Our Trapline Story

From the start of our relationship the Trapper and I had always had the dream of 'living off the land'.  That hippy-dippy, granola-crunchy, back to the earth sort of idea, but without being 'hippies'.
The Trapper had gotten his trapping licence years before while he was still a teen and had trapped on private property around his home in Extension, outside of Nanaimo, BC.  Me, well, I knew very little about trapping and at the time thought it was cruel and inhumane. I even sold raffle tickets for a Greenpeace fundraiser one year after my biology teacher talked me into it! So, how did an animal lover and a hunter/trapper get together? At 7-11. Yup. 7-11. We both worked there and met over the Slurpee machine.
We began our search for a trapline shortly after moving in together and were lucky enough to be given one by the BC government.  It was on the west coast of Vancouver Island, at the north end. We had to have our truck barged from Port Alice, BC to a logging camp called Mahatta River where we could then drive the logging roads to our line. It was not what we were expecting. Much of the forest had been logged, leaving it bare and ugly. We had an old tent and our truck with a camperette on the back for shelter from the tons of rain and wind. Looking back things never seem as bad as they felt at the time, and I can now remember it with fondness and warm feelings. But, while we lived it, it was anything by easy.  We were blessed by the loan of a small log cabin by LeMare Lake, which we had to boat our gear over to. We had left our canoe with friends, so ended up scrounging an old row boat from the shores of the lake and used a shovel and a broom as paddles. We must have looked ridiculous! But it worked!
We tried to make a go of it, but the elements were against us and after a few trapping seasons sold the line to a logger who lived up there. We had trapped all of one marten. We also trapped our dog's snout after he tried to steal the bait from a small trap. He was fine, but gave me a good scare.  We left there with lots of stories and new plans.
Life took us on it's journey and we got married, had kids, bought a house. The Trapper trapped on private property here and there and eventually became a Mountie. We moved several times, had more kids and ended up in  small town, Northern BC. It was here that the Trapper met a man, while rescuing him and his truck from a snowbank, who was looking to sell his trapline. And that is where the story of our trapline begins.
We purchased it in February of 2002. The trapline came with an old snow machine, traps, cabins, and any supplies in the cabins. It also included 5 acres of deeded property on the trapline.
My first trip out to our main cabin was an adventure in itself.  We had driven the 3 hours it took to get there from our home, taking with us our then youngest, Alley, our own Tundra snow machine and a skimmer ( a sled that is pulled behind a snow machine.)  When we arrived at the line, we realized we had left the keys to the Tundra at home. Oh dear. We called a friend who agreed to meet us halfway a would bring the keys. Late that night we were finally able to load the sled and skimmer and head into the bush. Alley and I rode in the skimmer bundled in blankets, where Alley was soon fast asleep.  At the time, I was a few months pregnant with kiddo #5 and was bit worried about the bumpy ride, but soon stopped fretting and enjoyed the beautiful starry sky above the tall pine trees.
Since that first trip in, I have made the trip in in all kinds of ways. Walking, ATVing, driving my own snow machine and ATV as well as as a passenger...and in different seasons.  The beauty and peacefulness that surrounds me never fails to take my breath away. I feel very blessed to be able to experience it all.
Through this blog I hope to share our adventures, experiences and how we do things with those who are interested. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and hope you'll enjoy my trapline rambles.