this that
Gimme shelter.
Yurt Yourself
WEST COAST PARK CONSIDERS MONGOLIAN-STYLE ACCOMMODATIONS
DELTA 1-4 v2 12/12/06 11:05 AM Page 1
BEACH NIGHTS IN CAPE SCOTT PROVINCIAL PARK can be as uncomfortable as the days on the water. The most northerly point on Vancouver Island is one of the rainiest, windiest and foulest places to play—a proving ground for ad- venturous yakers and their stomachs. The ocean will always be harsh, but the end of the day beachin’ life may be about to get drier and warmer. A company called Strategic Forest Management wants to
build a series of four or five yurts along the 46-kilometre North Coast Trail, a coastal hiking route they are building in the style of the popular West Coast Trail. The company is waiting for consultation with B.C. Parks and the public about the idea, but SFM’s concept is to build communal living shelters so paddlers, boaters and hikers can get out of the brutal weather. “A big part of our concept is to place the yurts so they are accessible to kayakers,” says Shaun Korman, SFM’s project manager for parks and recreation. “We want to make it pos- sible to hike or kayak yurt to yurt.” The proposal is part of the provincial government’s at-
tempt to make parks more accessible. “The population is getting older, and not everyone who stays in a park wants to sleep on the ground in a tent anymore,” said Barry Penner, B.C.’s environment minister. Penner opened 12 parks to fixed-roof lodging proposals—anything from basic shelters to helicopter access resorts—in 2006. By spring 2007, three proposals had been approved to continue to consultation including SFM’s. Not everyone is excited about the idea. “We oppose any
fixed-roof accommodation inside provincial parks,” says Vicky Husband, a spokesperson for the Campaign to Save B.C. Parks, which opposes the yurts. “Only 13 per cent of the province is protected in parks. Surely there’s room for these lodges outside of parks.” If the opposition is successful or the idea of Genghis-style communal living doesn’t appeal, there’s one other option for guaranteed dry and warm nights in Cape Scott: there is a 148-acre piece of private property for sale inside the park at Guise Bay for a measly $1.2-million. —Ryan Stuart
20 | | ADVENTURE KAYAK early summer 2007
PHOTO: DAVE AHARONIAN
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