From Chilliwack to Shirley: A Hay Move Across Land, Sea, and Southern Vancouver Island

Most moving jobs stay neatly within city limits. A house in Victoria. An apartment in Langford. A business relocation in Saanich. But occasionally, a move stretches far beyond familiar neighbourhoods and turns into a lesson in West Coast geography.

For Paul Quinn, one of the most unforgettable jobs he worked on with Two Small Men with Big Hearts began well off Vancouver Island.

“There was this one time we were doing a move from Chilliwack to Shirley,” Paul recalls.

Chilliwack sits deep in the Fraser Valley, surrounded by farmland, wide highways, and long agricultural corridors that supply much of British Columbia’s livestock feed. It’s a stark contrast to southern Vancouver Island, where rugged coastlines, forested hills, and limited farming land make sourcing bulk agricultural materials far more difficult.

“It was kind of like locals,” Paul says. “Because we do them in one day most of the time.”

On paper, the move seemed straightforward. In practice, it involved hundreds of kilometres of driving, ferry coordination, and a destination that lies well beyond the Greater Victoria area.

Shirley is a small coastal community west of Sooke, perched along Highway 14 where pavement gives way to rainforest, cliffs, and open Pacific shoreline. It’s remote, beautiful—and not exactly easy to reach with multiple fully loaded moving trucks.

Before they could even think about heading west from Victoria, the crew had to cross the province.

“We were going to Chilliwack to pick up hay,” Paul explains.

While Vancouver Island has pockets of farming in areas like Saanich and Cowichan, large-scale hay production is limited.

“Apparently there’s no hay on Vancouver Island,” Paul says. “Yet there are farms and stuff, so I guess what farmers are doing is picking it up in Chilliwack.”

That reality turns the Fraser Valley into a supply lifeline for Island farmers. And on this job, Two Small Men with Big Hearts became part of that logistical chain.

“We took three trucks with us,” Paul says.

The convoy left the coast and headed inland—past Hope, through wide valley roads built for transport trucks and agricultural freight. Once in Chilliwack, the scale of the move became clear.

“We drove down to Chilliwack and filled all three trucks with hay,” Paul recalls.

Unlike furniture, hay doesn’t arrive shrink-wrapped or neatly boxed. Each bale is bulky, abrasive, and deceptively heavy. Loading hundreds of them requires rhythm, coordination, and constant awareness of balance and airflow inside the truck.

“I think it was six guys,” Paul says. “Loading three trucks in a day.”

Beyond the physical labour, hay introduces uncommon safety concerns—especially when transported in enclosed spaces over long distances.

“That was the first and only time I ever did a dangerous goods move,” Paul says.

Hay can retain moisture and generate heat as it compresses, and under the wrong conditions it can ignite.

“Hay can spontaneously combust,” Paul explains.

That meant truck selection mattered.

“We had our best trucks,” Paul says. “The ones that don’t have leaks.”

Once loaded, the crews began the long return west. From the Fraser Valley to the coast, onto BC Ferries, and across the Salish Sea—three massive trucks filled floor to ceiling with agricultural cargo.

“You guys have to take the ferry,” Paul laughs.

The crossing itself added another layer of complexity. Ferry schedules don’t bend easily, especially for oversized commercial vehicles.

“And then the one back,” Paul adds.

Once back on Vancouver Island, the journey wasn’t over. From the ferry terminal, the trucks had to navigate south past Victoria, through Langford and Colwood, then west toward Sooke—where the highway narrows and coastal conditions begin to dictate the pace.

The final stretch to Shirley is one of the most scenic drives on the Island, but also one of the most demanding: steep grades, sharp corners, and ocean winds rolling in from the Pacific.

All of it happened in peak summer heat.

“This was in the summer,” Paul says. “It was hot, and we were all sweating. Like, gross sweat.”

Inside the trucks, hay dust filled the air, clinging to skin and clothing. For some movers, it was more than uncomfortable.

“Some of the other guys had allergies,” Paul says. “They were complaining about it when the truck was still smelling like hay.”

There were even concerns most residential moves never require.

“Probably should have worried more about bugs,” Paul admits.

Still, the team pushed forward—focused on keeping the load dry, stable, and safe until final delivery on the Island’s far southwest edge.

When they finally arrived in Shirley, the job ended the same way all good moves do.

“It got done,” Paul says. “And the guy was happy.”

For Two Small Men with Big Hearts, the move became a reminder that service doesn’t stop at city limits. Whether it’s downtown Victoria, a remote coastal road past Sooke, or farmland hundreds of kilometres away, every move requires adapting to the geography that shapes life in British Columbia.

Sometimes that means navigating staircases and elevators.

And sometimes it means hauling three truckloads of hay across mountains, highways, ferries, and rainforest coastlines—just to make sure a customer has what they need on the other side.

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