I was born near the end of the Second World War in June, 1945. You can do the math. As a baby, I was very young. For the first four years of life I lived with my Mother and Father in Scarborough, Ontario above my Father’s barber shop. Both of my parents passed on many years ago. My Mother lost her physical presence to cancer at age 58 and my Father lost his a few years later at the age of 85 in December, 1977. Their impression remains indelible.
My father, William Alexander Taylor with sisters and his parents circa 1910 near Aylmer, Ontario, Canada
When I was four years old we moved 110 miles north from Toronto to the small, tourist town of Gravenhurst, Ontario in Muskoka. It was here I attended Gravenhurst Public School and subsequently Gravenhurst High School. In my final year of high school I was elected President of the Student Council. As an average student, this would seem unlikely because, although I associated with the popular kids, I was more of a loner. My high school sweetheart was Marylou W. More than five decades later, I remember her fondly. Perhaps she will discover this blog and get in touch one day. I wrote the school’s first student-teacher constitution and authored a monthly newsletter. I was active on the school year-book called, ‘the Tatler’ produced annually on a hand-cranked
Mimeograph Machine (Circa 1960)
mimeograph machine. After completing High School, I left Gravenhurst to attend Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in Toronto where I studied Electronic Engineering Technology. My first summer position was in Officer training with the Royal Canadian Military Signal Corp. at Vimy Barracks in Kingston, Ontario. To be honest, at the time, I disliked the experience but, in hindsight, it was one of the most valuable character builders of my life. There are many unique and exciting stories which I still share now. After completing Ryerson in 1968 I arrived in a robust marketplace and was hired by IBM at the very attractive income of $485 per month. My Father was very proud. It was more than he had ever earned in his life and it was an excellent income at that time.
My first career, in Information Systems, spanning 26 years, primarily in banking and insurance, included 12 years of management. The first 7 years were spent with IBM in Toronto and the final 9 years were with Alberta Treasury Branches in Calgary, Alberta. Between those years I was employed by the Toronto and area firms Bank of Nova Scotia, Shaw and Begg Insurance, Commerce Clearing House (CCH) Canada, Willson Office Specialty and B.C. Hydro in Vancouver, B.C.
When I left Alberta Treasury Branches in 1995, my second career began as A Financial Planner with Investors Group. I managed to survive 7 years of commissioned sales but my most significant contribution was the creation and delivery of courses designed to allow new financial services sales representatives to become successful sooner.
I have been married twice and divorced twice. My son, William (Bill) was born in June of 1967, Canada’s Centennial year. We have enjoyed many amazing adventures together and I consider him a great friend as well as my son. Bill and I have struggled through rugged life experiences together and we have battled our way to the summits of many tall mountains throughout British Columbia and Alberta. While each experience is unique, perhaps our crowning glory was crossing the Grand Canyon from South to North in September of 2000 to celebrate the millennium. I am truly blessed to enjoy the uncommon bond we have built together over the decades. When one has been weak, the other has been strong and carried the majority of the burden. We are a symbiotic team of two. In June of 2008, we celebrated his wife’s, Joanne, birthday with a brutal traverse over the summit of Mount Allan in Kananaskis Country in very challenging conditions. It was a huge victory for any person, and particularly for Joanne, who was unaccustomed to that threshold of endeavour. I will always respect her maintenance of relentless, positive attitude. I am always impressed with anyone who fights to succeed in spite of the odds.
From my second marriage I am blessed to have daughters Gloria, born in 1976, and Linda, born in 1978. Gloria and Djamal have 3 children, Billa, Omar and Saphia (born in 2006, 2009 and 2011). Linda and Greg have Michael and Katherine (born in 2001 and 2005) respectively. They do not receive the time and attention they deserve from me, however they are among the great lights I am very fortunate to have in my life. Since 2002 I have lived as a single person and no longer can I imagine compromising my independence. It was a difficult transition to learn to live with myself and several true friends made significant contributions to help me. I remain forever grateful.
Throughout my life, my common threads of creative joy have been writing and photography. I simply try to do my best. I have also enjoyed a life-long passion for the wilderness. Over the years, I believe I have gained knowledge and skill set which may benefit others who have or may embrace the same interest.
This blog is intended to share my passions in life with you. It begins in 2005, which is the year I embraced the digital camera and realized the potential power of digital images. Forty-five years of film photography came to an end. Physical evidence of many of my pre-2005 wilderness experiences have been lost to me through life circumstance. The memories remain.
I hope you enjoy the stories and the images. Please feel free to comment, ask questions or politely challenge the information. I have known for many years learning should not end. It seems the more I learn, the less I know. Happy trails!
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I read with interest your article “Johns Lake Loop-Glacier National Park- Hiking Montana” My grandfather was John Elsner who had a homestead near Lake McDonald. I would like very much knowing your source of information regarding who Johns Lake was named for. I am wondering if this could be the same person as my grandfather. Thank you for sharing your adventures. I would like very much to someday visit the state of Montana. Hoping to hear from you, James
Thank you for your comment, James. My daily, hiking itinerary is: up early, hike as planned the previous evening, hearty supper, make cryptic journal notes, and finally, research and plan the next days mission and early to bed. When I get home, I combine my journal notes with photos of the day and compose text for my blog. When you asked the source of my reference for John Elsner, I had to dig into the Park guides and hiking guides to search for my reference. These hiking guides yielded no results. The only reference I could find is a brief comment in the fascinating book ‘Place Names of Glacier National Park’ authored by Jack Holterman. I believe he would benefit from any family history to embellish a subsequent edition. If you have additional info, please post a comment on my Johns Lake Loop blog so others, like myself, can benefit from the rich, historical ancestry of these trails we enjoy today.
Thank you for sharing a bit of your story, and of course your adventures on the trails! You definitely have a lot of life experience to draw on, and it sounds like you’ve been blessed with some wonderful people in your life. You are a great writer and I’m looking forward to following your blog!
Thank you for your kind remarks. I have been truly blessed to recognize and appreciate the solace in nature and friendship. There is a strong bond when people depend on one another for their lives. It has been a perpetual journey, with an emphasis on safety, and it just keeps getting better. I feel very privileged to share my vision quest with others.
Thanks for making the time to put the photos and writing together. Much appreciated, enjoyed the read.
You are welcome, John. My pleasure
Blog looks great. All of your entries are great reading. Joanne and I are looking forward to Waterton Lakes this summer. We are planning to give you a run for money on this one…lol. Ok, at least we will give you some more writing material. Once I have dates confirmed, I will let you know.
Thanks, Bill and Joanne. I am looking forward to your visit in the summer. We shall see how much of the Triple Crown we can achieve.
Love, Dad
Having spent a year living in Cochrane, Alberta. I often reminisce of the rugged landscape and the scenery that gave me so much inspiration in my oil paintings. Thank you Barry for painting pictures with your words and enabling me to smell, feel and experience the great vistas and views Alberta has to offer time and time again. Keep up the great work, dear friend!
Thank you for your comment, Carole. Good to hear from you. Keep up your painting. You are very talented. Late start in the mountains this year after a tough winter. Trips are planned for hiking in Waterton Lakes National Park in August and Yosemite National Park in September. I hope to get some good pictures. Take care, my friend.
I enjoyed your life history write-up. Looking forward to more hikes with you in the future. Whale Lake looks interesting. There’s so much nature out there and so little time to experience it.
Thanks, Ken. Yes, we must get out on the trails soon. I have been doing front range, lower altitude hikes recently. There is still a lot of snow in the mountains. I can certainly relate to the need for more time. Whale Lake is a beautiful spot and the clatter of nesting loons adds authenticity to the natural experience. Talk soon. Thanks for your comment.
Great to meet you, Barry. Your piece on Rawson Lake caught my eye as I was lucky enough to hike it with friends yesterday. The bug has bitten early this season … and with the lingering snow, have managed a number of trails in the Longview/Highwood/Smith Dorrien so far. I was thrilled to see the shots of your discovery of the Pocaterra Cabin. Must search it out.
Can still smell that Gestetner fluid from those early staffroom days. .. loving exploring the world even more.
Thank you for your comment, Judy. It is not often I hike in a more popular place on a weekend but the warmer weather convinced me to spend some time near water and the circuit around Upper Kananaskis Lake fit the bill. The volume of water flowing from Mount Sarrail is impressive. Later in the summer, the hike around the end of Rawson Lake to the top of the ridge provides breathtaking views of the Kananaskis Lakes accompanied by an excellent aerobic experience. Yes, Gestetener, amazing how things have changed so much in such a short time. Have a great hiking year and stay safe.