Category Archives: North of 58

Good call

Posted on Friday, June 6, 2008 by bt

I was mildly pleased to read the name of my former home town in Mark Steyn’s commentary on the cherry-picking of the BC “Human Rights” Tribunal by a bunch of Ontarians: “Khurrum Awan, the Osgoode Hall law student on the … Continue reading →

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A good friend

Posted on Thursday, August 9, 2007 by bt

There’s a man in Fort Nelson General, (let’s call him Zechariah), who is slowly recovering from a stroke. Aside from the wheelchair, he is a comely gentleman, bald, with glittering eyes and a well-trimmed peppery moustache. He understands what is being spoken to him, … Continue reading →

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Wokkpash River

Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2007 by bt

So I just got back from a three day, 50 km hike into an isolated boreal lake. Too many stories for now, but here’s the summary: two healthy paramedics and a young veteran of the Chilkoot Trail were thoroughly embarrassed … Continue reading →

Posted in North of 58, Travel | 2 Comments

You know you’ve been a Northern medic if you’ve ever…

Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 by bt

1. Fuelled up on the way to a call. 2. Stopped in the middle of a Code 3 run to wipe the mud off the headlights. 3. Burnt out the siren. 4. Packed food to eat on the way to … Continue reading →

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Mountain Sheep

Posted on Monday, July 2, 2007 by bt

I once told a couple of city friends about a call I’d attended involving an injured sheep hunter. They burst into mirthful laughter, obviously imagining a guy dressed in camo crawling through the mud of a fenced pasture with a rifle. … Continue reading →

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Liard Hotsprings

Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 by bt

OK, I can’t not post this stuff. The intersection of the Liard River and the Alaska Highway is four hours north of town, in the geographical centre of no-where. The water from the springs is hot enough to support an eerily … Continue reading →

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Fusion of labour

Posted on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 by bt

There are not many specialists in Fort Nelson. Most people dabble in at least one side job, often completely unrelated to their professions, and a number of businesses house operations that would be considered mutually exclusive in a bigger town. Even … Continue reading →

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He said it

Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2007 by bt

To all my Californian friends: here, in the words of Stan Rogers, is why I don’t move down there to be with all of you. “In a few more years I won’t remember what it was to play, The music … Continue reading →

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Road safety

Posted on Monday, November 6, 2006 by bt

One of the little modifications to your daily routine in a northern winter is two stops at every stop sign: one before the road to check for cars, and one before the sidewalk to check for snowmobiles.

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Liard Hotsprings

Posted on Sunday, November 5, 2006 by bt

The primo local escape destination for Fort Nelsonites is a sulfur hotspring two hundred miles north of town. Yesterday, a friend and her family introduced me to the joys of winter dipping. The steam coming off the surface of the pool … Continue reading →

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