Skating Into 30

The ice snapped and popped like Rice Krispies under me as my skate blades sliced across it. A single spotlight cast a golden glow about the rink…save for the outer edges where the light couldn’t reach. The dozens of illuminated hotel windows in the background made me wonder if that was how the Titanic looked on its final night as it sat alone and foundering on the dark Atlantic.  In the distance, I could just barely make out the snow dusted mountains rising up around the lake like noble protectors. Overhead, the stars were like thousands of tiny pin pricks in the dark fabric of the February sky.

It was just Andy and I on the rink that night. The thwacking sound of our sticks passing a rubber puck between us was the only proof of our presence in the pristine environment.

That glorious night on Lake Louise is how I rung in my 30^th year on this earth. 

 

When I began contemplating my 30^th birthday months prior, I knew I wanted to do something major to commemorate the occasion. I wasn’t nervous or bitter about the impending new decade. On the contrary, I was excited and willed it to arrive as soon as possible.

My 20’s were a transformative time—to an extent of which I may never experience again in my lifetime. I earned a college degree, met and married my best friend, bought my first house, and was baptized into the Catholic Church. My 20s blessed me with more than I could have ever hoped for in my life. But they were also a time riddled with mistakes, loss, and hardship. I entered my 20s soft and eager to let the world bring all my dreams to fruition. But by the final few years, I’d grown harder and learned that the world, in fact, owed me nothing and the only right I had was to play the hell out of the cards I’d been dealt rather than the ones I thought I deserved.  

In many ways, with or without my consent, my 20s sculpted me into the person I needed when I was younger….and the person I will need to be in the years still to come. For that reason, I am grateful for all the good and the bad my 20s. And that’s also why I was all the more eager to put them behind me and start with the clean slate of my third decade. 

In ushering in such a new and exciting time in my life I chose to venture up to one of the most beautiful places on earth….and one that I’ve longed to see in person for years. A mere hamlet in the heart of Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise is known for its turquoise, glacier-fed lake ringed by high mountain peaks and overlooked by the stately Fairmont Chateau Resort Hotel. Because of my love for hockey, I was thrilled at the idea of visiting Lake Louise in the winter so I could skate outdoors on the beautiful rink atop the lake. 

A mere 9 hours of driving was all it was going to take to get us to Lake Louise. But we made a few pit stops first along the way.

Our first major stop was a surprise night stay the Banff Springs Hotel—compliments of my parents. My parents have stayed there a few times before and always raved about it. I’ve seen some stunning photos of it, but like most things, the personal experience was far better.

Driving up to “the Castle” as it is called, all I could think was how this must be how Harry Potter felt up on first seeing Hogwarts rising up through the trees. The sun was nearly set by the time we arrived but the illuminated hotel gleamed out through the darkness. With its stone walls and nimble turrets, Banff Springs truly does look like the Canadian Hogwarts. 

After checking into our room and enjoying a lovely dinner at their 1888 Chop House restaurant, we set about exploring the nooks and crannies of the curious hotel. We walked through a magnificent ballroom complete with chandeliers, stone walls, and floor to ceiling windows. How I longed to be wearing a flowing gown in that moment so I could’ve twirled about like a princess. We also walked down a stone staircase that is supposedly haunted by a bride who fell to her death on it the day she was to be wed. 

In our gallivanting about the darkened hallways, we ran across two other ladies doing some exploring as well as some knowledgeable hotel staff. Thanks to them we were shown some “behind the scenes” sites in the hotel. They showed us a room, now used for storage that contains a 100+ year old painting of the island country of Grenada— likely there since the origins of the hotel. The staff also pointed out a bar area that was actually once used as a Catholic confessional. Tucked behind every corner and down every hallway was another historical remnant, photograph, and mysterious door to somewhere worth exploring.

 Our evening at the Castle ended with a refreshing soak in their hot spring pool. The more my skin wrinkled under the steamy waters, the more grateful I felt for such a peaceful weekend away from it all. 

I woke up the next morning officially 30 years old. But wedged in between all the plush pillows on the bed, I decided that 30 didn’t feel so bad. Plus there was the fresh promise of more adventure on the horizon with our continued journey towards Lake Louise. After grabbing some quick coffee at Starbucks in downtown Banff and doing a little window shopping we were on the road again.

Our final stop before setting our sights on Lake Louise was a quick gondola ride up to the summit of the Lake Louise Ski Resort. It was rather awkward getting in line with snowboarders and skiers while we were merely dawning our jeans, hoodies and shoes, but the views were well worth the spectacle we made of ourselves.

 Just minutes after leaving the ski hill, we finally arrived. And let me tell you….Lake Louise was even more magnificent in person that anything I’d imagined or seen in photographs.

We were brought straight up to our room, and after dropping our bags, we rushed to our window that overlooked the lake. Save for my honeymoon in Fiji, I have never had such a phenomenal view from anywhere I’ve stayed. Below us lay the large public skating rink as well as 5 smaller rinks being used for a pond hockey tournament that weekend. I could have sat by that window for days and just savored every detail. But being the adventurous types that we are, Andy and I had every intention of hurling ourselves quite literally into that beautiful landscape and taking it all in.

After enjoying a tasty dinner at their famous Walliser Stube restaurant, Andy knew perfectly well that the only thing I wanted to do next was to finally feel that ice under my blades. So after tugging on a few more layers, snuggling a beanie down over my ears and packing two small gear bags with our hockey skates, gloves, sticks and a couple of pucks, we headed outside to the rink. 

We were stunned to approach to edge of the rink and find that not another soul was skating. It felt like this big frozen gift God had delivered just for me. Never before have I laced my skates up so quickly. My first steps onto the rink were a bit shaky and hesitant, but then it all clicked for me. Before I knew it, Andy and I were skating full speed back and forth across the rink trying to outrun the rather unnerving sounds of the ice crackling beneath us. We passed a puck back and forth between us….often losing sight of it amongst the shadows our bodies cast. 

At one point, I paused near the middle of the ice to catch my breath. With my right arm hugging my stick I tilted my head skyward to see the faint glimmer of the stars peeking through. The night was still. And beautiful. And peaceful. And perfect. I smiled a smile larger than any I can remember and willed dozens of prayers and words of thanksgiving up to God. I swear I could’ve skated around that rink till dawn. It was just one of those moments you don’t want to end. But eventually we packed up our gear and decided to call it a night.

The next day—our only full day at Lake Louise—was jam packed with activities. We spent the first few hours of the day snowshoeing up a rather steep trail which offered glimpses of the towering peaks surrounding the lake. I was rather grouchy and winded by the end of it, but the body always feels grateful for a workout by the end. 

After cleaning up from our hike we met with a photographer to capture some priceless pictures of us in the area and, of course, skating together on the lake. Looking back at the photos now, the beauty of them almost seems too remarkable to be real. But I tell you, it is truly that real. 

The rest of the day was a blur honestly. But we spent a good share of it on the ice because that was where I most wanted to be. I wanted the memory of skating outside with such an amazing backdrop tattooed on my mind for forever.

Before I knew it, our trip had come to a close. Some part of me wanted to drain our bank accounts and max out our credit cards so we could stay as long as possible. The weekend had been too beautiful and perfect to be over already. But I knew it was time to really embrace turning 30, which meant returning home and start working my ass off to make my 30s truly the best years of my life.

I will forever hold my birthday evening of skating on Lake Louise close to my heart. But I know I will return again…..and again….in both summer and winter to take in all the gloriousness it has to offer.