Some things happen for a reason! No plane tickets purchased, no accommodations reserved, no attractions planned… we were head-over-heals into March as though slipping on ice with really nothing organized over the vacation, the first time in a dozen years! I was a little frustrated that I hadn’t taken the necessary time and energy to create a “worthy” getaway for our prized 9 days away from school. Hmph!
I guess no one in my circle of friends would / could have predicted how quickly the global health landscape was to change. The Covid19 Pandemic invasion slammed into the right flank of this year’s peak travel weekend in NS. Indeed, if we had planned I think we still could have departed, but at real risk to ourselves and others. This was to be a time at home, isolated from others, and terms like “social distancing”, “self-isolation” and “quarantine” emerged in the common vernacular!
So what to do when “social distancing” is the remedy… prescribe some time at Smelt Lake! Janie and I spent the bulk of the break, from Monday through Sunday, at the camp with just one trek out for provisions. Made for an interesting experiment. Thoughts of what it might be like living “off-grid”, what could be done to be more self-reliant in regards to necessities, and how working from the camp “might” be possible! At no time, over the seven days there, did we see another person.
Using the tools we have and supplies we lugged through the woods we tackled some jobs, including a solar fix for the propane fridge, cleaning up several nearby windfalls, and tackling a drainage issue (for this year’s proposed extension project). It’s an earlier start at the camp than I ever could have anticipated. In fact, I’ve accumulated a weeks worth of nights where I would have had none in any year prior. Thankful for the new wood stove which has made all this possible.
So, we watched the nature that surrounded us, prepared for weather conditions, planned & cooked some excellent meals on the wood stove, pondered snow & hiking concerns, theorized about the process of melting & lake ice and invited the return of bird life. As the week went on, the senses got keener, overhead planes seemed loud, and the songbirds and Grey Jays became accustomed to our presence. We anxiously await the breaking of ice and the easy access of spring.
It was a wonderful week of learning and, in the end, we were reminded that a “big” vacation doesn’t have to be via a plane, train or automobile, but can be in one’s backyard. I’m not sure we’d trade this one (that cost us $20.00 in fuel) for some of the others! Stay safe all… we’ll see you on the other side of this!