May 8th 2019 - Set Up Base Camp

We had a busy and productive day today! It started off with most students meeting at the base of the trail which leads to McKenzie Creek camp. Two of the students met Bob at Capilano University to help load the truck containing our site equipment, and drove up into the LSCR with him. The walk is about an hour from the beginning of the trail, which most students completed with ease, but the swarming flies and mosquitoes did add an extra challenge to the day.

Students walking to the McKenzie Creek Camp.

Once we all arrived at the site, we were instructed to help Bob load all of our equipment down the path to our camp. The equipment included two large metal boxes with tools used daily inside, the metal poles and tarps for a tent, and a few buckets. One of the buckets will be used for collecting garbage from student's lunches and trash produced by the project itself, which will be analyzed by Karoline who is doing a waste audit as her project.

Students unloading supplies out of the van. 

Everything was then unloaded, and Bob left us to return the pickup truck to the Capilano University Campus, and told us to set up two tents. After sorting out the poles to make sure everyone had enough to build two separate tents, we split into two groups, and two students also started to build stairs along the path we get into camp with each day. Each group was responsible for building one tent, and after struggling for about half an hour, both groups figured out how to build them with very little instruction.

One group trying to figure out how to build the frame of a tent.

Both tents were successfully put up before Bob got back about an hour after he left, which he mentioned had never happened before. After a short snack break, two picnic tables were constructed so when we arrive at camp everyday, we can place our bags on them and eat lunch in that restricted area. It was also mentioned that if we were to eat anywhere else, the site could be contaminated with organic remains which most people hadn't thought of until Bob brought it up. Clearly, most of us are new at this.

Construction of our brand new picnic tables.

After our beautiful new picnic tables were assembled, we sat down and enjoyed our lunch. The flies that were constantly swarming us may have gotten into some of our food, but it could be good to take in some extra protein due to the long walks we have in and out of the site everyday. After lunch, Bob gave us a walking tour of the site that we will soon get to know very well. There were many cool features found by previous students which were shown and explained to us on our little journey. The first two things mentioned were the trails leading into our camp. One is a road made from cedar planks that runs for many kilometres, through our camp and all the way up Seymour mountain.  It was supposedly created by Eikichi Kagetsu, a prominent Japanese logger who is best known for his work on Vancouver Island. Bob had communicated with his son for about three years from 2002 to 2005 and shown through the sons research, it is possible that Kagetsu could have been logging there anywhere from 1916 to 1924. The precise location of Kagetsu's logging operations in the Seymour Valley is still uncertain.

Cedar plank road running through the McKenzie Creek camp.

Another path pointed out by bob was the skid road we walk to get into camp from the main trail. This was most likely used by people to move around within the camp.

Skid road.

We took the mostly overgrown cedar plank road up North a few meters to find features excavated by previous field school students. Since it has been 6 years since the last field school in 2013, many small and large trees have fallen down over the site. We walked over and around all of the obstacles to find our first feature. At the top of the path where most loggers would walk in from lot 922, a well known logging camp up the cedar road, a stone structure was built. The exact use is unknown, but it is presumed to be some sort of shrine that people could visit before they enter their home. In other field studies, students had found a coiled spring and green glass in the corner of the stone structure, which was identified to most likely be a lantern.

Possible shrine found along the cedar plank road.

After discussing the possible shrine, students walked over to one of the most important cultural finds on the McKenzie Creek camp, the Ofuro. This traditional bathhouse was created by Japanese people at most of their home camps. It is identified by its rectangular shape with an open end to add fuel to the fire underneath the tub, and by the ladle and water basin found next to it that were used to wash off before getting into the communal bath. The bathtub was constructed out of a metal bottom and wooden side planks. Usually a stool was placed inside of the tub so you didn't burn your feet on the metal bottom which layer directly over the fire underneath. A chimney glue was also found on the back end of the Ofuro which was used to release smoke from the fire, and to make sure the fire that warms the water can get enough oxygen to stay lit. Thousands of nails were also discovered by a previous group, showing that at one point a wooden structure stood around the tub for privacy.

Bob standing with the Ofuro. He is standing in the end that would have been open to fuel the fire which warms the water in the tub. The metal pieces shown in this picture are parts of a saw most likely used for cutting wood. 

Once the students, and Bob were done awing over the Ofuro, we moved over to the next feature which also has an unknown purpose. A hole in the ground lined with cedar planks and rocks sits very close to the Ofuro. Bob suggested that it could have been used for cold storage, and there is also evidence that a structure was once built around it.

Possible cold storage pit. 

Another interesting feature one of Bob's past students discovered is a possible garden. The area is very flat land compared to the rest of the site, and the soil pH was tested here and in a few other places around the camp which showed it had a much higher pH than anywhere else. High pH soil is good for growing food and flowers. The raise in pH is due to the crushed bone scattered in that area of the soil, which was most likely deliberately sprinkled there for the garden.

Bob and students standing in possible garden.

Once we were finished in the garden, we viewed out last feature of the day which was the privy. A giant hole in the ground shaped like a rectangle was used as a bathroom by the Japanese people at the McKenzie Creek camp and trash was also occasionally thrown down there. Many fully intact bottles were found at the bottom of the privy, most likely because when they were thrown down they had something soft to land on. The size of the privy helps us conclude that there were most likely 3 holes for use and nails show us a wooden structure built around it.

Large rectangular privy. 

One more cool artifact found by some of Bob's past students was an old stove, which. retailed at about 35 dollars in the 1920s, which was very expensive in comparison to the other 3 dollar stoves found. The stove, which was moved from the McKenzie Creek camp to behind an old growth tree off of the path, was most likely hidden from looters before the Japanese were forced into internment camps. Pieces were brought back after excavation and a catolaugoe of the item so it was easier to spot as students were given tours of the area.

Piece of the expensive stove.

The tour was then complete, and the two students who were building the stairs went back to finish those while the rest started to clear paths and finish attaching the last few screws on the picnic benches. After we finished our activities, we gathered at the tables to fill in our field notebooks for the day. Bob explained a little bit more about what we should write in our books, and everyone finished their daily entry.

Stairs created by students which are used to walk into the site from the main road.

My waterproof field notebook.

Tomorrow we will be back in the classroom/lab to ensure everybody gets a project to complete during the term. Feel free to leave any comments on the blog if you have any, I will do my best to reply and if any questions arise that I cannot answer, I will consult with our project director Bob.