Bre Mirynech, 24 years old, is a full time lover of the outdoors and life. She lives in Banff, Alberta, Canada. She moved from Ontario over four years ago and the mountains are now her home. She has made a decision to live passionately, love herself fully, challenge herself constantly, and live out her true happiness. It’s been amazing to see the results of that decision. Life is what you make it, and she plans to make it something incredible. So far, it’s been a rad journey and she could not be more grateful.
Congrats on just completing the Everest Base Camp trek! It’s on many people’s bucket lists, and an amazing expedition to complete! How would you describe your experience on the trail?
Honestly, the experience is indescribable. It was one of the most incredible, beautiful, and hardest things I have ever done. It encompassed every emotion and every feeling. I think I am still processing through it. I mean, the other day walking home from the gym it hit me: “Wow, we actually did that. We were actually there.” I just started to grin from ear to ear. Hopefully in the next few questions I will be able to describe it better and truly help you gain insight into what the trip was actually like.
What were the biggest challenges you faced during the Everest Base Camp trek?
The biggest challenges I faced during the trek can all be connected back to one element- altitude. Everyone is impacted by altitude differently. My dad and I ended up trekking with three other guys, and of the five of us, it was interesting to see the way each person was affected by altitude.
For me personally, I experienced insomnia. This became (what I think) was the main cause of all the other challenges I faced. Since I was so tired, I felt weak on the trail, my energy was lacking, and my appetite became smaller. There was one morning it finally caught up to me and as we started out trekking for the day I was hit with the urge to finally sleep. I sat down on the trail, not really processing what was wrong, but something was off. Luckily my Dad started feeding me Clif Bloks (a go-to favourite outdoor snack) and my friend Mitch grabbed my altitude medication from my first aid kit (we were carried it in case of emergency- I guess this became that). I made it through the day, but that night still couldn’t sleep. For the next 3 days, I battled some intense mental struggles as you try to convince your body to keep going when all it really wants to do is sleep.
What did you gain from the journey?
That is probably the most beautiful and complex question to answer.
I gained an incredible experience of a truly beautiful country. I gained the gift of meeting the people of Nepal. Their hearts, spirits, beliefs, and hospitality are something I will never forget. They endlessly give. They have genuine, heart-felt kindness. They are deeply beautiful people, inside and out.
I gained one of the most cherished moments with my Dad. Highs and lows, easy days and hard days, it was amazing to have my Dad to experience every second with. He is a remarkable human being who I am not only lucky enough to call my Dad, but to call a true best friend. Something I don’t think either of us dreamed about accomplishing in our lives, we accomplished together. Also to me, one of the best things is that we accomplished it on our own. We carried every pound of our gear, planned every aspect by ourselves, and made it there together.
I gained some absolutely amazing friends. Starting on the second day, we met a guy named Mitch. Mitch was waiting for another guy named Tom, and a few days later we met Bernie. The five of us trekked and did pretty much everything together. Getting to know them so well, hearing their stories, going through this experience together, all of it was amazing. They are absolutely incredible, rad people, and I am so lucky to have crossed paths with them. I learned something very important from each one of them. Timing, who we meet, where we meet, and why… it really does all happen for a reason. I truly believe that.
I gained a deeper self-knowledge and self-love. I love meeting my limits and my personal challenges and pushing past them. I love to struggle, and see myself overcome those hardships. I love to do the things that make me feel alive. Being active, soaking up every ounce of the beautiful mamma nature, being surrounded by mountains; these are the things we did every day. These are the experiences where I learn and connect more and more to my true self.
Lastly, I gained a new love- the Himalayas. Their dramatic beauty, intense scale, and humbling presence I have now completely lost my heart to.
Living in Banff must be an amazing experience; there are endless opportunities for adventure year-round. What are some of your favorite outdoor activities, and where?
Living in Banff is rad and being surrounded by mountains everyday is humbling and beautiful. I have a lot of favourite outdoor activities. When I first came to Banff, I dove straight into scrambling, hiking, and backpacking. Recently in the last year, I have found new passions in rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering. I am so new and have a million things to learn, but currently I am enjoying spending all my time learning those new skills and pushing myself through new experiences.
There are so many awesome areas nearby. I am lucky to be able to adventure right outside my front door. Also close by is Canmore, Kananaskis, Lake Louise, and BC. Anywhere in the mountains out here is where I like to go and be.
Who do you look up to in the travel/adventure industry? How do they inspire you in how you live your life?
In the adventure industry, I really look up to two people: Emily Harrington and Mike Libecki. As crazy as both their accomplishments are in the climbing/expedition world, they inspire me simply based on how real and authentic they both are.
Emily is such a strong, female force in the industry. She speaks up for environmental issues, encourages and promotes females in the outdoors, and she shares the “normal” moments from her life, not just the highlight reel. She is raw and that is something I admire greatly, especially in a world where we tend just to see the best of people.
Mike Libecki is nuts. His expeditions and the things he has accomplished are insane. As great as those are though, I look up to his perspective on life. Living life to the fullest, dreaming big, chasing said dreams, and being passionate in all aspects of life. Whether he is on a solo expedition or at home with his daughter, he is passionate and full force in all that he does. That is something I strive to be able to do myself.
What are some of the funniest (or most memorable) stories from your travels and adventures?
I find it difficult to pin point a funny or memorable moment specifically, but in general, my funniest and most memorable moments usually come from my girlfriends. I love all my friends and my time spent with them, don’t get me wrong, but I have some of the best girlfriends out there. They are so strong, fierce, confidant, hilarious, and rad.
They make me laugh and they inspire me all the time. One time my girlfriend snot rocketed so hard that her nose started to bleed. I am pretty sure we all nearly peed our pants laughing. Another time, I had to give a girlfriend a lesson on how to pee while wearing a harness. As well, one of my best friends knows that when I get stressed or nervous, her singing calms me down. She constantly sings me the song Tiny Dancer. We have a deal, I keep her safe and she sings to me. We also choose to start our adventures getting pumped up in the car to “Hooked on a Feeling”.
One of my best friends also taught/encouraged me to lead my first multi pitch. Another, her and I decided to take up split boarding together. One of my first backpack trips was with a group of girlfriends.
All these moments stick out in my head because it is when we are being ourselves, whether in the funny moments or the scary ones. Raw happiness, hard challenges, pushing each other, trusting each other, or laughing until our abs hurt; these are the moments I hold dear to my heart.
Whether it be face planting from kick turns, ripping our pants millions of time from falling on our butts, having “nature call” at the worst possible times, rapping “shake that” by Eminem, running from bears (DON’T EVER DO THAT), they are the moments I will never forget.
We at This Adventure Life want our readers to live life fearlessly in the pursuit of living their ideal life. What would your advice be for someone who wants to live fearlessly and pursue their wildest dreams?
Find exactly what it is that makes you come alive; body, mind, and spirit, and don’t stop chasing it. Don’t be scared of living life in the fullest way possible. For some reason, society has conditioned us to be scared of this, to fear straying from the path. This is exactly what you should do. Knees wobbling, hands shaking, get up and do it. Don’t hesitate for a second. Be fearless.
To live fearlessly, be complete on your own. Find love within yourself. Find happiness with your dreams and plans, and do it for you. Even if it seems outrageous and massive, do it. Don’t stop to think or care about what other people think. There will always be people who think you aren’t living life properly. If you are happy, true heart-smiling happiness, and chasing your dreams and being the best version of yourself, that is the best gift you can give to this world. The best thing you can do is inspire people to be themselves, live life whole-heartedly, and believe they can achieve anything, no matter how crazy it seems. The world needs more people like this. So decide what it is that makes you feel alive, what your wildest dreams are, take a breath, and do it and don’t look back.
What is your next big adventure?
For big adventures, I am not sure. Hoping to get up to something with some time off in the fall, or there are some chats about a USA road trip next year, but right now all my adventures are local and on the smaller side. Coming up soon, I have a trip to Abbot Pass Hut and (hopefully) an ascent of Mount Lefroy mid June. At the start of July I have four days at the Elizabeth Park Hut at Lake O’Hara for some scrambling and climbing. In August, I am heading to Assiniboine with the hopes of climbing it, and after that is a trip to the Bugaboos! There are so many incredible areas to explore nearby, so I will be spending my summer doing exactly that.
Follow her on Instagram: @bremirynech
At This Adventure Life we celebrate the lives and stories of the people who live life fearlessly. #livefearlessly