A rainy September morning, 4:30 AM. My partner and I had been talking about checking the Howe Sound Crest Trail off our list for months (for him, he’d be mentioning it for a few years). But life always got in the way—busy schedules, bad weather, wrong timing. This day was circled on the calendar: it was either now or wait until next season.

Normally, I’m the one pushing for the “let’s just go” attitude while he’s the voice of reason. But even I looked out the window at the forecast that morning and said, “Do you think we should?” My gut isn’t usually hesitant when it comes to adventuring, and looking back, that pause probably told me all I needed to know.

Still, we packed up, drove to the Cypress trailhead, and set out. The forecast promised a weather window later in the day. Safety-wise we were geared up, so we figured we’d take it slow and steady.

The first 10k was, in a word, soggy. Sideways rain, slippery footing, and plenty of laughs as he kept wiping out. Spirits were good—we kept joking, waiting for that promised break in the clouds. 

It never came. In fact, things only got wetter, colder, and grimmer. By what we thought was the midway point, we were already debating: turn around, cut down a side trail to Lions Bay, or push on? I’ll admit, I can be stubborn and a bit of an optimist (living by the mantra “how hard can it be?”). We pushed on.

The day ended with us absolutely drenched, exhausted, and more than ready for our ride home. Let’s just say no amount of Gore-Tex was going to save us from the rain. It’s the only hike I’ve ever been close to tears on.

But here’s the thing: we learned and were reminded of a lot.

• Trust your gut. If something feels off, pay attention.
• Leave ego behind. Especially in the mountains. A shorter route or a changed plan isn’t failure—it’s wisdom.
• Flexibility is everything. Revise the plan as often as you need.
• Sometimes “not going” is the better story. Sitting with “I wish we had gone” is often easier than pushing through a sufferfest.
• Remember the why. We wanted an adventure together, quality time, and new scenery. Looking back, we could’ve had that closer to home.

That day wasn’t what we hoped for, but it was memorable. And it reminded me that adventure isn’t just about checking boxes—it’s about knowing when to push forward, and when to reroute.

If you know me, you’ve probably heard this story. But I think for myself at least, there's a real sense of inflexibility that was prevalent for me that day. We wanted to get to the end point of the thing we set out to do. While I would consider myself to be a goal driven person, it definitely reminded me how flexibility is a fundamental of mental health, and it's a lesson I’ll carry with me for a while to come.