Leaving Paradise…

Leaving our property is never easy. Especially when we have now twice had to leave via snowmobile with only essentials and the kindness of others.

It’s traumatic for anyone to have to be rescued, and certainly we have a unique perspective for those who have to evacuate for natural disasters or other calamities. It’s gut wrenching to leave behind the majority of your possessions and your home to whatever nature throws at it.

With the long term forecasts predicting colder temperatures than years previous, and more snowfall than even last year, we were not equipped for sustaining ourselves safely for the winter. Making the decision to leave now before it became an emergency was the most prudent, despite how upsetting it was for us both.

On Tuesday we were fortunate that due to a friend asking strangers for help to evacuate us, we were taken to Matheson by snowmobile and truck. Bare essentials, clothes, and vital electronics along the deeply snow covered road out of the woods.

Sandy sat in one of the sleighs behind a snowmobile with Remy on his lap, and I rode behind the second snowmobile operator towing two additional sleighs of all of our essentials.

Unlike the previous evacuation, it wasn’t a bone chilling -30c, but it wasn’t exactly warm either. Wind at -3c at speed is still cold and burns the skin ever so slightly. But I was at least able to appreciate some of the beauty of the snow on the trees and through the forest, where last time I had my eyes closed and was simply holding on for dear life.

When we made it to town, we had arranged to ‘hang out’ at the laundromat, as it is at least heated and has some space while we waited for our ride to arrive. Of course, while usually quiet, the laundromat was the busiest I think we’ve ever seen it. And poor Remy was just overwhelmed and over stimulated.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too long of a wait before Sandy’s Mom and brother arrived and we packed our belongings into the car and started the long drive to Toronto. We passed a few scary spots where there was heavy snowfall coming down, but eventually they dissipated as we got closer to the GTA.

Remy remained on high alert the whole trip, settling for a few minutes here and there, but quite overwhelmed with all the activities and the road. We believe it was probably his longest road trip ever, so quite an adventure for him.

It was after 10pm when we arrived in Toronto, and had a meal with family, unpacked the car and caught up on the days adventures. Remy was still on high alert even after we were all in bed, but he finally did get some sleep.

As I write this, we have been now been here for a full day, and this second morning, Remy is starting to adjust to the city noises and not bark at every sound he hears. It must be so over stimulating for him after the quiet of our forest.

While we are absolutely devastated to have had to leave our home, we are so fortunate and grateful for the warmth of this house and family here in Toronto. Being secure and safe and warm has taken a huge stress off of us. And while it’s not our forest, it is a luxury to be here.

In the coming days and weeks we will catch up with friends and family, and I will continue to work on this blog, some video editing, updating and polishing the website, as well as a few other small and large projects which we’ll reveal in the coming months.