The Friday Thing #740

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The Friday Thing #740?came to me as I was snowboarding down the side a of a mountain earlier this week. The story goes back about 20 years when I remember a friend of mine talking about “Spanky’s Ladder” on Blackcomb Mountain in BC, Canada. I wasn’t a skier at the time but was intrigued by the tale I heard of this trepidatious entry to a double black diamond bowl atop the Blackcomb Glacier. It sounded like an epic adventure and about 13 years later, I found myself in this exact spot. I really should not have been there as I was very much a novice snowboarder at the time, having taken it up a few years earlier when I moved to Seattle. Fortunately, I was with a pal named Mark who was a veteran of the mountain, so I felt like I was in good hands. That’s until I caught an edge on the long ride out of the glacier and found myself trudging in thick powder. It was an experience, but not entirely a good one.

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Wind forward to this week and as my family and I were riding up the Blackcomb Gondola, a fellow skier inquired about our day and asked if we had seen the ice cave on the glacier. He showed us photos and we were instantly sold on the idea. Well, when a 9-year-old hears the words “ice cave” its hard to ‘unsell’ them on the idea. So, there we were, about to go back to my nemesis. Trepidation, again. However, about 5 minutes before the fellow skier showed us his photos, I received a message from my old pal Mark to let me know he was in Whistler too and perhaps we could meet up to ski that day. By the time we’d reached the top of the gondola, a plan was formed. We’d meet Mark and his crew at the top of the Showcase T-Bar, along with some other lifelong friends we were skiing with that day. Once there, we’d hike up to the glacier entry and drop in to find the ice cave. No Spanky’s Ladder for me this time, instead the challenge of a T-Bar which I had not done before. I was assured by my 9-year-old that I would be fine (because she has completed it, and the glacier with ease the day prior). Gulp.

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Off we went, and despite some wobbly moments, I made it to the top of the T-Bar, we met up with Mark and prepared for the very icy and steep entry into the glacier. We dropped in and after a regrouping took a look around and marveled at the scenery. Not bad, not bad at all…

…and then we set off to find the ice cave. Wow….

Once done with the ice cave, we began the long cruise back towards Glacier Lodge. I think it was at this point I realized that fate had dealt me a good set of cards that day. Mark’s coincidental arrival. The traveler in the gondola with news of the ice cave. Pristine weather. And then challenge to take on something I’d struggled with before, along with something I’d never done before. And then the chance to do it with great friends and my own family. I even went back the next day with my 9 and 12 years old’s for a second look.

?Two weeks earlier, I had remarked to my boss at work regarding a project we were working on that “I sometimes have no idea what I was doing…but that I would work it out”. A week later, he reminded me of that conversation and that I had worked it out and was now better equipped for the future because of it. The same is true of the glacier endeavor this week – at times I had no idea what I was doing, but I also knew that just as at work, I had people around me who would help. On both occasions, I trusted my instincts, knowing that I would be better at the end of the journey.

?My takeaway from all of this is that trusting your instincts is usually good – especially when you can see there is going to be growth and learning even if the outcome is uncertain. These last two weeks I’ve learned a lot about work, life and myself. And I got some cherished memories to go with it all.

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Happy Friday. Trust your instincts this weekend….

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-Steve