Weeks 2 & 3: Up and Down the Mountains!

Oh man! It is such a hassle trying to get internet while on the road! 

So how exactly did week 2 go? Well we began in Osoyoos. I was on night shift. What does that mean exactly? Well on Sunday evening we started walking and we walked into the early hours of Monday. 27 or 30 hours without sleep - it was interesting. The entire week was spent in the mountains. As stated before, BC is absolutely beautiful. The mountains, the trees, the wildlife, etc. But at night all these things are absolutely terrifying. Especially when you spend all of your shifts that week walking with an imaginative 17-year-old boy who REALLY wants to use the bear spray he has been carrying around. 

Some VERY early morning pictures while in the mountains...

                           This is at the very top of a mountain that we climbed: 1.7 km in elevation!

Suffice it to say, I was pretty scared the first night. There were mountains and tall trees on both sides of the road as we walked. Every little sound frightened me and every small shadow looked scarier than it really was. I guess you could say that my fear had to be offered up in order for me to persevere through the week. And no need to worry, all you wonderful readers. Our van always stayed close to us and lit up the road if it was too dark. 

This is a picture of the beautiful Rockies. We spent five hours driving to Calgary with this view...

Calgary!

Last weekend we drove to Calgary and did our usual prayers outside the abortion clinic. It took about five hours to drive, but what a drive! It was amazing because the moment we entered Alberta, there were no more mountains but fields and flat land everywhere. Alberta is much different than BC. BC was full of mountains and sometimes I felt like I was closed in and a bit claustrophobic while walking. Alberta, however, is so open and so flat that one is given the impression that the earth is flat!

The response we got standing outside the clinic was more negative than anything. In fact, we found that the majority of those cursing at us and flippin' the bird were young men. We even got a cigarette butt flicked at us - how rude! Of course we did not retaliate; for it is our mission to stand silent and represent those who have no voice. Instead, we continue to pray and stand peacefully with our PRO LIFE t-shirts. 

Our weekend in Calgary was a little less than relaxing. But we were able to see some of our friends (Anna and Jenn) in passing. 

Week 3

Well I was put on nigh shift again. I was not too happy at first. But then I realized that this whole summer is not meant to be a walk in the park. And fortunately for me, we were done with the mountains on Tuesday and the day crew entered Alberta on Wednesday. As I said before, Alberta is much more open than BC! So much so that while I was walking I noticed the sun set around 11pm. And only three hours later I started to see a bit of light coming from the East. I got to see my first Alberta sunrise Monday night and it was absolutely breath-taking! 

I rather enjoyed being on night shift this past week. I would say the reason for this is that the openness of Alberta is less terrifying. (I also spent the week walking with someone who was thoughtful enough not to tell me scary cougar stories). I think the only downside to night walk this week was the lack of sleep. There was a lot of driving going on so it was hard to sleep in the moving RV. In 48 hours I only got 6 hours of sleep. So I guess you could say I am looking forward to day shift this week! 

While on night shift, we sang happy birthday to now 18-year-old Alex. We went out for breakfast as a team to celebrate!

Unfortunately, we were rained on for most of the week. Soaked. Drenched to the bone. But, hey, offer it up, right? We ended the week in Drumheller: home of the almighty dinosaur museums. We'll begin our next week walking through Drumheller and hopefully we won't get attacked by any T-Rex's!

One note to make: For the majority of the walk we had been on highway 1 near the south. On Friday, we drove four hours north (to Drumheller) in order to continue our journey on highway 3, the Trans-Canada Highway!

Edmonton!

Now to the present day. We are currently staying in Edmonton. As always, our host families have been more than generous. We enjoyed a delicious steak BBQ Saturday night accompanied by friends and supporters. Today (Sunday) we went to the Morris' for a potluck. It was really great to see them all again! (For those of you who do not know who they are, Nelson and Elizabeth Morris attend OLSWA). 

Some of us also hit up the West Edmonton Mall. What a place! There's an ice rink, a pool, and of course roller coasters!

                                                  The beautiful harvest moon in Alberta!