What Happened to the Regular Posts?
For anyone that follows this blog regularly you may have wondered: "what happened to Local Motion?"
I haven't posted anything since last December....because I moved to Calgary in January 2011 and just didn't know what to do with the blog. I've decided that it will remain about outdoor adventures in New Brunswick.
Back Story
Last December (2010), while on a climbing trip at Mount Katahdin, Maine I decided to move to Calgary. The spontaneous decision seemed to materialize from the thin winter air one evening as we descended through deep snow back to the small cabin. Over the next couple days as we trudged through snow, climbed, and then finally skiied and hauled our sleds back to the car, I had a lot of time to think about moving away.
Spending time in wilderness away from distractions and social pressures usually leads to at least a couple revelations and as the duration or intensity of the trip increases the chance for introspection magnifies. This effect is one of the reasons I am drawn to the wilderness again and again. Whether its the activity (such as Climbing) or the remote location, the very real sense of risk hones my focus and helps wash away the mind's needling distractions.
I know what you're all thinking - "He's moving out there for the mountains." Well no actually. It's not that simple. Mountains are great but I think I could have a lot of fun wherever I live (maybe even in Saskatchewan). And if you're into the outdoors, New Brunswick is pretty frigging awesome. I've shown time and time again on this blog that New Brunswick's outdoor opportunities are endless (climbing, hiking, skiing, paddling...etc). I certainly didn't run out of things to do in New Brunswick. I just felt like changing things up in my life.
The decision to move to Calgary came from somewhere deep in me. As difficult as it was to accept, I could tell that it was a gut feeling that would be hard to shake. In 2008 I followed a similar gut instinct to return to NB from my open ended climbing trip on the West Coast. At the time it seemed a bit crazy for me to be moving back to New Brunswick without a job or any friends there. But it turned out that was one of the best decisions I had ever made. As you can see from this blog I definitely had a lot of great adventures in NB.
In the two years that I spent in New Brunswick I really come to appreciate how much it has to offer. And I think more people are catching on. There's definitely a new wave of young people moving to (or back to) the province bringing with them new ideas and enthusiasm. It's so encouraging for me to see this and it made me kind of sad to be moving away from this cultural shift. I made some great friends and connected with some places that will always be close to my heart.
What's to Become of Local Motion
The inspiration for this blog was New Brunswick's outdoors and it will remain that way. You are encouraged to submit your stories and photos from outdoor adventures in New Brunswick. You can send them to grhmwgh [at] gmail [dot] com
Thanks for supporting this project.
