Love Is

A spur-of-the-moment decision was never my style or a great talent of mine and one I went out of my way to avoid. Skiing was my favorite pastime. On this one occasion these two conflictive tendencies came to a provocative debate within me. While I was fortunate enough to live in a province with some of the best skiing in the world, the accessibility for this addiction of my highest pleasure was totally reliant on my friends and family. On this trip I was having some anxiety considering the travel companion I had chosen. The trip was planned with my brother, Ryan, and my sister-in-law, Beth, weeks earlier. My anxiety was not with these two, but with a young man, Terry, whom I met at a casual gathering with friends. Our indulgences seemed to be of like minds and as the conversation turned to my obsession, the invite became an automatic gesture for me. Shortly after the words were formulated I started to rethink this offer. Once they were out and with the acceptance of the invitation, we worked out the arrangements for the daytrip.

Everyone met at my apartment to leave Edmonton around four in the morning in order to hit the slopes with the early risers around nine. It was my turn to supply the survivor kit, as we christened it. My survivor kit for the day consisted of, a lunch of fried chicken for four, potato salad, a can of beans with utensils, a quick snack, bananas, and a wineskin filled with the Blue Towers Merlot. While enjoying our morning coffee at one of our favorite stops in Edson, the promise of an amazing day on the slopes began with the main topic of conversation being the mapping of the first run. In an attempt to squash my anxiety, Terry was given every chance to express any concerns he had around the expedition we chose. He was quiet and agreed to every suggestion. This was not improving on my anxiety as much as it exasperated it.

As we entered the ski area, the ambiance on the base of the mountain was filled with laughter, and gaiety exploding with anticipation and promise of the excitement of the day ahead. The ride up the mountain consisted of three chair lifts ascending us to Knob Traverse, a combination of intermediate and novice runs. This was a warmup for our active day. At the end of the lifts the majestic beauty could only be appreciated by others that have experienced similar heights for comparison. It was one of pure enchantment with Heidi quickly coming to mind. As I am looking for the cabin on the hillside that housed Heidi and her Grandfather, breathtaking views of sunshine hit the rolling valleys and slopes, filled with young and old enjoying the mountainside with its greatest features developed by growth and designed by nature throughout the centuries, lay before us. Finding our way down was an adventure we had planned and anticipated. Tired, yet full of playfulness, we gathered at the Lodge, braced our skis and sat down in the snow bank to enjoy our survival kit highlighted by the warmth of the sun and a glass of Blue Towers Merlot. A group decision took us back up to Knob Traverse for the last run of the day. Our plans included to soak up the sun at the peak, take out our wineskin and share the Blue Towers Merlot, which seemed to be forever full. An announcement greeted us as we descended the Knob Chair: “This will be the last lift of the day. The chair will be shutting down as the weather is set to change substantially.” Being our last run was not a concern for us, but weather on the mountain tops was notoriously unpredictable and my mind grabbed ahold of it. It wasn’t long before the realization of the significance of these words struck us. As if prompted by the broadcast, the weather arrived in the form of a light wind and soft falling snowflakes. The panorama of the mountain and the prospect of finding Heidi’s cabin were quickly twirled away. The site was stunningly beautiful! There was a short discussion and we headed towards the intermediate runs with Ryan and Beth leading the way. Terry and I followed. Our leaders traversed the turn of the run leaving us in their snow dust. Ninety degrees turned downhill; thirty degrees turned towards the Upper Basin and leading to Charlie’s Bowl, an expert’s run. The snow fall quickly became a snow storm then a blizzard. The sign directing us downhill and towards a negotiable track was invisible. Terry and I lingered in the Upper Basin contemplating the one way down. Charlie’s Bowl lay ahead. The Bowl was an expert run heading straight down the cliff side. Terry stopped. My ski senses heightened. Our position was one of sheer fright. We had skied past Charlie’s Bowl. The terrain that lay ahead was not Charlie’s Bowl, but Out-Of-Bounds. Not even the most respectable of expert skiers should attempt this course.

The snow was whirling around us. Visibility was miserably low. Not knowing what was in front of us and our ability to navigate through it flooded my thoughts. The blunder made at the turn commanded of us to acknowledge the unknown territory. As we were contemplating our next moves, I felt a weakening of my knees, a deepening of my breath, and a wavering belief in our survival. If we permitted ourselves to ski past Charlie’s Bowl, Out-Of-Bounds did indeed lay ahead. The trail we were on would be a true test of our skills and far beyond.

Behind us rose a faint muffled sound. A shadowy figure came into view. The thought of now three defeating the bounds alleviated my anxiety. A bright red jacket gradually appeared out of the whirling snow towards us leading the way with Ryan and Beth coming into view behind it. The timing of their arrival was impeccable. A sigh of relief and the feeling in my legs reestablishing their ground became evident to me, my breath close to normal now with the confidence I felt in the safety of the leadership that would assist us. Guiding us to a run with a clear view to ascend the peak was all that was required of the Patrol. He left and Ryan continued leading the way.

Ryan’s experience in the mountains was diverse. His skills were demonstrated by the continuous backward flips he triumphed over as we traversed the mountainside. High amounts of adrenaline ran through me. Banish any thought of my breathing returning to normal now until the trip down was conquered. I wondered how Terry was feeling. Terry never showed much emotion during the ordeal. There was a feeling of restlessness between him and me. Leave it to Ryan. He tested our skiing skills taking us through moguls and more intermediate and expert runs. This served to take our mind off the previous predicament we encountered and built our confidence in our abilities. For this I was very appreciative.

Sitting on the bumper of the car and taking the wineskin from my shoulder, the Blue Towers passed amongst us with unrivaled pleasure. Warmth of the Blue Towers and the sun setting down at the foot of the mountain was overwhelming. We stayed at the car for a lengthy visit with the wineskin as the center of attraction with Terry and me consuming the contents and waited for the sunset to conclude. Judiciously and wisely the events of the day started to flood our conversation. Once in the car and driving east towards Edmonton, laughter rang through the vehicle. I began to feel better of my connection with Terry as we had shared an intense moment that challenged us early in our relationship. Intuitively the idea of any ordeal coming our way was thought to be naïve of our abilities not to mention our determination to be successful. The feeling of strength, power and victory overwhelmingly filled the car. We could joke; we could laugh; and we could relax now. The trip was triumphant.

Was it really! I made the first move. I asked Terry on our first date. I had chosen the events of the day. I even chose the wine. Was this to be the first challenge for our relationship! We learnt more about ourselves and the characteristics of each other any extreme first date. All this could be too much for Terry. Terry’s demeanor was calm and he went with the flow. I needed to know more about this mysterious Terry.

Terry walked me to my apartment door, kissed me gently and said he would call tomorrow. Not good! A hot bubble bath, a candle lit room, music by Elvis and another, yes another, glass of Blue Towers Merlot facilitated a growing need to take in the day’s events and a deep, deep sleep.

The comfort and appeal of fluffy warm sheets embracing me was interrupted by the buzzer ringing annoyingly the next morning. A flower delivery was at my door. My assessment of the events yesterday was distorted! Confused I threw on some clothes. I descended the stairs to greet the delivery missing steps along the way.

The last six glorious years, I have spent with a man who lifts me up when I am down, hears me when I speak, and helps me to walk through my fears and anxieties, moved quickly through the time. We are a family of four now with an even gender distribution and a man of strength, understanding and integrity leading the dynasty. Someone I could get behind and help him through his challenges in life. We are partners and a productive family who enjoys a day on the slopes.

The bouquet had far exceeded any I had ever received. Once in the apartment I opened the envelope to find that it was not Terry who sent it, but Al. The note read: “Hoping to spend some time on the slopes with you without my red jacket, Al.” How? I was totally in awe. The wait was short, Al called that afternoon. The explanation was longer. It involved Ryan and Beth. One can have two first dates at the same time as Al refers to that day as our first. He speaks highly of my wineskin and its contents. I smile. Blue Towers Merlot 2015 is saved for celebrations like our first meeting. The wineskin, its filler and Jasper makes my heart and mind race every time we visit. Love is sunshine in the mountains with the three most interesting people in the world and a wineskin filled with Blue Towers Merlot. Remarkable, motivating and noteworthy people congregate here!

I never heard again from Terry, but the grapevine has it that he married one year later to his childhood sweetheart.