In 2006, my mom and I went on a road trip from Kimberley, B.C., all the way to Whitehorse via Jasper. I enjoyed the entire drive – the bears along the Icefields Parkway, the glaciers and lakes. I swore I’d come back and do that Columbia Icefields tour one day. 

We continued on to the Yukon, where my brother lives, and struggled with the midnight sun and battled mosquitoes. We had a great time despite the itchy bites that lingered after we left. 

Last year, I received a job offer at the Whitehorse Star, so I packed up my things and headed off to the land of mosquitoes and 24-hour light once again. 

While I loved Whitehorse, there was always the realization that I was just so far from everything. After 10 months in the north, I was offered the position of photojournalist at the Fitzhugh, and couldn’t wait to get back down to civilization. 

I arrived here this past Saturday, and since then it has been a blur of mountains, moving and trying to find a grocery store. 

I have mostly unpacked all my things in my new basement suite, but after clearing away all the boxes and debris, there is just something missing: furniture. 

I ate dinner last night on the floor, using my TV stand as a table. I’ve been trying to refrain from sitting on my bed to eat meals. Since moving out of my house in Whitehorse on June 30, I’ve been moving around from floor to floor in Whitehorse before I made the move south, and have enjoyed spending the last nights on a real, comfy bed instead of my air mattress. 

Because I had to move out before I actually left the Yukon, I’ve had all of my belongings in my car for the past few weeks. My brother says I am like a gypsy. It was oddly liberating to have everything with me. 

While on my final assignment in Whitehorse, which was a 740-kilometre canoe and kayak race called the Yukon River Quest, I was travelling with a reporter from the Globe and Mail. We were attempting to catch some of the racers heading through a tall canyon called the Five Finger Rapids, and we ran into rain. She was not looking forward to the trek, but because everything was with me I was able to outfit her with a rain suit. I could also offer her blankets, spare clothing, a set of cookware, a television if she needed any entertainment and a stuffed panda bear to cuddle with if the need were to arise, but she merely accepted the raincoat. 

My adventure to get down to Alberta included camping, staying in hotels and navigating the highways as my dad – who had come along to keep me company and split the driving – slept. He generally woke up long enough to be a back seat driver and complain about how uncomfortable and small my car was (this coming from a man whose truck window is permanently stuck down half way). We survived the more than 2,000-kilometre drive, and I was overly caffeinated but still tired when I arrived in Calgary to spend one last night in strange sleeping arrangements at my sister’s before I moved into my new house in Jasper. 

I have so far been welcomed warmly by every single person I have encountered, and I think I can safely say after only a few days I’m going to really enjoy it here. 

It seems I will be busy working for the Fitzhugh, but I hope to get out and explore the area this week – and maybe I’ll finally take that trip and do the Icefields tour. 

DISCLAIMER: The Last Word is an opinion column, it is meant to provoke thought and debate. As such, any opinions written here are the writers own and do not reflect the viewpoint of any other Fitzhugh staff member or the directors of the Jasper Media Group Inc.