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The bear that started it all. Originally designed in early 2022 Ten Peaks Designs was inspired by the idea of crafting laser-cut wooden ornaments featuring actual locations and real mountains. One of my major annoyances while living in a tourist area is encountering gifts with generic mountain shapes labeled as "Banff." When I travel, I prefer finding authentic items from the area that remind me of what I experienced there. This motivated me to create something I would want t

Created in early 2025, this piece merges my long-standing favorite spot in Banff National Park with a unique encounter with a rare animal in the region. I have been drawn back to the Vermilion Lakes area repeatedly for over 14 years. My fascination with this place began during a vacation before I relocated to the west. The lakes were breathtaking, and the surrounding landscape was awe-inspiring. Throughout my time in the Canadian Rockies, I have encountered grizzly bears, bla

Originally designed in early 2023, I realized right away that if I was going to create an animal symbol for the Lake O'Hara area, it had to be a wolverine. It's the only animal I haven't seen in real life. Fortunately, I did come across some tracks at Morant's Curve one snowy morning, but I still haven't spotted the creature itself. The Lake O'Hara area holds a special place in my heart. While researching for our second trip out west in the summer of 2010, I discovered a phot

In 2023, while designing the second edition set of local Canadian Rockies animals, I reflected on my 2022 experience of taking the Spirit Island boat cruise on Maligne Lake. My first visit was in 2019. After living in the Rockies for eight years, I finally had the chance to see Spirit Island in person. The lake, located at a higher elevation, has a short season, and with Jasper being 3-4 hours away and my days off scattered, it was challenging to make the trip during the summ