A woman living her wilderness dream in an off-grid cabin on a remote island in Canada for over two years has shared her unique experience.
Hailing from Vancouver, Amanda, 54, lives on an island in the Broughton Archipelago in British Columbia.
The freelance web designer and graphic artist who has lived on the remote island has been a caretaker for private property since 2021.
However, this isn’t the first time the self-described “nomad” has worked as a caretaker of a property.
“In 2014, I was a caretaker of a property in Desolation Sound for a winter, and I loved it,” she told the Epoch Times. ”I knew I wanted to do it again in a different location.”
Seeking a similar opportunity through Craigslist, Amanda was eventually able to get in touch with the owners of the island.
“I called them, had a phone interview, and was hired to start in October 2021,” Amanda said.
The property, which was established 30 years ago, boasts multiple buildings, a machine workshop, two quonsets and three shipping containers used for storage, a house, and two cabins.
A solar panel provides 8,000 watts of energy during the spring and summer months. In the fall and winter months, a generator is used to supplement the solar panels.
Additionally, there are two generators on the property with one of them being used as a backup in case the other goes down.
Though there are a few short trails, Amanda said the island is mostly covered in a thick cedar forest.
Revealing more about the property, Amanda said the cabins and the main house were built by an American—a previous owner—about 30 years ago. During that time, the island was used as a retreat for American veterans and other guests, who helped build the docks and buildings.
In 2021, the current owners—residents of Port Hardy, British Columbia, bought the property. According to Amanda, they visit the property multiple times a year.
“In the summers, they are here for about two months, and, starting in the spring, one of the owners is here once a week,” she said.
The old, single-story cabin has simple furniture since getting building supplies to the island is an ordeal.
“Out here, if something isn’t broken, you definitely don’t replace it as it can cost more to transport goods here than it does to purchase them,” Amanda said. ”The furniture consists of old leather couches and a mish-mash of shelving units and tables.”
Most of the heat comes from wood-burning stoves. However, since the island is located within the territory of several native nations, it’s considered illegal to chop down any trees for firewood.
“Ninety percent of the wood we use comes from the ocean and is beachcombed,“ she said. ”About 10 percent of the wood we use to heat the buildings comes from windfalls.”
For many, opting to live off-grid is not ideal, but Amanda loves the experience.
“It’s important to me that I live as much of a sustainable life as possible wherever I go,“ she said. ”Living off-grid is a great teacher of how much food, power, and just general stuff you use and don’t need. I wanted to live a simpler, more intentional life, to be a more mindful consumer.”
She also enjoys the peace and quiet—contrary to expectations, Amanda has never felt lonely.
“Living in such a remote place lets me really connect with nature,” she said. “I get to watch the seasons change and appreciate the beauty of the wilderness. While some might find being alone all the time a bit daunting, I find it quite fulfilling.”
Beyond enjoying the solitude, she’s also had the opportunity to gain some practical skills and has grown her abilities as a sailor and a boat master. She’s also learned to split wood and drive a vehicle off-road.
Amanda said: “I’ve surprised myself by learning several tasks that I never imagined I'd be doing in my lifetime.”
For the most part, Amanda’s path has been “smooth sailing,” but she has faced some challenges over the last two years.
“In the first year, the encounters with black bears left me a little shaken,” she said. “Last winter, I was bringing in a log by kayak. As I came in, I was watching the 4 or 5 deer feeding on the hill behind the main house when all of a sudden they were startled and bolted away.”
Amanda knew this wasn’t because of her as they were used to her presence.
“My first thought was ‘Bear!’ I was about 20 to 25 feet from the shoreline, so I dropped the line that was attached to the log I was bringing in and began to paddle backward, away from the shore,” she said.
Amanda wasn’t sure if there was a bear or not, but she didn’t want to risk it. After she stopped paddling, she saw a black bear running right to where she had been going to land.
“The bear looked up, saw me, and quite literally did a double-take–as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing,” she said. “I started paddling backward again slowly while repeating in a calm tone over and over, ‘Hey bear, hey bear, hey bear.’”
Those few seconds felt like a few minutes to her. Eventually, the bear turned and went off in the direction of her cabin.
After losing sight of the bear and drifting in place for about 40 minutes, she paddled back to the shoreline in front of her cabin and ran into her house.
Another tense moment occurred during the winter. Amanda was cleaning some branches when she accidentally poked herself in the face with a hemlock branch and had an allergic reaction. After calling the island’s owners for assistance, she was able to get to the hospital in Port McNeill the following morning.
For the first few seasons, Amanda had a Newfoundland pup named Buttercup, but she lost the canine last summer. Soon after, Amanda adopted a 2-year-old mixed-breed dog who continues to make life interesting.
“Last month, she was on leash all month and spent a lot of time inside as the sea wolves were hunting her,” Amanda said. “It’s the closest the wolves have gotten to the property since I arrived. They have moved on now, so she’ll come outside with me in the mornings when I work on the property, but most afternoons I put her inside, as since the beginning of April, we’ve had a black bear visit every afternoon—he comes to eat the dandelions.”
As she chronicles her journey, she hopes to help others.
“By daring to defy expectations and follow your heart, you pave the way for a life rich in meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.”
