The beginning
I started coming up to Prince George from Vancouver about seven years ago. I visited twice and I was hooked, so I made plans to leave Vancouver and move myself and my son up north. Something felt wild yet calm, freeing and kind about Prince George and its community and I knew I was ready to make the move from Vancouver.
The first few years were definitely hard. I knew no one except the person I moved up for and I felt lonely missing my friends and family. My first winter! Wooza, I had heard about the -25 days but until my first day experiencing it, I could never have imagined how cold that temperature would actually feel. I will always remember the first time I filled up gas in that temperature and as my hands were burning I thought “Why did I move here again?” I feel like a lot of people who move here or anywhere away from their home town has thoughts like this. Thankfully I learned how to dress properly for these winters and I now enjoy spending time outdoors all winter, even at -25
So yes there are cold days but there is so much more that made me fall in love with this place. The miles and miles of back roads to explore, campfires in the backyard, so many lakes and camping spots at which to spend quality family time. Soon visiting Vancouver only gave me feelings of wanting to rush home to PG, back to kind people, quicker commutes, and big open spaces.
Growing roots
One of the first experiences that really made me feel at home here was taking a Group Fitness Instructor certification at the YMCA. I discovered a new passion, made great friends, and this course developed into what would be my career and community of people for years to come.
The YMCA is such a wonderful addition to Prince George; they support the community, provide lots of fitness and wellness actives and child care programs, and it’s run by the kindest staff and instructors.
I finally found my groove, my life, my happiness here in Prince George. Along with teaching group fitness and working, I started to venture out into the backcountry exploring all of our trails, mountains, and lakes. Hiking was a huge part of my life on the coast and it was something I had been yearning to get back into ever since I moved up. Raven Lake, Fang Mountain, Driscoll Ridge, the list goes on and on. We are so incredibly lucky to live near such epic trails and have them pretty much all to yourself when hiking.
The family time adventures were also just as awesome. My son loves camping at rec sites down the Black Water, we paddle around West Lake, hike Teapot Mountain, snowshoe out at Goodsir Nature Park, and pull my pop up camper to Salmon Valley Campground. Just a short drive away, we love to follow the old gold rush route to the historic town of Wells and Barkerville; it’s a family favourite place to visit. On your way through Wells make sure to stop in at The frog on the bog and say hi to Dave & Cheryl. They know everything there is to know about adventuring around those parts and have lots of unique gifts in their shop. Also in Wells is their neighbor, The Jack O` Clubs Pub, make sure to pop in for a delicious burger and fantastic customer service. We LOVE life up here in the North!
Living for right now
This has been a challenging year for most people, and even though we are looking forward to life getting back to normal, we are grateful to be riding out this challenging time in PG. Supportive community, access to endless parks and trails, and amazing friends whom we now call family. There is something incredibly special about Prince George and now that I work within the Tourism industry here, I look forward to showing off our beautiful city to all of BC and beyond.
