Spring in Whistler is a season of change and renewal. It’s a time of multi-sport days, sunny strolls and après celebrations. Spring in the mountains holds a special place in the heart of locals, so we asked local author, Katherine Fawcett to tell us what it’s like to experience spring in Whistler.
Spring Forward
by Katherine Fawcett
Spring.
It’s the reason we unfurl and uncurl.
The waking-up season.
The blossoming world.
Feel the breeze on your cheeks from high alpine creeks.
The sun, between tall, ancient cedars peaks.
Spring, starting now.
Under toque, under mittens.
From the den of a bear cub.
From a lynx and her kittens.
It’s the splash of a paddle, the gears of a bike, the swing of a golf club, a riverside-side hike.
Roll up your pant legs.
Take off your boots.
Walk in the forest, upon the wet roots.
Spring. It’s your chance.
It’s a bright morning sky, when thousands of birdsong bid lake-ice ‘goodbye.’
The season may still have a snowfall left in it, but the hummingbird’s wings beat four thousand per minute.
From robin to swan to the blue-tufted Jay, Spring, she is here — but ah, she won’t stay.
Spring. Bring it on.
Get up, out, and play.
Oh, the bears feel the warmth in their DNA.
It’s a seasonal wake-up call.
Shake-up call.
Dandelions all.
Stand up tall.
This meandering day, long as a river, giddy as clover,
Sunrise. Blues skies.
An alpenglow lover.
Spring. Breathe it in.
As the mountains exhale and the daylight extends on a lush, marshy trail amidst horsetail, crocus
and delicate ferns.
Laze, or ablaze, it’s what your heart yearns.
Choose your pace, take up space, be it slow, be it fast, the hours stretch out, for a day unsurpassed.
About the Author
Katherine Fawcett is a Squamish-based author, playwright and tree-hugger. She is a graduate of the University of Calgary and the Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio.
Her first short story collection, The Little Washer of Sorrows, (Thistledown Press, 2015) was a finalist for the ReLit Award and the Sunburst Award for Canadian Fiction of the Fantastical. The Swan Suit, (Douglas & McIntrye, 2020) was released the same day Covid was declared a global pandemic. Katherine has also contributed to literary publications across Canada including Event Magazine, Geist, subTerrain, Other Voices, Freefall and Grain.
When she isn’t working with words, Katherine teaches music in Squamish and Whistler.
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