On The Road
There is nothing like the feeling you get when you turn off the highway and onto the Mount Cain road. It does not matter if you are coming south from McNeill, Hardy, Sointula, or Alert Bay. Or heading north from Sayward, Campbell River and beyond. As soon as you make the turn, the air changes from warm and damp to cool and crisp. As we meander up the road, we watch the temperature gauge in the car, hoping it will drop another degree around the next corner. We see the spot where we once stopped to put the chains on in a blizzard, where we helped someone who was stuck, or where we let the kids out of the car to pee after a long drive. You know when to slow down for potholes and when to gear down because of snow. The road is as familiar as a lover and unpredictable as north island weather. It is the road less travelled for most of the world and well travelled by people from Cain.
The road is also how we leave Cain. As we closed for the season this weekend, it was a bittersweet journey – driving away from the place we love towards the adventures that summer offers. The Lodge is locked up, the T bars have been taken down, and the groomers are resting in the shop. Everyone has packed up their campsite / camper / cabin and hit the road.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I hope you find many new roads to travel this summer. Roads that take you to see friends and family, roads to remote corners of the island, and roads to new adventures. Sometimes the best road is the road to nowhere.
Thank you for being part of our community this season. Mother Nature brought the snow, but you brought the laughter, kindness, and sense of adventure. When you return next season, the road will be graded, the potholes filled (well, most of them), and the mountain will be waiting. Until then, be safe.
See you somewhere along the way,
Jen
PS I am on a new journey and unable to continue writing the weekly updates, so this is my last post. I started writing these to help us get through the pandemic and kept writing them because, well, there are so many ways to tell the story of Mount Cain. Thank you for being my audience, for giving me stories to tell, and for the fantastic feedback.
PPS I also want to give out a shout-out to Kim Kufaas, who has a photo of everything I need at a second notice – even a picture of the Mount Cain road. You are the best Kim. Thank you!!!
PPPS Thank you to all the staff who worked through rain, sleet, and snow. Busy days and quiet days. Thanks for showing up.
PPPSS Thank you to all the volunteers who offered to help or jumped in when they knew a helping hand was needed. Thanks for helping make Mt Cain a success.
PPPSSS Kindness builds community. Don’t ever forget that.
On The Road
