Hidden Gem- Drumheller, Alberta

We were exiting the plane at midnight and boy was I tired. We had just finished our amazing Iceland adventure and we were starting a new one in Drumheller, Alberta. We got in the driver Brian’s car, and in five minutes I was fast asleep. I don’t know how much time had passed from the airport to the hotel, but when I woke up, it looked like we were driving through the gates at Jurassic park. We exited Brian’s car and I quickly realized we were at the Ramada Inn, Drumheller. Drumheller is a small town outside of Calgary. It’s farm country. Some people call it boring. Some people call it a dump. But not me, I call it a land of prehistoric wonders, a land of canyons, a land of giant beasts and kind cowboys, I call it a hidden gem.

Production chose Drumheller as a location because we needed an alien planet. Drumheller is about as alien as you can get. Though initially it looks like any old farm town, once you drive deeper into the countryside, you discover geological wonders you can’t find anywhere else in the world. The foothills and canyons of Drumheller bring out brilliant reds and yellows in the ancient earth. The desert fields blow elegantly in the crisp air, but once you begin your drive, you are quickly met with a canyon that looks like the surface of the moon. The topography also has unique hoodoo rock formations that  look like they could have only been created by an alien design. Hoodoos are rock formations that are found in badlands or desert areas. They  consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements. Hoodoos in Drumheller look like alien totem poles. They are very fragile and yet they have been there for thousands of years.

Our first day in Drumheller was a day off for production.  We had no clue what to do in this tiny, western town. The sky was dark and you could feel a storm brewing so we couldn’t enjoy hiking in the hoodoo park outside. Taylor, who plays my space sister, along with Erik and Shane who are camera men came down to the lobby and we started talking about what to do on a day off with no filming.  A few minutes later, we all decided to go to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Drumheller is home to some of the most dinosaur fossils found in the world. The museum is filled with every kind of dinosaur and prehistoric life fossil you can find. It is amazing. So we set off on the quest to see the dinosaurs with Taylor, Erik, Shane, my mom and Toby, who plays my space dad. All along the drive we noticed statues of dinosaurs commemorating the fact that this place has more intact dinosaurs found than just about anywhere else.  We arrived at the museum and as soon as we stepped in the modern building, a giant dinosaur skeleton was looming over our heads. We spent hours walking through the museum. We could have spent days there but we were all tired so we went back to the hotel. I thought to myself. This place might not be that bad afterall.

The next day, I woke up to the sound of heavy raindrops cracking against the window. We had to film in this weather. Everyone on the production team was tense because this was not the weather they wanted for the script. But the weather did not affect me because I knew I would be riding horses today! I was so eager to ride. I couldn’t wait to meet my horse. When I arrived on set I was taken to a field where the horses were grazing lazily.  I was taken aback by the amount of horses on set. As I was trying not to let my jaw drop, a cowboy walked up to me and said, “Hey there, my name is Jordan, would you like to meet your horse?” He walked me over to the biggest horse in the field. He was a beautiful horse. Very tall with a reddish brown coat that seemed to shine even on a cloudy day. Jordan explained to me that the horse’s name was Tanto and that Robin Williams rode him in A Night At The Museum. It was really tricky to mount up on Tanto because he was so tall, but once I did and got him into a canter and I felt like we were going to get along just fine. It felt really awesome to be riding again. I had been craving to ride since Iceland!

We shot in Drumheller for almost 2 weeks. Perhaps the most fun part of filming was a scene where I had to keep a horse lying down. It is really difficult because horses don’t naturally lie down. A funny aspect of this is that the horse that would lie down was not Tanto. In Fact I had three horses playing my one horse. Tanto was the riding one, Turkey was the one who gets scared, and Gus (my favorite) was the one who had to lay down (he also had to eat a lot of apples.) As I said, horses do not normally like lying down. To add to the difficulty of getting Gus to stay lying down, we had people running towards the horse, and a ginormous camera crane that goes over the horse. Me and Gus got pretty close during that scene as I had to keep calming him with firm pets on the neck and soft whispers of, “ It’s ok Gus, I am here Gus, Don't worry about the Crane.”  There were times when he would stand and his sheer strength would lift me off the ground but we would get him back down and towards the end he wouldn't even try to get up, He would look at me when he was scared and I would reply with, ”It’s ok Gus”. Ever since that scene me and Gus were inseparable.

While there were many surprises in Drumheller, perhaps the thing that surprised me the most was the kindness of the horse wranglers. They were all real life cowboys.  In movies we see cowboys as hardcore, gruff, and … well… Cowboys. But they could not have been more the opposite of their movie counterparts. They taught me so much about working with animals. But they taught me more than that too. They taught me patience. They never once complained about the harsh weather and conditions. They taught me about being selfless as all of them put the comfort and well being of their horses before themselves. They also taught me about humility and generosity. They were the most humble, hard-working people I had ever met and I am proud to call them my friends now. Towards the end of my time there, they all called me Cowboy Jesus, because I told them that was my band’s name. I am proud to call myself a cowboy now because of them.

When filming in the canyons we needed a desert planet. But of course, we got rain. Tons, and tons of rain. Due to the geography of the land and there not being a lot of trees or plants to soak up water, the ground turned to what was essentially a thick, sticky clay. You couldn't walk three steps without getting a foot stuck. The water became very dangerous, especially where we were shooting because the ground turned to slippery clay. When I say slippery I meant the ground moved from underneath you  so fast it was like watching a cartoon where they pull the carpet out from under the bad guy and the bad guy just spins in mid air and then face plants. One night we had to film in pitch black. It was so dark that you couldn’t tell where you were stepping so I ended up on the slick clay and went down hard. We had to stop shooting for the day because so many people were slipping and falling. I think the badlands of Alberta were some of the most difficult and unforgiving conditions I have ever shot in. It seemed as if the land itself wanted to remind us that we were not in as much control as we hoped we were.

Even though the land was unforgiving, it had many hidden surprises too. In the location that we were filming, people were finding tiny pieces of petrified wood and small dinosaur bones. It was fascinating to see something up close that had lived millions of years ago. In between filming scenes, it was hard not to imagine giant beasts walking the places where I was now standing. I had never really let myself imagine that until I found it. Up on a ledge, amidst layers of clay and sediment I saw it. A giant white rock. I knew it had to be a dinosaur. My mom told me I was letting my imagination get away from me. I knew it had to be a dinosaur. A special effects person decided the best way to see if it was a dinosaur, was to climb up to the ridge and bring it down to me. As he approached me with the rock, his face was glowing with excitement. He handed it to me with pride. It was the biggest fossil anyone there had seen. It looks like a hip bone. The front of it was a strange, smooth, white substance with lines of earth running through. On the side you can see the fossilized bone marrow. There were orange spots of lycan covering the front. It must have weighed like thirty pounds. Suddenly it was a lot easier to imagine dinosaurs running past me in the canyon. I realized that although Drumheller is a tiny town, it truly is the land of giants.

The trip to Drumheller was an incredible experience. I wasn’t looking forward to going there after such a magical time in Iceland. But I was wrong. I got to see Dinosaur bones outside of a museum, I rode horses through canyons, I met real life cowboys. I did things not many kids my age can say they did, and for that I am grateful. I discovered that there are lots of hidden gems to find in the most unlikely of places. Leaving that prehistoric place was really hard but I know that I will be back. I have to be because I left a little piece of my heart there.  Until next time Drumheller!

The gang on our noble steeds!

Zack and JJ desperately trying to get warm

Molly and I looking for fossils

A small stream of murky water after an insane flood

Gus and I hangin out

The T Rex at the royal Tyrel museum

Taco, My cowboy friend, and Gus

JJ and I looking at petrified wood

The worlds largest Dinosaur model. You can actually walk through it 

Rehearsals

My Dino Bone!

My Friend Gus

The Cowboys!

My mom dressed as the Michelin man in her rain gear

One of my favorite pics

Tonto and I saying goodbye

The Mud!

Shane, Erik, and I getting the gang back together

Lost in Space Season 2-Iceland is really Green!!! By: Maxwell Jenkins

Iceland is really Green!!!

By: Maxwell Jenkins

The pit in my stomach of missing my home, and my family grew every mile that we soared over the Atlantic ocean. The Icelandair 757 was the loudest plane I had ever been aboard. The constant drone that echoed through the planed deafened any sound that could have been made and lulled me into a restless sleep. Finally, the metal bird descended from the clouds and skidded along the runway. They opened the cabin doors and a rush of wind smacked me in the face. I thought, “This will be the worst trip ever!.” But boy was I wrong!  

We exited the plane down the narrow steps onto the runway outside of Keflavik Airport. The sky was gray and moody with low hanging clouds. I strained to see the sun trying in vain to make its way through the thick cotton puffs in the air. The wind was bitter as it nearly blew our hats off our heads. The cold ripped through our clothing and woke us up after the 5 ½ hour flight. This was September in Reykjavik.

We were ushered into a line for customs. It was so early in the morning, the customs officials were not even at their posts yet. We waited in the line without saying a word. I looked around at the people waiting along side of us. They came in all shapes, races, and sizes. They spoke different languages. The different words began to blur together into a strange incoherent chant. I was tired! We finally made it through the border and exited the customs area. There was a man a few feet from the exit. He carried a sign that read, “Lost in Space”. I knew that was for me, not just because I was there to film “Lost in Space.”, but also because I truly felt lost.

The man looked like a real viking… or at least how I imagined a modern day viking would look. He wore a thick sweater made of Icelandic wool. (Obviously) He had a hat on his head with two braids hanging down his shoulders, and he sported a full beard which he rubbed thoughtfully as he looked at us. HIs name was Rayner. He showed us to the car and we began the drive to Reykjavik. He was very dry, not rude, but rather matter of fact as he explained that the sun never shines in Iceland. His accent was musical as he rolled his Rs and pronounced the words of each town we were passing through. I mentioned that I was interested in learning more about Norse gods, and his eyes lit up and he began to speak in a more animated way. Little did I know that Rayner was an expert on Norse mythology and made decks of cards to teach people about the Gods. We spent the rest of the trip  talking about the family tree of the Gods and different stories. He explained that Iceland was a land of Fairies and of Trolls… and he really believed it. After seeing the landscape we were driving through, I began to believe as well. Due to the fact that Iceland has so many active volcanoes, the landscape to Reykjavik was barren and covered in charred black lava fields with a thick blanket of moss strewn on top. It was an interesting sight to behold as it was common to find cracks running deep into the earth. By the time Rayner and I had finished talking we had made it to Reykjavik. The capital of Iceland!

Within twenty minutes of arriving we had to go immediately to a wardrobe fitting to try on my new spacesuit. We ran into Taylor (my space sister, “Judy”)  there and at once we all knew that we could not let opportunity pass us by, we had to explore this incredible country while we had the time! We instantly rented a car and set out driving through the foreign and mysterious land.

Once in the car, I felt a sense of freedom like I hadn’t felt before. We were in Iceland!! We decided to explore the famous “Golden Circle”. The Golden Circle is a series of destinations around Iceland. It is a must see when visiting the country.  It’s about an 8 hour journey to make the full circle. Even though we were piled under mountains of jetlag we decided to go anyway. We got in the car and made our way to our first stop - Þingvellir.

Þingvellir is an amazing location where the North American tectonic plate juts up out of the ocean and meets the Eurasian plate. It’s the only place in the world where this happens and you can stand in three continents at once! You have to walk down a deep cavern. It felt like we were walking into the center of the earth as we finally got to the bottom and looked up at the jagged rocks surrounding us. As if it could not get any stranger,  the craziest thing happened. We hear voices saying, “Max? Julie?!” We turn around to find our neighbors and friends from Chicago, The Prendaviles, staring at us in disbelief! Yasmine, the oldest daughter, Screams to her mom, “ Mom it’s the Jenkins!” Mrs. Prendeville turned and hugged my Mom. We had a brief hello and conversation until we both had to be on our way. After we had seen the spectacular views at Þingvellir, we made our way back to the car smiling. I thought to myself, “WOW!! I guess that I’ve lived a pretty full life if I can find my friends halfway around the world!”

After we departed from three continental plates at once we made our way to the GOLDEN FALLS or Gulfoss in Icelandic. Gullfoss is an enormous waterfall that is on the Golden Circle. It is so big and powerful that from the cliff overlooking the bottom you can feel the mist shooting up. The spray from the fall caught the light and  hundreds upon thousands of rainbows glittered and lit up the air with magnificent color. The birds sliced the rainbows like a knife cutting a cake. It was the most magnificent sight I have ever seen.The crashing of piles of water drowned out any other noise. The wind grazed over me making a cool brisk blanket.. We could have stayed there for ages but, Taylor was not feeling so well so we decided leave this wonderful haven and make our way back to the hotel.

On the way back we saw signs pointing to a Geysir. I had never in my lifetime seen a geysir. I have heard stories about the scalding hot water the bubbles from beneath the surface of the world spouting up and flying in the air making beautiful performances. We pulled up to where everyone was parking. As soon as we stepped out of the car it smelled like mother nature had just eaten a can of baked beans and was paying for it. We had to pull our scarves over our noses to hide the thick smell of the angry center of the earth. We managed to brave the smell and make our way to the huddle of people. I squeezed through countless tourists to see what all the fuss was about. Right when I stepped forward a gust of hot wind blew right into my face and a faucet of boiling water shot straight into the air. It must have reached sixty feet. It was a nice break from the freezing cold air. As soon as the water fell back to the earth the chill of the breeze set back in. Every 8 minutes the Strokkur, as they call it in Iceland, would shoot off. We watched it go off three times and then went back into the car.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the crisp Iceland air washing over my face. The sun shined brightly that morning. I was so excited because I knew I would be riding horses that day. I could not contain my excitement. Ever since I had started riding in Chicago, I had a craving to ride a horse. I researched Icelandic horses and they are so tiny and cute. Apparently they are the only breed of horse in Iceland. They can trace their origins back to before the Vikings. We got in the car and began the drive to Laxnes Horse Farm and Trail rides. During the trip we passed by hundreds of horses all of them cute and small Icelandic horses. My mom turned onto a narrow dirt road surrounded by tall trees. As the road winded up a hill I saw a sign that read, “Laxnes Horse Farm.” As we rounded the corner I saw so many pretty horses. I just wanted to go pet them but we had to check in first. We checked in and put our rain pants on just in case. The gentleman who runs the place asked me if I had any experience riding. I told him that I had rode a little and had been having fun. I walked out and was directed to this awesome all white horse. He looked like a pegasus from D&D. I guess it’s fitting his name was Væng or Wing. Wing was one of the most famous horses they had at Laxness. He carried the distinction of being in the hit show Game of Thrones.

We mounted up and took off in a walk. We passed beautiful rivers and crossed them to. About an hour in the guides stopped the group and asked, “Are there any experienced riders who would like to go a bit faster. Without thinking I shot my hand up. They told my mom that it would just be a trot which I had done countless times. Me and three others split off from the group with a guide. We crossed a road and then immediately broke off into a cantar (a fast run). I was freaking out. But Wing calmed me down with a look back at me. It’s crazy how horses can read you so easily. As we approached flat ground we broke into a full gallop I had never gone past a cantar. The wind shot straight through my hair. I looked to my left and saw gigantic mountains, I looked to my right and saw a valley with sheep grazing and drinking from a glacial river. It was amazing. The sun bounced off Wing’s snow white hair and glittered. We stopped at the top of a hill. I saw in the distance a glacier. Below me were horses grazing. I was surrounded by natural beauty. Before I was ready to leave the others had mounted back up and. We made our way back to the stables.

We arrived well before the rest of our group so we took the saddles and the bit off and let them free in the yard. Wing didn't even walk away. He stood there for a moment, and then started rolling in the dirt. Then I started hearing clip-clop-clip-clop off in the distance. A pack of horses emerged. I saw my mom riding in on her horse. She looked a lot more comfortable on her horse now than before we seperated. I helped her take off the saddle. I said one last goodbye to Wing and then made my way to the car.

After several days of touristing, it was time to go to work. My mom woke up early in the morning suited up and made are way to the lobby. We would be driving to Vik. Vik is a small town on the southern coast of Iceland. We would be filming on the black sand beaches there. It is about a three hour drive to the town. Luckily our driver was Rayner and our travel buddy Taylor would be joining us. The trip was long but we made it there, and of course when we arrived we were filled with incredible stories told to us by Rayner  about the history of Iceland. He showed us unique land structures jutting out of the sea which he claimed were Trolls that stayed in the sunlight to long. He also brought us by a red lava field where we explored the alien terrain. That night we sat down to dinner with the entire cast and crew. It was like one gigantic family. Little did we know that every meal we would have in Vik would have something to do with Cod- Cod flakes, cod mashed potatoes, and salted cod. Anything cod you could think of, they had it.

Day one of Season 2 of Lost in Space filming started early the next morning. I was picked up from the hotel, and transported about 25 minutes away to an old barn with different rusty trucks. Old duck boats, school busses and semi trucks littered like garbage around the barn. Inside the main common room were different cubicles containing each characters space suit and lots of layers to keep warm under the space suit. I got in my space suit, walked through a backdoor into the hair and makeup trailer, and began to evolve into Will Robinson. When we were finished prepping, we were ushered into vehicles and driven another 10 minutes to the beach.

When we pulled onto the vast black sand beach,  the roaring of gigantic waves were pummeling the thick black diamond sand into the earth. The sea looked angry and black as it rose over the trolls sticking out along the coastline. When not filming, we rested on the beach in a makeshift tent. It was not unlike the tents they set up for military hospitals. I was in awe as I watched the Icelandic crew work tirelessly to haul equipment over the black earth. It was a long day of filming before we had to capture a sched with me and Toby who plays “John Robinson”. The scene was to take place at sunrise, so we needed to wait until sunset to secure the right time of lighting. At last the sun began to set. It was like watching a pink light bulb shine through cotton candy and glitter over a sea sea of maple syrup. I had never seen such beauty in my life. Day one of Lost in Space, Season 2 was “in the can” and it was spectacular. When we got back to the hotel we quickly ate our cod buffet and hit the hay.

Iceland is famous for it’s hot springs. Everywhere you turn you can see steam shooting from the earth. In fact, almost all of Iceland is powered by geothermal energy. It also means that almost all of Iceland smells like sulfur. One of the most famous hot springs in Iceland is called The Blue Lagoon. Taylor, Toby, Mom, and I decided to all go together as we were not filming on the second day. We were greeted in the lobby of our hotel by a driver named David. David had come to visit Iceland 15 years ago, and never left.  I understand why! We piled into the car, and began the three hour journey to The Blue Lagoon. When we arrived, we were shuttled into a line of people who were checking in. We were given cool wristbands that could open doors remotely. These were our tickets and our currency while we were in the lagoon. I felt like I was in outer space in the future!. We changed into our swimsuits, and met up outside of the building at the lagoon. It was huge. Water stretched everywhere. There was steam coming off the blue hued water as people relaxed and soaked. It was a bit chilly so I was the first one to rush into the water. Ahhhhh, did it feel wonderful. It felt like being in a hot tub! Throughout the area were kiosks with drinks or face masks that you could enjoy while you soaked. We made our way to a face mask kiosk. I had seen pictures of people with the masks. The bone white color of them made people look like skeletons. We became skeletons too as we relaxed in the mineral infused water. After that, I lost track of time. We must have been there for hours as the sun was starting to set as we left. We met David back in the car. He brought us to an incredible pizza place in a tiny town along the route back to Vik. Who knew pizza was popular in Iceland. I was so tired I think I sleep-ate my pizza. Next thing I knew we were back in the hotel room and I drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day was another day off, so Rayner decided we needed to see another magical place in Iceland. He took us to the Glacier Lagoon! It was breathtakingly beautiful. We drove 2 hours through lava fields where the only thing there seemed to be “Trolles” popping out of the earth. We passed more waterfalls with rainbows popping off of them. At last we crossed a bridge and saw the most amazing site. Giant pieces of glacier were floating in a lagoon. Seals swam through the crowded lagoon as if they were on their morning commute to the sea. It was so quiet there. The only sound we could hear was the occasional crack as another iceberg chunk would break free and float in the lagoon. I imagined what it must have been like to be on the Titanic and to hit one of the giant jagged structures. It sent a chill through me. We decided to try and take a dip in the chilly water. I got as far as my ankles before I couldn’t feel my feet! It seemed fitting that we explored this icey place while visiting Iceland!

My final day in Iceland was a filming day. I had to return to the black beaches. I wanted time to stop or at least slow down. I knew that once the day was over, I would have to get in Rayner’s car and begin the long journey to the airport and away from Iceland. I was sad. I didn’t want to leave this beautiful island. It had become one of my favorite places on earth. But time didn't stop or even slow down. It sped along until at last I was “wrapped” in Iceland. I changed out of my space suit and said goodbye to the incredible Icelandic crew. I got into Rayner’s car. We sped along the barren lava fields, we passed the horses and the sheep lying lazily and chomping on grass, we zipped by Trolls and Elves until we reached Keflavik International Airport. We got out of the car, in the same place we met Rayner a short week before. It was hard to say goodbye to the viking-looking man who had become my friend. It was even harder to say goodbye to Iceland. I had made so many friends here. I had seen so many things that others might never see in their lifetime. My sadness quickly gave way to gratitude.

Filming a television show comes with a lot of hard work and sacrifice. You don’t get to see your family and friends, you don’t have freedom with your time to play video games or hang out, and you sometimes have to work very long hours with little rest. But then, every once in awhile you get to travel to distant lands and really get to immerse yourself in a foreign culture. You get the access to see things that no one else has ever seen, like the tops of glaciers, and shrines made thousands of years ago for an ancient Emperor. You get to see gigantic metal cities made in the middle of deserts. Heck, you can even find dinosaur bones. The sights that you see when filming are amazing. What kid wouldn’t want to play pretend surrounded by lava sand and cute puffins? I am truly grateful for the incredible experiences I have had.

Me in my Icelandic sweater

Sunset in Vic 

Me and Wing (My Icelandic horse) 

glacial water in Iceland

Downtown Reykjavik 

քingveller

The colored houses of Reykjavik

Red lava rock fields. It looks like Mars!

Gulfoss

The scalding hot Geyser. Strokkur

Me, Taylor, and Rayner

The black sand beaches 

Reflections on Film

Photo Reeflections:

On my breaks on set, to pass the time I usually go over to the guys on “B” camera and try to learn all about the camera and how it works. It is so fun. I have learned how to pull focus, calibrate a lense, set up shots, dolly operate, do the camera report, and framing a shot. I have also learned about the different lenses, different filters, and how the camera processes light. To really make sure I understand how a camera works, the “B” camera guys gave me a real film camera for my birthday. I love it. I have been taking the camera everywhere and it’s amazing how differently I look at the world. I see beautiful and interesting things everywhere that I want to capture on film.

The film camera works differently than a digital camera. You have to get your film developed so nothing is instant and it makes you be more thoughtful about taking photos. The reason you don’t get your photos right away is because when the film camera takes a photo, the shutter opens for a certain amount of time (depending on what you set your shutter speed to). The aperture opens or closes a certain mechanism inside your lense allowing a certain amount of light to pass through the lense. You have to choose the aperture as well. The light passes through the lense onto a mirror inside the camera which reflects an image onto light sensitive paper (film) and the image is “recorded” onto your film. Once the film roll is full, you have to develop it by putting it into certain chemical baths in a very dark room. It’s complicated to do it all manually, it takes longer than pointing and shooting with an iphone, but I hope it will teach me more about how to frame a shot, and what light settings and lenses to use for the best picture. It also has made me think a lot before I just shoot the camera.

I have finished my first roll of film. I cannot wait to see what I captured. I plan to take many pictures. I want to take pictures in color and black and white. I plan to do a series of portraits and landscapes. I want to capture Lost in Space from behind the scenes as I see it. I also want to take pictures of Vancouver and the other locations we shoot. One day I will look back and see all that I have done and these pictures will tell my story.

My last day as 11.

Sometimes, you get to step where no one has stepped before...
It was my last day as an 11 year old, and I had to go on a location shoot. Everyone was nervous. We were going to Brohm Ridge which is a glacier that has been in existance for thousands of years. It is surrounded by peaks of jagged rock, four of which are ancient volcanos that exploded many years ago.

The night before we went to this location, we had to have a safety training where we talked about avalanche training, how to use an avalance transmitter, the buddy system, and the modes of transport we would be taking to the 8,000 foot elevation at the base of Mount Garibaldi.

On my last morning as an 11 year old, we were picked up at 7 am in an SUV. We drove 30-45 minutes up bumpy roads to the "snow line" We were met there by a huge red vehicle called a "Snow Cat" It's basically a tank with a shovel on the front. We headed another 30 minutes up winding roads covered in snow. The view out the window was spectacular. We were surrounded by mountains. We could see the Tantalas range, we could see Black Tusk, we could see, Table Top, and in the distance straight up we could see Mount Garabaldi, an ancient volcanoe that exploded many years ago leaving a peak that was both breath taking and forboding. It looked like all the snow on top of it would just fall on top of us. There is a First Nations tribe hundreds of miles away that found a piece of Mount Garabaldi which means the volcanic explosion was so forceful, it sent pieces flying HUNDREDS of miles away! And that was where were were filming Lost in Space!

We arrived at an old lodge in our Snow cat. This was where we needed to change into our space suits and get into hair and make up. Then, we got into a "Snow Quad"  and headed another 20 minutes straight up.

At last we arrived. The crew was there. It was a small group. Smaller than normal as we had to bring only what was necesary. The cameras looked lonely on the untouched snow. A mountain expert named Andre met us there. He would be with us the entire day. He knew weather patterns, he knew how stable the snow was so we could avoid sink holes and avalanches. He placed the Avalanche Transmitter on me and I followed him to a place on a ridge that no one had stepped before.... It was like a thick white blanket for miles. The snow glistened in the morning sun. And we began to work in this beautiful, quiet wonderland.

When I finished shooting, the stunt coordinator asked me if I wanted to ride on a snowmobile down to the lodge. I said yes of course and off we went leaving the peaks of Mount GAribalding in the distance.

The last day I was an 11 year old, I walked a glacier where not many will ever get the chance to go. I rode on snow mobiles and snow cats on roads that were built just weeks before to allow us to access this beautiful place. This year has been so full of unexpected adventures. This seemed like the right way to end this amazing year!
I wonder how year 12 will be....