Banff – Jim Kirby | Big Bird's Adventures

Banff – Jim Kirby

October 3, 2016 § Leave a comment

This will be the first of my friend specific Banff National Park 2016 posts where I will profile my individual hiking mates.

A question we were asked often is “How do you all know each other?”, to which it is not a simple answer. I am not sure exactly how long I have known Jim. We either met on a Larry T Butler organized weekend warrior backpacking trip, or we met during one of the infamous Mill Trips, but it has been a fair number of years.

Jim is a professional photographer (website here) that lives in Reston, Va where either because of his activeness, or perhaps because he may have performed some work for The Reston Association, he met Larry T Butler who I will talk about in another post. Jim and I have “Milled” together, and backpacked together now some 15 years at least, and this is the first of my “Big” adventures that he was able attend, though technically he was prepared to attend my Utah adventure two years ago, but we lost him at the last minute due to family concerns.

Jim is a very active and fit 62 years young. If you follow him on Facegag, you will often see posts of himself and his kayaking friend Mark Regan out again catching the light on the Potomac River, and when Jim catches the light, great images appear.

Jim is also an active cyclist, though I would say he tends more to the moutain bike than to the road.

Jim is very self-suffiecient on trips like these. Always there to lend a hand and can always be counted on to help with whatever task needs doing. Cut wood? Jim cuts. Filter water? There’s Jim. Boil Water? No one boils water faster than Jim.

Along with Greg May, Larry T Butler and myself, Jim joins us for a vice that we only really do when camping. That would be a roll-yer-own tobacco vice, and though it always looks like we are passing that wacky weed around, we are simply having a communal smoke.

Jim told me on this trip “I have come to the conclusion that when opportunity presents itself, I should jump in an take part.” and so he was quick to join me for this most amazing adventure.

As a photographer you are often told “You take great pictures of us, but we never see any of you.”. Since I myself am a photographer, here is the opportunity to get Jim on the other side of the lens.

I look forward to many more adventures with Jim.