Adventure
Mount Aspiring
The Last Island: New Zealand Skis Alone
March 2020
A storm rolled out of the east; it spread west across the land and slunk east across the seas—a viral storm unique. Whispers of its destructive power amplified into alarms that rang across the globe. I abandoned my post in Pemberton, BC and fled for my shaky island fortress in the south. Back to Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud—New Zealand.
The border slammed shut behind me. The days drifted into weeks as the storm blew around the world. Doubt swirled inside, an internal upheaval at odds with my serene surroundings. Even the Pacific Ocean was stilled, a mirror for the raging storm that began to buffet our shores. The pandemic was everywhere. And now it was here…