Wandering Holyokes

Finding Greatness

Glen has a t-shirt that says, “Find Your Greatness”.  This seems to be an appropriate theme to end our summer with. We have been fortunate enough to find many examples of greatness this summer. Sometimes it was the greatness of nature. Often it was the greatness of the actions of people both close to us and far away. It is easy to forget how we can be great. We do not have to be THE best. Just our best for the moment. Here are some reminders of ways to search for greatness in our world. 

Look for the beauty in the little things. 

Rejoice in the grandeur of nature. The photo below was taken near the top of Swiftcurrent pass. We were so happy to have Cait Bourgault join us this week for some great hikes. She took some amazing photos and has shared some of them on Facebook. We all found some inner greatness as we tackled thirty miles in three days. We hiked to Hidden Lake Overlook, Iceberg Lake, and the Highline Trail to Granite Park Chalet and then up and over Swiftcurrent Pass, finishing at Many Glacier. If you start at the bottom of the photo and count up, the finish of the hike is after the fifth lake.  While this might come as a disappointment to those of you who are dedicated followers of our adventures, there are no pictures of anyone braving the icy waters of Iceberg Lake.  Cait and Terry were too smart, and Glen wimped out.  Maybe next time.

We found a whale at Iceberg Lake!
Cait and Terry enjoying the view of Iceberg Lake.

More iceberg shots.

Remember that we are not the only creatures depending on the Earth. This marmot was entertaining us on our Highline trail hike.

This bighorn was one of five hanging out trailside. You can see one of his buddies chillin’ in the background.  Cait’s eyes got pretty wide as he walked towards us, but he just scratched a seat into the slope and sat down.

On the way to the trail we did see a bear just for Cait. Here are a couple of shots of that one. We saw a cub on the trails, but a ranger was there as Momma bear and a second cub were also in the neighborhood. So we looked, and walked. 

We have enjoyed a splendid summer. While here, our family at home has shown greatness in supporting one another through happy events like birthdays, and unexpected events like bats in the house and broken refrigerators. We are looking forward to getting back home and seeing you all.

When we are faced with challenges in our lives, it is sometimes easy to feel sorry for ourselves. Facing those challenges takes courage, strength, and many other qualities to do well. Patience, grace, and gratitude are qualities that can help us through challenges if we remember to call upon them when we need to. This summer, we have watched our country face some important challenges. We have watched athletes all over the world face competition they have been working towards for a very long time. We have watched a colleague face a health issue head on. We have seen our work family pull together with compassion and support. Good things can happen when we are truly tested. Let us hope that we can continue to find the greatness in ourselves and our world rather than letting the challenges defeat us. Find YOUR Greatness.
Until next time,

Terry and Glen