For JoAnne Nelson, project geologist working withing the Canada- British Columbia Mineral Development Agreement, the past has come alive in an unusual way. In June, 1987, The University of British Columbia graduate was assigned to map rock outcrops and to interpret the geology in an area between Cassiar and the B.C.-Yukon border. Linking this project with the past was the mode of transportation: in place of the more conventional helicopters and four-wheel drive vehicles, horses would be used to carry food and equipment.
Packhorses were common in mineral exploration and mapping well into the late 1950s. However, with the introduction of the helicopter, their popularity declined sharply. By the mid-1960s the packhorse had been relegated to the dust heap of history, a subject for nostalgia, at least as far as geologists were concerned.
Nelson’s decision to use packhorses was based, not on sentiment, but on cold logic. Replacing choppers with pack animals would realize economies of nearly 50% even though helicopters were used to establish a chain of caches at the start of the field season. Furthermore, horses can operate in bad weather and require minimal care. Able to forage in the lush meadows common to northwestern British Columbia, they are entirely self- sufficient. A bonus is their deterrent effect on bears, which associate a horse’s scent with hunters.
Thus, it was with satisfaction and confidence that JoAnne Nelson surveyed her field party that spring of 1987. In addition to herself and three highly qualified geologists, John Bradford, Kim Green and Henry Marsden, it would include veteran outfitter Graham Overton, his stallion and saddle horse, King, three pack mares, Robin, Pigeon and Jody, and two colts. With the exception of Jody and the colts, all could boast years of bush experience. Prospects appeared favorable.
There were, however, serious drawbacks. The area north of Cassiar hardly qualifies as good horse country. Boulder-strewn hills rising 400 metres or more, swamp and thick brush pose formidable obstacles to any form of travel. Moreover, a fully loaded packhorse requires 4 ft of lateral clearance. Cutting trails through tightly spaced, stunted trees and extricating horses from bog holes became part of a daily routine. Jody, the least experienced of the three packhorses, was mired twice on the second day out. On each occasion she was unloaded, then patiently coaxed on to solid ground.
A typical day would begin early, usually at 6-6:30 a.m. While Graham rounded up the horses, the others cooked breakfast and broke camp.
Breakfast over, the three packhorses were prepared for the day’s work. Loading a horse requires skill and judgment. First a pack saddle is cinched to the horses back. Two panniers each weighing between 23-27 kilograms are then hitched to the sides of the saddle and a third placed on top. The weight must be precisely distributed to avoid unbalancing the horse. Finally, a canvas tarp is stretched over the whole load and secured by a single length of rope tied in a cat’s-craddle-like configuration called a diamond hitch.
Loading invariably brought out the worst in the horses. Robin, the senior packhorse, would occasionally bite and kick. A high- pitched neighing registered Pigeon’s protest while the colts seized every opportunity to nibble at pack straps, suckle mares and generally get in the way. Even the normally staid King proved a nuisance whenever the urge to nuzzle the mares overcame his sense of propriety. Only Jody, a beginner, behaved in a manner befitting a professional packhorse.
Once the horses were loaded, the day’s work could begin. While one of the geologists helped Graham cut trail and navigate, the others traversed the surrounding country, mapping geological features. If all went according to plan, Graham Overton and his horse train would arrive at the rendezvous by late afternoon, in plenty of time to pitch camp and start dinner. The geological party generally remained in the field until 6 p.m. Smoke from camp fires or the sound of horse bells served as homing beacons for tired geologists who at this point had but one thought on their minds, supper.
For anyone who works in the bush, food is of paramount importance. Its quality and abundance usually have a decisive impact on morale. A bad cook can spoil an entire season and remain the object of scorn for years afterwards. Notwithstanding the limitations imposed by a single propane stove and a scarcity of fresh fruit and vegetables, meals were generally thought successful. The practice of dividing cooking chores among all party members may have contributed to this impression.
Menus had an international flavor; cheese fondue, curries, pasta and chili were the order of the day rather than the exception. Horses had to make do with plainer fare consisting of native vegetation supplemented by a daily ration of oats. As well as being a treat, oats provide the high nutritional values required by working horses and discourage straying.
The remainder of the evening was filled with conversation, star gazing and sipping endless cups of tea, as well as more serious pursuits such as tending horses and writing reports. Field data collected during the day were now plotted onto mylar transparencies superimposed on airphotos. Paperwork completed, the day was rounded off with more tea or a night cap. Before turning in, Graham Overton hobbled King and the mares to prevent their straying. The horses occupied the late evening and early morning hours resting and grazing. By 10 or 10:30 p.m., the camp was sound asleep.
Most nights passed uneventfully. The horses kept foraging bears away, and, apart from the tinkle of horse bells or the occasional cry of a wolf or hoot of an owl, nothing disturbed the silence.
And so the days followed one another without incident. Two and four-legged creatures settled into a comfortable routine that seldom varied. The highlights that summer were the discovery of two small but rich silver occurrences. However, of far greater significance, the field party achieved its primary objective, to map geological features and elucidate mineral potential. Virtually all future mineral exploration and development within the study area would depend, to some degree, on geological reports and maps derived from data compiled by JoAnne Nelson and her crew.
This field project was one of 81 funded under the five-year, $10 million joint federal-provincial mineral development agreement signed in 1985.
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