What's buzzin Hive!
I wasn't going to write anything for another little while but I noticed it's my 4th anniversary or something of that sort, at least it has a birthday cake icon in some of my stuff. I missed it last year and didn't write anything, maybe this year I should. How did I get here this fine June 35 000 hours ago or so? Beats me if I know, I have a hard time to remember what I ate yesterday. Seriously tho, I got here by accident looking for something else and I somehow signed up anyway, something I never do. Sign up for questionable things on the internet. I don't even do internet banking. I know, dinosaur, I get it...I just don't care....lol
I had no idea about crypto or blockchain any of that lingo was a foreign language to me at the time. The concept of crypto and the platform was intriguing once I read the white paper, I still really didn't understand to be honest. I thought to myself this is either a big scam or a concept so novel to me it just blew my effen mind. I never intended to be a blogger or to make my photography public in anyway. I was content posting it to my friends on facebook and call it a day. Censorship was never really my concern because I don't post anything that controversial for a lot of reasons. I don't think people realize how much social media is watched by our employers and some end up in hot water because of it.
Another is I have youth relatives on it too. I'm like the cool cousin auntie that takes the pictures of grizzly bears and buffalos and mountains to the younger ones (my cousin's kids, whatever that makes me to them) . Too cute. My little cuz Bri-Bri wants to be a a nurse like her mum and a photographer/explorer on the side, she raves all over my pictures apparently. I know she wants to see the Rockies. Maybe when she's older, her mum will let us take her for a trip, although I never really asked either, she probably would now (she had a brain tumor when she was 3 and her health was fragile for a while but she's still ok now).
Back on topic, The small portion of the family I still speak to and my friends were always pushing me to get my photos in magazines and submit them for competitions and stuff. Cool of them to be supportive and part of my tiny fanbase, everyone needs someone to cheer them on in life but being a photography enthusiast, I can tell my photos are nice to the untrained eye but to the trained eye, they don't make the cut professionally and I hate selling. I can be good at it but truly hate it and can't imagine my income relying on sales, there is a lot of competition out there with photography equipment being more affordable.
I suppose what I'm trying to say, when they ask what I've been doing with my photos and I show them a little mountain article I just wrote, it keeps them happy that I'm doing something with it...I call it...Freelancing...work for tips...lol. I suppose it's not a total lie either. I know I don't post as much as I should, a lot of my photos never even make it here, I have so many unwritten stories and dead ideas but I'm still here! I think I have just always been a more private person in real life. I know and interact with tons of people all over Alberta, Canada and the US but nobody really knows me, like my thoughts or whatever. Only you guys here, get the closest to it.
If you would have asked me 4 years ago if I thought I would still be here, probably not but somehow this place is so unique, no matter it's flaws, I just can't seem to walk away. As the years unfolded, many dramatic things have happened to our community and a lot of bumps in the road but happy to have witnessed it all. I'm still no crypto expert but I feel confident enough to be able to navigate thru some of the basics and have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the technology and the meaning of censorship resistant social media. We may not be at a critical censorship point yet but it's getting pretty bad now, likely to just get worse in the future. I will always be proud of this project and the community for sticking to the decentralized censorship resistant vision even if it came at a cost, I'm glad we split and started fresh. Bold and noble.
I know it seems like Hive struggles on some days, and it does, we need more users for sure! At the same time we are seen as unstable, unpredictable and rogue in some articles I read. I'm sure that keeps some away. I think that is exactly the community's charm, it's unpredictability and feistiness. We are all making crypto history. No matter how this project seems to limp along at times, it's been thru a lot and thru a pretty bad crypto winter and still survived, that's a pretty badass community. For the most part, my observation, like my initial reaction, most people not into crypto think it sounds too good to be true it must be a scam. Even tho I reassure them I have been here 4 years and happy, it's not a scam! lol. People still can't wrap their heads around this concept of media. That's how you know it will be revolutionary. Decentralizing the sharing of information and media. It's pure genius actually, just what the world needs.
Hard to say if it will catch on or not. I personally don't understand why it isn't since everybody is screaming for a place like this yet so few actually look to see that it already exists. Like people are suckers for punishment and keep dong the same old thing expecting different results. I suppose it could all go down in flames, I'll go down with the ship if it does happen or all of us could be Bill Gates in his garage days (maybe a little exaggerated but you get my point...) and all we need to do is keep chugging along and hodling. Many great innovations came out of nothing but an idea and technology takes time, even if we want things right now. MOON NOW DAMMIT!
I remember the early days of the internet, I was coming of age and I was obviously more adventurous of newer things, always the first at social media, interacting with "scary strangers" on the internet, buying things on the internet and there was some great deals to be had on ebay and other online auction sites since everyone else was scared of getting scammed I can't say I was ever scammed with anything I bought either but I'm also careful. Now it's much harder, everyone and their grandmas are internet shopping. I see the crypto world the same way. It's gonna take a lot of years and patience will be a virtue but there will come a time.
Even when I'm quiet around the platform, I still watch a lot of what's going on. I can see it probably making a difference in some of the most vulnerable, maybe not solving all their problems but certainly giving a hand up to make life easier and a chance to create opportunities for the future. Even if the topic of those cashing out everything they earn is seen as shady and may discourage votes on their posts compared to someone who powers up everything. Keep in mind, if you had to chose between feeding your kids or powering up, you would probably help your life circumstances first. In other words, isn't the platform doing exactly what it was intended to do? To give everyone a fair chance and an honest way to make a living? Maybe our turn is coming, they just get to experience it first. Yes it's a drag on the price for sure and wish that more people would hold a while.
Over the years, I have read a few heart warming stories where it actually made a difference in their lives and allowed them more freedoms in life and it's so inspiring that this project is actually changing some lives for the better already. Obviously living in North-America, it's not the case, everything is expensive here, I can't even imagine making a living writing here. Over my crypto journey that started by accident, still gained me over 10 k US worth of crypto between blogging and faucets and just hodling everything. I never actually bought any yet. I know It's small potatoes compared to all the crypto hardcores around here but I'm pretty proud of myself that I have accumulated that farting around the internet and sharing my pictures not taking anything too seriously. That's my little experiment, how much can I accumulate just from the internet. Makes it that much more satisfying when people FUD away and say I'm wasting money buying into that and it's all gonna crash to zero... I can say, no I have got it all wasting time on the internet, that I would have done no matter what. Like some weird internet loyalty points. My experiment has turned into some pretty good beer money as the boys at work would say. Every pump, the value of it all just keeps going up in the long term so who knows what it could turn into one day and I feel like I'm witnessing history in the making with it all. However little my pot may seem, it's still more than the general population owns so I'm still ahead of the game.
The odd thing is I hold more value in dogecoins than bitcoin, I remember them being worthless and left them everywhere, I just thought it was funny to get whole coins in faucets so I just kept doing it. I repatriated all those coins in the spring just in case so I don't end up one of those casualties wishing they had kept their passcode! I'm still skeptical but I never thought it would reach 1 cent either. I got them free so I don't care what happens I guess...Lets gamble! (to be honest it still looks like a really bad shitcoin right up there with tron). My lunch partner at work before I got sick with covid was a crypto newb, it was fun to crack jokes about the doge pump everyday. Also got to explain to him that's how people get wrecked and the importance of not getting caught up in the fomo especially after xrp won their court case, saved him from a bad buy. It's weird out there. Most seem to see crypto as something to throw money at but don't really understand what they are or what they do and how innovative it is if you look into the right projects or a catastrophe waiting to happen with other projects. I think that's how people get wrecked.
Just studying people's perceptions of crypto over the years thru bear and bull cycles has been satisfying. Seeing all the pulls in every direction when a community doesn't agree on directions, seeing what happens when it reaches a boiling point. What happens when we become vulnerable and not paying attention to our weak points as a whole. All strange events yet interesting on a learning perspective. It's almost like we have become our own little internet country. It's all normal and mundane to us by now but really hard to explain to the regular world in a way they understand. It has been an exciting eye opening experience both the good and the bad. Truly amazing.
Obviously, Hive has helped me share a little more about myself with others both here and in real life, explain my thoughts better, it's not something that ever came naturally to me, most of my interactions are kept superficial and brief just the same but not as bad. It's easier to talk to no one on a blank screen. If I don't see you it's not as intimidating I suppose. My English and writing skills continue to be practiced so hopefully it improves along with it. My photography skills have improved, this place pushes me to get out there more over the years. I somehow enjoy writing my photo stories when I used to think writing was such a chore in school. Writing is for nerds! lol. Never thought the day would come I would call it fun. Maybe I'm just old now.
The thing I'm most thankful for, is living differently. Hive has inspired me to go out there and seek experiences. Check out new things, get out of the routine. Stop and smell the roses as I look to bring you content and continue sharing my journey, get a better connection with nature...Busting me out of that concrete shell I had wrapped myself up with when I first moved out here. Could I spend another 4 years on Hive? Heck yeah! Now the question in the back of my head is I wonder how many trails and experiences would I write about in a lifetime? Could I end up exploring all of the Rockies one day? Well the reasonable ones at least...I'm not looking for glory, just a good time. At the same time it's going to turn out into some huge data dump of nature and details that could become helpful for something one day. Some of this stuff might go extinct one day even if it seems abundant now. Who knows.
The last year and a half has been weird with covid, even with blogging having everything closed. Obviously, being sick with it didn't help. I was out on my ass a full month, it was brutal. I still feel bad-ish, like I get tired, out of breath and dizzy easy but working on it. I'm done anti-biotics and doctor visits, they are confident that what is left is residual and those who get really sick sometimes take a long time to recover aka long covid, I have an inhaler, so that helps too. The province just opened back up a little bit a few days ago after heavy restrictions and I don't feel confident in being able to make it thru a shift at work yet, that brings me to the topic of MOUNTAINS!!!!!!
Yes, that is right, there will be mountains soon. The one good thing about covid, it slauthered the tourism industry (still kinda sad tho) so it means really cheap rates for hotels in the heart of the park. Places that would normally be $300 per night are now half priced or more. Activities are discounted, everything is potentially going to stay this way for the rest of the year as businesses try to stay alive.
For a little over $400 CAD, we got ourselves a room in the heart of the Columbia Icefields for 5 days of exploring. This is a really remote section of the park on the line between Jasper and Banff, closer to the Lake Louise area and accommodations are rare and few between so even less than desirable places can still run you up pretty high and we are now considered peak times and the busiest season of the year...What a bargain! This place doesn't look high end and a little outdated but at the end of the day, it's just a place to sleep and still looked pretty clean and I love the location and the prices! I suppose we will see how the stay goes. I'm mostly excited because of it's location.
Located at the very end of the Icefield Parkway right by the Glaciers, it's not an area we get to visit every day we spend at the park so some activities have been hard for us to get to them all, we have to chose one day per trip because it's such a far drive staying in Banff or Jasper and get here. Some rooms at the Saskatchewan Crossing was going as low as $60 per night for a room that normally sells for $175. We splurged for a mountain view and a king bed so it cost us a little more but it's cheap to go right now if you live in Alberta. In the Area, we plan on visiting many new areas and trails we never had a chance to explore more like Moraine Lake and the Consolation Lakes, I only ever saw Moraine Lake once for like an hour. I wanted to see Peyto lake but it's still closed for park upgrades but Bow Lake equally beautiful, this is the heart of the parks, it really is. Maybe if we have time, we can hike to Lake Agnes too near Lake Louise.
I did my homework, I have a full line up so if something fails, it's easy to fill the slot. I always plan on seeing more things than I can so something doesn't pan out just move on the the next down the list. Parker's ridge, Mystaya Canyon and Wilcox Pass are also on the priority list along with some obvious time around the icefields. Unlike most other trips, there wont be much driving time because everything is all right there within 30 km. Moraine Lake will be the furthest of them all at about an hour drive. Obviously our health is still questionable, we can't get anyone sick but we need to get our stamina back and figured if we pick manageable trails and build it up. We did well with the few hikes we did around home but they were much shorter.
Usually this time of year with the longest days of the year, we would pick 20 km hikes every second day so it pains us to step it down but I don't think I can handle that much right now. We planed to hit a multitude of 7 to 10 km hikes with minimal elevation and a few 1-5 km hikes to top off the days where we feel ambitious. We'll see what we get. We are both pretty excited since we haven't been able to get out of the house much these days. Maybe that's the battery recharge we need. We have both been thru a lot and that break sounds so nice! Nature recovery. I'm hoping it's the beginning of wildflowers but the peak isn't until July. If I can go back I will but in case I'm working, at least I get to see the start. It's such a sight to see the fields full of wildflowers and the smell is amazing.