Far North Friday #59: Old Red Parka

I was trying to remember the name of a song. Of course, it came to me at 2 AM, in the middle of a deep sleep. That song is “Old Blue Raincoat”, by Leonard Cohen. What does that song have to do with my old red parka? Nothing, except both have roots in a past time.

I have a red parka made by Reid. I bought in in Kingston in summer of 1975. I also have blue snow pants that I wore as a teenager when I skied downhill. Both that red parka and the blue snow pants visited many northern destinations (Photo 1). I have not worn the red parka very much in Ottawa, but I still wear those blue snow pants each winter.

I am not certain why we hold on to old pieces of clothing, both of which are older than some of the people reading this note. In my case, I think there are two reasons: a) they both still work; and b) I can’t be bothered to buy anything to replace them. Yes, they have been repaired over the years. Yes, the down filling in the parka has flattened a little. Yes, the parka has lost a few down feathers over the years. Yes, I need to wear a few extra layers under to parka to stay warm. But, they still work.

I remember thinking when I bought the parka "red would be a bright colour to contrast against the snow if I ever got into trouble in the bush, during the winter. I would be easy to see against the snow from a search aircraft". Thankfully, that red colour was never needed for search and rescue.

I recently saw an old, vintage 1975 or 1976 video posted a former co-worker named Marcel Lafreniere (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8xqsDRinw...). Marcel worked on a geophysical team. At the 15:15 minute mark of the video, there I am - helping to load an Otter aircraft on Pickle Lake. And yes, I was wearing that red parka and those blue snow pants (Photo 2).

I recognized many of the people in Marcel’s video. I even recognized the Otter pilot, whose name is/was Arnie DuBrovin (I spell his last name phonetically). He was an excellent pilot.

That video, as well another recent event in my life, caused me to wonder how many of those former co-workers have passed on. Not exactly a happy thought. More of a reality check. I had many funny, and a few less funny, experiences working with those individuals. The video also reminded me a quotation attributed to Agatha Christie, ”One cannot, ever, go back to the place which exists in memory. You would not see it with the same eyes - even supposing that it should improbably have remained much the same. What you have had you have had. “The happy highways where I went, And shall not come again…”. Never go back to a place where you have been happy. Until you do, it remains alive for you. If you go back it will be destroyed.”

While I understand the sentiment of that quotation, it doesn’t entirely describe every place I have been. It’s sentiment accurately describes my return to the Vancouver Island where I briefly lived 10 or 15 years before the return visit. It doesn’t describe our 4 visits to Yukon and Northwest Territories, where I would return for a 5th time at the “drop of a dime”.

As for the old red coat and blue ski pants? Their day is not yet done (Photo 3). They will occupy a basement closet for another summer so they are ready to face winter of 2021-22.

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