Until last Sunday, Aug. 2, I\u2019d never seriously considered packing spare food, cash, fuel or a satellite phone on road trips.<\/p>\n
That changed after I found myself among nearly 18,000 East Kootenay residents living between Golden and Canal Flats who had lost power due to wildfire-related damage to BC Hydro\u2019s transmission systems.<\/p>\n
I set out the day before for Radium Hot Springs to explore Kootenay National Park. I\u2019d never been south of Golden, making the experience full of excitement and the unfamiliar.<\/p>\n
I filled up the vehicle with gas in Golden before stopping at Radium\u2019s visitor centre for hike recommendations. All that came up were limited mountain views due to smoke from the fire. The nearest wildfires I knew of were 150 kilometres away near Kimberley \u2014 surely not of concern.<\/p>\n
After returning from the park that evening, I went to a local restaurant and had just placed my dinner order when the power went \u2014 twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the fires,\u201d the bartender told me.<\/p>\n
Eating my fish, chips and Caesar salad in the dark, I checked BC Hydro\u2019s power outage map. Nothing was posted for Radium.<\/p>\n
In Revelstoke, I\u2019d learned outages weren\u2019t uncommon but usually resolved themselves overnight. I figured as much for Radium. The restaurant couldn\u2019t charge customers on its card machine, so I happily used most of my cash to settle up.<\/p>\n
I woke up at dawn Sunday after a rocky sleep in my Subaru, excited for a coffee and another hike. The caf\u00e9s didn\u2019t open. Had their schedules changed? No, one owner told me \u2014 the power was still out.<\/p>\n
I tried to check my phone for BC Hydro updates, but most of Radium was a dead zone for my provider. I considered my inventory: no breakfast or coffee, but enough water and more than half a tank of gas. I headed back into the park for the morning.<\/p>\n
What food I did have left \u2014 lemon loaf, veggies, apple and trail mix \u2014 I\u2019d consumed by noon during my hike. Driving along Highway 93 back to Radium, I saw long bursts of traffic heading the other way for Banff.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the hurry in the middle of the long weekend?\u201d I wondered.<\/p>\n
I was excited to finally get that coffee and lunch back at one of the Radium caf\u00e9s. However, they remained closed. The more I paid attention to my surroundings, the more I realized everything was closed, including the gas stations. The brewery, ice cream shop and a convenience store were the only businesses visibly open.<\/p>\n
I used the rest of my cash in my wallet to buy snacks from the slim pickings on the gas station shelves: granola bars, Fresca and Snickers, because \u201cyou\u2019re not you when you\u2019re hungry.\u201d Around me, families were setting up camping chairs and sleeping arrangements. One poor fellow, bogged down without enough gas to leave the region, graciously filled me in on the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all good, I\u2019ll just go to Golden,\u201d I shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cGolden doesn\u2019t have power either,\u201d he quickly answered. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure the closest gas stations available are in Banff and Lake Louise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze. That\u2019s why everyone was taking Highway 93 to Alberta. I hadn\u2019t considered leaving enough gas to make it farther than Golden. I was quickly paying the price for my naivet\u00e9. If I\u2019d known sooner that the outage was impacting half the Columbia Valley, I may have reconsidered burning fuel for my Sunday hike. I may have altogether chosen to turn back for Revelstoke first thing that day, with the food and fuel I\u2019d still had.<\/p>\n
I devoured granola bars and contemplated my fuel gauge. I had plenty of gas to drive 100 km to Golden, but getting another 150 km to Revelstoke was a stretch. I needed to leave Radium to have phone service and be able to contact my family and friends.<\/p>\n
I watched my gauge painstakingly closely. I drove 20 km\/h under the posted limit to get as much distance from each litre.<\/p>\n
After rolling into Golden, I contacted my parents and explained I was left with a quarter tank of gas. My mother concluded I couldn\u2019t safely reach Revelstoke. Stay the night and beg the hotels and guesthouses for a bed, she suggested. With no cash left or card-accepting businesses open for me to buy food, though, I dismissed the option to stay.<\/p>\n