CANMORE – In the high elevation of the Canadian Rockies or the depths of Utah’s canyons, Stephen Legault wonders why these wild places pull him in.
Recounting decades of experiences in nature, the Canmore author and photographer looks to find the answer in his newest book High Cols and Deep Canyons: Ordinary Adventures in Extraordinary Places.
“They’re stories told from my perspective, but ... maybe everybody in the Bow Valley has had these experiences, these ordinary adventures, but in extraordinary places,” said Legault, who has published 16 books.
Legault said readers might draw their own conclusions as to what the book means, whether it be a compilation of adventures or something more in-depth, like what “exploration of wilderness and wildness” means to humans.
“Others will maybe see the philosophical thread that runs through it, around how nature is part of the process of making peace with mortality,” he said. “The fact that we live in a finite time period and that there’s countless passes to cross and more mountains to climb than we could in 10 lifetimes. And yet, here we are, we’ve got to struggle with those limitations.”
Legault aims for the book to serve as a point of reflection for residents of the Bow Valley.
“What I hope is that people in the Bow Valley – if they pick the book up at the library, or they’re able to trick somebody into giving them a copy, or they find it in a recycling bin – that they’ll see themselves reflected back in it,” he said.
As the title suggests, the book isn’t about crazy or gnarly experiences like when a stick punctured Legault’s eye on a canoe trip during a flash flood in a Utah canyon, but rather ordinary experiences which are relatable to the reader.
“For the most part, my adventures are pretty ordinary and that’s the way most people experience nature,” said Legault.
Throughout his many years in the valley, Legault has seen the ever-growing popularity of hiking which he feels has “commodified” various parks, possibly tainting a genuine experience in the wild.
“It was always one of my frustrations that we had commodified the parks to a point where it was difficult to have that genuine, unique experience in them,” he said.
However, Legault is happy to see people return to the simplicity of nature even if it means some of his favourite trails become overrun.
“I think what we see more and more these days ... is that people are turning back to nature for simple, ordinary adventures that fulfill an incredibly deep and meaningful desire on behalf of humanity, to see themselves and be connected to nature,” said Legault.
Sifting through 45 years of essays, articles and columns he wrote, Legault plucked different stories and narratives for the book that were still legible to compile the various themes and ideologies in which he believes.
“A lot of these stories are about going on a hike and having an experience, or going on a paddle and having an experience,” said Legault. “I started looking for the ones that were similar, and having to decide between two of my offspring, which one of them I would consign to the dustbin of antiquity.”
Being a self-published novel, Legault wanted the book to be polished, which amounted to around 15 drafts before it reached its final form.
“I liken the final editorial process to sculpture,” he said. “You’ve built up your model, and that’s your first draft, and then you start tearing away at it, adding little pieces on here and there … And by the time you get to your 15th draft, you’re using just the most delicate little tools to take out a word or two.”
High Cols and Deep Canyons: Ordinary Adventures in Extraordinary Places is available at Café books, the Canmore Museum and the Canmore Public Library.
