By the time you get this, I will be on my way home after a month in the Yukon with my kids and grandchildren. For reasons beyond my control, it has been a full year since I have traveled here and maybe I had forgotten how amazing this place is.
I arrived on April 2nd and will be home on April 26th. The Yukon Spring is pretty much the same as spring anywhere with the hope of warm weather combined with the frustration of a winter that just won’t give up. That was what I was expecting but what I got was blue skies and warm weather ranging from -11degrees Celsius at night and 3 to 11 during the day. Beautiful. I could hardly believe it. One day I watched a storm skip across the mountain tops and descend into the valley with big fat, dinner plate-sized flakes that fell all day creating a winter wonderland. It was magical and gone by the next day.
In the Yukon, after a long dark winter, people are ready for good weather and light. On a walk by the river the other day, I bundled up against the cold breezes coming off of the river ice but locals were in shorts and tee shirts as they enjoyed the bright sun. It was about 5 degrees and with a biting wind but that didn’t dampen the spring vibe.
It will be full sun here, day and night, by June 21 so the days become longer in the Whitehorse area by 6 minutes a day, as opposed to Southern Ontario where we get 1 minute of extra light every 24 hours. At the time of this writing, sunrise is at 6:30 am, and sunset is at 9:30 pm, although at 10:30 when I roll into bed the sky is still bright with reflected light because of the angle of the sun. The way the mountains, sky and clouds play together all day and night, is breathtaking.
At this time of year, the sky is filled with swans. Every year Tundra and Arctic Swans stop on their journey south at a little piece of open water on Marsh Lake Yukon Territory near Swan Haven interpretive centre. This amazing place conducts research, educates the public and does a swan count. The daily count can be found on social media or heard on the local news. You can also go out to Swan Haven to see for yourself. There is a guy there with a strong set of binoculars who is responsible for getting the numbers. I talked to him and he seemed unruffled to tell me that he has counted over 3000 birds on a good day. Obviously, he has a method. My count was inaccurate because they kept moving.
On every drive into town, past mountains, plains, rivers and steep clay banks I see something. There have been elk standing by the road eating calmly or considering crossing as I pass. Last night one darted in front of my car in the twilight. We all survived that encounter. There are the horses grazing on the dried grasses by the side of the road waiting to be rounded up for their summer work and yesterday a ground squirrel watched my passage, tall and courageous at the side of the road. I have also seen beautiful foxes in their full winter coats, not yet shedding for their summer look. I haven’t seen any bears this time. It’s warmer every day and I picture them stretching in their dens as their biological alarm goes off, wanting just a few more minutes under the covers, a bit like my teen grandkids on school mornings. There are apparently three bears for every man, woman, and child in the Yukon, but I’m a visitor. Maybe I don’t have any assigned to me.
One of the things that draws me back here year after year is the community. In a place where the whole population is less than 50,000, the people hold each other up and care for each other through dark days and light. I attended a Youth Summit Award ceremony where my grandson Story got a youth achievement award along with several others gathered from the whole territory. What an inspirational evening where the whole Yukon world came together to celebrate the kids who are change makers and the elders who mentor them. I know this also happens in more populated areas as well, but it may not be as visible and the way everyone is involved is amazing.
They say that travel changes you and I’m not sure if I experienced that this time, but it has reminded me yet again, that life is what you make it, that joy is where you find it, and the brisk spring air clears my brain reminding me of what’s important. As always there is joy in writing it down. Marking my passage on the page shifts things for me. Join me as I celebrate the collaboration of words and life to put me where I want to be.
Writing opportunities:
Join Write Around the World, an opportunity to help Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) facilitators raise funds by offering donation-based writing groups. Proceeds from each session support AWA and its mission. Writers of all backgrounds come together to celebrate the unique creativity in each other’s voices.
Many of us are donating sessions. I too am doing two sessions. One May 7th called, “Write Your Age.” Another on May 21st called “Writing to Make a Difference.” All of these sessions are capped so sign up soon to get your first choices. Click here to view the sessions. Watch for new sessions from me in the fall based on these two.
This spring join me for:
Awakening Through Writing: These sessions invite you to bring your writing out of hibernation in a supportive atmosphere. Allow yourself to explore life through your words, writing in any form or genre. You will generate 3-5 stories starts every session.
Location: Zoom
Wednesday Evenings
Dates: May 22 and 29, June 5 and 12
Time: 7-9pm
Thursday afternoons
Dates: May 16, May 30, June 6 and 13 (note: Thursday 23, NO CLASS)
Time: 1-3 pm
Cost: $100 for all 4 dates or $30/session
Every Second Thursday Evening until Mid June on Zoom:
Submission Success: Join a group of people writing for submission. This group is self-directed. Bring your thoughts, successes, and questions about submission. We discuss places we have submitted and everything around the submission process. We celebrate each other’s work and support the process. Every evening we check in, discuss, and write together. There is also an opportunity to give feedback on pieces to help get submission ready. The group is informal but it holds the members accountable to their goals. Contact me if you are interested in joining.
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