Mountain Odyssey: One Man's Summer in the Canadian Rockies

After a bout with cancer Brent Lea was forced to reassess his priorities in life. One of his long-held visions was to spend an extended period of time in the Canadian Rockies, backpacking up valleys and over passes. To this end he took a three month leave of absence from his job, and accompanied by the ghost of Bill Peyto, lived out his dream.

The ultimate in wilderness travel in western Canada.

He immersed himself in the mountains, covering over 450 km in four national and two provincial parks, crossing 17 alpine passes and hiking past more than 65 backcountry lakes.

Brent Lea's beautifully written account will appeal to anyone who has hiked in the mountains. Read about the time when Off to the right, in some willow shin-tangle, a bear stood watching us, unprovoked but getting more curious by the second. With the adrenaline coursing through my body, I couldn't decide whether I should grab the camera or grab the bear spray, so I did neither; I just let my senses take in the event.

He observes that, Wandering around in the warm tangerine glow of the setting sun remains one of the most poignant memories of that summer. We felt so removed from the trappings of civilization; we were alone, there were no other hikers in this valley. The ancient fire-killed trees stood as silent sentinels against a darkening sky that was busy ushering in the first stars.

He also relates the less appealing experiences of the backcountry when Satan's minions hovered above the camp, darkening the sky, or so it seemed, crawling over our packs and flying at our faces with voracious intensity.