What I learnt in the Galapagos Islands: (BY PHILIPPA)

It was my trip of a lifetime to visit the Galapagos Islands this November. The islands are extraordinary because of their uniqueness and interplay of nature, but the trip was not for the faint of heart – small ship, top bunk bed (no ladder), in and out of zodiacs, walking on lava rocks, snorkeling and kayaking in the open ocean…and so I was grateful for my sufficient level of fitness, thanks to TPW and our steady schedule of walking and training. It adds such a benefit to our daily lives. (It was interesting to note that the other people from Ontario on the trip were members of the Bruce Trail Conservancy – clearly, they all walk a lot too.) In addition, I learnt a powerful and profound lesson while I was there. We were walking on one of the islands; it was dry and desert like but land iguanas and tortoises were evident, clearly they had enough resources to survive. Our naturalist asked us what the chief predictor of survival was and of course we thought we had the answers: natural selection, no predators, geographic isolation, sufficient resources etc. No, he said, it is their adaptability to change that will ensure their survival Oh my goodness, I thought, that answer applies to us too, we too must also be adaptable to change as we age physically and mentally in our rapidly changing world. That is our challenge! Thankfully, at TPW we are doing it together.