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Published: November 12th 2015
Bow river - the sweet extasy of adventuring
Banff is one pf those sanctuary where you can still believe Nature is going strong. She is Unmovable. Can not be tamed.
I wish I could keep my eyes fill with its beauty and never look at the world the same way again.Alone - Two Green Cats
" I was familiar with storms, and enjoyed them, knowing well that in right relation with them they are ever kindly." John Muir, The Discovery of Glacier Bay by it's Discoverer
My anguish for living is what as driven me where I am right now.
If you have read my previous blog posts, you can easily see what mind of person I am. How intensely I love, how much the environment and individuality means to me. How young, lucky and easily impressed I am.
There is a certain romance to living homeless on your bike, enjoying different places and presence for the length of time I wish to and learning new things. There is in every young adult the hunger for the unknown, the travel bug awaiting your weakest moment to bite and throw you in the ever crazier world. Stability does not come naturally to young North Americans; we have the possibility to get everything upside sown before reality catches up and we then settle down and become reasonable.
I even am so lucky to be a French Canadian because the teaching of historical facts and other cultures is something my nation is
The Hoodos' trail
One of the greatest gift that has been given to me during my travels was a pile of books. I love books.
One of them in The Wilderness Essay, a grouping of John. Muir's best articles. I didn't really know the man but heard the name.
This book contains the most vivid description of Northern Wilderness by a completly sold adventurer. It is amazing how much attention he gives to the smallest details, making your head spin from imagery and wanderlust.
But that is where you realise; the beauty of the balance of nature lays in its perfect complexity. proud of. From what I have seen in those last eight months, it doesn’t seem to be that way everywhere. I go to places where I have an idea of their backgrounds and prides; never completely empty handed. This also comes with a bunch of preconceived ideas I’m always happy to shake off.
I have an education and a basic knowledge of good behaviours and cultural differences. I even speak two languages and own a smart phone. Most of my gear is either second-handed or old, but it is mine and it helps me get through almost anything.
I smile when I tell people I’m homeless and don’t really have a plan. I go to bed at night, write about all the wonderful and surprising things I have witnessed in the day in my journal and dream of the friends I will eventually meet again when I’ll fly back to Québec for the Holidays. I use my yoga skills to care for my hurts and start again the next day.
Am I a Homeless? No.
I always have the choice. My parents still save some space for me back at the House, my friends always have a couch or even
Minnewanka Lake, foggy day
Making your adventure yours starts by loving difference in others. Connections are never absolute, they are complementary. You may find inspiration in someone else's travel, but you can never mimic it. It will never be yours if it is not driven by your own passion. a bed to spare for me and, I could not really explain why, strangers trust me at first sight. I have some experience in the working world, some studies to show and perfectly brace-straighten whitish teeth. I have a credit card, back up money and my ear-plugs for whenever I don’t feel ready for the world.
But right now, I live in a majestic town where everywhere I look I see beauty, but yet, it doesn’t feel right. Because, first of, every time I go out of my room, I see my bike sitting there accumulating dust and the muscles in my legs hurt from not biking. And as a second thing, I was starting to get low on back-up money and thought about getting a regular job during the winter. Job hunting is humiliating to me; my shyness grows into this enormous monster and I never feel like I can truly show my worth. I haven’t work on my money dependency yet.
And as a third point: I have all the options in reach.
Banff is a transit city for many travellers. During the high seasons the streets are crowded with an interesting mix of tourists and workers from
Winter, Lake Louise
Being brave means to me that you understand the limits of your control but accept the outcome, whatever it might be. You go forward without over-stressing or puttin anything higher than it actually is.
No matter what happens ther is always something to learn from it and a way to make it better. all around the world coming here to celebrate the greatness of the Canadian Rockies. It is beautiful, shinning with life resonating of a hundred different languages and the smell of heart-warming cuisines.
It is illegal in National Parks to be Homeless.
I flew back to Québec last week for a short surprise visit. I can count in my closest friends many travellers that have started before me, with less and I have a thirst for their stories; even though I am making some of my own. Through those friends I have come in contact with people of my age that have been living in the street. Sometime as a one day misadventure but sometime as a way of life; up to four years or more. We talked about drug consumption, alcohol dependency and, my personal obsession, bosquing. We talked about overdose induced death of a friend that you had not seen for a week. Not being able to open your eyes because of the frost your ragged sleeping bag does not protect you from. Realizing once a car picks you up that you were going full-on hypothermia in those last three hours of hitchhiking. Dumpster diving for your survival. Not being able to find a job because you can’t shower and don’t have any proof of your past experience. Not having any contact with your parents for the last five years because of a hard familial background…
Some people do make the romantic choice of leaving everything behind to live wildly, but still have something to go back to. Some people make the best of what society spits back at them, find an harmonica or a guitar and jokingly sing about it at the corner of a street. And those people connect with others hardship without an ounce of faking or disinterest. They fight their way through life with a smile and reflexions tattooed on their skin. They shout at obstacles in their smoky booming voices and keep their puppies and friends warm at night.
And society as rejected them and they don’t care. And they can go begging for a whole day meeting more evasive gaze than pennies, but they still go on. If you take the time to talk with them, most of them have stories they’ll be glad to share. Yes they have their darker moments, but they see no boundaries.
This is not the way I travel. Not by far. I am a chameleon that can go as it pleases between a city girl, a bike traveler or a country brat. But I cherish those friendships and care for those I have seen struggle.
They are not broken, they are the most soulful persons I have ever met. Some of them can be scary, battling with inner demons or mental illnesses that keeps them from being part of the functioning society. But is it a bad thing? I think we are the ones mistaking when we assume that civilization means city life, work availability or even having a roof over our head. Living the way you intend to live, in and out of employment or in and out of a house is not criminal.
There is a stigma around homelessness that makes it awkward to assume your past if it is part of it, your present if you are having a harsh pass or your future if you simply see things differently. Reaching for help gets complicated when people are either disgusted or scared by you. Your integrity is questioned when you beg for money. They are not less humans. I am not less of a human being because I chose to cary my life around and sleep in a ditch.
We all have our stories to share and our scars to hide. But we are not better than one another. We all have our point of views and concepts of living. But we are never better than one another.
De Glace - Pierre Lapointe
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Edward Abbey
Once Muir's voice will be over, take a look at Abbey's work. They share a common sensitivity about the wilderness; I'm sure you'd love :) https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/234706-desert-solitaire