from the encroaching forest. Partway through my visit I bumped into Buckland, a handsome grey-haired man of the woods. He was friendly and welcoming but not in a “tell all your friends to come here too” kind of way. He just seemed glad to have someone to chat with for a few minutes while pointing out the sights with his work- worn hands. I complimented him on the state of the gar- den, the flowers blooming, the orderly paths and under- control shrubs and trees.
“I practice what I call chainsaw gardening,” he said. Using a chainsaw, axe and machete as gardening tools, he has been reclaiming the former garden. Under the salmonberry and salal, he found the garden struggling to survive. He discovered the fruit trees still bore fruit and most of the shrubs, perennials and other flowers still bloomed despite the heavy cloak of the intruding forest. After 15 years of hard work he still turns up forgotten sections of garden and the plants hidden in them. Buckland has built himself an incredible abode from
the surrounding forest and he plans on being here for many years to come. He has built new cabins, construct- ed two kilometres of boardwalk and opened the garden to the public. He recently turned the garden over to the not-for-profit Boat Basin Society to ensure its preserva- tion. For the cost of a $50 Society membership, anyone can come to the garden, wander through the oasis pro- tected by towering stands of fir and cedar, and contem- plate the tenacity of two modern-day pioneers. What Cougar Annie and Peter Buckland had done
inspired me. I had commitments back home and packed up to head for Tofino, but I was already working out a
plan to come back and carve a living for myself out of the coastal rainforest. I paddled south and pulled up on a pocket beach for the last night of my trip, eyeing the for-
“I practice chainsaw gardening.”Buckland spent his time alone on the coast, whenever he could escape from his law profession in Vancouver.
est for a spot to build a cabin and set up a garden as I unrolled my sleeping bag on the sand.
Sleep came easily but during the night I woke to the
breaking-twig sounds of an animal hunting in the dark. I stayed awake nervously waiting for a cougar to pounce and shred the few layers of nylon that encased its next meal. Aquote from Horsfield came to mind: “When you shoot a cougar, sight fast and aim for its chest. That way you’ll hit the giant cat’s heart,” Annie advised a newspa- per reporter in 1957.
I didn’t have a gun but I did have a knife. In a sleep- deprived lunacy, I grabbed my headlamp and the knife, took a deep breath, and turned to face the cougar. Two red eyes flashed in the bush, then turned and ran. With a sharp dose of reality my fears dissolved, but so did my dreams of a life in the bush. Like many before me I real- ized that it takes a rare type of person to make it out here. I woke the next morning and, like the mouse that had disturbed my slumber, high-tailed it home.
When he’s not exploring the mountains and shores of Vancouver Island, Ryan Stuart lives, writes and enjoys human company in Courtenay, B.C
Visiting Cougar Annie’s
You can paddle to Cougar Annie’s from Nootka Sound in the north or Clayoquot Sound in the south. The latter option, starting and finishing in Tofino, is easier and allows most of the open-coast paddling to be avoided if desired. There are many kayak tour operators and rental companies in Tofino. Nootka Sound can be accessed at the town of Gold River, from marinas near the town of Tahsis, or by a variety of shuttle options:
• The MV Uchuck III can carry boats and gear to Friendly Cove on the south end of Nootka Island:
www.mvuchuck.com.
• Float planes from Tofino or Gold River can fly boats and gear to many protected areas along the coast, including right to Cougar Annie’s doorstep:
www.airnootka.com or
www.tofinoair.ca.
illustration by Lorenzo Del Bianco
• Ocean Outfitters offers boat service: www.oceanoutfit-
ters.bc.ca, 1-887-906-2326.
For additional information about Cougar Annie’s garden and the Boat Basin Society, visit
www.boatbasin.org.
ADVENTUREkayakmag.com 31
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