Edward Duncan (Chilco) Choate was born in 1935 in Chilliwack, BC. In 1952 he left home and headed for the Chilcotin country of BC. He tried cowboying but soon became a big-game guide and outfitter. During his years of guiding, he also became well known as a conservationist. He still lives alone on Gaspard Lake, a remote lake in the Chilcotin, and communicates with the world by way of a solar fax machine.