Open for Anything – Van Isle Hikes

Some of the most fun times I have had are from just saying Yes to doing something. My mantra of Beyond The Usual employs that key single word to really bring it to life.

Be open to going to places you haven’t been before. Be open to meeting up with new friends or old friends you haven’t seen in a long time. Be open to happiness in visiting that place you’ve been a hundred times but going because a friend has never been there. Be open to saying yes more.

Last week I had two great hikes with , one with a high school friend I hadn’t seen since school and the other with two cats……. No literally two cats.O

On Thursday my friend Ian messaged me on Facebook about hiking a local peak, Mt Tzouhalem just outside of Duncan in the Cowichan Valley.  Me being Me – I quickly typed back “I’ll be right there to show you”. We had a great chat catching up on time past and discussing what brought each of us to the island. Surprisingly almost the same time 2 years ago we both moved here to Vancouver Island in search of something new, something simple and something challenging.

Our hike lasted a couple hours, the conversation was enjoyable and the views were rewarding.

Then along came Saturday. The night prior I reached out to my friends looking for activities in the outdoors from riding to hiking. South Island friend Kayleen had a plan for me and it seemed to good to pass up , join her hiking with her cats. Heck ya I replied. Now these just aren’t any cats, they are web sensations Bolt and Keel that she and friend Danielle saved as abandoned kittens and have now taken hiking all over the place with them.

The girls suggested we hike Mt Wells Regional Park just NW of Victoria. I got directions and met them there. We had a fun day hiking and enjoyed our surroundings while taking fun photos of the cats. They were a hit with all the other hikers we passed that day and the smiles were the best part of the experience.

These were just two examples of saying yes and with the cats a big “beyond the usual” certainly implies.

Do you make a conscious effort to say yes more?

What have you done beyond the usual lately?

Cheers

Chris

#BeyondTheUsual

Join the discussion 2 Comments

  • That is way awesome your friend adopted and takes the cats hiking.
    I’ve always wanted to take my cat hiking, but I feel like I am just asking for the cat to be prey. A dog can fight off an attacker. With a cat, I feel I will get scratched up more than the potential culprit. Plus a lot of people on our local trails take their dogs. Just not sure I see this working in my favor. Tips for taking cats hiking? 🙂

    • Chris Istace says:

      Check out Bolt and Keel on their Facebook page or website. They are still out and about everywhere on the trails and would have the best answers to your questions. Personally my first advice would be to go to less busy trails 🙂

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