Mindfulness Conference - Worcester MA

6 am

The day begins with sitting, walking and stretching in present awareness led by Saki Santorelli. I am slowly letting the flight, the other things to do, the distractions leave the now - but they are persistent in creating "noise". I decide to practice accepting noise - I am more or less successful.

7 am

I am successful in finding friends and colleagues from Waterloo. I am delighted and we have breakfast together. This is a conference on the science of mindfulness and its relationship to healing arts. There is excitement here, a quiet anticipation we all feel about the power of this approach to relieve much suffering. Breakfast conversation is about how the community that this embraces is something like the ripples in a pond that spread ever further out from the centre. And today I am at one of the centres of the movement, the birthplace of MBSR; mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Keynote Address: Marsha Linehan

Dr. Linehan spoke eloquently about her career as a behavioural therapist, scientist and student of Zen and how this led her to the developmental of dialectical behaviour therapy
Her work has been with some of the most troubled individuals, those who have received as diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, people who she points out are the most likely of all psychological disorders to succeed at suicide. One in every ten people with BPD will take their own life.
Using a mindfulness-based approach Linehan invites her clients to practice the art of acceptance in their lives. Clinically sound and scientifically validated over 30 years, her approach offers the most hopeful of all treatment modalities for this complex human response to betrayal trauma, abuse and neglect in childhood.

I found Dr. Linehan to be full of energy, realistic and the embodiment of compassion. As Saki Santorelli described her, "She is a force of nature".


Research Sessions:

Ruth Baer

Ruth Baer has been interested in cognitive therapy and has written an important work that reviews the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions. Her discussion today was on the relationship between formal mindfulness practice, informal mindfulness activities and psychological wellbeing.




Donald McCown and Diane Reibel

Donald and Diane presented a compelling story about their attempt to market an MBSR program to train people in various workplaces how to reduce stress and to respond as people and as corporations in a more "contemplative" manner. While their program didn't get the funding needed from the university, their were able to run a scaled-down version of the offerings to some pretty impressive organizations. They reported that they are happy doing work they love in the not-for-profit sector.

One of their training programs has been offered to anaesthesia nurses, perhaps the most stressful of all nursing jobs. Students in the course learned methods of being more aware, less stressed and more at ease with themselves with the workplace. I found this talk quite relevant to my work teaching psychology to nursing students

Donald Marks, Alix Sarubbi and Rosanna Sposato

What role does compassion play in healing? There is little doubt that it is significant. Marks et al. presented their research on the relationship between the relief of suffering and active compassion. The results of their work can be summed up by the story Donald told of a woman, so debilitated by pain that she was unable to get out of one particular chair in her house. To add to the suffering, she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the spine. This woman, with the help of Marks and his team, was able to do something she'd wanted to do for a long time - volunteer at the school attended by her disabled daughter. The times when she was volunteering, the pain she suffered was less meaningful to her than what she had to offer the children. During these times the pain, became a background in her life, rather than the entire focus of her existence.

As a closing, Mark took us through a mindfulness session where we were encouraged to embody in ourselves "the perfect nurturer". It is from this base of compassion, we are told, that we are able to extend healing into the world.

Day's end:

Today has been busy and exceptional. At the end of the day we had a banquet and danced to the type of music that Geoff Johnstone loves. (Hope you had an ale or two for me on Thursday, brother). Wish all of you could have been here, there is much that is of interest to Liberal Studies folks; culture, philosophy, communications, sociology, economics, psychology, wellness and history to name a few. Even some comparative religion, like how the message of the Buddha and Christ and all religions has been the same since the earliest times - a compassionate heart is the key to peace that begins with ourselves.

As they say here:

metta (lovingkindness):
Barry

Arrival at the Falls - August 3, 2007

Oxbow Lake

We got up early today in anticipation of getting to the falls campground by noon. It took us about two and a half hours to have breakfast and pack up the gear and we were on our way down river by 11:00.

Alex and Tania led the way and at the bend in the river took a detour up the creek leading to the Oxbow lake. The rest of us followed into a quiet creek that wended its way through reeds and grasses hanging with dew, eventually opening into a lake which curved to the right much like an elongated "j". The lake was peaceful and inviting and I wondered whether the campsite we had heard about was at the crook of the "j" about 150 metres to the right.

When I suggested to Glen that we investigate to the end of the lake, he rather vehemently rejected the idea. His rationale was that the rest of the group had not planned this sojourn, and it would be selfish of us to pursue the adventure without consensus. I suggested to him that no one had given Alex and Tania the approval of exploring the creek and the lake in the first place, and that since we were only going to be here this one time, it might be interesting to explore a little further. This was the first time that a dispute had led to hard feelings between Glen and I on this trip; the rancor, however, persisted until we reached the Falls.

Through the next section of the river we followed the Sunblood Mountain range on river left and the Marengo Creek valley on river right. The interpretive maps suggest that on the left, on the mountain slopes there are mineral licks that are an essential part of the habitat for the Dalls' Sheep (see insert, Robert Bateman "The Dalls' Sheep"). These impressive animals visit the mineral licks to lick on the mineral deposits that are a necessary part of their diet. We were unsure whether we had located any of the mineral licks, which would have been more obvious had we the fortune of actually seeing sheep visiting them. The mountain ridges were impressive nonetheless.

Virginia Falls Campsite

About a kilometre before the falls there is a well marked organized campsite and ranger post. We approached the dock in the early afternoon and slipped in beside a De Havilland Beaver bush plane. Arriving at the campgrounds meant that we had to check in at the ranger station, pick a camp spot, unload the canoes and make camp.

The campgrounds were situated along a boardwalk that was suspended above the marshy ground by posts drilled into the permafrost. The main purpose of the boardwalk was the protection of the flora from the trampling feet of the visitors to the park. It also provided a level of accessibility to people who may not be able to explore the area because of the uneven terrain.

We found tent sites side by side the would accommodate our three tents. The sites were wooden platforms that were built into the boardwalk; it was all very neat by comparison to the sites along the river so far. With the tents pitched, we began preparing supper and organizing the gear for our two night stay at the falls.

Moose Can Fly

Just before dinner we became aware, through the park warden, that a cow calf moose had been swept over the falls earlier in the day. The main concern now was that the moose carcass, which had found a final resting place on a gravel bar below the falls, would attract a nearby grizzly bear. Grizzlies, we learned, become very territorial about their food and posed a very real danger to anyone who ventured to close. This meant that the trail to the base of the falls was cordoned off while a helicopter was brought in to remove the carcass to a safer location.

Glen and I were excited to get a good look at the whole operation so we took the trail to the top of the falls. Along the way we met Jenn, a summer patrol officer , and her mother pushing a wheel barrow. They were on their way down to the bottom of the falls to assist in the "rescue". Glen and I eagerly offered to help and between the two of us took over pushing the barrow along the trail. The two of us were just glad to be able to do our duty, as volunteers, in a state of apparent park emergency. We asked Jenn to deputize on the spot, so that we would be official. Jenn informed us that we don't deputize people in Canada, but she would nonetheless accept us as official volunteers. Jenn's mom gladly let us take over and went on her way to where the crowd was gathering for the evening's entertainment. A dead moose being air-lifted out of the canyon!

Once we had safely delivered the wheel barrow and its contents - a sling, yellow "danger" tape, knapsack, 3030 rifle plus ammo (this was a serious potential grizzly terror attack) and other gear - to the end of the boardwalk trail, we were asked to return to the top of the falls. Jenn was not going to let us go any further, despite our dejected looks. Upon returning to the top of the falls, no one seemed to know of the risks we had taken to ensure public safety.

We had time to explore the top of the falls for about an hour and a half before the helicopter arrived. People had gathered with cameras and binoculars not wanting to miss the excitement. We could see a brown object on the sand bar and three park wardens and a pilot working in the spray of the falls. They worked for about 30 minutes securing a sling to the animal's legs. The work seemed to be painstaking and slow because of the spray and the wind in the valley. We were to learn later, as well, that the moose was broken up pretty badly, and that if they hadn't secured the sling just right, blood and entrails would have spilled along the valley floor.

The climax of the incident came when the moose, at the end of the sling rose into the air with the helicopter. The moose was being taken to a marsh up Caribou creek where it would provide food for any scavengers that might find it; it could be monitored there by park staff who could assess its rate of decomposition and what animals might feed on it.

The crowd atop the cliff cheered and applauded as the helicopter lifted into the air. Later people went to greet the heroes; the wardens and the pilot, when they returned to the campground, mission accomplished. When they emerged from the helicopter, the crowd cheered again with even more enthusiasm. It was then that I recognized Jonathan Tetso, the young warden we had met some days earlier at Rabbitkettle lake. The third warden was we were introduced to was Dan.

I was impressed by this group of young men and women in many ways. They were fit and energetic and quite knowledgeable about the ecosystem that they were assigned to protect. They took their responsibilities seriously and acted both in a professional and a friendly manner.

The Slow Descent to the Falls - August 2, 2007

The Oxbows

The Nahanni river is an antecedent river. It meanders much like a slow prairie river might, taking the course of least resistance through the softer sedimentary rock where it can. This is not typical of most mountain rivers, which descend rapidly and on a straight course from high to low. What this means, then, is that the Nahanni did not begin life as a mountain river. Rather, it began life as a plains river wending its way through the sedimentary rock of an ancient ocean bed. It was much later that the mountains began to form by the tectonic forces that created the Rockies. The river carved its way through the mountains as they formed, faster than the mountains rose, hence the sweeping, meandering turns known as oxbows.

Our destination today is a curiosity that sometimes emerges as a result of a change in the river's flow around and oxbow (a hair-pin turn in the river). Sometimes the river will push through a new channel, stranding the outside of the turn in the oxbow, this forms a lake known as an oxbow lake. We were told by Ann, the Warden at Rabbitkettle lake, that the last campsite before Virginia Falls was at Oxbow lake ten kilometres from the falls.

We broke camp today at 11:30, later than expected. It seemed that people were tired from the last day's paddle. While we were having breakfast the "Rub-a-dub 8" rafters passed by on their way to the falls.

The paddle in this section was relatively slow. We managed an average of about 8 - 10 km/hr. The current was not much help to us and we had to work at making any headway. In addition to a slow current, we fought a moderately strong head wind for most of the day.


Last Chance

Our first break was at a campsite on an island called Last Chance. This was a very nice spot with a creek entering from river right. We took advantage of the creek to refill our water bottles and drink. Lunch was leftovers from yesterday's chili supper and today's multi-grain cereal served on tortilla wraps. The resulting concoction had a distinct resemblance to grizzly bear scat, more tasty than it sounds.

Leaving Last Chance we paddled for another three hours until we found a gravel bar about 500 metres upstream from the creek entering from the Oxbow lake. There were dark clouds gathering all around and we anticipated a late afternoon storm. We had just enough time to pitch the tents and put up the rain tarp before the rains came. It was a brief and intense storm that lasted about an hour and was followed by a clear and sunny evening. Our spirits were high knowing that tomorrow morning we would be able to arrive at Virginia Falls in time to enjoy a full day of exploring. We spent the evening enjoying the scenery, playing guitar, singing and telling stories by the campfire.

We had traveled 35 kilometres today and it had felt like 50!

Above the Falls - August 1, 2007

Making Time

We woke up early and broke camp by 10:30, our plan was to make significant distance today. For the next two days we needed to make good time on the river to make sure that we arrived at Virginia Falls on the expected date. Our plan was to camp close to the falls on August 2 so that we could canoe a short distance and arrive on the 3rd before noon.

The day was sunny and hot and the paddling was strenuous. The river had good current and we averaged 10 - 15 km/hr. in three shifts of one and one half hours. We found the vistas quite spectacular with the Sunblood range of the Mackenzie mountains dominating river left and the Ragged range on river left.

Many small creeks flowed into the river creating gravel bars and silt deposits along the way. These were excellent places to stop and have our snack breaks. As the day progressed, however, we found it increasingly difficult to find the gravel bars to make camp. We anticipated staying at Flood Creek where there was an excellent campsite on a large gravel bar. When we got there, however, we waved at the Rub-a-Dub 8 rafters who already occupied the site. We had hoped to find another gravel bar campsite further down the river, but instead found silt and sand. We were all getting tired at this point and started to get irritable about finding a camp site. Just beyond our endurance for the day was an excellent campsite at Hell Roaring Creek. As it was we settled for silt and sand for a second night in a row.

When we finally settled on a place to camp we had plenty of time to set up and to prepare so few portages that this trip entails. dinner. We camped against some scrub bushes where we could see the evidence of recent moose activity; both scats and footprints. In the evening under the mosquito netting we enjoyed some very good scotch and sang some blues songs with guitar accompaniment. I have a Martin backpacker guitar that I made a waterproof case for before setting out on the trip. It's a little heavy, but worth while having especially on a trip with so few portages.

Our total kilometers traveled today was 43.5 km.

A Day at Rabbitkettle - July 31, 2007

Hike to the Tufa Mounds

We were out of the tents early today and on our way across the river to the Warden's cabin. Ann, the warden we had met the day before, was going to lead us on a tour of the tufa mounds. This was an interpretive hike about the area, which is renown for its volcanic activity that has resulted in what was once romoured to be a tropical paradise. Geothermic activity has given rise to hot springs, emerald green lakes, and tufa mounds.

Tufa mounds are created when minerals are dissolved to the point of super saturation in hot springs that originate deep within the earth. As the water reaches the surface it begins to cool and the minerals, predominantly calcium carbonate, begin to precipitate out of solution and form a large structure resembling a mound of sandy coloured concrete. Indeed, calcium carbonate is one of the ingredients of cement, which is in turn one of the main ingredients in concrete. The tufa mounds in the Nahanni region are believed to be 10,000 years old and because of the fragility require us to walk on them in our bare feet.

On the hike in the morning were the five people in our group, plus Brian and Bert, two guys who had been camping on Rabbitkettle lake. They were the early risers in a group of six people who were headed to Virginia Falls in two days time.

The round trip to the tufa mounds took us about four hours and involved hiking three and one half kilometres one way. We needed to cross the Rabittkettle river and this was accomplished by a scow-ferry attached to a cable and pulley system. Four of us went on the first crossing, to be followed by the other four in the second crossing. Those on either shore who were not in the boat, pulled on the cables to pilot the scow across the river. This proved to be ab adventure due to the strong rapids currents in the river!


We learned that the tufa mounds were thought to be a sacred place and efforts to preserve their integrity arise from their geological and their cultural significance. The tour was tightly scheduled and we were required to remove our footwear to walk on them; only four people were allowed at one time. There is a another reason that the tours only occur at two times in the day. The country we are in is a significant summer habitat of the grizzly bear. This is due to the fact that their is an abundance of buffalo berries, the primary food source for the bear in the summer months (July and August). Tours at 8:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. have minimal impact on the bears, because they are more likely to be active in the early mornings and the later afternoons. Interestingly, the presence of a bear or evidence that a bear is in the vicinity means the cancellation of the hike, not only because of the safety of hikers, but also so that human activity will have low impact on the bears.

Afternoon Paddle

We arrived back at camp at about noon, just in time to see the "Rub-a-Dub 8" raft head down the river. We made a quick lunch and were ready to move on ourselves by mid-afternoon. We had planned to make as much time as we could today, given that it was a reasonably good afternoon for paddling. We didn't get off the river until after 8:00 p.m., having made 30 kilometres down river. By the time we made camp, no one was particularly pleased with the spot chosen because of the wet location and because of the sandy conditions. The wet and the sand made for lots of mosquitoes and lots of dirt in the tents and other gear.

On to Rabbitkettle Lake - July 30, 2007

Breaking Camp

We'd been so long at Brintnell Creek that is was difficult, in many respects, to leave this camp. Consequently, we took our time taking down the tent when it was nearly dry, having a leisurely breakfast and packing the gear carefully. Alex, Tania and Andrew, the climbers, were tired and were glad for the relaxed pace. Having prepared the maps, I knew that to make the campsite at Oxbow Lake above Virginia Falls on the August 3rd (our expected date) we needed to paddle 122 km in four days. Since we were planning to stay at Rabbitkettle Lake tonight and the next night that left just August 1 and August 2 to paddle about 100 km. I was a little nervous about the distance since I had read that the river was slow in the next section.

As with most mornings here it rained a little, but by the time we were prepared to leave it was mostly clear. We loaded the canoes, put on the spray skirt and shortly after noon we were ready to leave. We had only 15 km to travel today, so we paddled leisurely and enjoyed the view. By lunch time we had reached the boundary of the Nahanni National Park Reserve.

Despite the fact that the river is slower than above Brintnell Creek, we still made good time and by early evening reached the Rabbitkettle campsite and visitor check in. After docking the canoes we chatted at the kiosk with some members of a group of guys who were traveling the river by raft. There were 8 of these fellows who collectively referred to themselves as the "Rub-a-Dub 8". They were from B. C. and have been doing canoe trips together for about a decade. This was the first time they had tried rafting.

We also meet a canoeist who was traveling the river with a friend who was recently diagnosed with cancer. He agreed to do the heavy work on this trip in order that his friend, an experienced paddler, can enjoy a trip while his health lets him. This man confirmed for us that there are many reasons why people come to the Nahanni. Bill Mason, Canada's canoeing icon, was brought here one last time by family and friends just before he died of cancer in1988 1 (Becky Mason).

With the canoes safely stowed we walked to the warden's cabin on the shore of Rabbitkettle Lake. It was good to be out of the canoe and hiking, it was hot and we soon worked up a sweat as the trail wound its way up the slope to the lake. At the cabin we checked in and met with wardens John and Ann, who talked to us about the park regulations. The check-in posts at various points along the river ensure that in the event they get lost their last whereabouts are known.

We took a welcomed dip in Rabbitkettle Lake to cool off and to get clean. It was a warm afternoon and the coolness of the water was very refreshing. We leave the lake with reluctance and returned along the trail to the canoes. Ferrying across the lake we arrived at the campsite which is well marked with tent sites and food caches designated. We were warned to use the caches because it was only a few days ago that the area was closed because of the presence of a grizzly bear.

The Belgians

Setting up our camp, we talked to the Belgian canoeists who we met a few days ago. One of them asked if we have had dinner yet. When I said that we haven't, he offered me a large pot half filled with pea soup, the remains of their dinner. I eagerly accepted and thanked him wholeheartedly. The five of us ate the soup with gusto and began the preparation of our own dinner of pizza.

The weather in the afternoon and evening took a dramatic turn as the wind picked up and blasted down the river valley. At the far end of the campsite we saw the Belgians under a tarp that blew frantically in the wind. It began to cool down and people put on windbreakers and rain gear in anticipation of the impending storm. Our own rain tarp, that Alex and Tania pitched, came down with a crash. As predicted, the rain came down in a driving torrent for about 15 minutes and then as quickly as it came, resolved into a sunlit sky and a rainbow against the peak on the opposite bank. Despite the onslaught we continued to prepare the Pizza and re-pitch the rain tarp.

We have our dinner under the tarp and prepared bannock for our lunch tomorrow. The evening ended with a nightcap of vodka cocktails and songs.

Adventurers Return - July 29

Morning Routines

I awoke restless today and found it difficult to get organized; I spent an inordinate amount of time searching for my glasses. I left them by the creek the night before and this fact annoys me.

Glen and I are becoming accustomed to this place. While I have enjoyed the relaxing pace of the trip so far, I am getting anxious to leave. Glen, however, has settled into life at the creek; he busies himself with routines such as cleaning the canoe of sand, collecting firewood and doing laundry.

Glen and I prepared breakfast of oatmeal and double-smoked bacon. It was raining for the early part of the morning, but now the sky is clearing. Typical for the days that we have been here, rain clouds encircle the mountain tops and clear sky streams down the river valley. Whoever said that the area around Glacier Lake is a weather magnet was right.

After breakfast today I spent personal time doing some reading, meditating and GPS mapping. We expect our traveling partners to return today and in the mid-afternoon their canoe appears up river across from the campsite.

The Return

Alex, Andrew and Tania have arrived back safely from their climb to the Cirque. Glen and I are very glad to see them and hug each one of them in turn. They are quite happy with their accomplishment and the five of us share stories of our experiences of the past few days over tea.

Andrew tells us that at the Cirque they met quite a few Europeans from France, Belgium and other countries. He stated that these people come to the Nahanni area with the goal of climbing a peak they call the "Lotus". Much of the interest in the Cirque of the Unclimbables has been generated by George Bell. People are helicoptered into the site and often wait for two weeks or more to make the climb. The climb can only be done when the slope is dry and because of the water cycle that results in daily rainfall, this seldom is the case. We all agree that climbers are a strange breed indeed!

I make a call home on the Sat phone to let my family know that I'm okay and Glen and I prepare supper this evening giving the others a chance to recuperate. After a dinner of Beef Stroganoff and blueberry crumble, made with blueberries collected on the trail by our comrades, we finish off a bag of red wine. Under the mosquito netting we play a game of "Oh Heck" and talk about the plans to leave camp in the morning.