Adventure Seeker!

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Who is An Adventure Seeker?

Me! Megan Kopp. I’m a new member of the Adventure Seeker Club of Canada.

Source: eh Canada Travel Instagram page!

What is an Adventure Seeker?

Adventure Seekers – in this instance – are a special group of Canadian influencers who are working with the “Brothers of Tourism” at eh Canada Travel (that’d be Greg and Colin Girard, eh!) to create and post “quality authentic stories and experience and lessons learned while exploring Canada.“

Eh Canada Travel “is the largest travel community for Canadians and for those who visit Canada. It is the only tourism website on the internet promoting travel, tourism and adventure in real-time.“

Where Will I be Adventuring?

I’ll be focusing on southern Alberta’s hiking trails, paddle routes, campgrounds and historic sites of interest for Canada Travel (ehCanadaTravel.com). I may also be posting occasionally from our other trips around Canada – ’cause we like to travel, eh!

But don’t worry, extra historic notes and journeys and all of our trips to the American Southwest and other locales will still be posted at Time.Travel.Trek. Now you’ll have two places to read about our different adventures šŸ˜‰

When is this Happening?

Training starts next week and the first posts will be up shortly thereafter! It will be a year-long journey seeking adventures worth sharing.

Why Should You Care?

The question should be, why not? I’m doing this because it’s a cool connection with like-minded individuals who share a love of nature, travel and Canada. It’s an opportunity for cross-promotion that can’t be beat! You’ll benefit from the stories designed to entertain, inform and inspire!

For the next year, I’ll wander with you through the Crowsnest Pass; uncover hidden campgrounds in southern Alberta; provide inspiration for paddle trips along southern Alberta’s waterways; take you along on to discover the best hikes in Castle Wildland Provincial Park; and explore as many of southern Alberta’s museums and historic sites as I possibly can in the time allotted!

See My Adventures

Adventure Seeker Posts Up on the Canada Travel Website!

Who doesn’t love waterfalls? Check my first post for 3 Stellar Crowsnest Pass Waterfalls! You’ll want to dip your toes in this summer.

The Nest is the best, IMHO šŸ˜‰ Seriously though, start with these 10 Things to Do in the Crowsnest Pass and you’ll be hooked.

Seeking out unique places to stay? You’ll want to investigate Glamping in the Canadian Rockies – Charmed Resorts.

Love backpacking? Southern Alberta has a plethora of secluded hikes including Backpacking in Castle Wildland Provincial Park.

Needing a Canadian road trip? Look no further than 10 Amazing Things to Do in Castlegar BC Canada!

And if you’re out in the Castlegar area, slide over to the Salmo Stone Murals in British Columbia Canada!

Any southern Alberta or BC sites you’d particularly like me to write about? Leave a note in the comments below!

E-book: I’ll Never Pee in the Woods Again!

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It’s done! After years of sitting on the back burner, a virus came along and clipped my wings. With time on my hands, I brushed off the cobwebs and sat down to work on my e-book. I’ll Never Pee in the Woods Again! is undergoing final proofreading before it gets delivered to subscribers.

WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

It’s a book of travel misadventures – from canoeing the Missouri River in a epic storm, to hitchhiking with an accident-prone trucker in Australia to backpacking into Arizona’s Rainbow Bridge with a dog who swallows a canyon toad and more!

There are 10 short tales – all tall but true – of now-humorous adventures. Each story is followed by a brief resource box of relevant books and maps.

Take a peek at the design inside the e-book “I’ll Never Pee in the Woods Again!”

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

I first wrote about the idea of a travel adventure book 10 years ago. Yes, you read that correctly, 10 years ago! The problem is that we live and love to travel – whether flying or driving or canoeing or biking or hiking. It doesn’t save a lot of energy for writing. No excuse, I know, but I was also busy the past 10 years working on children’s, non-fiction book writing. Yup, close to 90 books can keep a person occupied in their spare time šŸ˜‰

When Covid-19 entered our lives and brought us home early from travel adventures in Baja, Mexico, I needed something to keep my mind busy. I knew the time had come to get this e-book done, so I started reviewing a course I’d signed up for a while back called E-Book Bestseller Bootcamp. The course guided me through the process of writing and designing an e-book.

After an initial review launch, the book will be for sale on my website. And now that I’ve done one, I’m thinking about another. Yes, stayed tuned the next set of travel misadventures – fingers crossed it doesn’t take me another 10 years!

One Warped Bunny Tale

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In the spirit of all things hopping this Easter, I thought Iā€™d share a little ā€“ tall but true ā€“ story.

Source: https://www.freepik.com/

One evening in this past winter, I took my dog out for her nightly stroll. It was after 10 pm and pitch black.

She stopped suddenly and pulled on the leash.

I turned back to see what was going on and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a huge white snowball hurtling towards my face.

It hit and I was momentarily stunned, wondering simultaneously why someone would throw such a massive snowball at me and, at the same time, why it felt somewhat soft instead of icy.

I stood there in disbelief, with a split lip that was immediately getting fat, as the white-tailed jackrabbit ricocheted off my face and hit the ground running.

I ran back home and flung open the door, calling out to my husband before bursting into tears as the immediate shock wore off.

ā€œA rabbit hit me and split my lip!ā€ I sobbed as he came down the stairs.

Once he stopped laughing, he was really quite sympathetic.

Some people believe a rabbitā€™s foot is good luck.

What does it mean when it hits you in the face?

(Just call me Ms. Adventure!Ā Stay tuned for more – tall but true – travel tales in my upcoming e-book!)

Wild Writing Adventures

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ā€œI watched in horror as the small green cocoa leaf fluttered to the ground. Quickly and quietly, I bent over and put it back with the other two leaves in my outstretched left hand. I stood up and peeked over at the shaman out of the corner of my eye. He was staring right at me.ā€

Still under the weather at the summit of Salkantay Pass, Peru. (Photo: Brad Kopp)

Writing it Down

There you have it ā€“ the first excerpt from my upcoming e-book: ā€œIā€™ll Never Pee in the Woods Again.ā€ It is a collection of travel tales where not everything goes exactly as planned. The excerpt above is from the story of a misadventure on a multi-day hiking to Machu Picchu, Peru.

Iā€™m putting these few words out into the universe for a reason. Hopefully a few people will read this post and I will have some accountability. This e-book is still a work-in-progress, but Iā€™m excited to finally get around to finishing this tiny treasure. My problem is… SQUIRREL! Ā I get distracted far too easily. Writing these words down forces me to focus and get this done. You will hold me to it, right?!

Finding Focus

My freelance writing path has been full of detours. For the past eight years, Iā€™ve kept busy writing books, childrenā€™s non-fiction for educational publishers. A lot of books. Over eighty-five titles in all. Paying jobs came before creative work. I penned a few travel adventures, but they were few and far between. Time flew by and I found myself with little time or energy for personal projects, such as a short, but sweet, e-book of travel tales.

This year Iā€™ve made a promise to myself to finish a couple of writing ideas that have been shelved for far too long. Iā€™ve cut back on my educational book commitments and am making time to work on projects that I really need to see through to completion.

Evolution

The original idea for this book, first voiced almost nine years ago, was called ā€œWild Ice and Other Travel Adventures.ā€ It was series of tall, but true travel tales.

The current e-book is still all about travel adventures, but with an extra dose of misā€¦ misadventures, that is. The ā€œWild Iceā€ story in the first rough version was simply too short and unrelated to work. It had to go.

But that doesnā€™t mean I canā€™t share a condensed version with you here!

Wild Ice

Heading out from the logging road parking lot with burgeoning backpacks, we laughed as we struggled to keep up with the excited chatter of a five-year-old girl proudly wearing her pink and purple pack on her first overnight hiking trip to Lake of the Hanging Glacier in British Columbia.

We wound our way through the forested trail alongside Hell Roaring Creek, up switchbacks and across avalanche slopes before finally ending up in the subalpine meadow campground.

The chatter continued.

After setting up our tent, we strolled the half kilometer or soĀ up to the lakeshore.Ā The massive rock faces of the Commander and The Lieutenants stood guard silently at the end of the milky-blue lake.Ā Jumbo Glacier flowed over the mountaintops and down the valley, one finger reaching into the water.Ā 

Our happy camper was captivated by the icebergs bobbing in the lake.Ā Suddenly, she was silent.

ā€œDo you want to try a piece?ā€ her dad asked.

ā€œOhhhhā€¦ yes, please!ā€

Finding a longer stick in the avalanche debris littering the shoreline, he rolled up his pant legs and waded out in the frigid water. Slowly, but surely, he started to pull a smallĀ berg closer to shore.

Our little girl was dancing beside me, hopping around on the rocks like a kid at their first sock hop, barely able to contain herself.

ā€œWhy are you so excited?ā€ I asked.

ā€œBecauseā€¦ Iā€™ve never had wild ice before!ā€

Putting Passion First

Wild ice ā€“ itā€™s pure, unfiltered joy. Itā€™s trying something new. Thatā€™s what Iā€™m doing. Iā€™m writing something that I so passionate about that Iā€™m willing to learn how to create my first e-book to see it published. I’ve been going back to school, taking online courses to learn how to get it done.

Iā€™m pretty sure itā€™s going to be a bumpy path, but thatā€™s okay. I promise to pop in from time to time and update you on the progress and successes and failures along the way. Iā€™ll share the process of what works, what doesnā€™t, and why. Iā€™ll chatter away like a five-year-old on a travel adventure.

Will this e-book sell?

Will I ever see a penny for my efforts?

I donā€™t know.

What I do know is that Iā€™ll be honest about the journey. If youā€™ve ever thought about publishing your own e-book, stay tuned for tips, tricks and insight learned along the way.

Enough About Me, What About You?

What writing project do you need to dust off and get working on again?

What is holding you back?

What is your wild ice?

Time Outdoors Boosts Creativity

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What do you do while you wait for editors to get back to you on book outlines?

I go off-grid.

Early morning fog couldn’t put a damper on the joy of being outside! (Photo: Megan Kopp)

Hike, bike, paddle ā€“ you name it, when downtime comes I play. These past four days I ditched the laptop, powered down the phone and set out on a four-day paddle/float down Albertaā€™s Red Deer River. They say time outdoors enhances higher-order thinking, restores attention, and boosts creativity. I say I agree!

Lunch break stop. (Photo: Megan Kopp)

We put in at Dry Island Buffalo Jump after shuttling the return vehicle down to our takeout at Bleriot Ferry. It would be easy to complete this 48 km section of river in two days, but our goal was relaxation. The first day (including a later day start, drive out from home and arranging takeout shuttle of approximately one hour each way) saw us getting on the river at 4 pm. Four kilometers later we pulled over and spent the evening catching up on life with good friends we hadnā€™t paddled with in several years. Pelicans soared overhead, fish flipped fins to taunt the angler that hadnā€™t thought to pack rod and reel, and swallows danced in and out of cliffside nests.

American white pelicans are common summer inhabitants along the Red Deer River. (Photo: Megan Kopp)

Day two saw wind ā€“ howling wind. There was little float time; it was all hands on deck and paddles in the water. But it didnā€™t stop us from appreciating the flight of immature golden eagles and the colours of the coulees.

Wood lilies paint the coulees along the river. (Photo: Megan Kopp)

On the third day, we relaxed again, pulling out early and enjoying river swims and garter snake sightings (full disclosure here ā€“ most enjoyed seeing the garter snakes, I did the snake dance!) and the nightly chorus of coyotes and nighthawks. A cow moose and calf crossed the river downstream. Three young bucks warily worked their way along the opposite bank from our camp. Pheasants called and doves mourned. We talked and laughed and ate and drank and laughed a little more as thunderstorms blew up and moved north and south of our trusty shelter.

Heading home via the Bleriot Ferry. (Photo: Megan Kopp)

Too soon, the ferry came into sight and our time outdoors was done. The first full day back in the office (still waiting on book editors), I fired off an article query and wrote this post ā€“ all before noon. I haven’t posted on this site since January. I haven’t sent out an article query in the past four months. What do you do while you wait? I hope you play outdoors!

Time outdoors enhances higher-order thinking, restores attention, and boosts creativity!

If your downtime involves a paddle down the Red Deer River, check out this site for canoe access points and distances in the Red Deer Corridor.

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Write On!

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I started 2018 – work wise – by listening again to an archived version of TED Talks. The speaker was Elizabeth Gilbert, author of freakishly successful (in her own words) novel, “Eat, Pray, Love.” Gilbert’s talk wasn’t about the book. It was all about fear and creativity and genius. Write on!

It made me laugh

In the past, muses were disembodied creative spirits, first called daemons and then geniuses. If your work bombed, it wasn’t your fault. Your genius was lame. Love it!

It made me think

Gilbert talks about poet Ruth Stone at one point, and how poems would Ā come roaring down on her and she would have to run. Run like hell to get into the house and find and pen and paper to write it down before it roared right through her to find another poet. How is it that ideas come out of the blue? Is it that genius, that muse, that daemon waiting in the wings?

Elizabeth Gilbert doesn’t claim to be a pipeline, waiting for the genius to rush through her. She’s a mule, like most writers. She does the best she can and, in moments of doubt, occasionally talks to her genius and lets them know if they want the work to be better, they have to show up to do their part of the job. Write on.

Writing is work. Sometimes it flows and sometimes it falters. Sometimes it sings and sometimes it sucks. And sometimes… yes, sometimes there is genius. If you want to read more about Gilbert’s take on the whole thing, check out Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.

It made me get to work

I’m still waiting… for the genius, that is… but I’m doing my part. New Year’s Resolution’sĀ don’t work for me. This year, it’s more of a deadline-based project. I’ve dusted off my research files and started in again on a project that I have had on the back burner for years. It’s a children’s picture book. I’m going to be back off the work-for-hire educational titles and focus a little more on my own ideas. The title of this one will be “Run Percy, Run!”

I’m talking to my genius now. I’ll do my part if you do yours.Ā Here’s the deal, by April 1st (no joke, it’s written in ink on the calendar), I will have the manuscript out to a publisher. With or without a muse, or daemon or genuis, it will get done.

What project are you holding back on?

Are you afraid it won’t be good enough? Join me in letting go of fear and getting the job done in 2018. Write. Onwards. Upwards. Let the whole world hear your words sing – genius or not!

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Writing About Travel

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2017 is winding down and what a year itā€™s been for this freelance childrenā€™s writer who also fills her time writing about travel!

One writer’s life exploring Nebraska!

The Freelance Life

Work-wise, it was probably one of my least productive years ā€“ five childrenā€™s non-fiction books completed,Ā an article on Nashvilleā€™s Germantown for German Life, an adventure piece for Victoriaā€™s Vacation Guide, a round-up of pet-friendly things in Calgary for WHERE Calgary, a piece on summer in Kananaskis Country for Avenue Magazine, and an article for Senior Living on a Moroccan adventure.Ā  All, but one, of the travel pieces were new markets for me.

Sadly, I also said goodbye to teaching a continuing education class at Mount Royal University on travel writing. The numbers have been steadily dwindling over the years and there were only two students registered for the November course. After more than 11 years, it was a mutual decision to close the course for good. Iā€™ll miss the opportunity to talk writing and travel ā€“ two of my favourite things ā€“ with like-minded souls.

Now this may all seem slightly less than positive, but 2017 was truly an inspirational year!

Taking Time to Travel

2017 was less time in the office, less money in the bank, but more time actively exploring this big, beautiful world of ours. The year started with a ski getaway to a mountain hostel, followed by another backcountry ski adventure into Assiniboine before diving into the Galapagos and summiting mountain passes in Peru on the way to Machu Picchu.

Barely home long enough to wash clothes and I was off again kayaking and hiking in Door Country, WI and wandering along snippets of the Oregon Trail in western Nebraska. Summer ushered in a paddling trip on the South Saskatchewan River, camping at B.C.ā€™s Premier Lake, walks on the endless beaches of northern B.C.ā€™s Haida Gwaii, hiking in southern Albertaā€™s Castle Country and climbing passes in Jasper National Park.

A season of summits. (Photo: M. Kopp)

Fall into winter meant taking a trip to check out the Magnolia Magic happening in Waco, Texas, camping/hiking/biking trip in southern Utah and Colorado, cross-country skiing in Kimberley, B.C. and climbing sacred steps in multiple Mayan ruins in Mexicoā€™s southernmost state of Chiapas.

Writing About Travel

I took time this year to start ā€“ note to self: must continue ā€“ several online courses about blogging. Krista Dicksonā€™s ā€œProfit from Your Passionā€ covers everything from building your brand to creating crave-worthy content to using social media strategically. Best takeaway so far? Creating the elevator pitch (sell your blog in 30 words or less) and tagline.

My elevator pitch was easy: Time.Travel.Trek. is a history travel blog for people who love uncovering bits and pieces of the past ā€“ especially if it involves a hike, bike or paddle to get there! Tagline: Actively Looking into the Past.

Climbing into the past! (Photo: Brad Kopp)

Melyssa Griffinā€™s ā€œBlog to Biz Hiveā€ focuses more on learning how to create email lists, content upgrades and online courses. Best takeaway so far? How to create an opt-in form and add to website.

Build Blog Freedom, by Digital Nomad Wannabe superstar Sharon Gourley, starts with goal setting, surges forward with using keywords effectively and dives into affiliate marketing. Best takeaway so far? Learning about DA ā€“ domain authority ā€“ and key ways to increase your siteā€™s DA.

Future Plans

I still have much to learn when it comes to blogging. Iā€™m still tinkering a lot with the travel blogā€™s appearance. There are times when Iā€™m confused about how to get it to look the way I want it. Hoping one day soon I’m happy with it’s appearance! Ā Iā€™m frequently distracted from blogging by paying projects. I can’t help butĀ wonder if the time and effort expended on blogging will pay off in the long run.

Still, the plan for 2018 is to focus on writing more about travel and ease off on the childrenā€™s books. After more than 80 books, I think Iā€™m ready to slow down. Trust me when I say Iā€™ve got a backlog of travel material waiting to be published.

Iā€™d also like to fire up this site, a blog about one writerā€™s life, and make it more of a freelancing ā€œhow toā€ site. Iā€™d like to come up with an online course about writing childrenā€™s non-fiction for educational publishers. Iā€™d like to come up with an online course for writing about travel in print markets.

Next year weā€™re kicking off travels with a trip to southern Arizona. The plan is to fly our mountain bikes down, rent a camperized van and explore the land of cacti while the serpents sleep. And yes, I will be writing about itā€¦ somewhere… eventually!

What are your writing plans or travel goals for 2018?

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Finding Focus as a Freelance Writer

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Being a freelance writer is awesome – you get to pick when you want to work, do what you want to do, and go where you want to go. As I’ve said before, you drive the busĀ – or ride the mule!

Being a freelance writer is horrible – work never comes when you need it the most, almost always hits when you’ve planned to take time to travel, and because the paths are endless (fiction, non-fiction, travel, children’s, anthology, blog, e-book…) it can be hardĀ to get traction to get moving. Sometimes, the muleĀ gets a littleĀ stubborn and slow.

I don’t set goals or make resolutions in the New Year anymore because they always seem to start off big and fizzle out fast. This year I’m not making plans. Instead, I’m simplyĀ digging in to a steep learning curve to get this blog on track.

Hiking Northern Spain. (Photo: M. Kopp)

That doesn’t mean I’m not working on a e-book, still writing children’s non-fiction, and penning travel pieces – I am – but it does mean I’m focusing spare time on becoming a better blogger.

Let’s face it, I suck at consistency when it comes to non-paying projects. My aim is to make this blog a passive income machine. Pay it forward. Possible? Apparently. Over the next few months, I’ll post occasional updates on my progress.

FirstĀ Steps – or how to get that bus moving again!Ā I am starting slow and learning to walk before I run. Step one: signĀ up for a little education on the topic. I chose “From Blog to Business” by Wonderlass Allison Marshall. Part of her package is support and additional training opportunities, like a productivity party. Trust me, it’s not fun and games. It is all about sweat equity and it comes with a 25-page workbook. I’ve just finished p. 2 – Celebrate.

Celebrate –Ā it’s time to write down your accomplishments over the past year. I was hesitant at first because it didn’t feelĀ like I had a productive year in 2016. Well, colour me happy!Ā I was pleasantly surprisedĀ when I took the time to look back at what I’d accomplished.

Deep thoughts. (Photo: M. Kopp)

Work

  • wrote 9 work-for-hire children’s non-fiction books
  • penned 9 articles for paying markets
  • taught 2 travel writing courses
  • submitted a post to new paying blog market
  • wrote a book review for a paying market

Training

Travel

  • long weekend ski trips to Panorama and Assiniboine, BC and Waterton Lakes National Park, AB
  • multiple day trip skis and hikes
  • 6-day mule trip into the canyon of Sierra de la San Francisco, Baja MX
  • month-long hiking trip Northern Spain and Morocco
  • 6-day canoe trip on Bowron Lake Circuit, BC

A little slice of paddling heaven! (Photo: M. Kopp)

And More Travel!

  • 12-day trip to Vancouver Island for family and backpacking
  • 6-day backpackĀ across the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska and the Yukon
  • 6-day trip to Northern BC to spend time with a girlfriend
  • 5-day road trip to Tofino with my daughter
  • 11-day bike/hike trip to southern Nevada and Utah

Write down your accomplishments last year – goĀ ahead, give it a try. Your accomplishments can be related to writing or work or fitness or travel or whatever it is that you do. The act of writing it downĀ not only feels good, it gives you a clearer picture of what actually happened and it gives you “the motivation to keep moving forward.”

Keep moving forward! (Photo: M.Kopp)

Bring it on 2017!

5 Tips for Wet Weather Hiking

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Assiniboine Lake - beauty in the clouds! (Photo: M. Kopp)

Assiniboine Lake – beauty in the clouds! (Photo: M. Kopp)

July was a soggy month, of that there is no doubt. Calgary, Alberta saw 206 mm of rain. The average is 66 mm. We didnā€™t let that stop us from getting out into the mountains, though. More often than not the clouds drained themselves rather quickly and vanished into thin air.Ā In fact, summer 2016 turned out to beĀ a superb season for day hikes and backpacking trips alike.

  1. Pack a good rain jacket. Good being the operative word. You want something that works.
  2. Carry an umbrella. Yes, purists will scoff and you may be dubbed ā€œprincessā€, but youā€™ll be drier than them!
  3. Use gaiters. ā€˜Cause even Goretex-lined boots donā€™t seal at the ankle.
  4. Buy a lightweight pair of rainpants. Even if you haul them around unused 99% of the time, that 1% makes them worth every penny.
  5. Suck it up. Seriously. You will have the trails almost to yourself ā€“ something that is becoming increasingly rare – and you’ll never find that pot of gold if you’re not out looking for rainbows.

Looking for rainbows in the Columbia Valley. (Photo: M. Kopp)

Looking for rainbows in the Columbia Valley. (Photo: M. Kopp)