Fall in Northern British Columbia: Warm days, amber leaves and Pumpkin Spiced Lattes

Winter has arrived very suddenly here in Prince George. Over the past couple of days the fact that it’s been an unusually abrupt end to Fall has been confirmed by hearing disgruntled locals despair over ‘still having their summers on’. Meaning that they have been caught out by the early snow fall and had not changed yet their summer car tires for their winter ones.

I was not prepared for Fall to end over night when we woke up to a huge snow dump last Friday (16th October). Now, I’m suddenly realising what we’ve lost – see photographs – and starting to understand why people really go in for celebrating Fall here. Not only do people come together for Canadian Thanks Giving, traditionally a moment of showing gratitude for the abundant harvest. A tradition which has long since got into decline in England. They also decorate their front doors with Fall Wreaths, the city hosted a Downtown ‘Fallfest’ and quite frankly you can’t move for Pumpkin Spiced Lattes.

Now the snow is here I’m starting to see why they celebrate the turn of this season with so much more vigor than we do in Europe. Tempting as it is to assume that it’s just another old tradition that’s been commercialised, I think there is more to it than that. Firstly, Fall is a far more distinct season here than it is in the part of Europe I’m from. Secondly, winter here is hard, it can come suddenly and it lasts a long time.

Winter is hard in a way that it hasn’t been for a hundred or so years in England (which would perhaps also explain why the tradition of celebrating the harvest died out). It can also arrive suddenly (at least it has this year!). In southern England it’s often the case that you slip from an over cast and rainy end of Summer to an over cast and rainy Winter. Not so here. The differences between seasons are stark. A few weeks ago we had temperatures you could sunbath in, now I’m shivering.

Those last warm days and longer evenings. A wander through a path lined with trees that are shedding a waterfall of vibrant leaves down upon you. Pulling up the final veggies before saying goodbye to the sight of earth and grass for months. These are things to be savoured and celebrated. When you are transitioning into a completely different way of life (as they still do here in Prince George at the end of Fall) you can see why they stop, pop a wreath on the door and show appreciation for the harvest which will see them threw a long, cold winter.

Right I’m off to get a yet another Pumpkin Spiced Latte before they replace it with the Christmas flavors. Eggnog? Belgh.