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 Day 4: Spirit Bear / Mooksgm ol Today our boat was the Laxsgyiik and headed to a special area known for black bears. Other groups had apparently seen a Mooksgm ol (spirit bear) here but as we were reminded there are maybe 60-80 spirit bears in the world. So expectations were tempered.  Our guides for the day were Justin, Mercedes, Roxanne and our driver Fred. The trip north west from Klemtu was our longest boat ride yet. Over 2 hours and it was rough. Bouncing our way up the coast was familiar and also tiring. Arriving at our spot was a relief. The plan for the day was to take The Zode to shore and then walk about 10 minutes into the forest to a viewing area. As it turns out the walk was challenging to those with mobility concerns with lots of rocks, fallen logs and mud to tromp through.  Arriving at our viewing area we had a 180 degree view of a cascading waterfall and river system. We positioned ourselves and waiting for the bears to come. Fortunately we didn’t have ...

 Day 3: Lagoon The weather promised to be sunny and warm for the day and like a kid on Christmas morning I was up before sunrise in anticipation of what was to come. Breakfast is served at 7am so I had time to sit on the deck of the lodge and listen to the seals catch their breakfast and the birds fuss about in their morning routine.  The buffet style breakfast always set us up for the day and no one went hungry. Before boarding the boat at 8am you have to check the assignment board to find your boat (Ganhada today), put your lunch together and pack your duffle with the clothing and supplies for the day. Once on the boat the guides (which mostly changed every day) would tell stories of the Kitasoo and Xai'xais people, the significance of various spots, or about the wildlife we were or would likely see.  The guides were knowledgeable and friendly and always happy to take a question. Today we headed north west from Klemtu to an interesting spot with a lagoon and river outfl...

 Day 2 - Grizzly After a deep and relaxing sleep we woke at 6am. The coffee was fresh and we sat on the deck of the lodge enjoying the crisp morning air and still waters. Small flocks of sea birds travelling up the channel, crows, eagles and ravens announcing themselves to the morning.  Beautiful crisp, still mornings. My view as I drank my coffee. A buffet breakfast at 7am provided the fuel for the day and since we would be away from the lodge we also packed up a lunch. Sandwiches, fruit, a variety of salads, cookies and squares meant that we would stay fuelled as well. Each morning our names would be on a list with a boat name and our guides. We were to report at 8am to the listed boat where we would be shuttled to our daily destination. Our first day was on the good ship  Mooksgm ol to a bay known for Grizzly bear sightings.  The trip from the lodge to our viewing area took about 90 minutes and we were once again blessed with some whales and other sea life. The f...

Great Bear Rainforest This was a big trip. We had been planning this for the better part of year, and the origins of the idea going back even further.  Let's start with a bit of an overview of the whole thing. The Great Bear Rainforest  is situated on the central cost of British Columbia and is a vast, protected area that is co-managed by many First Nations and the Government of BC. It is special for many reasons, but perhaps most notably for the only place in the world where you can find Spirit Bears . They are a sub-species of black bears with a recessive gene that gives them a white colouration. Wikipedia will tell you - as of writing - that there are up to 500 fully white bears, the locals put that number closer to 50-60.  Either way, it's a special and unique animal to see in it's natural habitat. We chose to access this area through Sprit Bear Lodge - a First Nations run ecotourism outfit based in the village of Klemtu.   We started out at YVR South termi...