Discovered - Coming Home

Discovered

82

Coming Home - Jeep Wrangler in the Mountains of British Columbia

Story and Photography | Miranda Lightstone

Life is cyclical. Seasons. Birthdays. School years. Holidays. Everything comes full circle, repeats, comes again… and again… and again. We humans are creatures of habit.

We take great comfort in returning to things we know; babies thrive on routine (trust me, I know the importance of a sleep and feeding schedule like most mothers); offces succeed when meetings are made regular and scheduled weekly; and successful sports teams practice regularly.Cycles. Repetition. Returning to what we know, what we trust.

When my 6-year-old told me he wanted to go away somewhere with me for summer vacation this year, my mind buzzed with ideas. Should we go down south for a week? But why? Our Montreal summer was set to be hot enough, it would be money spent for nothing. Camping? But wait; did I really want to sleep on the ground for 7 days straight? Survey says: NO.

A staycation would save my single-mum bank account, but we’d likely start plottng each other’s demise about 2-3 days in, what with cabin fever and all…

Cabin.Then it hit me: I’d take him home with me.

While I live on the East Coast of Canada now, and have for the better part of 20 years now, it’s never been home. Some might scoff at that statement; how can somewhere you’ve lived for over two decades not be home?

But then I’d wager those making that specific comment have never had to leave home. They live where they were born and raised (or at least in close vicinity to it). I was born and spent my formative starting years on the other side of the country, beautiful British Columbia (as the license plate reads).

Surrounded by larger-than-life trees, all-encompassing snow-capped mountains and wildlife galore. And I’m not talking downtown Vancouver either, no; I grew up in what used to be a sleepy little logger’s town, Squamish. Nestled halfway between Vancouver and Whistler on the Sea to Sky highway, Squamish will always be my home.

The moment I set foot on the familiar streets and breath the cool crisp mountain air, standing in the shadow of The Chief with Garibaldi juttng through the clouds in the distance, I belong. I instinctively know where to go, always have, and I know it’s home.

I’m extremely lucky to have family who still live in Squamish, and who also have a few family-owned cabins on a private lake (the name of which will remain anonymous as to protect the serenity of the lake itself and keep would-be tourists away from our little slice of paradise).

Now, when I say cabin I really do mean cabin. There is no electricity per se (there is a large battery that powers a small generator if necessary), there’s no running water (other than in the kitchen sink, and it’s simply water pumped from the lake and should only be used when boiled), and there is no plumbing. Outhouse FTW. There is a gas stove… and stunning views of Mother Nature, and nothing else.

I have the supreme fortune to have access to these cabins whenever they aren’t in use by other family members. So, I made a few calls, sent a few texts, and booked our tickets for a week away in the wild woods of British Columbia. Of course, I’d have to get from the Vancouver Airport to the cabin in the woods, which is actually a trek not just any vehicle can do. I have the supreme fortune to have access to these cabins whenever they aren’t in use by other family members.

So, I made a few calls, sent a few texts, and booked our tickets for a week away in the wild woods of British Columbia. Of course, I’d have to get from the Vancouver Airport to the cabin in the woods, which is actually a trek not just any vehicle can do.

The road leading to the cabin itself is extremely steep, riddled with boulders and loose gravel, as well as mud ruts and pits. It requires a vehicle with AWD and ride height to combat the extreme terrain. I immediately knew which vehicle would transport my son and I back to my roots safely and confidently.

Understanding where you’ve come from is so important when moving forward in life. History builds futures, and there are companies that fully understand, and even embrace, this notion of where they’ve been aiding them in where they’re going.

This can definitely be said for Jeep. Now, truth be told, they’ve wavered a bit over the years (let’s just forget the Patriot and Compass happened, shall we), but when it comes to legendary vehicles and sticking with what they know and what they do well; the Jeep Wrangler will always come out king.

“ I’ve had a soft spot for the Wrangler since I drove my first one well over a decade ago.”

Over the years, I’ve experienced different generations, and what’s always struck me is this: They never really change. It remains familiar. Cyclical.

I knew what I was gettng into. I knew what to expect and how my time behind the wheel was going to go, and I love that about the Wrangler. Habit. Ritual.

Hopping aboard our 2018 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, the boy and I began our journey into the woods and up the mountain to our home-away-from-home for the week. We’d be at the cabin for five full days, away from the world, blissfully surrounded by nothing but wilderness and mountains, with a pristine private lake at our disposal for daily dips and swimming.

“Mummy, we need to take the top and ALL the doors and windshield off!” proclaimed my enthusiastic offspring the very moment he took his seat in the back, seemingly unaware of the drizzly BC weather.

That’s the thing about adventures and travel; they push you past your comfort zones, they make you do things you might not otherwise do. And so we did; removed the roof at least.

The doors and windscreen were staying perfectly in place as the Sea to Sky can be quite windy and twisty – the boy might be brave enough to have limbs exposed, but not mum.

Watching the wind whip through my son’s white-blonde hair, his face turned towards the sky, eyes closed, smile on his lips, arms outstretched to dance in the breeze as we drove down one of my favourite roads near Squamish, Paradise Valley Road, I couldn’t help but grin myself. Everything about that specific moment felt right, felt like home, felt familiar. Including being behind the wheel of the Wrangler.

Adventures are built on risks (however calculated they may be, they’re always a bit of a gamble), and I made it a point to embark on one “adventure” a day with my boy throughout that week.

From stand-up paddle boarding (first time for him, and solo too!) to deep wood explorations where we discovered countless bugs, mushrooms and flowers to gettng stranded in the middle of the lake on a blow-up raft that was clearly too small for us both, but we decided to give it a go anyways; we thrived on nature, drank in the mountain air, absorbed the glorious July sunshine, and made memories I truly hope will last a lifetime for us both.

That’s the real beauty of my family’s lake cabin: It’s blissfully removed from the hustle and bustle of the real world. Secluded without feeling isolated, it might only be 20 minutes outside Squamish, but it feels like you’re in an entirely different world – and that’s complete vacation bliss right there – a world you really need to want to get to in order to escape.

Tough and capable, the new Wrangler still offers everything it did in past – rugged off-road capability with a solid suspension and raised ride height – but with a decidedly modern twist. Old was suddenly meeting new. Where past generations may have seemed stuck in the wrong ways, this latest generation has moved forward just enough with a newly redesigned interior that includes a superb and easy to use 7” touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

There’s even a new 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine available with the Wrangler now (if you desire such a thing), however, we had the tried and true V6. The engine might be “old” but it feels new, peppier even, especially with the available 8-speed transmission (which we had). The seats are much more comfortable, and even the interior fabrics and materials have been geared up a notch. The Wrangler will never be fancy or luxurious, but it’s safe to say they’ve definitely bumped up the quality level in the new Wrangler.

Despite the auto industry’s desperate need to be as modern and technologically loaded as possible (like the latest smartphone with a steering wheel), Jeep has blissfully kept things as simple as possible in the Wrangler.

Free of autopilot nannies and aides, the 2018 Wrangler gets the job done without all the bells and whistles. A few USB ports and a touchscreen are as tech-y as this Jeep gets, and it’s absolutely perfect. Even roof removal is mechanical and analog, with functional latches (that take some muscle to maneuver but somehow I managed).

And yet, the Wrangler maintains a certain level of rawness. The ride is decidedly still uncomfortable and bumpy, the engine feels a bit underpowered for such a large vehicle (but then it always has), and forget aerodynamics for improved fuel effciency, especially with beefy off-road tires like my Sahara sported. The Wrangler remains as boxy and large as it ever was. And it’s gloriously perfect because of it. Old meets new. Past meets future.

Driving in the 2018 Wrangler with my boy, traversing the same stunning BC mountain roads I did as a child his exact age (only I was in the bed of a bouncy old Ford pickup); there we were, blending past with present and future. Old stories about to morph into new ones. Memories of old adventures about to become new stories of exploration and discovery. My home about to become his home away from home. Cyclical. Ritual. Habit.

“ We all come full circle, eventually.”