Reflecting on a Summer Well Spent

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Fall 2025

Another summer has passed, feeling much shorter than any other season (depending on how many kids you had at home and how well behaved they were!). Reflecting on a summer well spent, our family was thankful for the physical abilities training Kung Fu gave us, allowing us to really take on some fun and active recreation.

At the end of June, we embarked on an epic camping road trip that included stops in Gaspé, New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, Maine, Vermont, Ottawa, and Northern Ontario. This wonderful adventure had lots of variety around how we spent our time outdoors.

An early stay in the trip was in the stunning Gaspésie National Park (which is actually a provincial park, but Quebec names their parks a little differently). When we stay in these majestic parks, I like to find the signature hike and challenge my family to complete it—in this case, to the summit of Mount Albert, which was described as a “classic” hike, rated as advanced.

The elevation grade started steep and just kept increasing, until we were eventually scrambling up rocks on our hands. Within a few hours, we were treated to some outstanding views at the summit. We were able to enjoy this for about ten minutes when a decent storm came through. We had lunch in a small lookout shack while it blew through, but to complete the loop in daylight, we eventually had to head out in the wind and pouring rain. We quickly discovered the way back down was much harder than the ascent!

The long canyon descent started treacherous, requiring us to navigate through a minefield of rocks that required constant mindfulness of every step; one careless foot placement could be a broken ankle. I thought this initial tough, ragged section was just a portion of the return trip, but it was the entire return! Though a very challenging route, it was exceptionally well plotted, as we were treated with stunning views of rivers, wildlife, mountains and waterfalls. Chantal discovered her worn sneakers didn’t have the best traction, so she shocked me with some catlike agility by hiking most of the way barefoot!

In a plot twist, our youngest, Sarah, who was less than thrilled at the start and motivated by multiple threats of abandonment, shifted gears for the final leg and finished first (to her brother’s protest). The final tally on this hike was 20km and 1,000m of elevation completed in nine hours. All told, it was one of the most challenging hikes we’ve ever attempted!

Our training in Kung Fu gave us the physical strength, agility and endurance to finish, but more importantly, it empowered us with a mindset of perseverance and an attitude of enjoying the journey (well, maybe not as much for the kids…haha). The rest of our vacation included a lot of mountain biking and even an experience surfing near Halifax—more fun activities that my family and I felt more enabled to do because of Kung Fu.