Embracing seven years of being married to my very patient wife Sonya, I thought we should celebrate this victory with an adventure that would challenge our normal routine.

My wife wanted to go to Canada, and I dreamed of backpacking Alberta's Banff National Park, so we agreed upon this excursion. Having only three days, I carefully researched and selected the best trail that would offer us a moderate to strenuous physical challenge, views of turquoise alpine lakes and panoramic vistas of the Canadian Rockies. The Egypt Lakes trail exceeded our expectations.

Eager to begin our hike, on the contrary, Sonya had to pry me away from sightseeing the adorable-touristy mountain town of Banff. Six o'clock in the evening was very late to even consider starting out on a multi-day trail. The weather was nasty; lots of rain. The warden at the Banff Visitors Center even advised us to wait a couple of days for the weather to clear. My wife and I looked at each other and thought the exact same thing, we didn't come this far to be stopped by rain. In my mind I was prepared with having all the right gear and mental attitude.

We drove to the trailhead where we met a couple who'd just finished the trail. The rain was pouring. While removing their drenched rain ponchos, they expressed great relief in completing the hike. Considering the foul weather and the time being 7:00 p.m. before we even stepped foot on the trail, my wife and I pressed on. Considering nightfall didn't occur until about 9:45 p.m. that evening, I grossly underestimated the time that it would take for us to reach our first camp site. Why did I insist on continuing-on so late in the evening on such a rocky trail? I rather not say.

After about two hrs of all uphill hiking, the sky was almost dark and we needed to make camp within the next half hour. We came upon a small vacant campsite that wasn't listed in my guide book. My wife insisted on us parking it here for the night. It was somewhat desolate. I kind of wanted to be around a few other campers. Nonetheless, we unloaded our gear, and began to set up camp.

We could hear rushing water from a nearby stream that I thought was far enough away from our campsite. We were spooked by the low baritone growling of some wild animal in the woods nearby. My wife continued working, so of course I wasn't about to show any sign of fear. I said a silent prayer and continued on with helping set-up camp.

The night was a restless one. I was a bit nervous being in an area with such abundant wildlife. Nevertheless, we took all the necessary precautions with prayer being at the top of the list.

The next morning we arose, ate breakfast, cleaned up the campsite and marched on. After about five hours we were on Healy Pass, where it began to sleet and snow. We met Sarah and John, newlyweds from Pennsylvania. They assured us we didn't have too far to go. Sure enough it was another two hour hike into the Egypt Lakes campsite. There was a shelter, where we met other backpackers who were inside drying out and eating. They endured a hail storm the previous night.

Since my reservation was for another campsite farther away, I planned to rest for an hour or so at the shelter and continue on... Whistler Pass was beckoning us. This hike would take us higher for a quintessential view of the eastern slope of the Canadian Rockies. We decided to set up camp at Egypt Lakes and day hike up Whistler. Considering it being nicknamed the land of 10,000 stairs, this was the best decision I'd ever made. This hike was tough, but extremely rewarding. My wife Sonya told me if I had made her backpack up this pass with a load on her back she would never follow me again. I was so glad we didn't.

The views were awe-inspiring. The rain continued to pour. Although it was mid-August, we endured cooler temperatures (down in the low 40s) and even more rain while tucked inside under the protection of our Sierra Designs Meteor Light tent.

Awakening to clearer skies, I was really impressed with the performance of our Meteor Light tent. It kept us dry thru all the foul weather we encountered. It was very stable in the blowing rain. We enjoyed the abundant space inside and plenty of vestibule space for gear storage.

The Hike-out on that Saturday morning was very beautiful, with the rain clearing out I could see all the peaks I couldn't see during the hike-in. We encountered more people on the trail. Who, judging by the way they looked at us wasn't accustomed to seeing a black couple all the way from Memphis, Tennessee, backpacking in the wilds of the Canadian Rockies. Thanks to God for keeping us during this time, seven years of marriage and three days in the backcountry with our Sierra Designs gear. This was a monumental experience for the both of us. We will continue to use your high quality gear on future treks around the world.

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Sonya sets up camp in the rain

A picturesque backdrop in Banff National Park

Derek amongst the stunning peaks