Raven Lodge sits on the boundary of Strathcona Provincial Park, Vancouver Island’s rugged mountain wilderness. Andy and I lace up our boots and head into Paradise Meadows with Magic, our old black Lab. It’s a nice name for a piece of boggy subalpine sparkling in the sunshine, the undergrowth bright with October red and gold.
I skip along the boardwalk that skirts the bog and disappears into the trees. After a few kilometers of sniffing that yummy mountain scent we stop for a snack, make friends with dogs and fellow hikers, and enjoy the sparkle at Helen McKenzie Lake. It’s our first foray into the mountains since Andy left the Rockies this autumn to move to Victoria to live with me and my two young sons. He’s pumped about exploring this new range of mountains. A spire of ice beckons him in the distance. He’s psyched to discover new rock and ice climbing and hiking possibilities.
As the sun starts heading into the west we’re excited about returning to the truck. Fourteen-year-old Magic’s tired, her head’s hanging low and she’s plodding along. I’m satisfied and inspired by the day and looking forward to the parking lot -- it’s always good to head home, right?
But as we reach Andy’s cherry red Tacoma we discover that my car keys (my Subaru is parked in our driveway in Victoria) are in Andy’s pocket and Andy’s keys are locked inside the truck. We can see them through the driver’s window. I look at him: “Oops!” I say. His reply is unprintable.
He feels stupid. I did the same thing a few months ago, so I know it can happen.
Anyway, it’s beautiful at Raven Lodge. Sun still warms our faces, not bad for mid October. Plenty of people coming off the path flash us smiles. BCAA promises to be here in an hour. A friendly couple with two kids sticks around to make sure we’re OK. A couple months ago they stopped to administer first aid to someone and the husband, a doctor, got a broken arm for his trouble. But they’re still willing to help. We exchange stories of how we met our significant others. And laugh a bunch. Another guy leaves the warmth of his car to gift us with apples. Three young men with heavy packs return to their car to find it dead. They get a boost from our new friends too.
A woman from Roycroft and her kids come over to give us water and shoot the breeze. “We forget to bring our snacks along on the hike,” they commiserate. We’re laughing and trading stories in a second. When we meet like this, it’s amazing how quickly we get to the heart of the matter. People share their most important tales with us. This girl’s boyfriend had heart surgery to repair his aorta. He got tired on the walk. That woman’s son had a bad heart when he was born but he’s OK now. This other woman’s friend is the head of cardiology at a major hospital in the east. The heart connects us: we find points of intersection in our lives that we are eager to share.
Angelina Jolie has nothing on this young woman who holds her boyfriend’s hand the whole time. Her smile is as wide as the movie star’s, and as lovely. Up there at Paradise Meadows, as the sky goes slate gray and the day grows cold, I see the beauty in everybody. We wouldn’t have been here to see it, without this silly mistake. Interesting.
The hour turns into two. The sun sets in a blaze of autumn glory behind that inspiring spire, is it Jutland or Regan? The friendly couple’s daughters are sleepy and they have to go home. The other family smiles apologetically and they head to their Toyota. We smile and wave at our new friends as they leave.
Now I notice that my fingertips are numb. I snuggle up with Magic whose body warms my legs. It’s getting dark and Andy is getting impatient. He feels responsible, and begins to think up solutions in case roadside assistance doesn’t show up. We hold hands and start walking down the road, more for something to do than because that will help. 100 metres along we hear a diesel engine labouring up the hill. That’s gotta be our ticket home. It is!
The guy from Alpine Towing has three handy little tools that have the Tacoma unlocked in seconds. Andy’s glad he didn’t kick the back window in. I’m thrilled to climb into the front seat and crank the heat. But I’m also thrilled that we had this chance to sit atop Mount Washington and soak the October sun into our hearts in the company of some really cool people from the Comox Valley.
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