It’s finally starting to feel like summer.
And I don’t just mean because there are more tourists in town or the lineups at the grocery stores are getting a little longer. I mean we’ve finally strung together several days of sunshine in the forecast.
After a wet start to summer, it’s exactly what we’ve all been waiting for. But if you’ve lived in Golden long, you also know that summer comes with a certain unpredictability. Blue skies don’t always stay blue. I think we sometimes forget just how quickly the tables can turn on what feels like a perfect summer.
A few summers ago, my husband and I rented out an Airbnb in our home. Guests travelled from all over the world to experience the Canadian Rockies—many of them on what was truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip. From our place, you could normally see Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and the surrounding peaks. Except that summer… you couldn’t. The mountains disappeared behind a blanket of hazy smoke.
I remember telling guests, “I promise they’re there,” feeling a little guilty that the scenery I’d grown up with was hidden from people who had travelled thousands of kilometres to see it.
Even if Golden avoids major wildfires this summer—and let’s all collectively knock on wood—that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll avoid smoke. Last week was a perfect example. We woke up to blue skies and sunshine, only to watch the mountains slowly fade into a haze by lunchtime as smoke drifted in from fires burning in another province.
Heat waves and wildfire risk have become regular parts of our summer vocabulary. We celebrate the sunshine, while quietly hoping it doesn’t last too long without a little rain. It’s an odd balancing act.
These changing conditions are also a good reminder to look out for one another. Extreme heat and poor air quality affect everyone differently, especially older adults, young children, and those with underlying health conditions. Sometimes something as simple as checking in on a neighbour or offering to run an errand can make a bigger difference than we realize.
So while these beautiful summer days are here, enjoy them.
Have a backyard barbecue. Float the river. Go for that evening bike ride. Sit on a patio. Watch the sunset. Go camping. Have a bonfire too—after checking the current fire restrictions, of course.
We spend so much of the year looking forward to summer that it’s easy to tell ourselves, “I’ll do that another day”, but another day can look very different. Smoke can roll in, the weather can change, or life can simply get busy.
Because in a mountain town, one thing is certain: tomorrow’s forecast isn’t guaranteed. So while the sun is shining and the mountains are clear, soak it all in.
