The idea of Summits of Canada and the highest part of each of our 13 Provinces and Territories first started as a child growing up in Ottawa. Each summer my parents would take myself and my brothers camping and we find a hill for us to run up and take the pride of standing on top. In the Ottawa winters, during my elementary years, the parking lots would have all the snow piled so high, it was a hill to climb or get wrestled and tossed down by my younger brother. We took great pride getting to the top, a sense that would be the seed planted in my soul that created my love of climbing, exploring and adventures.

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Years later I took on bigger mountains and the quest of the 7 summits leading to Mount Everest was deep in my explorers soul and my energetic self. After climbing to the top of Africa on Kilimanjaro I was deeply impacted by the sun rising and knowing that I had reached the summit of a continent.North America on Denali, I set my site on South America and Aconcagua and again cherish the journey and the sense of standing on top of a continent. Next up was Mount Elbrus, the highest point of Europe in western Russia. This was the climb that changed my path and my world.

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It was there on Mount Elbrus, soloing the trip and the climb that, like any big mountain, the journey is only allowed by the mountain, the weather and if your fortunate your desire. When a mountain speaks with it's beauty, the weather, the storms and the sunsets, it is the mountain that offers you a lesson. And best you listen because mountains teach us, we just have to learn to listen.

 

It was on Mount Elbrus, in Russia, in an acclmitazation day, that I pushed up higher trying to get used to the thin air and the mountain chose to throw a storm of wind, snow and gusts that made the possible difficult. It was here that during that storm with visibility getting worse I was invited into a large group tent to shelter from the storm.  It was here I met 4 climbers from Ukraine who were warm, comfortable and offered me a place to wait out the storm. Curious I shared my climbs to the top of Africa, South America and North America, trying to share best of the journey and the beauty. It was here, that while they listened intently, it was one of them that asked 'I see that Canada is a beautiful country, does it have big mountains?' I stopped and in that moment of pride I spoke about Canada, from the East Coast, through the Canadian Shield, the Rocky Mountains and about Mount Logan. I watched as they smiled and asked more about Canada, the people and our country. Later that day, as the storm slowed I left my new friends and made my way back to my tent. And that night I laid in my tent, in my sleeping bag, and with a new warmth thought here I was chasing the summits of the world, when in fact we had just as much beauty right here in the country I was born - Canada.

 

Coming back home after submitting Europe, my sights turned from Everest to Mount Logan and the beauty of our Provinces and Territories. I started to discover that while myself and most other people thought of Everest, the highest mountain in the world, right here, there were summits of smaller height but equally important and most often more attainable, the highest point of each of our Provinces and Territories.

 

The Summits of Canada, a quest and journey to discover and talk about the highest point of our 13 Provinces and Territories, from PEI to Yukon, the adventure was born. 

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James Coleridge

Summits of Canada Founder