Packtrains & Airplanes - Trudy Turner

A true pioneer remembers the harsh but rich homesteading life in remote Lonesome Lake, BC. Born in a remote homestead at Lonesome Lake in southwest British Columbia, Trudy Turner was raised in true pioneer fashion, without running water, electricity or cars. (Trudy learned to fly a plane in her twenties, but didn't get her motor vehicle driver's license until she was in her sixties.) Her parents began their homestead in 1912 and her family spent most of the twentieth century in that area working their small farms and living independent lives in harmony with nature and the animals that inhabit the region.

In 1939, as a young girl of 10, Trudy's father gave her the job of feeding the near-extinct trumpeter swans that wintered in the region. He had begun the feeding program in 1933 and Trudy kept it up until 1989. When she was 24, Trudy started her own homestead, building a home with the most basic hand tools.

Now in her eighties, Trudy reflects on her unusual life and eloquently describes her experiences growing up in a world that others may view as isolated and lonely, but to her was a complete and satisfying existence. Her work is an honest portrayal of her life as viewed through a long lens of many years and many experiences; she does not hesitate to recognize her personal failings, as experience and observation have given her the gift of perception and insight. Her strong personal viewpoint is a positive reflection of her character, and countered by her deep appreciation for nature and what it has taught her.