We live in a world that’s getting more fast-paced, hectic and disconnected. Hours blend into days, days into months and months into years. Thank goodness there are still places to get away. Places where it’s ok to live in denial for a few days. Where it snows hard enough to close the highway. Places where the temperature drops and moisture freezes into plates of ice that can snap power lines. Places where people read by candlelight surrounded by impassable mountains. Places where wild fish wait patiently for the insects of summer. Where bears rest dormant under old stumps. Places where you can take the first chairlift of the day and carve your way down through legendary powder. Places where rabbit tracks lead you into a cathedral of white. Where the only sound is that of your heart – or if you’re lucky, a wolf’s howl at twilight. Places where crows and ravens perch in trees waiting for garbage that never comes. Where bundled up people ride fat tired bicycles between Christmas parties. Places where coffee shop windows steam-up with tales of high adventure. Where old stone buildings refuse to fall. Places where great food and drink abound. Where wood smoke hovers like a ghost over homes filled with dreamers and workers. Places you’ll miss when you leave – where loneliness is the grand prize. Places where frozen rivers twist like ribbons, wrapping the valleys like gifts. Where you need to plug in your vehicle, or face a short walk to the shops. Places where live music and live theatre rattle the rafters of an old train station. Places where people smile behind their scarves. Where the stars are bright and the fog is thick. Places with wolverines but no werewolves. Where ski trails outstretch endurance. Places with great hockey teams. Places where you can let go of your cares and fill your battery at the recharging station of life. Places like Fernie, British Columbia.
