Wednesday, April 17, 2013

1996-06-09 Field Journal #4 @ Qualicum Beach

From the field journal of Anthony Marr

June 9, 1996, Sunday

[11:04 @ Annette and Scott Tanner’s home in Qualicum Beach]

Today is to be spent mostly on the phone to advance book speaking engagements in the interior and to develop contacts. We can’t afford to have too many of these off days, but from an organizing point of view, today would be more constructive off than on, and if used efficiently, this off day can be used to generate many on days. In other words, today is not going to be an off day at all, just no driving.

Last night, I slept from 23:00 to 08:30. After weeks on 4-5 hours of sleep per night on average, finally I enjoyed a full night of uninterrupted rest. I have no idea how I’ve had so little sleep, compounded with the flu, and could still function to capacity these last few days. People are said to be able to perform super-normally under immense stress situations, maybe the pressure of hunter confrontation is actually doing me a favour. Anyway, I should be more on par today than yesterday.

Like Anita and Wayne, Diana and Eric, Cathy and George, Annette and Scott live in a uniquely beautiful house amidst a lovely garden, and specific to Annette and Scott’s, a panoramic view of the Juan de Fuca Strait to boot, and all have hospitality to spare. As usual, I offer to Erica the better bed, but in this house, even the lesser bed is wondrous, lying under a roof of glass, beyond which are the stars.

I must not take these people’s hospitality for granted. It has to be earned. So far, we’ve been earning it, that’s all.

[18:32] Just came back from a long walk with Annette and Scott, and their female Boxer Jessie. The Tanner are as lovely a couple as the other three, but Scott is the only plane crash survivor among them. It was last August, in broad day light. With him was environmentalist John Nelson, and wildlife photographer Myron Kozak, some of whose Kermode bear images grace the walls of WCWC. They were on an air reconnaissance mission in the vicinity of Strathcona Park, when their plane entered a box canyon and could not turn around. It slammed into the trees on the steep side of the canyon. The pilot, a veteran in his seventies, was killed instantly. Myron, who was in the co-pilot seat, was also killed, reportedly instantly, but according to Scott, not. Scott said that Myron stayed alive and conscious, and screamed and groaned, and repeated the phrase “too much pressure”, and expired only after the rescue team had arrived. John Nelson , who shared the back seat with Scott, suffered a broken ankle, and limped out for help. Scott sustained a broken leg, two crushed vertebrae, a cracked pelvis, split sternum, and other internal injuries, but managed to drag himself out of the wreck, in which process he was soaked with gasoline. Both Scott and John tried to extricate Myron but to no avail.

To this day, Scott has a limp, and has to wear a leg brace, but did walk the same distance as did Annette and I. Scott, who is a house-painting contractor, just began to get back to work in May. He believes that he survived for a reason, and I can see that reason in him clear as daylight.


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