Memorializing a personal quest
The story behind my custom map:
In 2020, my wife and I planned an epic trip to Glacier National Park to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Covid took that away. We booked the trip again for 2025. In March, cancer took that away when my wife lost her battle. I decided almost immediately after she passed that I would make the trip with her ashes, and spread them in and around GNP at the most epic and beautiful places I could find. In July 2025, I set off to do just that. Accompanied by one of my oldest and dearest friends, we traveled to Montana and spent 10 days hiking, kayaking, and exploring GNP and the surrounding area. In the end, we spread my wife's ashes in 4 different spots, which would become sacred places to me and my friend. Then the question became, how do we remember all of this, what can I do to ensure that our story would not be forgotten?
Then I discovered Muir Way maps. When I contacted them and told them my story, they immediately jumped on board to create a 3D wooden map from a beautiful solid piece of maple on which all of the places where ashes were placed could be marked and labeled however I chose. Zac, the craftsman and artist who created the map, and I communicated several times by phone and email during the process, ensuring that the finished product was exactly what I had envisioned.
When the map was delivered to my house in Florida and I unwrapped it, I was speechless. It was perfect, much better than I had thought it could be. Zac obviously put a great deal of time, craftsmanship, and love into our map. He created a one-of-a-kind piece of art that will be a focal point in my home, and a piece that will be passed down through our family for generations to come, ensuring that this story will never be forgotten.
