Great Bear Rainforest - The Journey Begins

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 terminal Pacific coastal air issued an advisory that there was a risk of fog and we might have to turn around. We thought it was maybe just managing expectations but we found out that the fog was down to the water until 45 minutes before we landed. Rumour had it that the flight the day before had to turn around and go back to Vancouver due to the fog. 

We arrived in Bella Bella and were bused the short distance to the dock where we waited for our boats to arrive. Within a short period of time we set off in our boats that sped their way north to Klemtu. We worked our way through the archipelago and fjords through stunning terrain. 

After some time we caught sight of plumes of water which signified some whales. Our guides enthusiastically told us that we had found a small pod of fin whales. Apparently they are not common to the area and it was a treat to see them. The five whales in the pod seemed to be a family with some young ones noticeable by their smaller plumes. The fin whales are very long with a prominent dorsal fin that gives them their name. 

Fin whale. The fin is the give away. That and they are really long.

Between the amazing scenery and the whale watching the trip had gotten off to an amazing start. Things were just getting started.

Just as we arrived at Spirit Bear Lodge we were idling up to the dock when our guide called us to the outside deck to watch a black bear swim across the short channel between Klemtu and a neighbouring island. The bear swam with ease and as they reached the shoreline they ambled along towards the village and on their merry way. The locals were pretty impressed with this but it did mean the village had to be on alert for a new bear in town.

A bear swimming. They are pretty confidence swimmers.

After about 2 hours of travel we docked at the Lodge and were greeted warmly by our hosts. The lodge sits on the edge of Klemtu and is right on the water. Our hosts are from the Kitasoo and Xai'xais nations who came together over a hundred years ago to combine efforts in surviving the changing landscape brought on by colonization. Each nation comes from a different language group and called traditional lands home.

After being shown to our rooms we were invited in to the great room for drinks and a welcome reception. In addition to general house rules, wayfinding and an overview of the lands we were given an unflinching reminder of the effects of colonization and efforts from the Canada government to remove indigenous peoples from their way of life. The lodge had also worked to create a welcome video giving us a glimpse of the natural beauty we were likely to experience over the coming g few days. Lastly we were welcomed in song by our hosts who performed a ceremony that was traditionally used to announce their arrival back from trips at sea. We ended a first evening with a cup full of gratitude for the privilege to be in such a beautiful part of the world and to be welcomed so kindly. 

Between the plane and boat ride, fine food and wine, lots of new faces and our warm reception, we crashed in bed around 9:30pm and were asleep in seconds. What would tomorrow bring?


The view from our room to the dock.

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