On the Road Again 2013 # 14

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 next few days were a curious blend of high tension combined with peace and contentment. We still, through a ceremony that I focalized, lit the sacred fire, people continued to build structures including a huge eight foot high mound made up of logs and sand to hold a fire to dance around, we still ate great food and the pleasure of being with folks who were so warm, accepting and in many cases so hard working was constant. At the same time - once a day the park rangers dropped in for a visit to remind us that by the weekend they expected us to demonstrate that we understood the message and that we were leaving. They told us that the park had been closed and that no more people were allowed into the park. While they never said it in so many words, there was an implied threat that if we didn't move the police would become involved.

The park rangers were great guys. They didn't like being the "heavies" in the situation and I think genuinely enjoyed sitting with us in the circle and talking. I think most of us were very respectful towards them and appreciated the fact that they both had bosses above them telling them what to do and that they cared for the forest as much as we did. I think at least one of them would have been quite comfortable in taking off his uniform and spending a few days with us.

The whole thing was really out of their control. Somehow the media had got hold of the story and had suggested that 2,000 people were already camping on the beach. Whereas in fact there were never more than 125 of us. There apparently was a Facebook page that was full of miss-truths and  rumours that caused great concern amongst the politicians. It was their (the politicians) decision to kick us out and they made the decision without knowing all of the facts. Similarly the First Nation community has been told that there would be thousands on the beach. All of this could have been dealt with if the scouts had talked to the local people first. Or if at the Vision Council it had been made clear that this was not some remote site but rather a sparsely but reasonably actively used provincial campground. The Family generally does not camp in easily assessable, frequently used campgrounds.

The process of moving was complicated by two separate issues. One was the fact that this Gathering was a World Gathering. Some silly people, none of whom had ever been to BC had decided at a Gathering in Brazil to make BC the next site. There was all kinds of logic behind this decision but they should have asked first if a Gathering in BC in August when there is almost always a fire ban was a good plan. World Gathers have some very clear notions of how a Gathering is to be run and how decisions are made (in council, by consensus). Some of them were determined not to move until some scouts reported back as to a new site. They appeared to be content to wait a week or so. They did not seem to realize that waiting that long was not an option. I was involved in a couple of discussions that were surprisingly complex and bureaucratic feeling.

The second problem was that many folks, including me, had hitchhiked to the Gathering. We had no easy way out. I had planned to leave after a week or so so I could get back to my family, but others had planned on staying for a full month. Thinking about how to get out was not something any of us had given a lot of thought to. The parks service hired a shuttle van. The first one was scheduled to leave at 5:30 one evening and the next at 9:30 the following morning. I don't know how many people used the service. I suspect not very many did as  somehow it felt like being taken to the the town limits by the sheriff. What they expected 15-20 dirty hippies to do in Port Hardy was never discussed. We did suggested only slightly tongue-in-cheek that a ride further down the highway would work better.

I never had to decide what to do as Rosie and Ignacio offered me a ride to Duncan. I gratefully accepted. On Monday we started to do clean up. The beach was swept by about 8 or 9 of us, scouring the sand for the tiniest bits of paper or plastic. I think we filled 4-5 garbage bags. Virtually none of the garbage was from the Family. All of the structures were taken down (including a volley ball net and some logs that had been assembled to making a climbing game/exercise). We counciled later that afternoon but no consensus was reached as to what to next. The scouts had gone down to a place called Rainbow beach on Kennedy lake near Tofino. We were still waiting to hear if they had got permission. It was frustrating to have to leave without there being an agreement as to what people were going to do.

We left Tuesday lunch hour. I had only spent seven days there, but like all Gatherings, it felt like I had know the people there forever. Even more than most Gatherings I left with a profound sense of sadness and lost. I also left with the knowledge that once again I had been blessed to be with people who I am honoured to call my Family. The walk back to the parking lot was not as bad as I feared. It still took me longer than some but I did pass three people (of course they were loaded with far more gear then me). I passed one of the park rangers going in for his daily check. We shook hands and he invited me to drop into the office the neck time I was in the area. As we had some time to kill until the fourth another passenger appeared, I started to clean up the parking lot. It wasn't too bad but there were little bits and pieces of paper etc on the ground. One of the park rangers saw me and he came over to help me. It felt good to be working together on at least one thing