In the summer of 1988, Chris Czajkowski walked into the wilderness of British Columbia’s Central Coast Mountains to build a homestead … and a life.
For close to 30 years, Czajkowski lived at Nuk Tessli (which means ‘west wind’ in the Carrier language) were she operated a small eco-tourism business and, inspired by the landscape that surrounded her, wrote nine books.
Her most recent book Ginty’s Ghost: A Wilderness Dweller’s Dream (Harbour Publishing) chronicles the many challenges of building and settling into a new home, located on Ginty Creek.
“Ginty’s Ghost is a departure from my other books,” says Czajkowski. “Instead of being about Nuk Tessli, it is about my new home at Ginty Creek.
“Only two people lived there before me, Ginty Paul and her father. Ginty was a renowned eccentric. The book is partly about my efforts to establish myself on her (long abandoned) property, and partly about Ginty herself told in letters she wrote and stories from people who knew her.”
Accounts of Ginty Paul vary. Some locals remember her affectionately as “a cheerful woman, always laughing” while others thought her open-door policy towards her animals a bit odd – chickens would sleep with her, and the bedroom doubled as a maternity ward for dogs, cats, goats and sheep.
Still others feared her volatile temper and outright refused to step inside her house – for fear of being served “chicken poop tea.”
“She was a peculiar character,” writes Czajkowski. “She allowed goats in her house and kept a jar of pickled mice on the shelf. She was just as likely to offer tips on English etiquette as she was to lambaste politicians.”
In 2006, after nearly three decades of wilderness dwelling, far from neighbours and roads, with the nearest community accessible only via float plane or days of hiking, Czajkowski writes how she decided to purchase “a derelict homestead an hour’s drive south of Anahim Lake.
Although the property was mostly swamp and packrat-infested buildings, the asking price was within my budget … and the location affords beautiful views and abundant wildlife.”
Each chapter intersperses Czajkowski’s own experiences building a new cabin on the site, despite the fact that she has a broken leg, with those of Ginty Paul. At times there are certain similarities.
“Keeping my fingers crossed, I cut a hole for the window overlooking the river. I have always had the feeling, when I slice through a cabin wall with a chain saw, that the whole building will fall apart … light poured in. So did the wind … the thermometer on the post outside my door registered minus 18 degrees Celsius on the morning that I cut a hole in the wall to fit in another window. There were the usual fiddles and hassles, but the job went reasonably smoothly and during the night I was pleased to see light in the room. Without street lights to distort one’s vision, a rural night is never truly dark … ”
Right from the beginning of the book it becomes clear that Czajkowski and Ginty have more than just a piece of land in common.
They share a spirit of independence and resourcefulness, as well as an unwavering desire for a solitary life immersed in the spectacular landscapes of the Chilcotin.
Czajkowski is touring the province and will appear at the SAGA Public Art Gallery Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., to present a slide show and talk about her new book.
