On the Road Again 2013 # 13

While I am now back in my apartment, I am obviously somewhat behind in my blog postings..... I will continue to discuss my trip in sequential order

The near clear sky next morning gave promise to another glorious day. I had slept well in the sack but had been under the assumption that sand was soft ( I won't bore you with repeating the conversation I had with some one earlier in the summer about soft and hard beaches) and therefore I did not need to use my air mattress. I was wrong. Sand can be and was just as hard any other material. While I had managed to dig little pockets for my hip and shoulders, it had not be a comfortable night. I put my inflated mattress into the sack before I did anything else. I could have survived without it but as I had it with me, it made sense to use it. I also raised the corners of the tarp. It was a bit low and it was awkward accessing my stuff.

I usually don't have breakfast with my family. Rainbow porridge, while some folks like it, is not to my taste. As well, given the nocturnal habits of my brothers and sisters, breakfast has sometimes been know to be served fairly close to noon. However at this Gathering I think I had breakfast four or five times. The folks who were cooking were up early and we ate well before 10:00 on at least a couple of the mornings. They were also very tasty breakfasts. There were stewed apples with cinnamon, lots of brown sugar to go with the porridge and some other rather delicious concoctions.

Later in the day I helped some very enthusiastic folks dig a deep hole in the sand and then line it with logs so we would have a place to put some canned and dry goods in. I say help - but in fact I did relatively little. There were just too many people wanting to work far harder than I could. As well I was uncomfortable with the possibility of bears and what they might be able to get into. I was reasonably sure that with the number of dogs around and the noise that we made, that most reasonable bears would stay away. I would have been happier if we had used the steel bear proof boxes that we at the park but folks didn't want to listen. On the assumption that the kitchen was kept clean and nothing perishable was placed in the pit - it seemed to be a reasonable option. As well the bear proof container would not have been big enough to hold all of the food that would be arriving.

One morning after the folks had had a late night feast of five salmon that had been donated to them, I spoke for more than a few minutes on the problem of bears and how dangerous it all could be if they decided to raid our camp. I don't very often wear my "elder" cap. In fact I usually refuse both the label and any of the assumed wisdom that goes with it. But that morning I made a point of being rather forceful about people being sloppy around safe bear habits. I am not too sure if it did any good. Equally as concerning was the fact that someone had observed a pack of wolves across the river. We did not need them to prey upon the dogs. The river was too deep to ford and the tide ensured that there was almost always a current going up or down the river. So I think it was safe. I would have been happier if people were as concerned as I.

All of the days I was at the Gathering were sort of like that. The weather was cloudy for a few days but generally folks got up early, someone made breakfast and work parties were created. For example the river up to the supply truck was partially blocked by fallen trees so for two days, crews went up there to clear the river to make it easier for the canoes to make in down with the food. People lazed around, played in the water. chatted, and played any one of the 7-8 guitars stashed around the campfire or the kitchen. Supper was served well before dark (unusual at some Gathering to eat before dark) and then we companionably chatted until it was time to wander off to our sleeping bags. It sound rather idyllic. And it was except for one little problem.

Two of the Park Rangers came by the second day that I was there. They told us that we were not welcome at the park and that we needed to leave. They gave a couple of reasons: 1) the park was too ecological sensitive to support the anticipated numbers of people, 2) the scouts had not asked for permission and 3) the local First Nation community on whose traditional lands we were camping had not been consulted. All of those things should have been addressed by the folks who scouted and recommended the site. They were not and therefore there was no doubt that we would have to move.

The following day more senior people arrived by helicopter and gave the same message. Two days later another larger helicopter arrived with the traditional chief of the First Nations who asked us the leave. Around the circle as we passed the talking stick around and around there was mixed reaction. Some of the Europeans had some difficulty understanding why we needed to listen to the Indigenous people of the area. For them - no one owns the land. For people like me it was very clear. We had messed up. We had not consulted with the local people and we should have.

As glorious as the spot was - we did not belong. I started calculating how I would get out.