Meet the man who’s lived 30 years in Stanley Park
This is the first story in a three-part series about a man who has lived in Vancouver’s Stanley Park for the last three decades.
Hidden in the forest of Stanley Park, not far from a walking trail, there’s a campsite.
From the outside, it doesn’t look like much — a few green tarps attached to a couple of trees.
You’d be forgiven for missing it, even if you saw it.
But this isn’t just any campsite.
This site belongs to a man who’s chosen to call Stanley Park home for more than 30 years. His name is Christenson Bailey and he’s Stanley Park’s longest resident.
It’s a sunny winter’s day in early March with the temperature hovering around two degrees.
Bailey is dressed in a puffer jacket and balaclava, but the chill in the air doesn’t bother him. Inside his tent, the sunlight is shining through a white tarpaulin that acts as a roof and small chickadees are flying in and out through the side that is always left open.
Around him is a collection of his artwork, painting supplies, musical instruments, and flowers — a setup he describes as “pure bliss.”
The intention of living here, he says, was the “quest for mind. To look at influences of the peace and quiet of the forest on creativity.”
Everything about Bailey’s campsite is simple yet functional. Most of it is constructed using old fishing nets and ropes discarded from nearby marinas. The layers of tarps keep it waterproof and there’s a small wooden box for essential supplies such as flashlights, loaves of bread, and a charging pack for his phone.
To protect from the elements, he has a blanket and four sleeping bags — good for “20 below,” he says. The most surprising thing is how small it is. There isn’t enough room to stand inside the makeshift tent, and the encampment takes
Read more on globalnews.ca
