Octobers in Fernie

cover image by Kevin Wilkie, www.68photography.com

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
~ L.M. Montgomery

Our busiest seasons, winter and summer, seem to set off at a leisurely pace. Gear from the season prior remains in the mud room as the first snow flakes fall or grass is exposed. We venture out, poking and probing the field – where is the snow deep enough? Which trails are ride-able and how far?

When at last the hill opens or the trails clear, often the weather doesn’t cooperate. Heading to the gym or venturing to the south country takes our minds off the frustration momentarily, focusing on the promise of pow days or dry trails. By what may be considered early season, January or July, events begin to pop up, drawing visitors to town and to the mountains. The season takes shape, and the weather tends to follow. The following months (or month if discussing Fernie summers) are only busier, and by the time we reach March or September, we anticipate it slowing down yet it feels as though the gas pedal is stuck at full throttle!

This is why I love October. While September is a “golden” month in my eyes – still warm and bustling with activity, I find it exhausting as somehow it has become the busiest month of the season... maybe even the year. I need not list the events, if you were here you know full well the colourful spectrum. By October I feel ready for a slow pace. To be reacquainted with our small town and friends we haven’t seen in a while. To cook more and pick up knitting again. To enjoy the last colourful, sunny days of the year and prepare for the next season, sure to be fast upon us.

Octobers, like Mays, are our transition months – easing us into the next season and helping us to rebuild our stores. Enjoy the leisurely pace, because if we’re going off the last two winters we are in for another busy ride.