With the Marten Trapper at Timberline 
A Short Sketch of Life on a British Columbia Trap Line 
shoes, I threw on my pack sack, 
containing bait, a few spare 
traps, lunch, and “odds and ends” of 
supplies for my number three cabin, 
and taking the 30-30 carbine, I left my 
number two cabin and started the as- 
cent to timber line. My trap line fol- 
lowed the bank of Excelsior Creek that 
has its source in the glaciers of the 
rugged mquntains eight thousand feet 
above sea level. 
One hour’s travel brought me to the 
west branch of Excelsior Creek, here 
at the junction of the two streams I 
had a trap set for marten, but a large 
white weasel, or “ermine,” was the 
catch at this set. I reset the trap and 
continued on my way up the creek. 
About every four or five hundred yards 
I had a set for marten or ermine, as 
these animals generally follow a creek 
bed, (on the ice) or run along the bank. 
I caught two more ermine between the 
west branch of Excelsior Creek and 
timber line. 
I ate my lunch in the little “iean to” 
I put up in the last grove of trees at 
timber line, and after re-baiting a trap 
here, I started the long climb to the 
summit. Here the snow laid from three 
to four feet deep with a little clump 
of scrub jack-pine dotted here and 
there. The trapper takes his bearings 
from the surrounding peaks and ridges, 
as the contour of the country changes 
considerably after every snow fall. 
Although the mercury was around 
twenty-five below zero, the sun shone 
brightly from a clear sky, which made 
the snow sparkle as if studded with a 
million diamonds. As my snow shoes 
made their “swish, 
swish” up the smooth 
white expanse of 
snow, I was startled 
from time to time by 
the “Eek! eek!” of 
ptarmigan, as they 
rose from the snow a 
few feet in front of 
me, and after flying 
a hundred yards or 
so, they would light 
again in the soft 
snow, which hid them 
effectually from the 
casual observer. 
Even with smoked 
snow glasses on, the 
bright sun, shining on 
H stees, fastened on my snow- 
By NEIL M. LINDSEY 
Two marten, a good day’s pay 
this white world, makes the eyes of the 
traveler burn, and hastens his steps 
toward the green timber on the other 
side of the summit. 
Back and forth across this wide ex- 
panse of snow, we find the tracks of 
that restless little fur-bearer, the er- 
mine, where he scurries from one clump 
of scrub pine to another, in search of 
mice, ptarmigan, or an_ occasional 
snow shoe rabbit that finds its way to 
this high altitude. 
With snowshoes, rifle and pack 

aah ohn oe 
One hour’s climb from timber line 
brought me to the summit; from here 
I could see within a radius of fifty 
miles, the great white peaks that lift 
their mighty heads to an altitude of ten 
to twelve thousand feet, making the 
view indescribable, but time on the 
trap-line is valuable so I resumed my 
journey, and topping the summit made 
my way down the long slope to timber 
line. In a little clump of jack-pine I 
had an ermine set, so I stopped to see 
if I had any luck. The wind had drifted 
the snow over, and here was my fourth 
big ermine. 
THEN skirted timber line, and an- 
other hour’s travel brought me to my 
eight by eight cabin, situated at the 
outlet of a small lake, at timber line. 
I skinned my catch, then cooked and 
ate a good substantial supper and after 
reading awhile, I rolled up in my 
blankets and enjoyed the good sound 
sleep that comes to those who spend a 
hard day in the great out-of-doors. 
Next morning by daybreak, I was 
once more on the line. I took the trail 
behind the cabin and climbed for half 
an hour to the ridge, which I was fol- 
lowing to where it slopes into a small 
creek bed. I crossed this creek at tim- 
ber line; here I had three traps for 
marten, the first trap contained a 
“whiskey-jack,” but in the second, hang- 
ing by the right hind foot, was a fine 
large dark marten. 
From here I climbed a few hundred 
feet to a bench, and after crossing this, 
I came to the rim of a large creek 
basin. From where I stood, my course 
led me down a gradual slope to the creek 
about half a mile dis- 
tant. After reaching 
the creek, I made my 
way down its right 
bank to the green 
timber. 
N the timber I had 
my line blazed with 
a double blaze at every 
trap. (I have a code 
of five or six differ- 
ent blazes I use in the 
woods and on my 
trap-lines.) The first 
three traps _ here 
yielded me two nice 
(Cont. on page 180) 
137 
