Humans of Terrace

This is Leon. An arborist and lifelong lover of the outdoors, Leon followed his pull toward nature and moved to Canada in 2020. Originally from Freiburg, Germany, he first landed in 100 Mile House, a small town in the southern Cariboo region. seeking a change and a new beginning.

After a hunting trip to Terrace with a friend, Leon, like so many others, found himself drawn to this small but mighty town. Once he settled here, he wasted no time starting his business, Bigfoot Tree Service and, like many entrepreneurs, also began building community around one of his greatest passions: boxing.

A lifelong student of the sport, Leon credits boxing for bringing rhythm, discipline, and balance to his life. These values, along with his love for nature, have helped him connect deeply with the people of Terrace, a community that has welcomed him with such warmth.

When asked to share a parting thought, Leon offered words that reflect both his strength and heart: “Be kind. But don’t take sh*t.” A reminder to us all that kindness and firmness can beautifully coexist, and perhaps that’s the truest way to live a happy life.

This is Danielle. Her story is one of two different worlds; one with sun and the other with snow. It’s also about community and what it’s like to find home. Originally from Australia, Danielle has chapters of her story in Vancouver, Mexico, Vietnam and Macau. Knowing all this about her past, the million dollar question is: how did she end up in Terrace? During her stay in Vancouver in 2015, Danielle met a boy named Joe. Eventually their friendship took a turn for the romantic and after they were married, they moved back to Joe’s hometown, Queen Charlotte City. And then in 2018, they began to officially call Terrace home.

It wasn’t long before Danielle noticed a gap in the market and realized the community was in need of a high quality baby and toddler store. And in November of 2020, Little Gumnut and Co. was born. Immaculately kept and stocked with high quality goods, Little Gumnut exclusively carries Australian and Canadian brands. Highlighting these two countries is not a coincidence; it’s telling the story of the duality that exists in Danielle’s life. She feels connected to the community here in Terrace and is grateful for an ever widening social circle, but at her core, she deeply misses Australia. She imagined raising her two kids, Sonny and Tas, at the beach, learning to surf and growing up under the sun. Although this longing lives within her, Danielle has turned this energy into a passion for creating community. Little Gumnut has become a sort of sacred, safe place for new parents and to anyone who has spent any time with Danielle, this won’t be surprising. Being around Danielle feels comforting and she makes everyone feel at ease, which is a marked difference from the online battle ground of motherhood that often feels judgmental and competitive. She hopes to expand the large room behind the store to create a drop-in community space for mothers to just let their guard down. With Little Gumnut being a marriage between her entrepreneurIal vision and her passion for supporting mothers, it makes sense this part of her life story is a chapter so many are drawn too.

This is Tyler. Anyone who knows him will intuitively sense where he will be at any given point during day: on his bike ripping down a trail or chasing powder on the mountain.
 
Tyler fell in love with Terrace after a stroke of bad luck. After his attempt to fly into Terrace for a ski-trip was delayed by three cancelled flights, he quickly learned what the locals have known for years; that cancelled flights mean killer powder on the mountain. Instead of cursing the skies, he thought to himself, ‘I think I like this!’. And by 2014, Tyler had officially made Terrace his home.
 
Although skiing was the adventure that brought him to the North Coast, it was the mountain biking that has really kept him here. As the current president of TORCA (Terrace Off Road Cycling Association), Tyler is driven to bring trail riding to the larger Terrace community. When they asked the community what they needed, an overwhelming amount of responses expressed that there were no beginner level trails and the sport felt out of reach to many. TORCA set to change this and created the pump track, a place where anyone can come out to bike (no matter your skill level or quality of bike). This is what really makes the Terrace mountain biking community special; the passion to increase access to trails, not hide them away. It is obvious the mountain biking community is growing in Terrace, especially to Tyler who can’t help but feel excited when he sees bike pads and racks on the back of vehicles. It is clear that the pandemic changed things for people, shifting values and bringing clarity to the way we all live. Nature became the sacred refuge that we didn’t know we needed and getting outside helped so many of us stay present in our lives. Tyler couldn’t have described this any better when he said that “biking is my time to escape from the rest of my life and just be fully focused on the moment at hand. I rarely get distracted or think about anything else but the ride at hand when I am out there.”

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Awesome seeing Kari recognized!

This is Christian. Originally from Quebec, Christian found a home in Terrace and more specifically, a home at the beloved ski hill Shames Mountain. As the general manager of Shames Mountain, Christian is a familiar face in town and at the hill, always waving and connecting with the folks that cross his path. Anyone who hangs out at Shames Mountain knows how special it is. The Terrace community not only loves the mountain for its breathtaking views and world class powder, but also because the co-op model that Shames operates within allows everyone to feel like they’re a part of something much larger.

As someone who never stayed in a place longer than six years, it was no surprise when Christian decided to make Terrace home. The connection that he made with the community, the local Indigenous culture and the sacred outside, made putting roots down easy. Reflecting on what he loves about Terrace, Christian acknowledges that “people who are drawn to living the northern lifestyle are something special”. Whether it be skiing, hiking or fishing, Terrace has an energy of self discovery to it and this is a value that is important to Christian and his family. Moving to Terrace not only connected him to Shames mountain but it also introduced him to his wife and together they have built a life for their three children.

The Covid pandemic was the toughest challenge Shames Mountain has ever encountered. From developing policies to protect its patrons to brainstorming ways to stay afloat, Christian and the team at Shames weathered the storm alone (without the security blanket that many large, corporate hills have built in). The pandemic also stopped newcomers from connecting with the vibrant and rich community that exists in Terrace and at Shames Mountain, with Christian lamenting that “Some haven’t even had a chance to experience what a Sneaky Pete is!”. Luckily, but not surprisingly, the community stepped up this year and Shames Mountain sold 30% more season’s passes than last year. Christian believes this is because folks are desperate to connect with something that resembles pre-pandemic life. But who knows, maybe it has something to do with experiencing a Sneaky Pete. @ Shames Mountain

This is Talon. You might recognize him from his photography work in Terrace, as he has been pursuing his craft for the last ten years. Working as a photographer enables him to move past his introversion and helps him connect with others.

Talon believes that people don’t often understand him and knows that he is a “less simple person than others might think”. A creative and adventurous soul, he is someone that knows restlessness. Often chasing contentment, Talon finds himself out in the wild on long trips, as it is important for him to get a feel for a place. And this can only happen when we slow down and learn about the land. His love of being outside leads to things like cooking over an open fire, camping, surfing and snowboarding. And always by his side is Wally, his energetic canine companion. Although he sometimes is perceived as closed off, Talon welcomes those around him to connect.

Talon’s ultimate goal with photography has always been longevity. Outside of the sometimes superficial and fast-paced nature of social media, he aims to get his work into print. This media format won’t disappear “after a couple hundred likes” and can exist on after any hype has died down. Much like his attitude towards travel, Talon believes that having something tangible infront of you is much more important.

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@ Terrace, British Columbia

Humans of Terrace: A Registered Nurse Battles Single-Use Plastic - SKEENA STRONG Leticia founded the Terrace Refillery in November of 2019 and has not looked back since. She has long held a passion for sustainability and in early 2019, started Plastic Free Terrace, a non-profit dedicated to educating the community on single-use plastic. More

Humans Of Terrace: Growing Japanese Turnips In The Skeena Also known as Farmer Cam, he runs the 30-crop Farmer Cam’s Foods out of Hidden Acres Treehouse Resort in Thornhill. After working in economic development on Haida Gwaii, Cam was able to see the incredible agricultural potential in Terrace and set up shop in March 2019.

This is Kari. Kari designed and created the mural in downtown Terrace called “The Wild Ones”. When the Terrace Downtown Improvement Association did a call for artists, she knew this was a project that excited her. Kari worked tirelessly over 150 hours to complete this mural, including dodging rainy weather and 12-14 hour work days.

As an artist, Kari sees the world differently. Whether it’s designing large scale murals or creating wood carvings, she is always working to translate the world around her into art. Growing up, Kari remembers telling people she wanted to be a “starving artist”, so it’s no coincidence she is embedded in the creative. Luckily she can knock the “starving”‘ out of the job title and has been able to develop a life around her passion. In fact, Kari Morgan Designs currently has pieces for sale in an art gallery in Seattle, focused on highlighting Indigenous artists.

Sharing her work with the world is hugely important to her, not only to continue as an artist, but to bring her story and history forward. As an Indigenous artist and grad of the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, Kari hopes to use her craft to bring a resurgence to the cultural stories that are so important to her (it also helps that her Nisga’a name is K’alaajex, which translates to “making friends”). And as you face the incredible piece she has created downtown, it is difficult to feel anything but gratitude for the life and energy her art brings to the community.

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@ Terrace, British Columbia Kari Morgan Designs

A new news site called Skeena Strong will be featuring our Humans of Terrace posts!

Humans of Terrace: ‘Don’t Underestimate Me’ Originally from Haida Gwaii, Kiefer moved to Terrace six years ago to host the radio show Journeys on radio station CFNR.