Into the Wild (with apologies to Jon Krakau)

 Our stay in Victoria has come to an end marked by a quirky hotel (again), some fantastic meals and some unplanned experiences, including an afternoon in a Scotch Whisky distillery with some seriously good “product”. 

Erin has left the party, back on the ferry to Vancouver, and we are headed North, for Campbell River ….and “bear country”. We are assured by locals, when they ask about our plans, that the places we are heading to are quite special….some really impressive, untouched wilderness.

But before we headed off, on our last night, eating a meal at the pub, Wendy A looked up and exclaimed….”look at that…..the road is lifting into the air!” And so it was. The Johnson St bascule bridge was being raised for ship traffic and it was quite a “show/traffic stopper”

We couldn’t resist a stroll across the bridge after dinner and after that display of engineering brilliance….although some of the party were a little less enthusiastic than others😉

It’s quite an impressive sight to see the road go skyward as you’re enjoying your evening repast.

And so, to the North of the island…..not North to Alaska, but in that direction up highway 19, over the 50th parallel, via some quaint settlements and beautiful Vancouver Island scenery. 

The organisation for our trip into the wilds was seamless. Paperwork, indemnities and information about what to expect was all provided in a folder….but nothing really prepares you for the Canadian wilderness…..such a contrast to our own ancient, red, flat, dry and dusty continent.

After a night in Campbell River ( the pubs do pretty good food here and we tried the national dish, Poutine….just chips and gravy) we headed to the float plane terminal just a few minutes away.

One of the float planes taking the guests out to the lodge.

Taking off. It is a surprisingly quick launch!

None of us have ever been on a float plane before so this was quite a novel experience….although not for Canadians. They are quite a common form of transport in their remote areas.

There were 28 passengers, 14 on each of the two planes an all guests of Knight Inlet Lodge. And, apart from the small matter of numbers on planes that was rectified fairly smartly, it was a professional process, especially as we were the first group of the season.

It was about a half hour flight to the lodge over some very remote and rugged terrain which, we were informed by one of the lodge crew that Wendy A be-friended, was “impossible to walk out of” ….and we didn’t need any convincing! 

The closest thing we have in Australia to it would be the wilds of the Franklin River in Tasmania.

Banking hard on our approach to Glendale Cove and Knight Inlet.
The lodge can be seen tucked up against the shore in the distance

View of the lodge as we were “taxiing” in. The guest rooms are in the building on the left.

And after we landed and de-planed….not so elegantly on a rocking plane and moving dock, it was all business. Check-in, orientation, room and gear allocation and then group activities listed on the schedule. I quite liked the way it all went actually….a bit like a well run school camp.

Everything there is barged or flown in….everything…and it was marvellous to see how comfortable they had made this lodge in the wilderness. The food was good quality and plentiful….the coffee machines that got quite a workout, made great coffee and hot chocolate….(very welcome after a few hours on the cool water)…..and the rooms were plain but really comfortable…with hot showers….luxury!

But, back to the first day. Morning tea, get geared up and set off on the first activity…an estuary tour in a light skiff with a 25 hp outboard for distance and a little electric motor (a trawling motor I’m told) for drifting quietly near the bears. 

Now the gear was not simple. Weather proof, warm duds and jacket, life preserver, binoculars and gum boots if you chose. Not glamorous its true….but certainly necessary out on that chilly water in the breeze.

Geared up for our excursions. Fashionable ….and effective.
Near the flower pots in the background were bird feeders with nectar…and lots of tiny humming birds.
It’s really hard to get a shot of a hovering humming bird!

Within minutes of heading over to the estuary, our guide, Effie ( a Dutch girl living in Canada because she is smitten with bears and the wild) had spotted a bear and her cub digging for barnacles and clams on the low tide shore. Really? We were quite aware that going out to find wildlife is mostly fraught with dashed expectations …..and disappointment……but here we were, minutes in and up fairly close and personal with Flora and her cub Fauna. How wonderful!

Flora and her two year old cub Fauna scratching around in the intertidal zone for food.

 We were about 40 or so metres away, so the long 200ml lens as at its max for photos, but through the binoculars it felt like you could almost reach out and touch them. Just fantastic …..and on our first outing!

Back for lunch and a quick “pit stop” and then the next activity. We were supposed to do a tour of the inlet on a larger boat, but as the wind was getting up and the water becoming choppy, Wendy and I opted for a guided tour of the forest and bear habitat. Mariners we are not, and the thought of a few hours on a rollicking small craft on an angry sea was not for us. 

But Mike and Wendy were up for it and came home a bit wet, but happy…..Mike not so much! 

When asked about the highlight of the tour, Wendy A nominated that it was when Eddy, the captain, backed the boat into a waterfall …..and we all got wet! Confirmed our decision.

The forest walk was great. So quiet, peaceful and remote. They took us out to little trails where the bears go, and to a scratching tree that they think has been used by bears for decades. We could see the fur and claw marks all around the tree. Reminded everyone of Baloo while he sings “The Bear Necessities” in The Jungle Book.

Effie and the “rubbing tree”. Some the big male bears stand higher than the scratch marks on the tree.
She is showing us video of the bears activity taken by sensor cameras strapped to trees in the forest.

And then back for a hot lunch before setting out on another tour of the estuary but this time at high tide when the sedge grass is down to the water.

Mike and Wendy B elected to stay behind on this excursion (it had been a big day) but Wendy A and I headed out again with Tamara as our guide. And, lo and behold……there are three bears that we stealthily approached with our electric trawling motor and spent some time observing. They were quite unconcerned by our presence and it was just magic.

At high tide the bears feed on the sedge grass along the edges of the cove. Apparently it helps get their digestive systems going after their long, Winter hibernation.

The lodge crew are really professional and it was hard to say if they are always like this or it was because it was the first group of the season. I’m pretty confident that it is the former.

Pre-dinner drinks then dinner is very civilised and, what is also a nice touch, the “crew” of this whole organisation eat with the guests. We are all in the dining room together mingling and sharing our meals….which on this occasion was fish or roast beef with Yorkshire pudding….with blueberry cheesecake foe dessert. Fantastic!

We sat with Brent who is in charge of keeping the electricity (diesel and battery generators) water and sewerage all going properly which is quite a responsibility. It also turns out that he is quite well travelled and we spent a very pleasant hour or so getting to know each other. So much so that the next morning at breakfast Wendy A insisted he have his meal with us again which he was happy to do.

After dinner there was a lecture on Bear Cubs and there were more than a few nodding off in chairs. We were so tired after such a “full on” day that we crashed early …..and didn’t even notice when the generator went off at 10pm!

Our last excursion was an early morning estuary tour in search of bears again….and what a strike rate. Not only did we get really quite close to Flora and her cub, we happened across another female bear with two cubs born just this year. They were so young and vulnerable, and she was a bit more wary for them but we go a good view from about 60 or 70 metres away.

Early morning on the cove was serene.
We drifted so quietly past these ruins of the wharf of an old abandoned salmon factory.
There was quite a settlement here 100 years ago. 

This mother bear is not often sighted….particularly now that she has two, very young cubs. We were a little further away, but such a wonderful sight to witness.

How fortunate had we been. Not only did we see bears up quite close (in the safety of the skiffs) but we had the most comfortable and memorable experiences you could wish for.

And so is the nature of things, that all good times must come to a close, and we were due to catch the ferry 150km down the coast at Nainamo at 3.15pm. So, it was quickly back to the lodge, grab our gear and load up into the De Havilland “Otter” for the trip back to Campbell River.

The plane came in and landed with a splash and a roar of “reverse thrust” right in front of us ……so strange to see such a thing…..and before we knew it we were airborne, back to civilisation and to resume our travels in Canada.

Our chariot arrived…steeply diving from the mountains then levelling off for a perfect landing. 
It’s always comforting to see a perfect landing!

A funny thing happened. As we were loading, Brent, the crew member we had come to know a bit, said to me, as I was loading last… “go for shotgun…the pilot will be fine with it”.
So I did…much to the chagrin of some other passengers …..but not my lot. Top trip back!

Happy campers…but it’s time to move on.😞