If, during your explorations of backcountry British Columbia, you notice an aged man sporting grey whiskers and gripping a walking stick as he strides quickly along, it may be Lloyd Jeck. Lloyd has just completed writing his second book, British Columbia Trails Heading North. The 261-page book will be released through various retail outlets in September, 2011, and a website is being created.
Why would a retired man, who may be older than many of the trees that he leans against, decide to devote two years of his time to writing a book?
Lloyd explains it this way: “Two years ago, a northern friend sang me a song about a young miner who frequented the Omineca gold fields in the 1870s. This miner, Hugh Gillis by name, was born in Prince Edward Island in 1835. The song cut deep and left unanswered questions. I could not resist the challenge of trying to find the answers.”
The intriguing Gillis story stands alongside the absorbing adventures of Frank Sylvester, Arnt Arntzen, John Freemont Smith and Ben Snipes. All have been diligently researched and colorfully written about. The shadows of these men once darkened pathways in Norway, USSR, Jamaica, Panama and the breadth of North America. To fulfill the book’s theme of “then and now” it includes a handful of segments that portray current scenes and adventuring. A selection of story-related images is included, as well as Endnotes and an Index.
Readers of British Columbia Trails Heading North will be rewarded with personal detail of the pioneers written about. Where they were born - what their early life was like - how did they get to this country - these are details that identify the person and shape the story. The more recent adventuring, by the author, brings forth some peculiar characteristics of the environment around us and provides a glimpse of pure solitude.
Jeck’s first book, In the Shadow of the Peaks: Rocky Mountain Tales, tells stories about rural life in and around the Robson Valley between 1925 and 1979.
He retired in 1996 from a position as area manager, roads and bridges, with the Ministry of Transportation and Highways.