Forget resolutions—Jessica suggests dancing into 2025! A daily dance practice can help shake off the past, relieve stress, and bring joy.
Dancing Into The New Year: Nourish Your Authentic Self Read More »
Go green with Jessica Surber’s tips on sustainable decorating and gift-giving. From foraged materials to reusable wrapping.
Consider making eco-friendly decorations this year Read More »
Making It Through A Yukon Winter Can Be Rough. Here’s How To Cope. Making it through a Yukon winter can be rough. We all know
10 Tips For Surviving A Yukon Winter Read More »
Explore how global traditions honor the dead. Jessica Surber contrasts Western detachment with vibrant cultural celebrations.
Honouring The Dead Read More »
Jessica Surber shows how to brighten winter days with a personalized advent calendar. From handmade designs to thoughtful gifts
Make Your Own Advent Calendar Read More »
there are several very resilient plants that are here even when the north wind has blown off the autumn leaves and snow has begun to fall.
Fall and Winter Foraging Read More »
In 1963, a commercial artist from Worcester, Mass. named Harvey Ball created the iconic and now world-famous smiley face.
The Gift of a Smile Read More »
I was surprised to learn that many of the gorgeous hues we associate with autumn were actually always there; we just couldn’t see them.
A TALE OF TWO SEPTEMBERS Read More »
There are countless reasons I love it so much here: mountains, people, forest, quiet … but it’s the lakes that I feel connected to most.
A Lake Called Home Read More »
No matter how much I love autumn, with its stunning colours, brisk mornings and golden afternoons, there’s a sadness…
Saying Goodbye to Summer Read More »
What the Yukon lacks in fruit trees it makes up for with berries. Strawberries, saskatoons, haskaps, raspberries, currants, blueberries…
It’s easy to love the warm and sunny days of summer. After all, what’s not to like about ice cream in cones, short sleeves and
10 Reasons To Love The Rain Read More »
It’s a warm Yukon summer afternoon and thirty or more people are gathered outside of the Visitor Information Centre in Whitehorse.
A Walk Along The River Read More »
Children, like adults, want to feel useful and needed. It gives them a sense of belonging and purpose. Of course, including…
Getting Your Kids Outside Read More »
School is out, the snow is long gone and summer is finally here. Some of my favourite travel memories are from road trips that I went on…
Yukon Road Trip Essentials Read More »
Maybe it’s the upcoming summer solstice or new parenthood that has me pondering such things … I’m not really sure. As I’ve grown older…
Meditating On Time Read More »
The long days of June and July are wonderful for getting things done. Everything, even nature around us, feels like it’s going non-stop.
The days and weeks of spring are flying by and soon the tender green shoots and soft leaves of this season will be just a fading memory….
A Springtime Foraging Guide Read More »
I had my first pen pal before I could properly write a whole sentence. My family and I were moving thousands of miles away from the only…
The Lost Art of Letter Writing Read More »
Rowan Brown is currently finishing her third season as a tulip farmer in the Yukon. Yes, you read that correctly: Brown grows local…
The Boreal Florist Read More »
With April drawing to a close, the sounds of spring are in full force around us now. The migratory birds are back to fill the long daylight…
Welcoming The Return of the Bees Read More »
No matter how busy life gets, how chaotic your job is or how demanding parenthood becomes, there is one place you can still have a moment…
Six Things To Do On The Loo Read More »
With the spring equinox behind us and patches of dry grass re-emerging from under the snow, gardening season is getting closer…
Celebrating International Carrot Day Read More »
Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America are incredibly popular vacation destinations for Yukonners.
When Sandra Peña saw northern lights for the first time, it was a quiet moment of reflection for her about the creation of life.
Chasing Aurora With Sandra Peña Read More »
The darkest days of the winter months are behind us, and yet spring can still feel so far away some days. Whether you suffer from…
A Walk A Day Keeps The Blues (And So Much More) Away Read More »
So many New Year’s resolutions, fad diets and trendy health makeovers revolve around restriction and deprivation.
New Year, New Food, New You Read More »
These past several weeks life in the natural world has been slowing down. Plants have died back, deciduous trees have lost…
Winter’s Invitation To Turn Inward Read More »
As a young girl, I loved this time of year. There was something magical in the air, it seemed, as though anything (no matter how improbable)…
Holiday Traditions (and how to reconnect with the magic) Read More »
From Marcahuamachuco we continued heading south along the Andes, spending the night in Santiago de Chuco, the birthplace of César Vallejo…
Exploring Peru: Part 3 Read More »
December 11 was designated International Mountain Day by the United Nations General Assembly, in 2003, and has been observed…
The Mountains Are Calling … Read More »
Here in the Yukon we are so lucky to be surrounded by an incredible richness of heritage and historical places. Like all things inherited…
What Does Yukon Heritage Mean To You? Read More »
After following the hot and dry Peruvian coast north to Lambayeque, we turned east. In a single day we left the Pacific Ocean…
Exploring Peru: Part 2 Read More »
Since its launch in 1998, World Kindness Day has been celebrated around the world, each year, on November 13. Started by…
25 Ways To Add More Kindness To Your Life Read More »
A few years ago I was lucky enough to tag along on a road trip to the north of Peru. I say “lucky” because it was a once-in-a-lifetime…
Exploring Peru: Part 1 Read More »
Many would argue that the point of Halloween is to be scary. Blood and gore and gruesome things are turned into costumes…
A Less Scary Yukon Halloween Read More »
The buzz of summer is over, and the days are getting shorter. All of a sudden, it seems, we have so many extra hours of darkness to fill.
Jump-start Your Creativity This Fall Read More »
I fell in love with northern pike this summer. If you’ve ever seen a pike up close, you’re probably wondering how one could love…
A Love Letter To Pike Read More »
Sometimes we take the most precious things in our lives for granted: our health, our families, the air we breathe.
Gratitude For This Yukon Life Read More »
A few years ago, during the hot and dry days of an Andean August, I took a trip from the brown hills of Cusco…
Postcards from Peru—Madre de Dios Read More »
Summer has rapidly turned into fall and it’s only a matter of time before the first snowflakes drift down to cover the golden leaves…
Appreciating Rosehips Read More »
Looking through an old family photo album, recently, I was transported back to bucolic autumn days spent out on the fields…
Celebrating Grandparents Day Read More »
was taught at a young age that an iconic red-and-white mushroom, known as the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), was among the most dangerous…
If you’ve ever had a series of sleepless nights, maybe due to a newborn’s erratic sleep schedule, to last-minute studying for finals…
Sleeping In The Good Ol’ (Yukon) Summertime! Read More »
I love the hot days of summer that we’re occasionally fortunate enough to have here in the Yukon. You can usually overhear people…
The Sweet Simple Pleasures of Summer Read More »
The natural world around us has turned into a green, abundant paradise in the last few weeks, and we’re coming into…
Enjoying Wild Yukon Teas Read More »
What were the first sounds that you heard in the womb, besides the rhythmic drumbeat of your mother’s heart and, later on, her voice?
Bird Song And Its Healing Potential Read More »
Let’s celebrate fathers (and exceptional grandfathers, uncles, older brothers and other father figures in our lives)—not just for one day…
Celebrating Fathers, All Summer Long Read More »
Sometimes it feels so hard to imagine that spring will come, that things will grow again and that there’ll be enough time…
10 Things That Gardening in the Yukon Can Teach You Read More »
I can see my breath in the chilly pre-dawn light as my lungs work a little harder than usual to get enough oxygen from the thin mountain air.
I want to be able to entertain myself like that again—without a device. I want to get through a day without checking my email
In Search Of Boredom Read More »
I was recently sitting in the Vancouver Airport waiting for my Air North flight back to Whitehorse. It’s a scene familiar to most Yukoners…
Wherever you go in the world, you will inevitably come across medicinal and edible plants. It seems to me that no place inhabited…
Foraging for Wild Plants Read More »
I like to imagine that hibernating animals wake up from their long winter sleep much like we humans wake up from our own nightly slumber.
Waking Up From Winter Read More »
Annual events are a wonderful way to bring awareness to certain issues but, unfortunately, long-lasting change doesn’t come…
Nine Simple Ideas For Earth Day Read More »
Winter feels like it moves so slow sometimes. We wait and wait for the days to get longer again and for the sun’s rays to gain strength.
The Pasqueflower & The Promise of Spring Read More »
Gardening in the Yukon can sometimes feel like a perennial struggle when in other parts of the country it might appear almost effortless.
The Path To Bettering Your Soil Read More »
Let’s be honest, for most of us, poop is normally seen as something to be quickly flushed down the toilet. We call it “waste…”
More Than Just Waste Read More »
The first official day of spring is right around the corner (though in the North, it usually feels more like a seemingly random date…
Why Wait Till Spring? Read More »
Most of the travelling I’ve done in my life has been solo. Sometimes it’s been out of necessity—but most of the time, out of preference.
Whether you feel that Valentine’s Day is overrated, highly commercialized or cheesy (or it’s your favourite holiday of the year)….
Reimagining Valentine’s Day Read More »
Many of us feel isolated, bombarded and overwhelmed by news of the horrors happening around the world (today)…
Making Your Mental Health A Priority Read More »
Early winter in the Yukon is a special time of year, and yet it can also be a very bleak time of year. The shorter days feel dreary…
The Beauty Of Yukon’s Winter Read More »
We’re nearing the end of the year and soon we’ll all be gathered with our friends and families, glasses of champagne in hand…
Let Your Creativity Shine All Year-Round Read More »
The COVID-19 pandemic stopped travel, from one day to the next, in a way that was impossible to imagine before.
Be A Conscious Traveller This Winter Read More »
Saunas have grown a lot in popularity recently. Instagram is filled with pictures of stylish barrel saunas and wood-fired hot tubs.
To a non-gardener it might seem as if the gardening season has come to an end now. The last of the vegetables have been harvested
A Gardener’s Work Is Never Done Read More »
In a few days, little feet will be racing over crunchy leaves (or crunchy snow), from house to house, fuelled by vast quantities of sugar.
Eco-Friendly Halloween Read More »
Fresh snow covers the mountaintops, and time seems to be flying by. Blink and you might miss the end of fall.
Ode To The End Of Autumn Read More »
Living in the Yukon, it’s hard not to feel distinctly aware of time, of its passing and of our relationship to it.
Time Travelling in the Yukon Read More »
Berry-picking season is an amazing time of year. Sweet wild strawberries, Soapberries and Saskatoons are all summer-time treats.
Berry Song, A Story For Us All Read More »
I never thought that I would like fishing. In fact, as with many things our minds convince us of, I went through the better part of my life certain that I was very happy having nothing to do with piscine pursuits. I didn’t particularly like eating fish and I felt no need to try to catch one. And then I fell in love with a man who loves fishing.
The Unexpected Joys of Fishing Read More »
Some places, like some people, are incredibly special but also a little bit elusive. They may not make things easy; they can be difficult to reach and they don’t open themselves up to just anyone.
The Gifts of Haida Gwaii Read More »
Exploring the Yukon while exercising mindfulness on two wheels can help you take in all the splendour the territory has to offer.
Mindfulness on Two Wheels Read More »
The summer days here in the Yukon are wonderfully long, and the midnight sun is perfect for going on adventures & microadventures.
Postcards: Yukon Microadventures Read More »
Jessica loves being in the mountains, working with plants and exploring beyond her comfort zone. She divides time between Peru and the Yukon.
Postcards from Peru – Cusco Read More »
With a population of roughly 2,000 people, Taquile is one of several islands in the Peruvian part of Lake Titicaca.
There are days that are designated to remind us of where we should direct gratitude. What makes a difference in our lives are the small acts.
Lessons in gratitude from my life in the Andes Read More »
