It has become a bit of a tradition now for the family to meet (somewhere in Western Canada) for what we’ve fondly dubbed “Septembermas"—a Fall familial gathering in lieu of braving the holiday chaos to convene in December. This year, Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta was our chosen destination.

In late September 2021, with my parents visiting and after being cooped up in pandemic lockdown for too many months, I was eager to stretch my legs and spend a weekend in Algonquin Provincial Park for a bit of hiking and, well, “leaf peeping”. A rather ridiculous and bizarrely suggestive term for the lovely activity of enjoying fall foliage. Despite living in Ontario for 5 years, I had never been up to Algonquin.

Over the past several years, I’ve had superstitions around visiting Québec, as I’ve come to associate it with a string of romantic bad luck. It was the last trip my ex-husband and I took before we separated; it was the trip I was planning with an ex as we split up; even had an ex who lives in Montreal, where we’d talked about our exploring the city together. So when it came time to deciding where I wanted to spend my winter holidays and work remotely for the first weeks of 2023, I thought it high time that Québec and I buried the ol’ hatchet.

At the beginning of 2022, after going through one of the longest lockdowns (in the world) during the pandemic, I was eager to stretch my legs and escape the city. My friend Dave was similarly itching to get away, and so we hatched a plan to pack up our dogs and drive somewhere to spend the rest of the winter. We originally toyed with going all the way out to the West Coast, but timing and logistics made that difficult, so we settled on heading out to Atlantic Canada.

After my 2-day sojourn on the eastern coast of Newfoundland, I flew to Gander and rented a car to make the 3.5-hour drive west. I spent one night in Corner Brook, but for the majority of my time, I was based in the small town of Rocky Harbour. In addition to my big hiking day at Western Brook Pond, I was eager to explore the other trails and sights that Gros Morne National Park and the surrounding area had to offer.

The entire impetus for my trip to Newfoundland started with Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park, and ultimately that insane view looking down into the gorge. I knew I wanted to experience that for myself and set about finding out how to make that happen. It turns out that the only way to get there is to book a guided hike, which will run you about $300 CAD. This includes the boat ride across the “pond” and taking you up the backcountry trail to the ridge overlooking the gorge.

As someone who craves travel, with all its trip planning and adventures in discovering new places, being grounded for the last 18 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult, to say the least. With all the uncertainty surrounding the new variants and rising case counts, I had pretty much written off any chance of a real vacation in 2021. But it’s been a long year, personally and professionally, and I was in need of a break to just get away and decompress.

I certainly lucked out on the weather on this hike, as I awoke bright and early the next day to clear, blue skies. I fueled up with a hot breakfast (eggs, bacon, muffins, the works) and packed a ham and cheese sandwich, Rice Krispies square, and a juice box in an adorable brown paper bag. My legs were feeling the wear from the previous day’s exertions, but I determinedly strapped on my pack, armed myself with poles, and set off on the remaining 25 km of the Skyline Trail.

Over the last few years, I’ve challenged myself to a big solo hike when I travel. I’m not sure as to the genesis of this desire. Perhaps it was my own way of testing my limits—how far I could push myself—or a way of reminding myself that I am a strong, independent woman. Last year, it was the W-Trek in Chile and before that it was Schiehallion in Scotland. When I decided to visit Banff and Jasper, I knew there had to be an epic hike that would fit the bill: Enter Skyline Trail, with its 46 km and sweeping mountain views.

My idea to return home from Vancouver to Toronto via train was largely prompted by a desire to see Canada in the wintertime, to experience the country in what I think many would consider its most iconic state. "The Canadian" is a bit of an institution in Canada, having operated since 1955—it’s even featured on the 10 dollar bill! I also liked the idea of ringing in the New Year on a train, with fellow travellers and kindred spirits, in many ways. My journey was scheduled to leave the evening of December 29th and arrive the morning of January 2nd.

I feel like we have had the opportunity to eat and drink at some wonderful establishments and the good fortune of seeing some amazing things here. However, this is the third-largest city in the US, and as such, there is a wealth of unexplored territory. We've started creating a Chicago bucket list filled with all the things we'd like to see and do and eat, either for the first time or re-visited, before we leave.

It was with a bit of a heavy heart that we awoke, as we knew it was our last day of our vacation in Québec. We had a fairly modest day planned and spent the morning packing our bags, doing laundry and tidying up the apartment. I’d made reservations for a noon brunch at Le Clocher Penché, which was reputed to be one of the best places to get brunch in town. It was located down in the Saint-Roch area of town, formerly a working-class industrial district that had recently been refurbished and spruced up with shops and fun new restaurants.