As a young woman of eighteen, I went treeplanting on the BC coast with Kelly Contracting (Brian Kelly) in Knight Inlet and the Heiber River outside of Gold River. Hired by my stepfather – my main job was cook for a vegetarian crew, although I did spend a few days in the hills planting.
We flew from Campbell River in an Otter seaplane to the mouth of the Ahnuhati River in Knight Inlet. Being the only woman in the crew was a challenge, and my most memorable moments included meeting a woman grizzly tracker and getting to tag along for the day, a grizzly on the clearings edge for a morning heart starter, a visit with the only female on the Marabella and a tour of the vessel, the gifting of some fresh salmon from visiting fisherman (made for an easy supper), and the praise of the BC forestry staff for having well planted more trees in a day than any other woman on the coast (i remember thinking “probably one of the few out here”).
