For many of us Canadians we know the first sign of spring comes with a well-known annual gimmick used by Tim Horton‘s to attract even greater hordes of caffeine desperate Canadians through their doors and drive-thru’s know as ‘Roll up the Rim’. But for Canadians like myself who don’t look forward to their daily dose of caffeine before work or school; the Roll up the Rim contest brings the seasons first signs of the beauty that many of us look forward to in Canada’s summer months. Signs like skies clear enough to go on night drives and see the beauty that exists beyond the protective blue shield we’ve come to call our atmosphere, or the extended hours of sunlight that gifts us  a renewed energy and spirit, and the camping/backpacking season that upon which many Canadians recede into the immense forests owned by our land and reconnect with the spirit of Canada.

For myself and my friends and family this summer brings many exciting new adventures waiting to be had. My girlfriend will experience her first real camping experiences of her life, my brother, father, and I will reunite as the backpacking crew we remember being in our earlier years, my Mom, step-Dad, brother, and our girlfriends will take to the air on our trip to Italy in May. Furthermore, we’ve been gifted with a reminder to spend every millisecond of our days making it count by our supposedly shortened days which are an after-effect of the earth-quake in Chilie.

Needless to say, I’ll have many adventures in the summer months to come and I hope you can all say the same for yourselves or if you can’t at least make it so you can.