It was a frigid day in November but the bitter cold was not enough to freeze me in place. I needed to set out on a soul adventure, the prairies had sucked about enough imagination of more beautiful surroundings from me so far. I required a soul adventure. I left Edmonton early in order to get as much sunlight as possible for the mountainous photo-shoot I was in pursuit of.
Driving West or East even (driving east is for another story); toward the ocean has always felt liberating. This time though , even halfway between what I called home and where I felt home I felt at peace. As I approached the mountains my heart swells right up. Tears of happiness streamed down my cheeks, with no chance to wipe the few that started the stream, my face was drenched with humbling emotion. The trees welcomed me back to were I belong in silence with open arms. The crisp and truely fresh air celebrated my company with a howl. I had driven to lake Abraham at this point. In the meanwhile taking in every single frame that I was driving too fast to capture with a camera. My eyes did the capturing up to this point apart from a few chances I took to shoot the foothills.
Quickly I was reminded that though it is home, I am at mother nature's mercy out here. As I crawled down the trench on the side of the highway leading directly to the seemingly endless sheet of ice covering lake Abraham, I was reminded that one slip out here at a bad angle would have me surely in a pickle. And so cautiously, aware of the loose boulders supporting my weight I step by step approach the icy shore. Both feet pushing against the ice for support bottom sitting on a firmly placed boulder I am now so small, a speck of pollen in the wind. Utterly surrounded by majestic minerals towering over sight-line, hearing the ice groan as the racing water 'neath the seemingly paper thin layer separating me from it's sharp cold, I am humbled.
It was so important that I race to be there , unconditional, unselfish, non possessive love was felt and it was unnecessary for me to speak it , mother felt the appreciation. I yelled , I yelled out of love at the top of my lungs and she just howled back and the trees remained with arms wide open.
Setting back as the bit of sunlight I had been graced with had left in the blink of an eye. I packed up heading east now to the still and very unforgiving frozen prairies. It felt like the end of the very best party in the best of company. Pleading for one more tune, just one more dance. But not this day, this day is done and the night has won. I sat on the side of the highway admiring the sky, the marriage of mountain to backdrop of flickering balls of energy billions of miles away from here.
I drove for what felt like an eternity but really, turned out to be about 45 minutes to what I had thought was a gas station. I was wrong , I was on native reserved land and doubt my high beams were a welcome disruption at this time of night to their fiery gathering. I quickly understood I was disrupting and so turned back to the highway. I wanted nothing more than to pull over and sleep in the rental car , ill prepared though was I for -15 degrees celcius with hardly the cash for extra gas to keep warm overnight. Defeated by the unforgiving weather, I head east.
Approximately 10 minutes up the road I zoom by a sign that seems just to read “Hostel ... <--------” , I figure it is worth investigating. I take the turn in and my imagination quickly gets the best of me, it is dark, with no street lights, the only thing illuminating my path is the high beams I still have on by grace of no traffic. The only light available apart from this is the moon , and even it is not welcome in the darkness below the canopy of these majestic trees. They seem to be keeping the darkness safe from light here. Another sign appears “Shunda Creek Hostel 1 km” with an arrow ahead, I creep along the dirt road and come to a wind then a steep hill.
To my surprise at the bottom, I find the most beautiful cottage, and a warm and gentle souled woman greets me at the door. Ah! Now I feel home. I was tucked away in the mountains surrounded by forest and I lay my head back on my pillow in the comfy little bed conveniently available to me in this unforeseen arrival. Tomorrow is an early rise as the majestic Rockies and their drinking hole have many a photo for me to take.
What a beautiful life, and I was off to sleep.
