in sickness and in health

"But I want to go for a hike," I insisted through a sniff, a cough and a sneeze.

"O'kay," Mountain Dad acquiesced, "I feel tired," he added as an after thought.

But this, dagnammit, was one of the few occasions we both had a few hours free to go and do one of those activities that make life in the Yukon so wonderful. Since being back we've not been crazy busy, but we've been focused. Recreation has taken a backseat to working inclinations. I feel like I haven't had a chance to savour any of those Yukon activities that make living here rich.

And so, despite being a collective of sickness and snot, we ventured forth on a hike around Schwatka Lake just by our house. An entirely ambitious idea for any regular afternoon, a tad ludicrous considering the state of health we were all in. Not only is the walk long but it tracks along an hundred year old tramway that was washed out by landslides eons ago. We had the Little Ladie out of her chariot so that one parental could struggle to keep it from careening into the swift flowing river and the other could carry her, clinging with the free hand to any foliage that struggled for life on the sandy cliff-side. A slight exaggeration maybe but it had my heart pounding nonetheless. A local trail guide suggests you allow 4 - 5 hours for the 15km loop. Should have read that before departure.

We limped back into the house at 8pm, late for dinner, bed-time routines, any notion of relaxing the evening away.

"But we had some good family time," I enthused from my  flat-out-simply-can't-move position on the floor, "it's been so long since we've done something like that."

"But Camille," Mountain Dad replied, "we've just come from five months of only doing things like that."

Oh yes, so we have. Why do holidays so quickly feel so far away?