I was watching the Tour de France on TV today.  One marvelous thing is the landscape.  Today we were in the French Alps.  What you see here is part of the route – the Col de la Croix de Fer (the pass across the iron cross mountain).

It reminds me of home … actually a home of the past: the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

I worked for five summers at the Prince of Wales Hotel in those mountains, in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta.  It was 1969-1970 and 1974-1976.  Even though I was a city kid from Toronto, I soon learned the trails. 

Starting in my second year, I guided newbie employees on day and overnight trips to turquoise lakes and alpine meadows.  It made me happy. 

I was a mountain man …

Sometimes we would scramble up a mountain.  That means we’d get to the top by plodding up steep slopes of “scree” – small, loose rocks.  No ropes, no cliffs … just a lot of breathing!

My favourite summit was Mount Lineham in Waterton.  At the summit, we had a 360° view of the surrounding mountains.

This is what I remember:

At the upper left is Cameron Lake.  Lower left is Lower Rowe Lake.  On the right are the two lakes of Upper Rowe.  My feet have touched all of these shores.  Such fine memories.

***

Gent is a world away from the Canadian wilderness

And that’s fine

I’ve had many homes