Woman lives in place so remote she has to travel 10 HOURS to do her food shop
  • 2 years ago
A woman lives in a place so remote that she has to travel 10 hours to do her food shop every eight weeks. Hilary Messer-Barrow, 33, had always been a city girl living in Vancouver, Canada, until she had to move out to remote Yukon, Canada, for her husband, James *, 28, job. After initially being 'gutted' by the extreme lifestyle change she has now fallen in love with her new home - despite the trek to the supermarket. It takes the couple days to prepare for the supermarket trip, to insure they have enough food to last them six to eight weeks. Their house is surrounded other houses in a little community of around 100 people, which is located on the traditional terriority of the White River first nation. There are no street names and the village has a gas station which has a only couple of provisions. The nearest hospital is in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, about a five hour drive away, but the community has a health centre with one nurse. Hilary, a teaching assistant, from Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada, said: "I had been used to walking to the shops and living the city girl life. "I was very apprehensive, but I fell in love with the landscape as soon as I saw it. "I realised then that this was going to be an amazing adventure. "The community had helped me realise how amazing nature is. "I now hope I never have to move back to a city." Hilary was shocked when James, who works for the fedral goverment, told her they had to relocate to remote Yukon in January 2019. "We had to get lots of warm clothes to prepare for the potential minus 47 temperatures in the winter," she said. "I thought it would be so lonely. "But it has ended up being the best thing." Hilary and James had to adjust to the short days and had to learn to cook and make the most of their shopping trips. In the winter they only get four hours of daylight, and it takes Hilary and her husband two days to complete the trip to the shop. "The supermarket is 285 miles away and takes us five hours to get there," she said. "We go every six to eight weeks and I keep a record of everything we needed. "We have big freezer boxes to keep things frozen and use them in the winter to make sure things don't freeze. "We use up our fresh stuff in the first few weeks and then move onto frozen things." In summer, the couple have a vegetable patch where they grow their own fresh fruit and vegetables. "I had never really cooked before but now I make everything," Hilary said. "At first cravings were hard as I couldn't fulfil them but now, I anticipate them."