The Dream

If there is one thing we can all relate to, it is the notion of a dream. An aspiration that consumes us and leaves us with no choice but to follow through, making that dream a reality. Those of us that share a great love for the outdoors and the wild spaces still left on this planet understand the need to be out there. We understand that sometimes a dream is more than just a desire; sometimes it is a necessity of life.

On a quest to fulfill our need to be out there we have pursued successful careers in the outdoor industry, pouring in the same passion we have for those wild spaces in search of a purpose that will connect us. But we know that lifestyle isn’t enough, something still calls to us and when we can, we answer. This is an answer that has been 15 years in the waiting. This is an expedition that reminds us of how we got here, keeps us going through the dry times and fulfills that empty space within us all labeled ‘purpose’. This is what we live for.

On May 4th 2009 we will depart from Galiano Is (BC, Canada) in two single sea kayaks headed north for Glacier Bay (Alaska, US). We are two able, confident and experienced women, seeking to challenge our experience as guides through our own expedition of the entire coast we love and work on.

We aren’t heroes and we aren’t breaking new ground. We are simply two women following our dreams and in turn hoping to inspire a few other people to do the same.

This is how we live our lives the way we have always dreamed...


It's about more than an expedition, it's about more than a sport, it's even about more than a lifestyle. This is about dreams, this is about passion, this is about listening to that need to be out there. It's about learning how to 'fly'. 

We're calling it 'Crossing Borders' 


Monday, May 4, 2009

Being a Girl!

The neighborhood I grew up in used to put on these bicycle rodeos for the kids. We would all dress up, decorate our bikes and then ride down the street in a big parade. We would be beaming with pride in our moment of glory. The best costume was always awarded a prize and we coveted winning that title. At age 3 I can’t say I had a firm grasp on the ins and outs of the bicycle rodeo, but I did have an older brother who thoroughly conveyed the excitement of the event. So, when my mom asked me what I wanted to dress-up as I knew it had to be something good. Sure in my decision I announced that I was going to go as Beautiful. My mother tried to explain to me that I couldn’t dress up as Beautiful, I needed to pick someone or something to dress up as, for example, my brother was going as a farmer. I didn’t really know what she was talking about or what the problem was, but I did know I was going to be Beautiful. My parents humored me. They painted my tricycle pink, outfitted it with balloons and streamers and I wore my most beautiful pink dress complete with white tights and black shiny shoes…. I was beautiful and I knew it.

You will never guess who won the prize that year. As it turns out, you can dress up as Beautiful. A little pink can go a long way.

As I grew older and drifted along the sliding scale of what defines you as a girl, I moved away from the pink. I steadily worked towards defining myself as a tomboy, a girl who liked mud, sports and animals just as much as the next guy and especially as much as my brother. I left behind the little girl in the pink dress, the one that was afraid to get dirty, the one that was set on being beautiful. Growing up a girl you just can’t be both, it doesn’t work that way, little girls either run with the boys or they play with their dolls.

I quickly decided that I hated Barbie’s… But I loved GI Joes. GI Joes and She-ra, She-ra was okay because she was tough and my brother had He-man.

I’ve been running with the boys ever since. I ran with them through school, playing sports and proving capable in the outdoors. I ran with them through college and university proving to be a strong and worthy asset for the outdoor industry. I ran with them out in the field, carving out a place for me in the outdoor industry, all the while proving my worth, strengths and capabilities. All that time I was running with the boys trying to make up for being a girl… and then at some point during the race it occurred to me… I am a girl! Why am I playing by the boys’ rules?

I get to play in the mud, I get to like sports and animals just as much as the next guy and then I get to turn around a put on the pink dress. I get to go as Beautiful.

So I find myself back at pink. I didn’t slide back down that scale I worked so hard to climb, quite the contrary. I’ve gone full circle, continuing to progress forward taking with me everything that I was and still am and found again that there is a girl behind the mud and the sports and she thinks pink is pretty beautiful.

Meet Gypsy, my Pink Kayak...

 










Today is D-Day!!!

2 comments:

  1. Good little story. Much love on this first of many epic days...
    Waleed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great send off. From a pink trike to a pink boat--that is sitting very low in the water. We love you and eat a lot

    ReplyDelete