Several years ago I worked in the north as an expedition river guide.   Three other guides and I would each take a raft loaded with clients, camping gear, and food and float down the Tatshenshini or Alsek river for up to 12 days.  I was completely enamoured with the magnitude and beauty of the rivers, lakes, glaciers, mountains, and wildlife of the north.  We would begin in the Yukon, float across the north-western tip of BC, and then through the Alaskan panhandle to the Pacific Ocean. The work was often grueling and the weather could be extremely harsh, but I have never been as inspired by Mother Nature as I was during those river trips

At the beginning of the rafting season, some of the guides would drive up through BC to the Yukon and others would fly.  The drive always intrigued me as I longed to explore more of BC.  However, I always ended up flying to Whitehorse from Vancouver or Calgary.  Since then it has been a dream of mine to take a summer to drive across BC and explore some of the vast amount of wild places, hike, camp, and meet more of the communities in this province that I love.

Melody has heard about my dream more than once, and over this last winter she added to my dream, and we decided to do all we could to make it a reality.  Along with the hiking, camping, and exploring of communities, we are inspired to share Compassionate Communication with as many people as possible in communities across BC.  Although much needs to come together and be organized, momentum is building towards our trip, our Road To Compassion.  Our first workshop date is confirmed for Smithers, Sunday, July 19.  Also, we have mapped out our Road To Compassion route, we are starting to acquire contacts in the other communities we plan to visit, and we have received lots of encouragement from people who hear about the Road To Compassion.

From mid June to mid August, our intended route will take us through the Columbia Valley and the Rockies, along the Yellowhead highway, over to the Queen Charlotte Islands, by ferry down to Vancouver Island, over to the Lower Mainland, possibly through the Okanagon, and then back to our home in Nelson.  Following are the cities and towns in which we are currently planning to offer Compassionate Communication on our Road to Compassion journey: Creston, Cranbrook, Invermere, Golden, Jasper, McBride, Prince George, Burns Lake, Smithers, Terrace, Prince Rupert, The Queen Charlotte’s, Victoria, Vancouver, Gibsons. Other possibilities include Campbell River, Courtney, and The Okanagon.

Our hope is to inspire as many people across BC as possible towards creating a world where everyone’s needs are understood, valued, and peacefully met.  A percentage of the profits from Road To Compassion workshops and presentations will go to our Compassion In The Classroom project.  This project involves bringing NVC books and materials into BC classrooms. Stay tuned to www.sunwater.ca to keep up to date as we establish dates for workshops and evening presentations in the communities along The Road To Compassion.  If you would like to support The Road to Compassion, please contact us or go to http://sunwater.ca/directory/tour-compassion/.