GO Cranbrook Magazine Issue #12 by THE TRENCH MAGAZINE

SPRING 2019 NO. 12

OUR COLLECTIVE STORY | CONNECTING THROUGH KINDNESS UNDER COVER: SAFEGUARDING A RAIL LEGACY | THE WISHING BRIDGE

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Managing Editor Karen Vold

Creative Director Grady Pasiechnyk

Sales & Distribution Grady Pasiechnyk

Copy Editing & Social Media Monica Karaba

Contributors Britt Bates Monica Karaba Dan Mills

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SPRING 2019

08 Wheelinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Through Winter

Our Collective Story

Connecting Through Kindness

CONTENTS

Cover Shot | Meadowsweet Photography

Under Cover: Safeguarding a Rail Legacy

The Wishing Bridge

SPRING 2019

C U S T O M I Z I N G

H O M E S

S I N C E

1 9 9 4

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W: Britt Bates P: Meadowsweet Photography You might have already seen them cruising through town: goggles on, bundled up, and on bikes with what seem like absurdly wide tires that cut easily through snow and slush. People are taking up winter fat biking in droves, and it’s the latest and greatest snow sport to hit the Kootenays. Cranbrook is at the de facto center of it all: with extensive and accessible trails, perfect grooming, and gorgeous scenery, we’ve created the ideal epicenter for the sport. “Cranbrook fat biking is awesome,” Christine Warren tells me emphatically. “I’ve already ridden more days on my fat bike this winter than I did last year on my mountain bike! And I can actually ride things that I can’t in the summer.” She’s referring to the lower psi (amount of air in the tires) that fat bikes use. Traditional mountain bikes usually employ about 25 psi (pounds per square inch), while winter fat bikes clock in at around 6 or 8 psi. This softness, combined with bigger tires, offers riders a new momentum for overcoming tricky features especially while going uphill. Christine, an avid cyclist of every kind, and co-owner of Bootleg Bike Co. in Kimberley, is one of many people in our area enthusiastic about the Kootenays’ newest winter sport, and she’s adamant that Cranbrook is the best place to ride. “There’s two great places in Cranbrook that are groomed: South Star, at the end of Gold Creek, and the Community Forest. They are both amazing,” Christine explains. The extensive and consistent grooming is taken care of almost entirely by Cranbrook local James McKee, who previously owned Favorit Cycles in Cranbrook and is a prominent figure in the local fat biking scene. “He does the grooming for free and on his own time,” Christine tells me, insinuating McKee’s dedication and passion.

FREEDOM + ADVENTURE

Nathan Siemens, another local rider who enjoys Cranbrook’s

trails on his fat bike almost daily, is quick to sing McKee’s praises, too. “He’s honestly the biggest impetus for the sport taking off here,” Nathan tells me. “When he owned Favorit, he was constantly encouraging people to take the fat bikes out. Not to sell bikes, but doing it just to build the community. We’re out there because of him.” These days, the trails are busy, and people often have an evening bonfire at the trails after their rides. There’s a group that goes out every Thursday night, organized by Cranbrook’s Wildhorse Cycling Club, which always welcomes newcomers. “There really is a strong sense of community around fat biking in Cranbrook,” Christine tells me. This sense extends beyond those riding the wide-forked, enormously-wheeled machines through the forest: the groomed trails are enjoyed by runners and hikers alike, and after a fresh snowfall, snowshoers help pack down the trail for the people eager to take their fat bikes out. The forested trails have become a place of collaboration, and the fat biking trend an intersection for all kinds of people with varied interests, who all share a desire for ample fresh air and a little winter wilderness. For those who are curious about the sport, it’s easy to begin. Bootleg Bike Co. offers day rentals for an affordable price as do other local sports shops. If you decide you’re smitten with cruising on snow, Christine explains to me that it’s accessible: “You can get set up with a great bike, ready to go, for around $1200, so you don’t have to break the bank.” Admittedly, it’s more affordable than setting yourself up with a new mountain bike in the summer. Nathan is eager to explain why he thinks fat biking’s popularity has taken off so quickly. “It’s so much easier to commit to than a full day of backcountry skiing, when you want to just get outside for some exercise. I can even take a couple hours out of my workday. You can get out into the woods quickly and cover a lot of ground.” It’s a sport that has all the benefits of cross-country skiing — solitude in the forest, low impact on joints, and an excellent cardio and core workout — but with an added dose of adrenaline. But not so much that you won’t be able to find an inner peace out in the trees on your two wheels: “It’s so nice to be able to escape the noise of everyday life and find so much quiet, right in our backyard,” Christine tells me, as she quietly starts to plan her ride for the afternoon. “It’s my zen time.” Her easy, wide, and contagious smile appears, and suddenly her thoughts have rolled to the woods.

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W: Britt Bates How do we tell the stories a landscape holds? How do we recount the history of the communities that make up our special corner of the world? These are questions that the Columbia Basin Institute takes both seriously and passionately. This land we live on — the Columbia Ba-

sin, with its wide swooping valleys, its columns of dramatic peaks, and its abundant sunshine — is much more than just the

place we call home. It’s also been called home to so many who came before us, who shaped our communities into what they are now. Even you and your family — no matter how small or how insignificant

you feel your impact on this place is — left

and are leaving an important mark that deserves to be celebrated. You are an irreplaceable strand in our collective cultural braid.

SPRING 2019

BIG BEND HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION C.1935 MOVING SUPPLIES ACROSS THE COLUMBIA RIVER DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BIG BEND HIGHWAY C.1935 OWNER: GOLDEN MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

The Columbia Basin Institute knows that and wants to document as much as of our ever-unfolding history as possible. The Institute, with its head office based in Cranbrook, is a non-profit organization committed to researching, collecting, and restoring the history of our area. A huge portion of its work is dedicated to building and maintaining the Image Bank: an online database of over 40,000 photos, documents, and newspapers that are available to the public, both in digital and print formats. It comprises one of the largest historical databases in Western Canada. The Basin Institute’s Executive Director, Anna Majkowski, speaks with an enthusiasm that’s hard to top. “It shows how all of our communities are interconnected: through industries, through businesses, and through people.” Majkowski is adamant that each individual family that ever resided in the Columbia Basin, or even did business here, was and is integral to the development of our area. She, as well as the other dedicated team members behind the Basin Institute, believe that this history should be documented and freely available to the public: after all, we all deserve to know, and learn from, our heritage.

SPRING 2019

MARK CREEK FLOOD 1948 KIMBERLEY, B.C. FLOOD DAMAGE ON WALLINGER AVENUE OWNER: KIMBERLEY HERITAGE MUSEUM

“We ask questions. Who is this? Where is this?” Majkowski explains the Basin Institute’s relationship to the public, who often help fill in the gaps in information. People often get in touch to explain a photo they found of their ancestor discovered on the Image Bank, providing names and places that may have previously been missing from the Basin Institute’s records. It’s a collaborative and ongoing process. For example, the Institute received funding to run a campaign called “Name that Logger,” where they posted around 200 photos online that documented people in the logging industry in our area, spanning from the early 1900s to the 2000s. They asked the public to chime in to explain who was who, and over 75% of the photos came back with names. “People can also discover family photos that they’ve never seen before,” Majkowski says, threading an important cord of emotion through the work the Institute does. “It’s a piece of their personal history that they can fill in. Some people living as far away as California and Spain have found some of their family’s pictures here.” In addition to the mutual benefits of working with members of the public, the Basin Institute works closely with its partners, such as museums throughout the region and city archives, to build its database. These organizations often provide photos, and in exchange, the Institute digitizes and backs up their records for them. Doing so allows the museum to concentrate their resources and time on other work in the community.

SPRING 2019

SUMMIT OF MOUNT SIR SANDFORD 1968 OWNER: COLUMBIA BASIN INSTITUTE OF REGIONAL HISTORY

“We tend to focus on smaller communities such as Kimberley, Moyie, and Rossland, who don’t usually get a lot of funding for their museums, even for staffing. We want to take the pressure off of them, so they don’t need to invest in computers and scanners,” Majkowski explains. “Plus, we want to highlight the places that don’t always have a voice.” This ongoing work to preserve our stories is often at the mercy of funding, which is why every ounce of support the Institute can garner is deeply appreciated and put to great use. Majkowski explains to me their membership program: for a low cost, members receive discounts off of both digital and print photographs, an informative newsletter, automatic entry to draws and giveaways, and, of course, the knowledge that they’re helping to preserve our region’s valuable stories. And after all: stories are all that we have to unite us and to pass down our varied, yet related, histories to the next generations. “All our communities are interconnected. Through industries, and most importantly, through people,” Majkowski says, with a joyful fervour. “Even though we’re all different, we’re actually all the same.”

You can visit the Columbia Basin Institute’s website at basininstitute.org to explore over 20,000 archived images.

SPRING 2019

W: Britt Bates P: Grady Pasiechnyk Sunshine sifts in through the large windows and glows on the pale yellow walls. Gwen Noble, standing in a beam of sunlight, is lit up in gold. Her smile gives her away: its sparkle of compassion is unmistakeable from the moment we meet. Gwen is the Executive Director at Cranbrook Family Connections, an elaborate quilt of various programs that support community members in a variety of ways. The people who receive assistance are those who need it most: the underprivileged, the struggling, the stigmatized. Those who we â&#x20AC;&#x201D; most of us â&#x20AC;&#x201D; too often overlook.

But not Gwen and her passionate team, who dedicate their time and energy to offering care and relief any way they can. The programs they run, as well as several additional agencies and organizations outside the scope of Cranbrook Family Connections, are all housed in this spacious building with winding hallways, which Gwen is giving me a tour of. In its entirety, this is the Community Connections of Southeast BC.

“Before, these programs were all in their own standalone locations,” Gwen tells me, as we walk through the hallways and she explains what happens in each office and room. “It was kind of a happy accident that we all ended up under one roof. Now, we feel like we’re all working for the same agency.” While the initial incentive to be under one roof was cost-sharing, it ended up providing a wide range of unforeseen benefits.

The building, situated right in downtown Cranbrook, is immediately welcoming. The wooden exterior gives it a cozy Kootenay-cabin feel; indoors, the space is modern, spacious, and clean. There’s a bowl of sandwiches on the front counter, the smell of brewing coffee, and several enormous potted plants.

“It’s great, because often people come in for one resource, but find others to help them as well — ones that they might not have found otherwise,” Gwen says. It makes sense: there’s a feeling of openness and comradery among the people moving in and out of the rooms, chatting and laughing by the front desk. It’s easy to see how someone could easily be guided between different programs and resources here.

This place is approachable by intention. It offers vital support to those living on the outer edge of comfort, those who might feel left behind, and for some, whose life depends on it. There’s a myriad of ways in which the space offers assistance, such as via the Cranbrook Women’s Resource Center, the Better at Home Senior’s Program, the Community Action Program for Children, and the Homeless Outreach Program and the Homeless Prevention program — just to name a few. And those are just the programs that fall under the banner of Cranbrook Family Connections. There are also other independent organizations that share this space, such as ANKORS Drug Information Project, Options for Sexual Health, and a Community Outreach Nurse.

“There really is a synergy that happens, with all of our agencies under one roof. It creates a whole new energy,” Gwen tells me, her satisfaction beaming. Suddenly a woman adorned in a colourful flowing dress, with a beautiful shock of bright red hair, appears in our path. She has a wide smile that sparkles brilliantly. Gwen introduces us: “This is Jasmine. She’s our resident art therapist, as well as a counsellor.” She gestures to the walk-in counselling office that offers free drop-in appointments. Jasmine opens her arms wide, then twirls into another room.

SPRING 2019

There’s a vibrant energy in this space, one that transforms it from just a labyrinth of offices into a collaborative and creative space that’s built on the foundation of humanitarianism. There’s an enormous kitchen — often filled with rambunctious kids, Gwen tells me — and a backyard that has ample growing space in handbuilt garden beds. While the yard is empty at the moment, I can easily imagine highpitched kids running around, getting their knees and faces dirty as they learn with their hands about growing, cooking, and eating healthy food. The kitchen is also often used by the various organizations, as they put out lavish spreads of homecooked meals for their visitors. There’s a large common area that feels more like a loved one’s living room than anything else, with soft couches and an open space for gathering. “Bill from the Brain Injury Association teaches Tai Chi here on Wednesday mornings,” Gwen explains, as we move through the room and onwards to the Free Store, which is packed full of warm winter clothes for women and children. Past that is a small clinic space where a nurse operates Options for Sexual Health on Wednesday nights. Further along, there’s a spacious room with computers for the public to use, more couches, and coffee tables that often display plates of food. Everything, of course, is completely free of charge. “It’s important work,” Gwen says, putting words to what I’ve been thinking during our entire tour. With Naloxone stations, informative posters, and a deep care that permeates every facet of the agencies

housed here, it’s clear that the teams are committed to providing harm reduction, education, and community outreach to those who need it most. But it isn’t without its struggles, of course, and I detect a hint of sadness in Gwen’s voice when I ask her about how rewarding this all must be. “It is, but it’s hard some days. You see people sleeping in the street, and you want to do more.” Her voice cracks. The people behind these programs have deep wells of compassion: they already do everything they can, and always strive to do more. “It’s a lot of hard work, but yes, it is rewarding,” Gwen continues. “It’s so great to see the improvements in people’s lives.” Nonetheless, as a non-profit, funding continues to be an issue. They depend on grants and some government funding to keep the building running, and donations are a highlight when they’re occasionally received. As Gwen reminds me, people often misunderstand how many underprivileged people there are right here in our cozy and tight-knit East Kootenay communities: we can easily overlook donating to causes like this, that are sometimes keeping those folks housed, fed, and in extreme cases, alive. Despite the hardship of this work, Gwen and the staff here show up consistently, bringing their valuable backgrounds and experience in healthcare and social work — as well as something even more important: “The greatest skill we can offer,” Gwen says, “is just to be kind to people.”

For more information about the programs and services such as the Better at Home Senior’s Program available at Cranbrook Family Connections, please visit the website at http://cfc. ccscranbrook.ca/ or the Community Connections Society of Southeast BC Facebook page.

SPRING 2019

W: Monica Karaba P: The Cranbrook History Centre Before highways and budget airlines but after horse and wagon, there was an era when travelling by train was one of the best and most common ways to traverse the great expanse of Canada. And if you were fortunate to have the money, you could also pamper yourself by booking onto one of the first-class passenger trains designed like a â&#x20AC;&#x153;deluxe hotel on wheels.â&#x20AC;? If you have ever wanted a chance to step back in time and feel what it might have been like to chug across the prairies in a Jazz Era Art Deco train, or even if your style is a little bit more Edwardian Art Nouveau Elegance, well, are you in luck! All aboard! With its Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, Cranbrook holds the unique distinction of having one of the largest rail travel car collections in North America with a special focus on preserving entire train sets as opposed to just individual cars. Visitors to the museum have the choice of three guided tours where they can opt to experience a luxury train of the 1920s, a wooden commuter train of the 1900s, or the royal and business class cars of the mid-century. The first rail car arrived in Cranbrook in 1977. Over the next thirty years, one car grew to an impressive 26 passenger cars plus one steam locomotive and two diesel locomotives due to the

dedicated efforts of Garry Anderson, the original founding Executive Director of the Cranbrook History Centre, along with support from the City of Cranbrook, the BC Arts Council, the Columbia Basin Trust, and others who recognized the historical and cultural importance of his vision for the collection. Garry not only scoured the continent to curate some superb artifacts, he also invested wholeheartedly in the painstaking and time-consuming restoration of these cars to get them back to their prior grandeur, a feat which cannot be overstated. Most of the cars were around 100-years old and were constructed out of fine wood and other organic materials, which were difficult to find or refurbish. The treasured collection was consolidated and permanently stationed in Cranbrook in 2004 as efforts continued to restore and preserve it. However, without a structure to cover all of the aging cars to protect them from the elements and further degradation, their longevity became an increasing concern. After various temporary measures were taken, it became more critical to find a permanent solution. The Board spent several years evaluating options before moving forward with plans for a timber-framed structure that could be constructed in phases as funds were raised.

You may have noticed the buzz of construction along Van Horne Street for most of last year as the majestic Heritage Rail Car Building project got underway. Local builder, Tyee Homes, known for its elegant post and beam construction was chosen to build the 3,000 square foot structure. The heavy exposed timber frame and a steel-clad roof will enhance the beauty of the rail cars as well as preserve them. Additionally, an accessible new platform has been designed, which will allow people with physical disabilities and mobility challenges as well as those who do not want to take a full tour an opportunity to view and learn about the cars at their own pace. And as several of us touring the construction site recently can attest to, there is an added bonus: the smell of all of the fresh-cut timber is absolutely divine. The Heritage Rail Car Building, an attractive piece of architecture, will likely draw new visitors as it ensures that this exquisite rail car collection will be preserved for generations to come. This project also has another benefit for the Cranbrook History Centre: over the long term, it will provide a notable cost savings on maintenance and temperature control that will enable funds to be reallocated towards other exciting new programming for the community such as additional school programs, paleontology lectures, and potentially an additional gallery space to showcase information on the Kootenays.

SPRING 2019

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The 1929 Trans-Canada Limited parked at the museum received national historic designation in June 2011. This train was determined to be the most luxurious train ever built and operated in Canada; however, it had only a twoyear run due to the 1929 Stock Market Crash and ensuing Great Depression. The entire collection of rare train “sets” was determined to be of national significance in a September 2007 study by the Royal BC Museum. In fact, several cars have been designated “Canadian Cultural Property.” The construction and interior design of these deluxe cars represented a major achievement for Canada on the world stage at that time, positioning Canada as a major railway country. In 2007, the museum was awarded Heritage Canada’s Achievement Award and the BC Museum Association’s Award of Merit for the Royal Alexandra Hall restoration project.

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Bob Whetham, one of the Railway Museum’s board directors, has more than a passing interest in assisting Cranbrook to preserve this legacy. In 1967, he got firsthand experience working as a sleeping car porter for Canadian Pacific as a summer student. As he and the super-knowledgeable Don Kirk, one of the Centre’s senior tour guides, led me on a tour of the new building and some of the cars, I was intrigued by both men’s passion and interesting rail lore. I couldn’t help but delve further as Bob regaled me with a few hilarious tales about his summer spent working the Winnipeg to Vancouver run, which involved 21-hour shifts for five days in a row! “Weren’t you a zombie by the end of it?” I asked him. “Yeah, but you learned how to deal with it. You learned to sleep with your eyes open.” I laughed as Bob demonstrated his technique with exaggeratedly wide-open eyes. “Did they at least give you lots of coffee to keep you going?” I wondered. “Well, no, not really. You only got the dregs from what was served the day before.”

Besides memories of how hard it was to make up the bunks in tight quarters on a moving train with passengers roaming all over and the occasional smell of skunk that seemed to be a hallmark of passing through Cochrane, one thing Bob recalled that might have more of us nostalgically wishing for the travel days of yore was the extensive manual and training on customer service all railway employees were given. “Back then, passengers were treated with a great deal of respect, and we did everything we could to make their trip as comfortable and memorable as possible. A lot has changed in a not-so-good direction since then.” As a side note to this article, I highly recommend spending an afternoon with Bob Whetham or Don Kirk to bring your visit to the Museum of Rail Travel experience to life! And talking to Don and Bob reminded me about why this project really matters and why it probably meant so much to Garry Anderson — it connects us to the past and each other through the shared stories and experiences of life.

Heritage PHASE 1 Started in 2018 and near completion, covers three tracks with nine cars. Initial funding was provided by the Columbia Basin Trust and Cranbrook City with a remaining $387,000 needed. PHASE 2 Targeted for 2019, the plan to cover the remaining two tracks of six cars is pending funding. ADDITIONAL The College of the Rockies will provide hands-on education and building experience for students who will get to design an entrance and courtyard linking the History Centre to the Heritage Rail Car Building.

Initially, the heritage rail car covered structure will remain open-sided but has been designed so that walls can be added later to form a fully enclosed building. A covered area between tracks 1 and 2 has been constructed to accommodate visitors using wheelchairs, walkers, or scooters, who can now view the cars from the outside. Provisions for “green building” design to include rainwater collection and solar panels.

If you are inspired to help preserve this remarkable legacy of Canada’s national railway, the Heritage Railway Car Building project welcomes donations. Also, please consider sharing about the Museum of Rail Travel and Cranbrook History Centre to your family, friends, and visitors. There are many new exciting events and exhibits being planned, and you can even rent the facilities for your special occasions.

Will reduce annual expenditures for repairs on leaking roofs and adds a sprinkler system for fire protection.

For more information on the Heritage Rail Car Building project or to take one of the rail car tours, visit the Cranbrook History Centre on Van Horne Street South (please call ahead to confirm daily schedule), or check online at cranbrookhistorycentre.com.

SPRING 2019

W & P: Dan Mills Spring is about beginning anew. It is a time for the planting of seeds that will bring forth a continuing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a season that seems to breed hope. For some of us, however, it is also the season of the fever, the itch, and the restlessness of wanderlust. Not enough snow to ski but way too much to hike the high country. For the outdoorsman (or woman), spring can be a time of new frustrations. In my younger years, this impatience to get into the mountains quite often led to predicaments that showed both my youth and lack of judgment. Sliding backwards down mountain roads still shiny-slick with wet ice or bogged down to the running boards in greasy spring mud, all for the sake of a little outdoor recreation. These premature forays did occasionally pay dividends. Sometimes I would stumble across a place that was special, with the same feeling of magic that I usually found in the high country. Once discovered these spots became regular early spring haunts. They were easy to drive to and usually were no more than a stroll in the bush, but it was always enough to satisfy that need to smell the spring air and gave me the opportunity to watch the world coming back to life. It is not surprising that once I got older and had a family, it was to these same spots that my wife and I took our children â&#x20AC;&#x201D; short, easy but still pretty darn special.

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The Lost Creek trail is just such a place. The trailhead is located just east of Horseshoe Lake at the foot of the Steeples. Easy at first, before it turns mean and heads steeply into the mountains toward Dibble Glacier. It was that easy part where my children and I went on our first major expedition together, all those many years ago. It was a well-planned affair, complete with peanut butter sandwiches, warm coats, copious amounts of Kool-Aid and a sherpa (me) to carry it all. We parked on the east side of a huge clearing and shortly after heading into the trees, located the Forest Service sign that marks the trailhead. Here we turned right and began following a branch road south. The forest here is alive with birds and wildlife. Meghan had the keenest eyes spotting two mule deer seemingly frozen in place. Unmoving, they watched us pass. Then Sean spotted them and began screaming, “Deer! Deer! Deer!” What my son lacks in subtlety, he more than makes up for in enthusiasm. Sean, now pumped full of adrenaline, headed a short way out in front searching for boulders to climb, rocks to collect, or more mule deer to terrorize. Meghan seemed content to walk with Dad and chat. “Tell us where we are going again, Dad.” “It is called Lost Creek Meg,” I told her. This puzzled her. “Why is it lost?”

“Well,” I explained, “after it flows out of the mountains, it disappears underground.” “Does it ever come out of the ground?” she wondered. I told her that indeed it did and continued on all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This seemed to appease her curiosity, for about ten seconds, then the questions began anew. “Are we going to the Pacific Ocean?” she asked. I squeezed the small hand that I held in mine and said, “No Meg, we are going to a magical place. It’s called the Wishing Bridge and we are going there to make a wish.” Earlier hikes with my children had taught me several things about motivation. For example, the most stunning scenery in the world seems lost on children who are used to seeing miracles every day. For children to enjoy a hike, there has to be more to it than a “nice” walk in a “pretty” forest. There should be a goal to reach. Something to spur them on — a little fun, a little mystery. They will pick up on the subtle beauty in their own time, but first you have to get them out in it. I was trying to plant the seed of appreciation for hiking, in the fertile ground of their young minds.

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SPRING 2019

That day’s expedition was to a rough footbridge made of two logs that spanned the tumbling waters of Lost Creek. I had told the kids that if they found a special rock on the trail they should pick it up and carry it until we reached the bridge. There we would very carefully walk out onto the bridge, close our eyes, toss our stones and make a wish. You could only make one wish every year, so it should be an important one. This scenario is enough to motivate most adults let alone two five-year-olds. The road eventually becomes a trail and it was at about this point that even the mystery of the Wishing Bridge began to wear a little thin. Little legs tire quickly. Trying a different ploy, I showed the kids the orange triangles that the Forest Service had nailed to trees to mark the way. We then made a game of who could find the next one first. Before long I had to jog to keep up. A short time later, the sound of Lost Creek’s rushing waters could be heard not far ahead. We made our way down the rocky path that led to the bridge. Holding hands tightly we edged our way onto the logs, paused, closed our eyes, tossed our stones and made our wishes. Later, while we were stopped for lunch, Sean asked what I had wished for. I said, “A brand new green-and-purple backpack.” This was a somewhat calculated wish, as I had just ordered such a backpack from a local outdoors shop. I was hoping that its arrival would strengthen the credibility of the Wishing Bridge’s powers. “How about you?” I asked. He didn’t even pause. With his mouth still half full of peanut butter sandwich, he said, “I wished that there would always be trees.” I guess I should have felt pretty guilty, a grown man wasting such an important wish on a selfish and materialistic commodity like a green-and-purple backpack, but I didn’t. I was too full of joy to feel anything else. Not only had some very important seeds been sown, it seemed they were beginning to take root.

Not only had some very important seeds been sown, it seemed they were beginning to take root.

SPRING 2019

Fast-forward 25 years. Sean is somewhere above me on a steep scramble route up a mountainside that I have tried to climb twice before and failed. I can’t see him, but I occasionally hear him shout down to me. Things like, “You got this Dad.” or “You’re past the hard part. It gets easier just ahead.” Seems like just yesterday that was my voice, cajoling the kids along the trail. The reality is, there has been a lot of water under the Wishing Bridge since then. The green-and-purple backpack, after too many adventures to count, has been retired. Meghan, just like Lost Creek, has found her way to the Pacific and resides in Vancouver. And thanks to Sean’s selfless wish, at least for now, we still have an abundance of trees. Then the voice from above rang out again, “Dad?” I holler back, “Okay. I’m coming.” The struggle up this godforsaken ridge had left me wondering if I had lost my vigour and enthusiasm for this outdoor adventuring craziness, but then I realized that, no, it wasn’t gone exactly. It had just been reborn and was waiting for me, impatiently, at the top of this last pitch.

SPRING 2019

38 PHOTO: DAN MILLS

Janis Caldwell Mortgage Specialist Royal Bank of Canada janis.caldwell@rbc.com mortgage.rbc.com/janis.caldwell Serving East Kootenays of B.C. Tel.: 250-417-1336

Janis Caldwell Mortgage Specialist Royal Bank of Canada janis.caldwell@rbc.com mortgage.rbc.com/janis.caldwell

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