Working in the Wilderness of Southern British Columbia

This is a travel guide to destinations no one can really travel to. Many of these places were located at the far end of a logging road, hundreds of kilometers from the nearest town, often accessible by helicopter only. These are my tales from the road least traveled. This is the second part of my extreme wilderness adventures, from a time when I worked for a Geophysics company and searched for gold in the mountains. The views were often out of this world and the 2021 version on myself sends thanks to the 2005 version for bringing a camera along for the ride. Sorting through these pictures was a fun trip down memory lane.

We traveled along dirt roads for hours just to catch a helicopter somewhere else, visiting places that are too far off the beaten track to even explain how to get to. I’m not even sure that given unlimited resources I could even find some of these places for a second time. These are the adventures of 2005 when my mountain experiences kept me in the southern half of British Columbia. These pictures are from a variety of locales, primarily from the Coastal Mountain Range, Interior Plateau, and the north end of Vancouver Island. We based ourselves out of tiny places like Merritt, Boston Bar, Port Hardy, and Harrison Lake and commuted to our job sites.

These locations are basically off-limits to the normal person. If it wasn’t for my job, I would have never been able to experience these things. Working in the wilderness funded several international vacations – to South America, India, and Africa – and as some people say, the journey is the destination. I think this journey was one of those events.

What makes the Wilderness of Southern British Columbia so amazing?

Travel is about exploring new places and experiencing new things. These hard-to-reach places in the Southern parts of British Columbia are not places that many get to explore. It’s good to know that if you ever needed a break from reality, it is easy to find isolation in these big open spaces. It’s hard to imagine how much wilderness there was here, even just a hundred kilometers north of Vancouver. Especially as the crow flies, there are places that many will never visit once you leave the highways and known trails.

These are the destinations at the end of the road, far away from civilization. There are no crowds. You don’t have to talk to anyone except the small group you arrived here alongside.

The year that I spent working in the mountains was unforgettable. I will always be thankful that I carried my small point and shoot Olympus everywhere I went, so I can always remember these places. Camp life was hard, and working with a small crew of 6 meant that there was plenty of time to butt heads with your co-workers. During the day, we would be sent on our own path to work in isolation, with nothing more than my shadow to keep me company.

There are places I will never be able to return but I will always have the memories. These pictures are from the Southern half of British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, and really were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s pretty exciting to share them today.

Working in the Wilderness of Southern British Columbia