A chaotic, messy time
The ugliest time
My life this time of the year always feels so chaotic and messy. There’s so much messy, dustiness, and crazy weather. Gale force winds, hail, snow and sun within a couple hours. Clouds blow low overhead at unbelievable speed. I think a lot of this feeling is the dramatic temperature swings. The sun is so hot, but by nightfall I’m bringing all my plants back inside and experiencing the most excruciating pain in my ears because of the cold wind while on a short run.
In Yellowknife, the ugliest time of the year for me was May. The aurora was all but gone, gravel filled the streets, dog poop any trail or sidewalk, and nature was just a snowless, dry mess lacking colour or life. I hated it. I could never get out of Yellowknife fast enough when aurora season ended.
I was expecting something similar now in Whitehorse, but it was far less so. The end of April was a little rough, but street sweeping started in March and continued quickly along, and that sort of… ‘ugly’ in nature just never really happened. The snow would melt and vibrant lichen and moss already seemed to be thriving. River ice loosened it’s grip and the vibrant teals and blues never looked more beautiful. New growth on evergreen trees seemed to be everywhere.
“There’s just nowhere else I’d rather be right now.”
My mornings now are basking in the eastern sun on my patio with my coffee, and over half the day later, the aurora still appears faint against the twilight northern sky too.
The ugliest time has also always been lightened by the return of the birds to the north. The return of the swans was a spectacular and addictive experience for me this year, and if you’ll ever come to Whitehorse in April or early May, you cannot miss a visit to Swan Haven and the opportunity to chat or walk with expert Jukka Jantunen, which of course we did a few times.
With my mamma bear safely back in the scorching southern heat, I’ve fallen back into my night owl ways.
The last week of evenings for me have been out in the countryside late into, and well through, the night. Hours of hours of chasing the most beautiful light, sweet smells of the forest, and innocent, quiet exploration through forests, along shorelines, and gravel roads. I haven’t felt such a love of life, curiousity and inspiration like this in such a long time, and at the heels of what has traditionally been my least favourite time of the year is both so unexpected and very, very welcome.
The whole family together
