So, it’s been two weeks since I’ve arrived on the Island. Presently, I’m in Whistler, staying in a beautiful home right in town. The snow is on the tops of the mountains, the temperature is really cold, and all we need is just one more dump to make this the winter wonderland the tourists come for. The lifts opened this weekend, but the conditions aren’t quite up to snuff. I’m hoping to get a chance to try snowboarding before I head South to the U.S. That, though is in Spirit’s hands.

So, I decided to spend Sunday in Nanimo being studious, with the prospect of a potluck/drum circle. It was a good idea. We finally left Nanimo, and got to Toffino late on Monday night, stopping at the Cathedral grove along the way. Nothing compares to being in an Old- growth forrest, even if there’s a boardwalk through it and a highway dividing it. I think the truly amazing thing about the old growth is that all the stages of the life-cycle are intertwined in an interdependent web of life. There’s something special about a complete ecosystem, that just can’t be found anywhere else on the Earth. David Suzuki has done numerous reports on the fragility of the balance of nature. He has a point.

This picture is one of few taken in the old growth before the battery died. I’d left the re-charger in Nanimo, so all we saw is all wee‘ll see. It’s probably better that way, some things are just meant to be just seen, experienced, captured only within the mind, body and soul of all present. A camera only captures but a fraction of reality. Photos, depending upon context, can be quite misleading, and aren’t actually a good substitute for personal experience and understanding. Hopefully we can convey things as they are. I’ll do what I can to be accurate in the reporting of things as I see them and as I say them.

Toffino is a neat little logging/fishing village turned tourist destination. It gained international exposure in the early nineties as upwards of twelve thousand activists came to the area to help save Clayoquat Sound. Interfore and other logging companies have virtually devastated the majority of the island’s forrest. Even with the help of Hollywood stars, the preservation efforts rendered only a small portion of forest actually safe. Of over ninety valleys on the island, only ten remain pristine, and five of those are in Clayoquat Sound. In the early Nineties there were even more. The forests we’re talking about have thousands year-old trees that are just huge in circumference. They support all the life of the island, including us people. There’s cougars, bears, deer, birds (like eagles), and even huge slugs. The Salmon depend upon clean, living streams for spawning, as do people for drinking. When a valley is logged, the trees die, as do much of the other life. This loosens the topsoil, causing bigtime erosion and soil depletion. The sludge washes into streams, filling them with silt, forever changing the dynamics of the system, making it hard for fish to breathe through gills. These trees and the life they support motivate me to continue on in vigilance. Hemp can help to alleviate the strain our paper consumption places on the few remaining forests.

Tonkin Beach is a beautiful, pristine beach within walking distance from the town. There’s a neat boardwalk leading from the road to the beach. There’s huge trees, moss, ferns, and decomposition along the way to the beach. The beach itself is smooth and flat, with three little streams flowing from the forest, into the ocean. It’s really a special place, also known as mothers beach, its a unique. one of a kind phenomenon that just might be developed. The pristine forest above the beach is threatened to become a forty dwelling neighbourhood. After having a wonderful day at the beach, we found out about the plans, then went to the town council meeting that night. Town hall was packed with locals, and all who spoke, spoke against the proposed building plans. In fact there was not one person who was there to speak favourably about the proposal, excluding, of course, the developer. There was even a construction contractor who might have seen work from the development who spoke against this particular plan. Valerie Langer spoke about the impacts the new development would have on the beach, and also the town. Valerie is deeply involved with Friends of Clayoquot, "a grassroots organization advocating protection for the ancient temperate rainforests and marine ecosystems of Clayoquot Sound, and all of Vancouver Island. We are part of an international movement calling for a shift of consciousness in the way humans relate to the Earth. We need your support to continue to educate and inspire people to action. Please keep writing those letters to politicians, sending donations, and joining us to take a stand for the environment". It was really quite awesome to see the Locals in action.

Rain happens in Toffino, so accept it, because if ya don’t you’ll be sour. It rained on us for the duration of our visit. I had reconciled with the rain before I left, but let me tell you, it was hard to adjust to the cold rain day in and day out. Not to mention the grey.

We made it back to the Ferry to drop Taryn off at the Ferry. She was the last one on the boat, but she made it. Brandy and I had a great afternoon in downtown Nanimo. I bought a little travel coffee percolator called the Coffee Quickie, and we made our own coffee downtown and it was good. We went out for some Latin food, then back to John, John and Krista's. I dropped Brandie off at the ferry so she could meet up with Cass before they took the Doula course. A Doula is an alternative version of a birth attendant. Hopefully things went well with that.

I made it to Victoria on Friday night and met Jeff and Shauna at
Steamers downtown. I stayed at their house and it was really relaxing. We took an excursion on Sunday to the Ocean, where we found many nice rocks along the beach. It took me two more days to get off the island, missing the Ferry on Tuesday night. It was ok, because I picked up a hitch-hiker along the way and he showed me around Sydney, the high-way.

I made it to Hemptown to pick up our hemp tee-shirts on Wednesday, then went to the Marijuana Party headquarters to see what was happening. Just as soon as I walked in, I joined a conversation about pot. After listening for a while, I realized that one of the guys was David Malmo Levine, one of three activists who have been fighting their Marijuana related charges in court. Their case is challenging the constitutionality of Marijuana prohibition and will be heard in the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa on December 13th. This could actually be the bale of straw that breaks the camel’s back. All they need is for Five of Nine judges to show compassion on this plant and the people who are involved. There’s ample evidence that speaks on behalf of Cannabis, at least enough to present a case with, and the people delivering the evidence are well spoken and knowledgeable on the subject. Up here in Canada, it feels like the levy is about to break, and that’s really exciting.. They don’t call it Vansterdam for nothing.

I left on Friday to cross the border, after cleaning out the van of course. I went to cross at the International Peace Arch. Butterflies were flying in my tummy to be sure, as I waited in the slow line on the way to the booth. When I got to the lady, I told her I had to make an informal entry, and she told me to park and come in. When I came in, she noticed the tee shirts and told me they had to be brokered. This meant I had to go to an other port of entry, where the trucks go. So I went.

When I got there, I went to the wrong Broker(I didn‘t know which was ours, and it was too late to call back east), so I couldn’t cross then. I spent the night in White Rock, and was well taken care of. On Saturday, I went back and this time I went to the right Broker, where they told me I had to come back during business hours so that an inspection team can look into the background of the textile in the tee-shirt. Rigamaroll and red tape. La dee dah.

I went back to my safe spot in Vancouver, where I was treated to a scrumptious meal of rice, dahl, and a mixed veggie currie. While at the house, I was asked to go to Whistler. So here I am, digging B.C. and enjoying the kindness of this land. Garcia Later.

Care2 make the world greener!
Race to Save the Primates - every click provides food!
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Johannes Chapman, Pure Hemp Caravaner