EA reader at ease

It's all in the altitude

These days, the airwaves abound with the chatter of self-proclaimed experts who offer half-baked strategies for attaining inner peace, health, wealth, and other knick-knacks as they try to illuminate the road to a more fulfilling life. They enter our living rooms with the boldness of marauders en route to the treasure.

They expound on an assortment of topics, ranging from the benefits of the South Beach Diet to the merits of hypnosis to accelerated paths to building wealth. They don't tell you this: It is all in the altitude.

Only when you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how sublime it is to stand on the highest peak. Ken Lipinski is an avid hiker and knows firsthand.

Lipinski serves as president and general manager of West-Fraser, based in Prince George, B.C., a company that specializes in electrical apparatus repair and has a machine shop as well. He has been with the company for 19 years.

"It is something that I have always done," Lipinski says of hiking. "I also hunt and fish, and hiking is just what you do when the hunting and fishing aren't so good."

Generally, Lipinski hikes within a two-mile radius of Prince George. He usually goes on one long trip per year. He has hiked the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. He has also hiked through the Wokpash Valley, which is situated in the northern Rockies just on the Yucatan border. It is a place where one can go to find solitude in nature.

"I really enjoyed it there," explains Lipinski. "We went almost 50 miles. We did not see another person or hear an aircraft the whole time we were gone."

Lipinski is usually accompanied by his wife, Marina. Many of their jaunts are over mountainous terrain because of the geography in the vicinity of their home. A typical hike often ends at 5,000 feet above sea level, which is up beyond the tree line.

"If we go on a day trip, it is more like 8 to 10 miles," says Lipinski. "We usually have a 2,500- to 3,000-foot altitude gain."

Through hiking, Lipinski is able to immerse himself in nature, which enables him to see a wide variety of wildlife, including moose, caribou, black as well as grizzly bears, marmots, and ground squirrels.

"I hike because I enjoy it," concedes Lipinski. "I do it because I enjoy being out in the wilderness. It is more of a contrast than anything."-JH

Copyright Barks Publications Apr 2006
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