how! There, that was easy. Done. But my mind kept bouncing the concept around.

Dont dismiss your idea so fast. the narrator suggested.

But that spark of an idea continued to gain momentum. A guidebook? A hiking guidebook? A what?! I shut the thoughts down again, but the idea wouldnt stop.

I tried to give myself reasons why I shouldnt even try. No one cares. Its too hard. It will never work and Im doomed to fail. But on and on the narrators voice encouraged, tossing away every one of my self-limitations. Okay, okay!

The video ended and my friends were all asleep in their chairs. Not me, I was so pumped I couldnt stop thinking about it. Even days afterward, my head was still ringing from the choices I had just choked on but not yet fully swallowed. The concept of writing a hiking guidebook was too daunting a task and I was about to let it fade.

But one sunny afternoon a couple of days after I had watched the video, a chance phone call came in that cemented my direction. On the line was Daryl Shelbourne, the publisher and editor of the Kootenay Advertiser, a local newspaper that occasionally featured hiking columns.

Would you like to write a weekly hiking story about local hiking destinations? Arent you the president of the Outdoor Club? he paused. You must know some of these fantastic places around here.

I couldnt believe the opportunity and jumped at the chance. I was already becoming well known in the community, and hiking was consuming a significant portion of my life. Along with being president of the hiking club, I was leading hikes for Cranbrooks Parks and Recreation department.

Hiking and writing about hiking are very different. Prepared to research my first story for the newspaper, I went on a trek to Hourglass Lake with a notebook and my camera. I jotted down all the turns in the road, and fumbling with map, compass and altimeter, I estimated our distance and elevation gain.