60 Hazelton or no Money

It was about the time that I realized selling books was not going to get me into Walla Walla College in the fall, that my cousin Don invited me to go north with him to Hazelton to find a job. Because of the woods closure he decided to go north hoping his older brother Loren could put him to work. His brother was another one of those gypo loggers and ran a “one horse” logging show just over the Skeena River from Hazelton.

It was with anticipation that Don and I took off one afternoon down the island highway to Hazelton. Not really having a job, but hoping one might materialize once Loren saw how eager we were to work, gave us a feeling of anticipated success.

Getting there was not the easiest thing in the world however, as it took two long days of driving. The drive however, was uneventful, except for one unforgettable experience that has stayed with me for these past fifty-three years. If you liked veal cutlets, the little café we ate dinner at in Burns Lake, the evening of our second day, was a place to remember, if you liked lemon meringue pie, the little café we ate dinner at in Burns Lake was also a place to remember, remember not to order the lemon meringue pie, avoided it at all costs. I have never eaten a pie of any kind with a tougher crust in my entire life.

But arrive at Hazelton we did and Loren and his fine wife put us up in their log house just across the river. Loren did not have much work to keep us busy but I remember going out to where they were skidding logs and living in the bunkhouse for a few weeks.

The most memorable event while there was coming down with a bout of the stomach flu and puking my guts out. It really caught me by surprise as I woke up in the bunkhouse one morning thinking I had to let rip a really good fart but ended up destroying my shorts with no water for miles to take a bath in, except the Skeena, which we washed in once a week, whether we needed to or not. It was ice cold and I mean ice cold.

This was just the start of a very bad day, as after I got into town it finally hit me full force and I suddenly had to puke my guts out. Here I am in downtown Hazelton leaning against a building barfing my head off. It was then to bed where I remained for the rest of the day with the chills and the fever.

Work was mostly scarce but Loren did try to keep us busy and I must say I always appreciated his efforts to keep us working. His offering me a job falling trees for a few weeks just before I left helped hone my skills as a faller and enabled me to earn a little money before I left for home a few weeks later.

He was a poor struggling gypo logger but I remember with fondness his efforts to give a kid a job for at least a few weeks during the summer of fifty-eight. The fact that after returning home for a few weeks, I received a check in the mail for ninety bucks, was a real surprise, as I probably ate more then I made the whole time I was there.