Searching for Squamish

Summer was winding down. This time of year always brings mixed emotions.

On one hand, I was excited for the changing season, but on the other I felt like I could have done more this summer... More road trips, more time at the lake, more barbeques, more cold beers on hot days. I guess that’s normal, but this year was different. This year I felt like I really missed something. I felt restless. I knew I had to make one final effort for a memorable summer experience before it was too late, but I didn’t have any plans or ideas.It was a monotonous tuesday at work, and I had a full week of calls, meetings, and deadlines. I turned my head away from my computer screen, and my eyes settled on a small wooden totem pole that was serving as the only piece of personal flair on my desk. My mom had bought it at a souvenir shop on a trip she’d taken to Vancouver last year. I’m not sure why I brought it to work, but it had been sitting on my desk since she gave it to me. I grabbed it, flipped it over, and on the bottom it read “Made in Squamish, BC”. Immediately my head filled with visions of glacier lakes and mountains, and my nostrils filled with the smell of a campfire and pine trees. Without much thought, I sent my friends a group text, “want to rally for one last road trip this summer?”. One by one, they all wrote back within a minute of my first message.“I’m in.”“Yup.”“Where we going?”We were heading north. We were searching for Squamish…