Maryann Emery moved to Golden in 1974, and retired in 2004 after 30 years of teaching. Over the years, she and her partner Rob regularly take off for the wilds, and have travelled to many different parts of the world.

This summer, hiking in the Dolomites and Switzerland, Maryann was struck by the lack of solitude and wilderness. The highest peak offered Maryann a 360 degree view. In every direction were ski lifts, roads, farms, restaurants, refugios, villages and more. Every valley had been touched by human development.

“I’m thankful to to be able to live in the Kootenays, in such a beautiful place, with such space and wilderness,” says Maryann. She says her travels constantly remind her of the importance and rareness of the wilderness she experiences first hand at home. “Everyday, I’m reminded that we live in an area that most people believe exists only in glossy magazine pages. Our home, to live here in the Kootenays, is such a gift. I never want to take that for granted.” Words of wisdom from a world traveller? “I think protecting what we have, our wilderness and its wildlife, and our planet with all its diversity, is the most important mission.”