Accident in Paradise

WHEN WINTER KNOCKS AND SHOWS A GENTLER SIDE, IT'S TIME TO TRAVEL - BUT THE NEWS PREVAILS SADNESS ONCE AGAIN

MUSKOKA AS WALDEN

WE ENJOYED A RATHER MERRY TIME, YESTERDAY, TRAVELING ALONG THE WINDING, UPS AND DOWNS OF THE SUNNY TRAILS, THROUGH THE DIAMOND SNOWSCAPE OF SOUTH MUSKOKA. WE WERE SORRY TO HEAR, OVER THE RADIO, NEWS OF THE TRAGIC SNOWMOBILE ACCIDENT, NEAR MILFORD BAY.

LOOKING OUT OVER THE SUN-DRENCHED LANDSCAPE, PAINTING IN SUCH DRAMATIC LIGHT AND SHADOW, DOWN ACROSS THE FARM PASTURES, SPARKLING THROUGH THE OVERHEAD BOUGHS OF OLD MAPLES, IT SEEMS SO IMPOSSIBLE ANYTHING BAD COULD HAPPEN ON SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY. BUT IT HAS. DREADFULLY SO.

I'M NO LONGER A NEWS-CHASING REPORTER. I AM THANKFUL FOR THAT REALITY. I COULDN'T FACE THIS TRAGEDY, STARING THROUGH A CAMERA LENS AT SOMEONE ELSE'S MISERY. I DID THAT, AND HATED EVERY MOMENT. WHEN I LEFT THE NEWS PROFESSION, I TUCKED MY CAMERA BACK IN THE BAG, STUFFED AWAY THOSE WEATHER-WORN NOTEPADS, AND SET THE CASE ASIDE FOR WHAT NOW REPRESENTS MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS. AND YET I STILL THINK IT IS BEHIND THE SEAT IN THE VAN, AND THAT I SHOULD PUT MY HAND ON IT, JUST NOW, WHILE TRAVELING TO THE SCENE OF YET ANOTHER ACCIDENT……TO GET PREPARED FOR THE CARNAGE AHEAD. SUZANNE WATCHES MY REACTIONS. WHEN I TOLD HER I WAS LEAVING THE NEWS PROFESSION, SHE NEVER SAID A WORD. NEVER HAS. SHE KNEW I WOULD HAVE THIS ONGOING DEBATE WITH CONSCIENCE, AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO PLAY OUT ON ITS OWN. THERE WAS NOTHING SHE COULD DO. SHE CERTAINLY COULDN'T ERASE WHAT I WAS FORCED, BY EMPLOYMENT, TO SEE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.

WE CARRIED-ON DOWN THIS ROAD, AND TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF SIMILARLY TRAGIC EVENTS, IN THE PAST, CLAIMING LIVES ON THESE LIGHTLY TRAVELLED ROADS, AND CROSS COUNTRY TRAILS. AS A REPORTER I'D BEEN FORCED TO CONTEND WITH BREAKING NEWS EVENTS, AND FREQUENTLY THOSE IN THE PRINT MEDIA, WERE ALSO ASKED TO DO WHAT WE CALLED "VOICERS" FOR RADIO AND TELEVISION NEWS PROGRAMS. WE ALL HATED THAT GIG, EVEN THOUGH WE GOT A FEW EXTRA BUCKS FOR OUR TROUBLE. REPORTING ON TRAGEDY WAS NEVER SOMETHING I WANTED TO NOTCH, IN ORDER TO GET A PAY CHEQUE AT THE END OF THE WEEK. I WONDERED WHO WOULD BE OUT THERE, THIS AFTERNOON, STANDING ON THAT COLD ABUTTING PASTURE….I KNOW WELL, ASSESSING THE ACCIDENT SCENE, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW RECREATION COULD TURN DEADLY IN ONLY A SPLIT SECOND.

SUZANNE KNOWS WHEN I START CLENCHING MY JAW, AND GRABBING THE STEERING WHEEL AS A TRANSFERENCE OF EMOTION, FROM DRIVER TO MACHINE, AND I'M SURE SHE APPRECIATES THE KIND OF SCENES I HAD TO COVER…..SOMETIMES ONLY MINUTES FROM COVERING A 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, OR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW PROVINCIAL OR FEDERAL GRANT, TO HELP PURCHASE NEW HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT; OR BRAND NEW EMERGENCY RESCUE EQUIPMENT, FOR ONE OF THE LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS. A PHONE CALL CHANGED IT ALL. IT'S WHY I DON'T LIKE ANSWERING THE PHONE AT HOME. THERE WAS A LOT OF BAD NEWS THAT CAME OVER THAT LAND-LINE, I HATED TO HEAR. THIS NEWS WAS ONE OF THOSE REMINDERS, OF HOW AN OUTLOOK CAN CHANGE SO QUICKLY. THE THOUGHT OF US ENJOYING THIS INCREDIBLY GLOWING WINTER DAY, DURING A MODESTLY COLD FEBRUARY, AND TRAVELING WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD….TO NOWHERE, NO PLACE IN PARTICULAR; TO THEN ADJUST TO THAT NEW REALITY PREVAILING UPON OUR DISTRICT. AS HARD AS I MIGHT TRY, I CAN NEVER GET TOO DISTANT, OR MINDFULLY REMOVED, FROM THOSE DAYS WHEN IT WAS MY FOOTFALL ON PATHS LIKE THIS, HUDDLING WITH OTHER REPORTERS, TALKING WITH EMERGENCY PERSONNEL, WITNESSES, IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE SOME SENSE OF MISADVENTURE, WHEN AT THE VERY BEST, IT WOULD READ WITH THE SAME SADNESS AS ANY OBITUARY, AND "IN MEMORIUM." NO MATTER HOW COMPETENT WE REPORTERS WERE, AT WORDSMITHING THE STORY, IT WAS GOING TO BE A MISERY TO WRITE. AS MUCH AS WE MIGHT FEEL IT IMPORTANT, FOR OUR CAREERS, TO COVER BREAKING NEWS, NO MATTER WHAT THE EXTENT, OR DIMENSION OF THE EVENT, WHEN IT CAME TO APPLYING OUR EMOTIONS TO THE TASK, FINGERS UPON THE KEYBOARD, TRUTHFULLY, WE'D RATHER HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE, THAN REPORTING ON A TRAGEDY.

I COULD LOOK THROUGH THE CATHEDRAL MAPLES, AND EVERGREEN MIX, ON A SLOW MOTOR-TRIP NORTH ON MUSKOKA BEACH ROAD, AND THINK ABOUT THE SAP PAILS THAT WILL SOON BE OUT, AND THE CONSTANT, WONDERFUL DRIP OF THE SAP…..IN PREPARATION FOR THE FIRING UP OF STOVES, IN THE SUGAR SHACKS ACROSS MUSKOKA. I CAN ALMOST TASTE THE WOODSMOKE AND BOILING SAP, JUST LOOKING THROUGH THIS GLORIOUSLY APPOINTED, WINTER LANDSCAPE, SPARKLING FROM THE OVERHEAD SUN. IT WAS AS IF, I COULD HAVE GOT OUT OF THE CAR, AND TAKEN A FEW STEPS DOWN THE VALLEY, AND OPENED THE OLD WOOD DOOR, ON ONE OF THOSE SHACKS, AND BREATHED-IN DEEPLY, THE VAPOR OF THICKENING SYRUP……AS I KNOW WELL, THERE IS A SUGAR SHACK IN ONE OF THESE HOLLOWS OF TOPOGRAPHY, IN THE MAPLE GROVE, THAT BELONGS TO AN ACQUAINTANCE. I JUST DON'T KNOW ITS PRECISE LOCATION. I'VE BEEN INVITED THERE, BUT NEVER ACTUALLY FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH A VISIT. MAYBE THIS YEAR. I SUPPOSE SUZANNE KNOWS OF MY DAYDREAM, AND REMINDS ME TO WATCH THE ROAD, AS THERE HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLE ICE BUILT-UP AROUND THE CORNERS. IT IS EASY TO BE DISTRACTED BY THIS EMBRACE OF THE HINTERLAND. IN THE CASE OF THE DAILY NEWS, IT IS A SHORT-LIVED RESPITE OF GENTLY IMPOSING IMAGINATION, UNTIL THE MUSIC BEGINS AGAIN.

WE ARRIVED HOME CONTENTED, AS USUAL, AND PLAN A SIMILAR MOTOR TRIP TODAY, IF THE WEATHER HOLDS. IN MY YOUTH, I THOUGHT NOTHING OF HEADING OUT IN A STORM, TRAVELLING OFTEN IN NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS, ON THE WEEKLY RUNS TO TORONTO…… TO HONOR COMMITMENTS. I WAS LUCKY TO SURVIVE. ALL WHO TRAVELLED WITH ME, ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE SURVIVED. IT WAS A GAME OF CHANCE, EACH TIME WE DEFIED NATURE, JUST TO SAY WE HAD WHIPPED THROUGH YET ANOTHER BLIZZARD. I AM MUCH TOO CAUTIOUS TODAY, TO EVEN TRAVEL BETWEEN SOUTH MUSKOKA TOWNS, LET ALONE HEAD OUT ONTO THE MAIN HIGHWAY ARTERY NORTH AND SOUTH. I'VE SEEN TOO MUCH BREAKING NEWS TO BE ANY OTHER WAY.

THIS MORNING IS FULL OF PROMISE. A CALM, CHILLY DAY, WITH JUST A TRACE OF SNOW IN THE AIR. THE ROADS HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND SANDED, AND IT APPEARS CONDITIONS ARE ADEQUATE FOR A WEE OUTING. SUZANNE PLANS TO BRING SOME CD'S FOR THE CAR STEREO….SUCH THAT WE MIGHT SHUT OFF THE NEWS OF THE DAY…..FOR AWHILE AT LEAST. SHE WILL KNIT AND SING ALONG WITH HER IRISH ROVERS CD, AND I WILL THRIVE AGAIN, ON THE ALLURE OF TRAVEL THROUGH THIS AMAZING WINTER LANDSCAPE, AND BE THANKFUL FOR OUR WELL BEING.

HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY YOURSELF. PLEASE!