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Phase 3: Eco Lodge

My summer in the wilderness has officially begun!

On Friday morning, I picked up a UHaul from North Vancouver, loaded up my bed and couch and some kitchen supplies from my storage locker and with my friends Arthur and Megan in convoy, headed north to Pemberton, British Columbia, the closest town to our new summer home.

Before I left the city, though, I collected my brother Andrew from the Seabus. Andrew had booked his visit from Toronto before it became apparent that this would moving weekend, but he gamely agreed to tag along with us anyway.

Thing is, Andrew has his own rhythm. He's a successful banker from the big city and he's all about experiences, and moving or not, nothing was going to prevent us from making the most of his time on the West Coast.

And boy, did we make the most of it.

In between moving stuff, we managed to hike about ten miles, to beautiful Nairn Falls and then up a mountain to the incredible Joffre Lakes, both of which are just a half hour or so from my new place.

Joffre was a beast; it's three lakes on an 8km round trip with a 500m elevation gain, and Andrew wanted to run it because he'd eaten a cookie at lunch.

So we hauled ass, and it was totally worth the exertion.

That night, we unloaded the UHaul at our new, beautiful, designer eco lodge, and Arthur and Megan and I enjoyed the first of many peaceful nights. I'm already dreading having to leave this wonderful home in October.

On Saturday, I had to drive back to Vancouver to return the UHaul, a distance of a little more than 100 miles over mountain ranges and along seaside cliffs. It's a spectacular, if somewhat long, commute, and I'd do it three times on the weekend.

But Andrew and I made the most of that, too. We hung out in Whistler during the day, enjoying poolside lunch at the Hilton before riding the gondola up to the summit and hiking around in the snow.

That set us up for a lovely evening drive along the coast, a trendy and sumptuous dinner and sunset by the beach; essentially the best of BC in about five hours.

Also shouts to the illustrious Sassy May for coming through with accommodations when our hotel plans fell through!

Sunday, I saw Andrew off at the airport. It had been a whirlwind trip, but I'm so glad I got to spend time with him, and I think the beauty of the new house might have convinced him to come back again for a visit in August.

After the airport, I hit Ikea for some cheap supplies, then picked up Lucy from Sassy May's expert care, and we drove north again in cold and rain to Pemberton.

After a quick stop in Pemby for some groceries, Lucy and I made it back to the eco lodge for good in the evening, and Lucy set about exploring the property while I set about making pad Thai for the gang.

The food turned out, Lucy is falling in love with the place, and I've just about finished unpacking and setting up the house. Today I woke up with birds chirping and a view of the misty mountains, and it felt just awesome.

I'm so excited to spend the summer here. It's going to be a great place for creativity and contemplation.

And who knows, maybe come October Lucy and I will decide to stay longer...

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