The Sunset that Reminded me that From Tragedy Comes Growth

New Years Eve 2018 Mount Crowe

Directions to Strawberry Pass (Click Here)

Some days as of late have been a struggle. I work straight nights so on my days off my energy is spent outside, to refill my positivity cup in nature. New Years Eve day was very hard for me. I woke up knowing it was New Years eve, and I was really struggling to come to the grips of a new year without my wonderful brother in law(he passed away in a tragic accident early may). So this morning I got myself together, and pushed my pity party to the side for the moment. I knew I needed a day outdoors to clear my head, to make some space for some strength. We were supposed to head out for this snowshoe adventure around 1pm. One of the people we were going with got some crappy customer service at a local ski rental store, so we had to take a 20 minute detour through Trail, BC so he could rent some skis from Gericks for the weekend to cross country ski. I stopped at the gas station for gas on the way to Trail but some guy was being a total jerkface to the counter attendant about some prepaid mastercard bullshit so after 10 minutes of waiting in line I decided I would just get gas in Trail as well. By the time we headed up towards Strawberry Pass it was already after 2 pm. I was feeling frustrated for starting so late as I just wanted to be up there and outside already. I think we were geared up and ready to go closer to 2:30 from the Strawberry Pass parking lot. We headed up across the highway towards Red Dog Cabin. I really wanted to get to the Crowes Nest cabin quickly. I wanted a photo of the cabin for my Instagram page, but we were running late. I was feeling disheartened that we weren't going to make it at all. We were hoping to make it to the Crowes nest cabin by sunset which was around 4:30 pm. It was a beautiful day to be out, and adventuring. It was nice and clear out, so as with any outdoor activity I started to cheer up a bit. The more fresh air, and blue sky there was I could feel the frustration float away. We took the longer route to Mount Crowe past both Red Dog, and Mosquito Cabins, and had to break fresh trail headed up the old logging road to get up to the ridge of Crowe. It was very hard for me to stop taking photos along our snowshoe to Mount Crowe because it was such a picturesque blue sky day, with gorgeous views offered all around us. Taking photos is a passion for me, and it inspires me to write. 2 things that I love, and help me to fill that positivity cup. At around 4:00pm we were only headed up the logging road, so we agreed that we might as well only go to the ridge to catch the sunset because if we went into the treeline we would miss it. So we hiked up to the old cut block via the old logging road, and watched what was the most beautiful sunset I had witnessed in 2018. The hues of pink and purple, and the reflections of the sun off the trees against the snow was absolutely stunning. This beauty blew my mind, and wiped out what had been an extremely shitty day with way too much time spent in my own head. The sun was just a glowing ball in the sky energizing me with its gorgeous rays. It reminded me of the big ball of sunshine that my Brother in law was. Everything about this sunset reminded me that even the worst of days can end in a beautiful way. At times it feels like my heart is ripped in two for my sisters loss and our loss as an entire family, but with it comes many good memories built in memory of my amazing brother in law. I have to gently remind myself of this, and spend a lot of time in nature to help process my grief. He loved the outdoors, and my sister more then anything. This gives me one more wonderful reason to love spending so much time with my sisters. I feel that is when his presence is the strongest, and I am sure anywhere with my sister is where he chooses his energy to reside. Hopefully we can spread that positive energy everywhere through our adventures and travel <3 The universe had my back on this one. It placed many obstacles in my way this day to show me an important sunset to allow for an important reminder. Here are the photos of the sunset that reminded me of the growth that comes with tragedy.

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