Horseshoes

The night that we arrived in Milford Sound it was raining. No, that is an understatement. Rain at Milford is a constant, much like cold is in Edmonton during the winter. When Edmontonians say it is “cold” what we really mean is that skin will freeze in seconds if exposed to the air. This is not the same definition that others around the world have for the same term. In Milford Sound, when you say it is raining, what you really mean is that buckets of water are pouring on you. I went to the Batmobile to acquire a few things for dinner and I arrived back at the Milford Lodge as if I had come out of a shower.

Milford Lodge has not changed in the 12 years since I had been there last. It is a hostel and campground. There is a dining room, kitchen, and a lounge. My memories of the lodge from 12 years ago are fond. A young man went to the centre of the room filled with guests drying themselves on well-used couches and began to sing and play guitar. I saw that same guitar sitting in the same makeshift guitar stand made from part of a tree. I simply did not have the courage to pick it up and play it. I could not in any way repeat the magical moment of 12 years ago and I did not want to even attempt to do so. Fenton, however, immediately walked over to the guitar, strummed it, picked it up, and dragged it along the ground to a place where he could use it as a bongo drum. It is scenarios like these when you wish that you didn’t teach your children such inappropriate habits.

That night, the rain settled down so that I could roll Fenton in the Chariot so that we could be in bed early. The experience of walking with my son in such a place cannot be described in words. The scenery is truly magical. One can only see majesty in every direction. Waterfalls are everywhere and the trees are large, old Gnarled, and a bright green. The issue with so much rain is that clouds are opaque. The scenery cannot be enjoyed when clouds stand in the way of their glory. I was worried that we had come all this way and that we would miss out on seeing all of the beauty that the sound had to offer.

Horseshoes are symbolic of luck. When a person nails a horseshoe to the the door of their home it is very important to make sure that it is a “U” with the open end facing up. This way it can capture and hold all of the luck. An upside down horseshoe would allow the luck to spill out, so it is important to use many nails. For some strange reason, people refer to lucky individuals as those who have these iron “U” shaped structured embedded in their rectum. Why a person would be considered lucky in this situation I cannot understand, however, the morning that we woke up we realized that we must have horseshoes up our (insert filthy inappropriate word here). There was no rain and sky was blue. We boarded our ship to cruise Milford Sound on a clear, sunny day. This is a rare event that few people ever get the opportunity to experience.

The boat ride was magnificent. Fenton slept in a backpack on Heather’s back for almost the entire cruise - which allowed us to stay on the front of the boat, in perfect position to see seals, dolphins and waterfalls. We started off the boat ride witnessing a young seal feeding on a fish in the harbour. We didn’t see any dolphins but saw hundreds of waterfalls – some we got a little more acquainted with than others (i.e. we got wet.)

Pictures do no justice to Milford Sound. When we left, it was too difficult to accept that we may never return. Despite the sand flies, whose bites still itch weeks later, this is a place that leaves a strong impression in your heart. One is never the same after witnessing the sound.