It’s all over for another year and I’m probably not the only one of the group that is pretty gutted. We’ve been talking daily about the logistics for the trip. What to pack, what we’re going to eat, what we think the weather was going to be, and who was most likely to be eaten by bears. (It was Michael but he’s managed to survive another year).

The first night and following morning are always a bit of a mix of wanting to do everything while enjoying the freedom of being outdoors without our families and all the busyness of the lives we’ve built for ourselves.

We compared stories of surviving the night, how Michael’s tent collapsed but how we all stayed warm in our sleeping bags from Altitude Sports. I, who always opens the window when it rains at night, slept deeply for the first time in months as the snow fell on my tent. I had the flap of my Big Game sleeping bag over my head and didn’t realise it was light out until Stacey started trying to knock the inch-thick layer of snow off my tent.

After a hot breakfast of the best bacon I’ve ever eaten from Burnaby’s Farm Town Meats, scrambled eggs, and a full flask of hot coffee from the must-visit Blue Moose Cafe in Hope, BC, we wandered around and took lots of photos. We took the cars out for drives and found ourselves in the Strawberry Flats warming cabin. It was great.

Among the wonderful brands that helped us get out here, is Stanley PMI. After a chance meeting with their brand team at a home and housewares show in Chicago, they were keen to support the Dads and kitted us with a few life-essentials like the All-in-One Food Jar, a Stay Chill Beer Pint, and my trusty french-press mug, which I confess to having been using for a couple of months before the trip. I just can’t be at the mercy of office coffee.

While all of this contributed to an incredible weekend. The memory that will stick with me through the upcoming year, especially when I need a moment of serenity is what happened on the second night.

I felt a wave of complete peace. While the other Dads were talking in the kitchen hut or in their tents getting ready for another cold night, I stood outside in the middle of the clearing. My back was to the fire and I was facing upward, directly into the falling snow. It didn’t matter if my eyes were open since it was completely dark. Not a star nor flashlight lit up the flakes landing on my face. It’s rare to feel such quiet. The tensions of normal life were gone. At that moment I had no responsibilities, nothing to do, no tasks to accomplish and nobody emailing me for a spreadsheet or campaign update. I didn’t take a single photo or add to my vlog. I didn’t want to tear myself away from this moment.

It wasn’t until I was on the drive home, well past Hope that I started to grind my teeth again. I started to really miss the guys and lament the fact that I had to go back to work on Monday morning, battle the commute, and wash my clothes that now smelled of campfire smoke.

What I wasn’t expecting was to be so refreshed and full of love for my family that I hadn’t seen for the best part of three days. I couldn’t wait to hold my daughter again and kiss my wife. I had completely filled my cup and was ready to share again.

Perhaps I should spend more time outside and away from the trappings of a cellphone signal.