Thanksgiving in the Yukon
Climbing the snowy rocks at Mount White.
Thanksgiving has always been my favourite holiday. Our tradition started long before I was born, as my parents and three other couples used the long weekend to connect after graduating from university. Though we are not blood relatives, we call this group our “chosen family” and I look forward to connecting with each one of them every year.
This year, our reunion brought us to Whitehorse, Yukon, where my sister and her husband hosted 16 of us from their home. Every morning we woke up and stepped outside, admiring the mountainous surroundings that they call their backyard. As a city girl, the expansive views had me in awe again and again.
Mountain peaking through the clouds.
I traded in my pavement-pounding runners for cleated trail shoes, as we spent almost every afternoon exploring a new path or climbing a different mountain. Wilderness as far as the eye can see, completely unobstructed by power lines or cell phone towers. I can see why they moved here 7 years ago.
Running up the sand dune at Carcross Dessert.
Now that we are grown up and scattered across the country, I find that I miss my sisters more and more. No matter the distance, we are best friends at our deepest foundation and every time we see each other it is as if nothing has changed. I wish I could be a part of every milestone, but our lives are happening every day. I am amazed at how much my niece and nephew grow between every visit, both physically and mentally. Their little personalities show through more and more.
As we parted ways, the topic of our next family reunion came up. Where to next?
The suspension bridge traversing the Yukon River at Miles Canyon.
““The family is our refuge and our springboard; nourished on it, we can advance to new horizons. In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.””