Twas Beautiful

-

Up at 430 am to watch the foggy Geiranger fjord at sunrise. It was worth it. Climbed the mountain to see the full extent of one of the deepest fjords in the world. It was worth it. Saw trolls, glacier lakes, beautiful waterfalls. My travel hunger is satiated for today. Norway is beautiful! 😍 












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Expansion of normal

-
Image
Our five-week European escapade is now coming to a close and I look forward to the return to normal that is my bed, my kitchen, my routine. As I reflect on all that we experienced on this trip, it is clear that even I, a self-proclaimed expert in change management, struggle with disruption in my life. Each new destination would have me grumpy and fussy for the first 24 hours as I shifted to a new living situation almost every five days. This guard and horse stood immobile at the Royal Horse Guards in London for at least an hour. It stretches my imagination of patience. The grand 4 ton Gold Carriage at the Royal Mews. Requires a brakeman walking alongside and 27 meters to stop. Apparently this might be the most uncomfortable thing to travel in, and was very seldom used. Gorgeous Cottage and English Garden in the middle of Hyde Park. This park really had me question my definition of high-density urban territory. Hyde Park with all of its variations on a garden theme...
Read more

Redemption

-
Image
I knew it was coming but I chose to ignore (or minimize) the signs. On Saturday, I chose to tire Q out doing canter circles in the arena before our solo trail ride. It didn’t work. I had seen the dragon appear in the last few rides with some subtlety. Q would accelerate within the gaits, would anticipate turns that take us back home, would be reluctant to slow down. All little signs. I usually achieved compliance, but with a bit more effort and time than I usually expect. Our riding had gotten sloppy. On Friday's trail ride with lovely intern C, Q showed me something completely new. He literally pulled out a fifth gait from his ass and gave me the most incredible flying trot. I wish I had a video of it, but it was impossible to sit. It felt like rockets exploded from behind, and C's horse was galloping to keep up. The first few seconds were amusing, and then I started holding the reins to keep him in check. By the 30th second I was literally hauling on him to slow down, which h...
Read more

The Incident and the Hunting

-
Image
I should have lunged first. But the arena was busy and I decided to take my chances on the trail. Some recent snow made the footing better so we trotted out for a nice solo ride. I was feeling pretty chill on the first afternoon of my holiday break and enjoying the warm weather that had the snow on the treetops melting into raindrops. It was nice. I head down the ravine and take a picture of the lovely scene before we head up the hill. In that blind turn ahead a walker appears. A nice older gentleman I have seen before. We share smiles and pleasantries and cross paths. Ten feet later as I start heading up the steep hill on the left at the apex of the blind turn, a loose dog pops out. I didn’t see much as everything else happened in a flash. It seemed like a medium size tan dog. Q did a 180 and galloped down the ravine, across the bridge and up the ravine. I lost my stirrup in the process and was pulling on reins and screaming whoa. Somewhere by the bridge I realized he wasnt going to s...
Read more

Pumpkin Spice and the empty cup

-
Image
Annual Trail Rides 202/200 (Bareback 29/40) Ive been reminded of the zen proverb about the empty cup a few times these last few months, and I think it is such a powerful analogy when it comes to learning and growth. Obviously, horses are an incredible catalyst to self-awareness, learning and growth and my Q is no exception. The zen proverb is based on a zen master receiving a student who has come to learn but spends all his time explaining to the master his great accomplishments and successes. The zen master invites him to tea and then proceeds to filling his tea cup until it is overflowing. The student exclaims while the tea is spilling over the the table, and the zen master says "you are like this cup. Overfilled. I can not add to your learning until you empty your cup." Its come to my attention recently that Q prompted me to empty my cup a few years ago, and it continues to be something I am working on. It started when he first arrived, and I could not touch his ears or pu...
Read more

Los Escondidos

-
Image
« Thats fresh puma shit » 😳 On our last full day at the final outpost, we brought the horses to the edge of the mountain, untacked them,  tied them to some bushes and trekked down some slippery cliffs to hike to the foot of the hidden glaciers. I was careful to not grab any of the bushes on either side of the cliff when I would slip as rocks rolled under my feet … because all the bushes had 2 inch thorns. Yikes! We hiked to a hidden valley of natural grasses punctuated by a large rock where we had a lovely rest and lunch, listening to the glaciers go ka-boom as they break off in the bright summer sun. This valley is part of a protected reserve in the Los Glaciares National Park that only allows a few visitors a day. The nearest dirt road is 20 km away. Best noone gets injured, as we have no way to call for help. There is no cell phone service, no forest ranger. And there are pumas in those hills.  We crossed the Rios Frias, tossing our boots and crossing the glacial river ove...
Read more