If you have ever driven past the roundabout outside of the Eagle Ridge Community Centre, it’s likely you haven’t thought it would be a good place to camp.
Not unless you’re Steve Wallis.
“I’ve been checking every single roundabout that I’ve seen and then this one, I knew right away, I’m going to go camp in that thing,” says Wallis.
Wallis loves the outdoors and making videos of his adventures. So 11 years ago as an easy way of saving his memories, he started a YouTube channel.
“I’d forgotten about it for a year or two, I looked at it and I suddenly had 1,000 or two subscribers and I said okay well this thing could have legs,” says Wallis.
Soon Wallis was going on more camping adventures to make videos for his subscribers, but when the costs of trips from his hometown in Edmonton started to add up, Wallis got creative and came up with stealth camping.
“Edmonton does have a huge stretch of urban parkland, so I went behind the house and just filmed along some trails in the River Valley in the city,” says Wallis.
“I have since then stealth camped in abandoned cold war bunkers, any bush and behind a bus station. You name it, I’ve been all over the place.”
When Wallis came back to the island at the start of the month for a vacation, he already had the Langford roundabout circled on his list.
After purchasing a high vis vest to disguise himself as a city worker, Wallis settled in for the evening. Even though there were some close calls, Wallis made it through the night undetected.
The video of his camping adventure now boasts over 1 million views. As for if Wallis thinks others will try and follow his lead?
“I don’t think it’s going to be a big trend, but a lot of people just kind of watch out of morbid curiosity,” says Wallis.
“I am definitely more of a cautionary example than a role model at this.”
For fans trying to catch a glimpse of the stealth camper, Wallis will be on the island for two more weeks scouting locations and filming videos.
You can check out his other videos here.
Cole Sorenson
