Armstrong Adventures

You know, as this craziness in the world continues, I turn more and more to the outdoors…not to run away and hide, but to sooth my soul and my heart. To spend some time not reading the paper or listening to the news but simply reveling in the texture of the wind on my cheek, the harmony and cacophony of the birds of spring, the smell of the cedars and, and, and… well, the peace.

Thoreau said, “I suspect that a child plucks its first flower with an insight into its beauty and significance which the subsequent botanist never retains.” I find myself slipping into that childlike wonder whenever I am outside.

But that is not really what I wanted to write about and share today, though I think I may come full circle by the end of this wee bit of prose.

I recently traveled to Armstrong Station, via Thunder Bay, to spend some time with the lovely people of Whitesand First Nation. I’m working with my friends Bart and Mark, and soon to be friend John, to do some pretty remarkable research into boreal caribou. Bart and I ventured north to Armstrong (about 1,600 kms from my little house in Belfountain!) to explain our work and share stories with and learn from community members.

During that adventure, I took some little notes and labeled them “Things I take for granted” and “Surprises.” (I laughed out loud on the plane on the way home when I read them again.)

I take quite a few things for granted when I travel. I generally presume that when I land somewhere and get in line for a rental vehicle, it will take at least a lifetime to actually get my car. In this instance, waiting in an ENORMOUS line for our car took over an hour. Thankfully, Bart and I really didn’t have anywhere else to go that night but to the hotel and then dinner. So, we were both patient and took the time to continue yakking and catching up. When we finally got to the counter, we were smiling and laughing and clearly quite content with the situation.

The surprise? The truly gracious Enterprise team felt bad that we had waited so long (we were the last in line) and gave us a huge discount!!!!

Another thing I take for granted is heat and hot water in my hotel room. So, you can imagine that I was REALLY surprised when that wasn’t the case that night in Thunder Bay! (But wait till you hear about the hotel in Armstrong). I lost the heat around 2:30 am and had to rob the other bed in the room of its blankets because there were no spare ones. As for my morning ablutions, the cold water wasn’t surprising - it was shocking  - so my shower was very, very short.

The drive along Highway 527 was not surprising – turn left off the trans-Canada and then drive till the highway ends.  A long drive with zero cell service. But it was a sunny day with the bluest of skies that takes your breath away, and a porta potty pull over after about 120 km up, so what’s not to love! I didn’t take that for granted, especially since the snow was so deep that venturing off for a quick potty break would have seen me hip deep in the white stuff.

This beauty was waiting outside the Red Granite Inn!

There were more surprises along the way that made the challenge of the cold temperatures and long drive fade into nothingness. We arrived at the Red Granite Inn in Armstrong to be greeted by the two owners, Wynne and Matt. They used to live in Langford, BC just down the road from one of my favourite restaurants. Not only did my room have heat and hot water, but there were handmade quilts on the beds, and hand painted flowers on the walls.

We made it over to the Post Office and met Clem, perhaps one of the most gracious, considerate and lovely humans I’ve ever met. I’d been chatting with him prior to our visit.  (He is friends with Andrew Yorke – you can read about Andrew in my story “Run-of-the-mill Hero” in my book). Bart and I hit the jackpot with Clem, becoming fast friends in a matter of moments.

Meeting Samantha, the Environmental Monitor for the Whitesand First Nation, was not what I expected at all. I take for granted that when I work with a new community, Indigenous or not, the welcome I receive is watchful and cautions. But not with Samantha. She surprised us by bending over backwards to make us feel welcome and prepared, and nothing was too challenging for her to make our visit a success.

You never know who is going to show up to your meetings!

And back to the outdoors? Though our work was conducted inside the Multiplex on the reserve, it all centred on life in the outdoors. We spread out our maps and learned where caribou were last seen, on what lakes and near what roads. We learned where wolves tend to hunt and where the best fishing was. We were visitors to the reserve who were made to feel like we belonged. And that is nothing to take for granted.

What did I learn from this trip? A few things come to mind, like check to make sure that there are spare blankets in any hotel room. And don’t climb into the shower before checking water temperature, particularly before your first coffee!

But more importantly, be open. Try, if you can, not to take things for granted. Be wowed and amazed by the blue skies, by the animal tracks in the snow, and by the warmth and friendliness of strangers. Then come home and remind yourself how precious all those moments were and how lucky you were to experience them.