I noticed that I was more conscious about really being in the moment. I have been working on habituating mindsets from practices such as mindfulness and meditation and have been working to keep them with me as I go through my day. I noticed that many times while we were traveling, I would stop, take a deep breath, appreciate my surroundings and pause for a second to be grateful for the moment.

There were many successful parts to this trip, including the decision to rent a condo outside of Banff and the decision to bring lots of extra hiking socks. However, I really appreciated the effort we made to avoid the crowded, touristy destinations. When we visited certain places such as Lake Louise or Lake Moraine, we first made sure to leave really early (4:30-5:00 AM) and then used our headstart to hike out of the areas within 1-2 miles of the entrance that would soon be swarming with people. Plus, hiking up in the mountains at 6:00 AM, with the sun just peaking out is a really amazing feeling.

The culture in Banff is rich in the arts and the outdoors. We had a chance to explore its downtown, along with the neighboring city of Canmore. In Canmore we met an artist who had his art on display in a small shop. He moved from Colorado to Canmore to pursue his passion for abstract art and landscapes. Outdoor activities are also a huge part of the culture. We experienced this first hand by spending most of our time hiking, biking or climbing in the mountains.

For me, the most difficult part of the project process was creating a video montage to summarize the trip. I had never done any kind of video editing before (except for when Bailey and I made a Spanish skit in 8th grade, but I did grasp any valuable editing skills from that experience), so finding the right program and learning how to use it was a crucial part of the production phase. I began by trying to work with all kinds of free editing software, but due to a whole list of issues, we ended up purchasing Adobe Premiere Elements (we will make good use of it with Owen's YouTube videos, not just a one time use). The only significant chunk of time that I had to edit was over break. So, I spent much of it learning how to use the program and eventually completing a final product that I was satisfied with.

Throughout the trip, I made a habit of following through with daily reflection. Much of the time the reflection primarily included what we did, but I also made it a goal to include how I was feeling, and other observations that had more depth to them. Additionally, I consider the video to be a reflection. It was really fun to go back and look through videos when going through the production phase. Lastly, I am trying out a new way to write an EOPA. I have used coggle for reflections in the past, but never for an EOPA. I am finding that I am able to dig deeper and tell more stories in this format where things are organized with more structure and direct prompts.

We were immersed in many natural areas for most of the trip, many being national parks or conservation areas. One thing that became really apparent was that Canadians take really good care of their natural and protected areas. Recycling was huge, and you could tell that all of the locals were on the conservation train, which was really neat to see. Back in Wisconsin, my family regularly visits state and county parks. To be honest, there is some work to be done on the way our parks are treated and maintained. Additionally, putting more emphasis on recycling might not be a bad idea.