A New Home In The Wilderness: A Travel Story

The moment I set my luggage down in my room, I put on my snow pants and hiking boots then walked outside. At the outskirts of the lodge’s property, I stood in awe at the mountains around me. The lodge was situated on a foothill and below it was a winding river.

Seeing that the hill wasn’t too steep, I hiked sideways down to the river and walked along the water. I was so thirsty for adventure that I didn’t stop to consider if it was safe or not. I was so used to walking wherever I wanted in Ontario that I forgot how wild Kananaskis really is. Once I returned to the little village for my meal, I told someone in the café that I’d hiked down, and she said I shouldn’t go alone again.

“You’re crazy,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s bears and mountain lions in this area and they go there often to drink water.”

She’d been a local there for years. She seemed to know her way around the wilderness, but she never hiked alone. That was a common theme around the lodge — it’s not a national park, it’s the wilderness so never hike alone. I should have been more careful, but I admittedly hiked down a few more times after that.

A nature walk isn’t a true nature walk for me if it isn’t alone. I’ve always been like that, even as a kid. There were a few online groups that our workplace created so all the employees could network with one another. I asked a few people if they wanted to hike since it was safer to go with others, but apparently it was too snowy for everyone. It was peak skiing and snowboarding season so that’s where everyone was at — when they weren’t partying.

“Just wait ’til the snow melts,” said one of my new coworkers. “Loads of people will want to hike with you then. I’ll even go.”

Normally, I’d sit on a ledge overlooking the river and sing as the snow fell. As I got used to my daily routine, I started bringing a notebook out on my walks and I’d write in the fresh air or listen to music. Sometimes at night I’d walk down an evergreen path and admire how many stars there were in the sky. You could see so many stars. It was the best kind of sensory overload.

It was there that I wrote the first draft of Eve & Adam, my novella about two young free thinkers who meet at the top of a hill. I couldn’t have chosen a better place to write another book. The first draft was rather hot-blooded, but I softened it out into a full story over the next few months. I also worked on The Red Coat & The Redhead, a historical fiction novella. In such a setting as Kananaskis, all I could think about were open roads and journeys — I was on an adventure of a lifetime myself.

My job at the spa was chill for the most part, but it wasn’t a position that I could thrive and grow in. I can get overstimulated when working with people face to face and I was used to either lab work or call center work. Because of the anxiety I had at the time, I made a lot of mistakes when booking appointments. I think it was more the environment — they wanted someone who could grasp the role within the first two shifts. I get it though. It wasn’t their job to coddle me until I became comfortable with the role. It took me longer to start feeling comfortable.

While the managers were kind and reasonable, sometimes I felt like I was thrown in the deep end and was trying to play catch up when it came to completing my tasks. It would either be so dead that there was nothing to do, or so busy that you couldn’t keep up with everything.

I also felt a little stifled at the residence, as people can be needy when they’re in a remote area like that. Later on, I joined a fitness group with some girls and that was a lot of fun. They were the sweet type of people I could get along with and they were on the introverted side, but as the weather warmed up the workout nights ended since everyone started to go outside more.

I went to a party once and got so hungover that I didn’t drink for the rest of my time there. I remember my roommate’s boyfriend pouring more vodka into my drink, thinking he was being sneaky about it. He sat down in the couch next to me and told me I’d be too afraid to hike to the top of a mountain with him. Being tipsy, I got quickly annoyed at his arrogance.

“I could do it!” I cried. “This is what I came here to do.”

He grinned. “Yeah? Well, we’ll have to see then.”

A few people asked if I was German or Swedish because of my blonde hair and height. I dyed my hair bleach blonde just before I left Ontario. I liked that it made me look European and it became my iconic travel hairstyle. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur, but I made it back to my room without any of the drunken guys in tow.

I remember one of my coworkers was trying to push me toward her guy friend. He said that he wanted to hookup, but I wasn’t there for that. I politely refused him and remember being scolded for being “rude” to him. I was learning that the words “nice” and “rude” aren’t always accurately applied in party situations.

There was a shuttle that would take staff either into Canmore or Calgary for the day. The first time I took the van into Calgary, I went to the Starbucks since I’d been missing the atmosphere there. Calgary is a very modern and clean city. It’s actually quite stunning with the mountains in the background. My only issue is that it’s sunny so often there. I like some sunny days, but I really need rain.

Granted, it’s a nice place to visit and if I ever had to live there, I wouldn’t be upset because it’s close to many beautiful places. The second time I took the shuttle into Canmore, I was amazed at how quaint the little town was. All the buildings look like little cabins there and it has quite a few cafes for its size. I enjoyed the energy there and could see myself living there for longer term.

One evening when I was sleeping, I woke up to a guy sitting on my bed. It was my roommate’s boyfriend. We didn’t have the kind of friendship where it would make sense for him to sit on my bed, even as a joke. We interacted with one another maybe three times before that — once at the party and twice in the room when we were using the kitchen. It was late at night; the kitchen light highlighted the grin on his face. It was wide and menacing. Being aware of how much bigger he was, I put the blanket over my head.

I know people think women should fight and claw and scream when they’re about to be attacked, but that can do more harm than good. Why would I try to fight off a guy who could hold me down with one hand? Sometimes staying quiet is the thing that saves your life — or at least it saves you from getting a black eye. My body just froze as his hand gripped the back of my neck; I passed out. I don’t know if it was because he touched a pressure point, if he had a topical drug in his hand, or if I fainted, but I didn’t wake up until I heard yelling.

It was my roommate’s shrill voice piercing the air. It took me a few moments to become fully aware and listen in on what she was saying.

“She’s asleep! What the hell is wrong with you?” she cried.

It wasn’t just a dream. It really happened. I don’t think it went very far, because my clothes were still on. Maybe he meant to intimidate me for arguing with him at the party.

I confided in my co-worker about what happened a few days later at work and she wasn’t too surprised, but she looked concerned.

“He’d always say such strange things about girls when I’d be around him at parties. He’s a weirdo,” she said. “If you want to sleep at my place temporarily, you’re welcome to until they move out.”

Her offer was kind, but I toughed it out since they’d be gone in a couple of days. Luckily, he got a new job and she was going with him. I’d never see them again once they left. I remember wandering down a path and seeing him with a few buddies on his last day, wondering what it would be like to be physically stronger than him. I imagined throwing him off the bed and showing him why he should never intimidate a woman again.

Memories of that big grin on his face haunted me for a while. When you read about villains grinning gleefully in any of my stories, just know it’s not based on a pulp fiction stereotype. Some weirdos really do smile like that in real life.

When he was gone, I was able to breathe normally again. I had the room to myself which felt great. I started jogging after work since the days were getting longer and warmer. With spring on the way, I really wanted to move to Canmore. I got to see it a couple of times when taking a staff shuttle on my day off and I loved its smalltown charm with every building looking like a cabin or cottage.

As beautiful as Kananaskis was, I realized I had received everything I needed from the little haven of mountains, rivers, and evergreens. One early morning, I took a cab from the lodge and went to Canmore, Alberta, which was about an hour away. Canmore was a small mountain town nestled in the mountains and there were a lot more things to do. It was a place I could see spending my summer with there being more cafes, safer trails, and restaurants. It would give me the nature I craved with a little more convenience.

It’s something else living in the middle of an adventure where you’re surrounded by natural beauty everywhere. Early in the morning, I took a cab from the lodge into Canmore. The drive from Kananaskis to Canmore was a gorgeous one.

While the little town was more up to my speed, I will never forget how amazing that first month in Kananaskis felt. It was the first place I lived in my journey out west. It was like being in a waking dream and my writing blossomed there. My parents even commented that one month spent there resulted in a new book already. They could see how much I was enjoying myself despite a few challenges. Nature and freedom do wonders for the inspiration.

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The song below captures the dreamy, dramatic energy of being in the mountains for the first time — and the realization that this is now your own journey.

Would you like to read my entire travel story? You can check out my memoir on Amazon!