14/02/2024
Years ago, in the back country of Mt. Assiniboine, I met a man on the heli pad. He looked to be fit and strong, somewhere around the age of 70. We got to talking and he shared that every year on his birthday he returned to the same place except the year his wife passed. He said he only found the place at the age of 80. He’d been traveling and hiking there for FIFTEEN years. On that weekend, he was 95 years young. I almost fell over, blown back by his youth and vitality.
The man was a legend. His name was Richard Guy. I was so struck by the chance encounter and inspired to be “just like him when I grew up.”
Richard kept on hiking and ascended Wonder Pass at the age of 100. He tapped out at 103 but not before taking his wife’s ashes to HaLing Peak 2,407 m (7,897 ft), just outside of Canmore,AB.
I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did when I met him that day in the Assiniboine back country.
-Tami
“Richard was a strong independent person always willing to fend for himself and wanting little help from others. He loved a good joke and his laughter was infectious."