Much has changed in Pemberton since I first moved here… and my roots are shallow ones, as a settler and immigrant. The population has quadrupled (and even back then, long timers could be heard grumbling “who are all these (fifty) new people?”) Being the fastest growing community in BC is not a new title – it’s pretty much happened every Census… and if I find it destabilizing, I can’t imagine how hard it is for Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua Nation members to witness the changes, and new arrivals.

Perhaps the pace of change is why local traditions tickle me so much – the Lil’wat Rodeo, Slow Food Cycle, the Spud Run and Lumpy’s Epic, are community-run events, that provide a kind of consistency in the calendar, and feel almost inflation proof – given that the entry fee to Lumpy’s Epic run, which raises funds for the Spud Valley Nordic Association, has been exactly the same for over 20 years.

Lumpy’s Epic has been running since 1999, since the trail was built to honour the late Geoff “Lumpy” Leidal. (See this story in the Pique from 2002, which pretty much conveys the steady flavour of the event: https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/local-sports/lumpy146s-epic-a-different-kind-of-run-2462925)

And it returns on Sunday October 30, at 9am, at One Mile Lake.