The Hike That Made Me Fall for MTNPK Glassware
Before we opened Greenbriar, Mat, Debi and I (and sometimes even Kate) used our days off to go hiking together. We'd find a random trail on the AllTrails app, check conditions, then bundle up and head to Banff, Bragg Creek, Canmore or Kananaskis, all a short drive from Calgary, and spend the day in the woods, slowly making our way up a mountain. It was amazing. I felt free, and I was in SUCH good shape.
After Greenbriar, our lives took a bit of a turn. As much as I opened Greenbriar to work for myself, that ended up meaning more working than I'd ever done working for someone else. Oh, the irony.
As the cooler weather starts falling upon us (pun intended), I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for our days away in the mountains. One of my favourite hikes is one Mat and I took alone on his birthday one year, so that Debi could set up a surprise party back home. It actually started out cold and miserable, climbing up a hill into the wind. Bundled up, we kept trekking onward and upward.
Somehow, when we got to the top of where we were going, the wind died, the sun came out, and we were suddenly warm and removing layers on December 8th, 2020. We had a stunning walk that felt like a fall day, along a secluded section of the Elbow River, just outside Bragg Creek. And it was just me and Mathew, with the sunshine highlighting the beauty of the river and the mountains. I loved it.
Mat and I along the Elbow River, Bragg Creek, December 8, 2020
That reminder is one of the reasons I love MTNPK Glassware so much, and I think it's why you do too. It's fun to capture the shape of these majestic mountains and put them in the bottom of a glass, but there's always a story behind why people come in to buy them:
- My friends are visiting and we'll be taking them to Three Sisters and Lake Louise
- We stayed in Banff so I just want to remember Mount Rundle
- Oh! I remember seeing Castle Mountain on the way to Banff
- We've hiked Edith Cavell
- My friend is from Squamish
- My mom lives in Niagara Falls
- These are gifts for our wedding party happening in Canmore
- We're staying with people and want to get them a glass of the mountain they live by
- I just want the whole collection
- Jasper is my favourite park, I need to have Pyramid
Millions of years old, and each mountain has millions of reasons why it's special to one of us.
MTNPK Glassware captures those memories and puts them in a beautiful glass, one you can revisit at home with a good book, or use to start a conversation at your next get-together with friends or family. They're also an amazing housewarming gift, wedding gift, or thank-you gift, since there's usually a mountain that brings meaning to the moment.
The quality holds up too. These are made from borosilicate glass, which means they're lighter but stronger than your typical soda lime glass. My Mount Robson pint glass is my favourite glass to drink out of, and I was thrilled to receive it as a gift from Adam at MTNPK when they first launched.
The Mount Robson pint glass, my favourite in the collection
I'd asked him if there were any plans for a Mount Robson glass, since Mat and I had done the Jasper train tour and seen it in person. Standing at the base on the way back was incredibly humbling. Adam told me it was actually the next glass they were releasing, and he had a prototype in the car. When he saw how much I loved it, he offered it to me. I've treasured it ever since.
So with all the life changes that come with fall, if you're in need of the perfect gift, consider checking out our full selection of MTNPK Glassware. You'll find the whole collection in person at our Crossroads Market booth here in Calgary, or online any time. You might even want to pick up one for yourself.
If you're still deciding which mountain to pick, we put together a few more ideas in Your Drink, on the Rocks.
Shawn
