By Melodi Wood

Meet Melodi Wood and Ryan de Havelyn, long-time Nanaimo residents. This typical married couple are semi-retired businesspeople who recently embarked on an epic journey marking the next phase of their lives together.

In early 2022, they began to contemplate the sunset of their lives. They were trying to decide what to do next. Travel abroad? Perhaps. Explore North America by RV? Maybe. What about a bucket list?

Since childhood, Melodi has been fascinated with the notion of living in a cabin on the lake.

Fast forward to 2022: A changing, and unpredictable world had given them reason for pause and a quickened desire to return to the simpler life of an earlier time. The “Call of the Wild,” so to speak, was now becoming almost impossible to resist.

One morning last spring, Melodi’s sister sent her a listing for a private island on a lake in the remote Canadian wilderness. Wow! Just imagine! Your very own private island!

Normally, a major purchase like this require would great care and contemplation. However, in this case there was no time for any of that nonsense! They submitted a formal offer and as luck would have it, they were first in line! Multiple offers were subsequently made, some even subject free, as in SIGHT UNSEEN! So much for being able to view the property first to see if the land was even usable… What to do now? What would you do?

The couple had to make a decision: Remove all conditions and increase their offer or walk away. With dreams already crystalizing, walking away was not an option.

At a time when most people think about slowing down, Melodi and Ryan have just taken on the biggest project of their lives! The island has no power, cell-service, shelter or access. It is literally acres and acres of trees surrounded by fresh water.

What in the world are they thinking?! They have no experience with any of this! Starting literally from scratch will require nothing short of a herculean effort. Yet remarkably, they appear undaunted. How will this story end?

Find out more by visiting their website at mywildholm.com and following them on YouTube at youtube.com/@mywildholm