Major changes require time and acclimatization. This became obvious to me during my first snowshoe adventure from my new homebase at Tyax Lodge in the Chilcotin Mountains of British Columbia.

It took five days to get somewhat oriented to my new living space, new colleagues, new work environment, different daily routines and the very cold dry climate. I sheepishly admit that I didn’t even leave the Lodge during that period of time.

It is difficult to get motivated to go outside when the wind chill plummets temperatures to -60 Celisius! In general, I had little energy to do much more than work, eat and sleep. My sleep was not the usual solid seven hours, and every morning I was groggy and disoriented.

In spite of this foggy condition, I courageously struck out for my usual Sunday morning hit of nature. I strapped on my snowshoes and a colleague gave me a map and pointed me in the right direction. It was tough going up hills and through the wooded areas. I tired easily and wondered what happened to my high level of fitness that I had gained from all those sessions at the gym.

As I stopped to enjoy a beautiful mountainous vista, I thought about how high up I was. What was this new elevation? After my excursion, I fell into conversation with my colleagues at lunch. The effects of moving to a higher altitude was explained to me. It all made sense now … the lack of energy was simply an adjustment to this high altitude. It would take time to acclimatize.

What a great lesson to learn yet again. Change takes time. Realizing this allowed me to be gentler with myself while manoeuvring through this transition. As much as I thought that I was prepared for this life change, something affected me that I hadn’t anticipated. The natural environment forced me to slow down and take it easy. In general, taking time to acclimatize to change seems like a very natural process. Mother Nature has so much wisdom.