adventure

The Fur Trade
by

The Fur Trade

The French fur trade was based in Montreal and...

The French fur trade was based in Montreal and the later British trade at York Factory. The shading shows Rupert’s Land (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oh the wonder of it all.  The endless beauty, the landscape the forest, the smell, the  sound, the quiet, the glory!  The freedom of adventure, the challenge of skills, the might of our strength to be pitted only against ourselves with the adversary being the landscape.  Oh the land!  The call of the great wild.  To hear the sound of the soul searching cry.  Come, mankind, venture forth oh diligent and aspiring soul.  For the land becons the voyageur and it calls them by name.

Almighty man, it whispers, come harvest my treasure.

From all walks of life the hero responds.  The lure of the magic entices.  The earth song sings and the sirens of the great north call to the almighty human.  Walk my soil, forge my rivers, the catch lies just beyond.

Feel your strength as the paddle pushes through the water.  Stroke after stroke of the rhythmic beat.  The voyageur, with canoes laden with supplies, pushes onward to a destiny of treasure.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzFHfS1BWm0

Fur.

The cry of the century and the wealth of the nation.  Fur!

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/fur-trade

The  boastful preoccupation of a wealthy nation, the fur trade entices the entrepreneur.  Come, almighty human, into the land of plenty.  The trade in furs will make you rich and there is plenty.

Explore the great rivers in your birch bark canoes, in your voyageur canoes.  The nation opens its waterways to you and presents the thousands of kilometers of river systems throughout the land.

The vast watershed of lower Canada is accomplished.  Onward we push to the limitless north.  The Hudson Bay and the rivers beyond.  Up  to the forts of York Factory, where the trade in furs grows to coin, bullion, gold!  The land is rich in harvested fur.  The champions of navigation press onward through the river systems, the tributaries, the lakes, the voyage north to trade.  The fur trade opens the nation to commerce, entrepreneurialism, wealth, fashion, merchants, the gold of the country.

From province to province, to province the voyageur paddles on.  Prosperity, trade, union, negotiation all for the almighty man, be he the king of a great nation, the sovereign of a tribe, the Coureur de Bois.  All are connected to the forest, the rivers the place of prosperity.  Fur!  The cry of the aristocrat becons and the sovereign lord of the forest responds.

Hail, almighty human, the sword and the musket never raised against yea.  The trade of commerce is the negotiation of the nation.  Blend, you great human, you moral man.   The fur trade and the conquest of the river systems opens the world to the intelligent human.  Yes, the mortal strength of one man cannot accomplish feats so daring, but the might, the privilege, the brilliant mind, knows no other recourse than to win.  Win the trust of the people, win the support for the venture in trade and in human harmony we bond and become.

Hail, almighty human.  A collection of huts is a settlement, a sanctuary.  Home!  The country is called Kanata, that is HOME.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 14,2013

www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

Coureur des bois
by

Coureur des bois

Bonjour, almighty human.  Welcome to this day.

This is an awesome day of great courage, adventure, exploration and discovery.  A day filled with the life of brilliant mankind, the negotiator, the peacekeeper, the intellectual, the athlete.

The investigation and settlement of our great nation comes from the brilliant aspirations of great minds, healthy bodies, bold and courageous spirit and constant daring.  To travel where no European had gone before.  To take the challenge of everyday courage and to explore a land of unknown peril,  sometimes, to fight the unbeatable foe.

To take up trade items and to develop trade routes through a land of changing conditions, constantly battling the weather,  negotiating treaties, fighting the currants of swift flowing rivers.  The constant negotiation for good relations, the constant perils of unseen deathtraps.  The unknown, always, the unknown.

The passage into the interior of the country was mainly by water. Rivers, lakes, canoes!  The canoe of the Coureur de Bois, laden with trade items to maintain the negotiated peace with the native peoples.  Trade for wealth, trade for exploration, trade for peace.  A land established by the peaceful negotiation of mutual prosperity.

http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_furtrade/fp_furtrade2.html

Hail Bravehearts!  For the peace amongst you was for the beneficial, mutual prosperity of the peoples of the nation.  The negotiated peace was trade to make your lives easier, trade to make your lives more secure, trade to reduce barriers, strengthen bonds, build congenial relationships, allow exploration and the building of forts and settlements.  Trade, without hostility, trade to connect to an unknown peoples, trade for influence and to reduce war faring.

Trade to encourage contact, to learn new ways, to respect.  Trade.  The nation was built from trade.  Not only trade in commodities, but trade in culture and language as well.  The curiosity of the peoples reduced their hardships and the mutual respect saved their lives.

The Coureur de Bois, with canoes laden with items for trade, navigated the lakes and river systems of this great land.  They explored the country, opened the nation, found new river highways to travel throughout the country.  They negotiated the great peace, survived the call to the wild.

Come, beckons the great land.  Come!

The courageous explorers paddled their canoes into the heart of the dark, foreboding stillness.  The great wild!  Where only the birds call and the penetrating quiet of life deafens the thunder of remote civilization.  Gone is the city.  Now, the only street is the river.  The thunder is now the rapids and the gossip comes from the birds.

Wonderful peace!  The wild allures.  The remote shore, the distant horizon, the untravelled land.  The unrivalled superiority.  All of this for the freedom of adventure, for the challenge of a great day, a life of unrivalled adventure.  All of this for the building of a great nation, a great life and a bold and daring existence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coureur_des_bois

Welcome, to the Coureur de Bois for the lasting peace.  For exploration and community and for the fight that beats the unbeatable foe.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 13, 2013

www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes

The St Lawrence River
by

The St Lawrence River

English: Map of Jacques Cartier's second voyag...

English: Map of Jacques Cartier’s second voyage to North America in 1535-6. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Good Day!  You Awesome Human.

As we explore our great country through Rivers to Oceans week, we celebrate the daring, the courage, the monumental feats of bravery.  The country was explored and opened by brave hearts.

The exploration by Jacques Cartier in 1534 to 1542 was the first European exploration of the St. Lawrence River.

The oceans brought the European to the already well inhabited land.  The country had been populated for thousands of years already, by migrants who crossed the northern land mass and settled in  the continent.

The Europeans crossed the oceans in a daring adventure of exploration, to discover what lies beyond the horizon and to unite worlds separated by water, tides, waves, weather, distance and fortitude.

Only your dreams will push you on, only your nightmares will stop you!

The bold adventurers came, onward, onward, into the straits of the St. Lawrence and pushed their crafts farther into the heart of the nation.  The contact was made, the discovery excels.  A new people, a new world, new trade, new prosperity.   The St. Lawrence River was the channel of discovery for these fortunate mariners.  It brought them fame, fortune, trade and the exhilarating right of conquest.  It secured their mission, proved their aptitude, yes, almighty human, the doors to the nation opened and the country let them in.

The mighty St. Lawrence River was the pathway to prosperity, negotiation, settlement and pride.  Oh, you worthy stalwart, to set sail on that day, one day, for the quest of your lives, for the rest of your lives.  To be the history, the making of a great nation.  To be the almighty man.

That one awesome, inspired day, became the might and greatness of several great nations.  Jacques Cartier for France visited a country named for a collection of huts.  Kanata!  And so it was born.  Born from the passage of a great river, born from the passage of a great ocean.  Born from brilliant aptitudes of navigation, sailing, shipbuilding, negotiation, leadership, compassion and daring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_cartier

The bold adventurer seeks the challenge and the brilliant aptitudes achieves it.

The consequential negotiation brought fantastic prosperity to France.  The oceans yielded a seemingly unlimited harvest of fresh fish for the hungry. Food in abundance, led early settlers to a new land, a new life of promise.  The negotiation was successful, colonization was possible.  The impossible dream would be attempted.

For France the colony meant new lands, new life, new wealth.  The daring challenge was met, the conquest told.  Oh you fortuitous stalwarts, climb aboard.  Climb aboard for the adventure of you life.  There’s no looking back.  And so they did.   Pioneers who could settle an unknown nation, with unknown plants and soil.  To cut a tract of land for farming, build houses, invent.   To set the course of history.  To be the indomitable human.

http://suite101.com/article/jacques-cartier-and-charlesbourgroyal-a173492

The first colony was on the banks of the mighty St. Lawrence River.  It didn’t last, but the failure didn’t stop  them.  Another attempt would be made.

Rivers to Oceans.  This week is for us. This is our cultural heritage.  From rivers and oceans our nation was born.

Hail, almighty human.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 12, 2013

www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes

Rivers to Oceans Week
by

Rivers to Oceans Week

Congratulations you awesome being.  This is National Rivers to Oceans Week and this is our cultural heritage.

The immense cover of ice and snow that we call the Columbia Ice fields is the birthplace of some of our great rivers.  The vast sheet of ice at the border between Jasper and Banff National Parks is an awesome place of remote grandeur.  The spectacular, stark beauty of the masses of snow and mountain are a land unto themselves.  A land of life in high altitude and cold.  The streams from the melted ice are flowing with todays  first water and cascading into rivers and waterfalls, avalanches and crevases.  The ice fields are where some of our mighty historical rivers are born.  The daily melt water is the first drop of water into a river system that flows throughout most of the country

The huge icefields cover 215 square kilometers and is 300 to 360 metres deep in some places.  This massive sheet of ice provides us with clean, fresh, new water.

http://www.explorerockies.com/columbia-icefield/

Water! Our national heritage was formed from these rivers.  Great explorers ventured into our nation by these same rivers and lakes.

The historic Athabasca River, a fur trading route, is one of our national heritage rivers which starts at the Columbia Ice fields.  The importance of the Athabasca river, with its designation as a Canadian Heritage River  is its connection to exploration and the settling of the country.  The rivers in Canada played a major role in establishing the country.  Fur traders embarked on lengthy journeys of adventure and trade to explore, meet and negotiate trade with the indigenous peoples.

The fur trade was the most important industry in the country in the early years of settlement.

http://www.chrs.ca/en/main.php

The Columbia Ice Fields are also the source of the North Saskatchewan River and the headwaters of the tributary of the Columbia River.  This is the top of the Continental divide, where waters flow to the Pacific, the Artic and to Hudson Bay.  The significance of this, is waterways all across the country.  For exploration, the waterways provided access all throughout the nation.

The mighty St Lawrence River was the first river accessed by explorers from Europe.  Jacques Cartier explored this area for France in the late 1400’s and made connections with the local people who resided near the shores.  The St. Lawrence is an access route into the interior of the country.  By exploring this route, Europeans were able to penetrate far into the nation and in doing so, discover the wealth and abundance of the land.   The sea wealth for fishing and the forest for furs.

The river and lakes system is so vast it connects one province to another through historical waterways that were travelled frequently by early explorers.

Water!  A wealth for our land. A country filled with lakes and rivers.  The play land for sports.  The abundance in fishing.  The salvation of our populace.  Our good fortune is to have water.  Clean water.  Unpolluted water.  Water filled with life.  Aquatic life, plant life, animal life and ultimately, our life.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 11, 2013

www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes

National Oceans Day
by

National Oceans Day

http://www.commerce.gov/blog/2013/06/07/june-8-marks-world-ocean-day-noaa%E2%80%99s-national-ocean-service-concludes-30-days-oceans–

Welcome, almighty human, to this day of salvation, memory and adventure.  Who are we, but the builder of ships, the sailor of the mighty seas, the adventurer of the ocean. To set sail, has been the adventure of our lives for thousands of years.  To set forth, to discover, to fish, to explore, to enjoy.  The oceans have always been a place for us and have always provided for us.

The vast seas with their immense variety of life forms, so many that we are still discovering them to this day.  The oceans, to their dark depths and to their far off horizon.  They compel mankind to discover.  They entice us.  What lies beneath the surface of these great waters.  Through our thousands of years of human history, the answer has always been, food!  Food for the hungry.  The oceans are plundered world wide for food.

The oceans give us plenty.  The fisherman casts his nets to save the starving world populace.  Food.

The ocean also gives us a play land of fun.  Large waves to surf in, warm beaches to lay upon, soft sand with interesting shells, warm water and curious creatures to watch.  The oceans, with their tides, the sunset, their beauty are another call to adventure for us.  Even if we are small, we still love the ocean.

There is another call to action, that the ocean brings to us.  The waste, the garbage, the  toxins, the pollution.

http://www.good.is/posts/end-plastic-pollution-pick-it-up-bin-it-take-three-for-the-sea

The garbage that ends up in the ocean, kills sealife world.  The oceans are becoming a dump of waste.  Plastics, which are recyclable and other waste are building up in the oceans and destroying water, the plant life, the reefs, the coral, the animal, the fish and the bird life.  The pristine beauty of the world, that we covet so much is vanishing to a view of discarded waste.   Plastic, paper, cans, bottles all being tossed into the water causes pollution that even this almighty planet Earth cannot control.

The awesome planet, with so much healing and creative power, can’t keep  up with the plunder, the reckless destruction, the habitat loss, the pollution, the oil spills.

Hail mankind!  As mighty as we are, we still turn to the planet to save us.  To save us from starvation, from cold, from poverty, even from despair.  We expect the awesome planet to regenerate itself, to heal and to cure itself, to replenish what we take and to repair the damage.  We assume that the awesome planet can recover and give it all back.

Not so.

The mighty planet needs help.  The mighty oceans can’t keep up with the fishing industry.  They can’t keep up with the discarded waste, they can’t keep up with the environmental damage.  They can’t keep up with the plunder.

Today is only one day.  World Oceans Day.  One day for environmental day, but this day, this one day, must last for the rest of our lives.  To  change the world takes one day and one day to last for all time.  The oceans and all of its creatures are needed for the survival of this planet.

http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/

Rejoice!  Today is the day for the Oceans.  Rejoice.  It is an awesome day.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 8, 2013

Discover
by

Discover

English: A map showing the location of the Nor...

English: A map showing the location of the Norwegian Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean with Irminger Sea Magyar: Térképvázlat a Norvég-tengerről és környezetéről (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Discover

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/

The world awaits the dawning of the age of discovery.  Any age. Any time.  Brilliant mankind who’s inspiration is boundless, whose pursuits are limitless, whose energy is constant.  The imagination, the intelligence, the inspiration, the courage.  Nothing surpasses brilliant humankind.

The age of discovery presents itself in the unchartered waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.  Seafarers in worthy, well constructed craft voyaged for adventure, to discover, to appease their Gods of plenty.  Nothing is too great for this stalwart human, no challenge will beat them, no obstruction will stop them, only miracles and salvation will present themselves, only their lives of bold dignity will last.

Brilliant mankind, oh stalwart being, so bold and daring.  The Gods demand your might and dutiful acceptance of onward, northward passage.  To new lands, oh dauntless human, to new conquest, new soil, new discovery.  Oh, the immense mind of the mortal man, with so much daring.  To set sail for life unknown, to travel to destinations unpredicted.  To travel, travel, travel, to where?  Where do you go?  Oh, awesome human?  Where does your craft take you?

By fortunate miracles the landmass becomes visable.  Hail, mankind for a safe landing, for the discovery of an island so remote in the North Atlantic.  Brilliant mankind for the colonization of a land so remote.  This mighty island of glaciers and geothermal activity.  Even in those ancient days of yore, still to call it Iceland.  The land of unconquered beauty, with  no lasting settlement  there, only, perhaps the dutiful monks of Celtic origin, from Ireland, on seasonal migration.   To dare to be the inhabitant, the adventurer, the colonialist.  The  inspired mind of a willful, bold and courageous mind whose challenge on the planet, was to discover.

Hail, you mighty Norse man from the Scandinavian lands, who also took the British with you on your grand voyages of worldly conquest.  This proves the might of a seafaring nation.  The conquest of the North was yours.  The hundreds of  years of seafaring discovery, of travels in the far northerly reaches of the planet.  This was the home to the Viking.  The seas were plenty, the harvest was abundant, the skills were superior,  the trade was grand.

The life of the courageous conquerer, the adventurer.  To set sail with the inhabitants of a new land, to create a colony of humans which far surpasses the might and will of average.  The dauntless human, who goes where no one else has gone before.

Iceland.  Appropriately named for the great land mass that it is.   Iceland!  With glaciers and snow mass.  This wonderfully beautiful place.  This awesome grandeur of ice and snow.  The wild land, still abundant with life and plenty.

Hail, you almighty, ancient human.  You bold and daring, courageous human.  For life everlasting.  To live, only for this day, for this day and only for this day, always.

http://www.vikings-history.com/

written by: Dr, Louise Hayes

June 2, 2013

National trails hiking day
by

National trails hiking day

Good Morning Brave hearts.  Do you feel the call to the wild today?  This great day is set aside for you to enjoy and to explore the fabulous system of national trails throughout the country.  A day for exploration, for rejuvenation, to connect to nature, to encounter the beauty, the splendor, the grandeur and the persona of a wonderful, immense country, with an beautiful multitude of trails.  The artist, the athlete, the nature lover, the photographer,  the environmentalist, the hiker, the walker, runner, the adventurer, young and old, differing fitness levels,  all enjoy our spectacular scenery and the awesome call of the wild.

To be so fortunate as to be able to hike a trail to a protected place, a special place, a place of natural or cultural significance.  A place of wonder, of immense beauty.  A place where only the few adventurous humans have the delight to travel.  A nature trail, or an historic trail, a guided trail.   Nonetheless, a trail of significance.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jasper-Trail-Alliance/168509399845259

Worthy human, you chose this trail of significance yourselves.  These are the worthwhile paths of discovery, to destinations superb, that you chose as special, protected, significant.  These destinations are your own call to adventure.

To enjoy the beauty of this great land is a privilege for most of us.  The vast system of parklands offer a diverse opportunity for all of us to experience the grandeur of nature.  That distant lake with its variety of birds, the forest with its singing songbirds, the flowers, the animals, the smell!  The trail takes you to a destination of unique cultural heritage.

Count the flowers, watch the birds, try geocaching, participate in an event.  How you get there is up to you.  You can walk, mountain bike or ride a horse, paddle a river or a lake.  The enjoyment of the trails is a national pastime.

Step off the busy sidewalk and venture into the parklands. Meet the specialists with events from hiking organizations as listed below.  Nature and its beauty are the pride of our land.  This national heritage is for all of us.

http://www.canadatrails.ca/hiking/hk_evca.html

http://www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 1, 2013

by

The Race

The Race

http://www.bjr.ca/

Feel the power!  It courses through your veins and propels you onward.  The power, the strength, the might, the stamina.  Practice, practise, practise.  It echoes through your head and swells in your mind.  Breathe!

As you meditate in that quiet place in your mind, as you relax into the challenge ahead, your mind is all of it.  You are the champion.

Time after time, day after day, you have struggled tor this day.  This one day.  This awesome day.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=banff+national+park&qpvt=banff+national+park&FORM=IGRE

It unfolds as the adventure of your life.

Each decision you make, each step you take, each breath you breathe, takes you closer, closer to that dream, that goal, that  definition.  You are the champion.

Breathe and relax.  Your body propels you forward.  The rhythmic conditioned response from a brain well trained and a body self fulfilling.  Step after step you feel the power.  Repeat, repeat, repeat. Onward you fly.  Your loose, conditioned body flies along the ground, it soars to the call.  Yes, it responds, I can, I will!

The challenge is easy, the pace is set.  It’s sustainable for the duration and there is more.  More strength from this well trained body, more determination  from this well trained mind. The focus is clear.  Relax and enjoy.  The power will take you there.

Step, step, step.  Run!  Your body cries out to you with gladness.  Thank you for this great day!  Thank you for health, vitality, fitness, strength, passion and might.   This strong, athletic body feels the pace, it feels its training.  Bold, courageous mind, in meditative focus.  The pain is gone, only the life form remains.

Mankind, the adventurer was built for exercise like this.  This is the conditioning of the human body.  This is the will of the human mind.  To  focus on this task, to set your mind for this goal.

Feel the power, feel the strength, feel the ease of motion, the propulsion forward.  The constant fluidity of the body, form, style, reach.  Each stride takes you closer and closer to the goal.  Each movement a conditioned response from a focused mind.  Breathe!  The tension releases and your body excels.   It soothes and awakens your spirit.  It soars!  The passion of the race, the properly conditioned body, the intelligent, astute mind.  All in one direction, all for one purpose, all for one destiny.

You are the champion.  This is your great day.

Heal champion!  Heal the fatigue, heal the soreness.  Each step is a moment of glory.  A moment of self fulfillment.   Be the prophecy!  Be the strength that carries on.  Onward, onward, your goal to healthful living, to healing, to longevity, to life everlasting.

Step, step, step.  Your routine call to accept this challenge.  This is might, this is power, this is courage.  Relentless body that will not quit.  Relentless mind that will not give up.  Push to achieve.  Strive to achieve.  Be the achieved!

This is not too much for you.  This is all within the realms of your abilities.  Passionate mind, perfect body, fluid and comfortable.  This is your day.  An awesome day.  A day for a test, a challenge.  A day for you, almighty human.  Run!  Run like the wind.  Sing your own gladsome song. Propel your self onward.  Go!  Stride, pace, challenge.  It’s all for you.  It’s all about you.

Today, you are a champion.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=banff+national+park&qpvt=banff+national+park&FORM=IGRE

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

May 31.2013

The Viking
by

The Viking

  Hail Mankind.  This beautiful, bright day is upon us.

The shrouded mystery of centuries old man, sheds light on the brilliant aptitudes that surround us.  Where does he come from?  That leader of man. The compelling courage that draws us to the adventure, too difficult to be dared.  All faith and acceptance of an inspired human who has an unusual calling.  Come!  He becons and they rise with courage.  The challenge is worthwhile.  Yes, they will pursue the dream and live and die the dream, for only dreams are the reality of the adventurer.

Come, to the far off land and travel they did.  The voyage of discovery took them to Iceland, where their colony lasted.  It took them to Greenland where their colony lasted as well and it took them to the shores of Canada, where they stayed for a short few years then left.  The 300 years of Viking exploration and discovery, ended with a distraction of a new influence that changed their lives.  No longer the raiding parties of fierce combatants, they now settled into a quiet existence of a different mankind. No more the plunder, the destruction, the victorious wars.  No more the seafaring exploits to new lands and new promise.  No more the grand adventure to the continent of the Americas.  Now, the world has changed and the aggressive raiding war parties vanished.

Who were you, almighty man, with superior technology.  The navigational skills, the shipbuilding the technologies, the skills, the passion and the courage.  The life of these daring adventurer were mainly farmers.  After centuries of dauntless adventure, they returned to their homeland and the soil.

http://www.visitnorway.com/

A new lord reigned and he commanded a different presence.  The serene life of tranquility and abundance from a god of a different countenance.  No more the war faring indulgence and exploits of courage.  Now, a different kind of courage.

It would be 400 years before the Europeans voyaged across the ocean again.

Still, in the minds of the voyageur, there is the skilled shipbuilder of the past.  The present casts its eyes on the whole world and travels the seas once more.  The adventure is still the calling, but the  craft and character has changed.  Now the plunder is in the eye of the beholder, in cameras and paintings and craft.  The shipbuilder of the past has become the streamliner of the present.  From travelling with slaves to sailing with dignitaries the ocean liner is now the fleet of the present human.

From ancient skills to modern vessels this ancient man has somehow remained.  The ocean still calls them, the high seas are still their home.  Come with us, they call us, be our guests.  Welcome.

http://www.ncl.com/

The grandeur of the past presents itself in the glorious present.  The seas are our home. Join us.  This is who we are today.

written by:  Dr Louise Hayes

May 30, 2013

http://www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

http://health.biotrust.com/our-story/

http://www.empowernetwork.com?id=louisehayes

A Colony
by

A Colony

Good morning all you awesome beings.  It’s another day of creation and grandeur.  Another day of bold inspirations and  undertakings.

Hear the call, as the earth awakens.  It becons us.  Rise, mankind, your call to another fabulous day.

Here, sighs the great planet, as another morning approaches, another sun climbs into the sky, another day unfolds before us.  Here, almighty human, is another day, for you.  For your quest, for your courage, for your heart, for your adventure.  Inspired human, with such magnificent aptitude, leadership, knowledge, strength and skills.  You, who rise above the rest and say, follow me, follow me, follow me to the ends of the earth, to the end of time. Oh mortal man, with mortal life, follow me into the unknown.  Follow me into dread and peril.  Follow me into dark and danger.  Follow me, for I am the leader and you are my dutiful subjects.  Follow me.

http://www.history.com/shows/Vikings

Their greatly skilled leader chose a formidable route, through the high seas to lands of unpromising abundance.  Weather, snow, hardship and toil.  The lands were harsh, the landscape difficult, the weather unbearable, the oceans high and tumultuous, wind, current, rain.  Still to travel on, to voyage of discovery, to tales of heroic triumph, to be the unbeatable foe.  The quest was immense, the distance overwhelming, the hero an uncanny mortal man.

We’ll colonize here, demands the mighty leader and the deathly, dread of the dutiful subjects acknowledge their plight.  Yes, they will stay.  In this unknown place, their fate is sealed.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index.aspx

For a few spectacular years they foraged in the forest, built their small community, reaped a harvest and stayed in the strange, far off land of shrouded mystery.  Yes, these stalwarts survived.  The first landing, the first colony, the first nation to set foot on the land of plenty.  The colonization was successful.  They survived the  winter and the warm, vibrant summer.  They proved their strength, their superiority, their skills and their might.  These early inhabitants from the north sea proved their creative genius, their will to survive, their superior strength of mind and body.  They felt the swell of pride in their chests, the song of glory in their hearts.  Victory!  The thrill of achievement.  They were the almighty man!  The courageous adventurer, the indomitable foe!.

And then they left.

Home, cries the heart.  Home cries the soul.  Home cries the spirit and with the homesick heart of man, came the compelling urge to abandon.  They left.

400 years would pass before another from their continent would traverse the high seas to these far off lands.  The year is 1000 AD.  The people were farmers from the Scandinavian countries.  Farmers, who dared to be sailors.

Without their heroic leader, they no longer had the desire or the inclination to set their sights on destinies unknown.  No longer the urge to explore uncharted waters, to discover great continents.  No longer the will or the drive to mount an expedition of men to pursue the call to adventure.

Now, they were quiet.  The gift of that great spirit of man that moved them to acts of tremendous courage had parted.  They waited in quiet anticipation for another.  Who would lead them on?  Their memories of grandeur moved them.  Dare we?  Should we?  A leader was needed.  Their patience was uneasy.  The adventure was necessary.  A new leader was needed,  but the leader didn’t come.

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/text/what_happened.htm

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

May 27, 2013

http://www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

http://health.biotrust.com/our-story/

http://www.empowernetwork.com?id=louisehayes