The plan was to spend the remainder of the week here in Palm Desert, thawing out from our ten day trip to Banff, Canada and the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. We were going to enjoy morning hikes and afternoons by the pool, lounging under the warm sun.  We needed the rest after a fun, but frenzied time in Banff. It was a good plan and everything was going great, that is until I came down with a serious man-cold the morning after we arrived. 

This entry was going to wax poetic about the Banff Festival and what an amazing event it is, and I still plan to write about it once the cold-induced brain-fog subsides.  For now, let me just say the nine day Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival was one of the most incredible events of my life.  For those who have attended the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, yes there were plenty of films (we watched over thirty!), but also in attendance were producers, film makers, athletes, and adventurers to introduce many of their projects. 

This alone would have made for a fun week, but the festival is about more than the visual medium, it embraces the word, both written and spoken. There were authors and writers and story tellers sharing their tales, as well as interviews with several famous figures.  

To immerse ourselves further into the festival, we served as volunteers and worked for portions of a couple days; this provided us with valuable insight into the workings of the festival, as well as access (and discounts) not available to the average participant.

There is so much more to share, and I promise I will, but for now my body aches, concentration is difficult, thinking impaired.  Consider this a ‘teaser’ for future articles.

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