TRAVEL || Diablo Lake

I can't stand bugs nor can I be without my phone for more than a couple of hours, but there I was, in the wilderness with zero reception, only 48 hours after committing to a 3-day camping trip with my friend. Instead of merely listing the things I did (which was not very much), I am summarizing my experience in one word: yes.

Just say yes. Enthusiastically, even when you're hesitant. In fact, say yes especially if you'd rather sit on your couch and watch TV.

When I look back to all the times that I've reluctantly said yes, I am pleasantly surprised by what memories come to mind. Well, first, when I say reluctantly, I do not mean peer-pressured; those have consistently been disasters and I've gotten better at saying no in those scenarios. Instead, the affirmations I am talking about were ultimately made by me and after some careful (or just some) thought. Sure, I probably shouldn't have okay-ed myself to the extra few drinks on NYE, and yeah, being hit on by a 60-year-old dude at a pub in an unknown country was uncomfortable to say the least, but my success rate has otherwise been promising and these rare encounters have become stories I won't forget. I've made new friends, I've explored new parts of British Columbia, I've tried new foods... and most notably, I've picked up new hobbies as a result of saying yes. It's difficult to explain, but there is something magical about being on top of the mountain, overlooking a city from afar, being surrounded by trees, and just feeling so so small. This was a feeling I hadn't experienced before, until my hesitant yes to an invitation to Buntzen Lake. Same goes for skiing. I had such a traumatic experience when I was 6 years old that I never picked it up until this past year.

That's why I said yes this weekend to my friend's invitation to Diablo Lake. Guess what? I had a lot of fun. I'd never started a fire nor maintained one. We burnt apples and marshmallows (not on purpose), we saw bear poop and footprints (of which the latter I mistook as my friend's), and we relaxed under the sun for hours on end.

So say yes.