Canada - Day Six - Wednesday 9th October

Today was another early start.  When I pulled back the curtains at just gone six o’clock there was the most amazing colours in the sky.  I quickly got dressed and went downstairs and across the road to the edge of the sea, and took some pictures with the mountains in the background.  The sky was going from pink to red to orange – it was one of the loveliest sunrises I have seen.  As soon as it came it had gone, and the sky was back to normal.  What a great way to start the day.

Heron’s Landing is the hotel used for the first night of a three night package to Knights Inlet.  Because the float plane leaves early in the morning, this hotel is used to pick customers up from and take them to the float plane.  It describes itself as a boutique hotel – I would call it more like a second hand shop.  Whereas the hotel is clean and quite sufficient for a one nights stay, it is rather odd.  It describes the rooms as penthouse suites – there is a separate bedroom and another bed in a cabinet in the lounge, but you would not get what you were expecting for a penthouse suite.  Looks rather more like your grandmother’s house.  Breakfast, although continental, was also quite sufficient.  The shuttle came at 8.30am to collect us, so we didn’t spend long here at all.  Our luggage had to be split into two here also, as we can only take a small bag on the float plane.  The main luggage is stored at the float plane terminal.

There are two float planes – one a nine seater and one a thirteen seater.  There were two groups of us going to Knight Inlet today, so both were being utilised.  The luggage was taken, and the check in consisted of writing your name on a sheet of paper.  Suppose they need to know who they lose along the way.  The larger plane took off first, and whilst they were loading the luggage onto ours we had a brief talk about the lodge.  This time last year there was a fire at the lodge, and the whole thing burned down.  By the time it opened again at the beginning of June this year, they had bought another lodge from the west side of Vancouver Island and towed it around to where the old one was, and a complete new Knight Inlet was born.  Everyone got off the lodge safely – one of the young guides that was instrumental in evacuating everyone, Moira, was the head guide this year.  We were shown a few photos of the old lodge – suppose we will see the new one for ourselves, so didn’t need to see them.

Our plane was then ready, so we got onboard.  After the safety demonstration, a rather bizarre run through of safety hatches and life vests by the pilot hanging out of the door, the door was shut and the propellers started.  We taxied around this part of the river, and then took off over the ocean.  We had to head northwards for forty nine miles – around a thirty minute journey, and land at the lodge which is actually back on the mainland of Canada rather than Vancouver Island.  The journey was very smooth, and very picturesque.  Apart from a few low clouds that appeared every now and then, the views were of mountains, forests and water.  Very little else, and the further north we went the less we saw of any buildings.  Apart from Knight Inlet, there are no other buildings anywhere near here.  We landed on the waterway outside of the lodge, having had a fantastic aerial view as we flew in.  The luggage was quickly taken off the plane, as were we, and we did a very quick check in.  We had to sign a disclaimer – not sure what it was for as I didn’t read it, but were told that it was for feeding us to the bears.  Were they joking??

The baggage was taken to our rooms very quickly – there are only 18, so it didn’t take long.  The rooms as fairly basic, no TV’s, internet, phone signal or any other modern device including hair driers.  Good job I knew that, and bought one in Victoria before we came up here.  There is hot water from 5.30am to 10.00pm – the generator is shut down after those hours, but they go to battery power so there is still electricity.  The beds are really comfortable though.  This was an old fishing lodge before it was towed here, and I think because of the quick turnaround they had to do to get it open for the beginning of the season there are still little niceities that will be done after the lodge shuts mid October for the winter.  After a quick orientation, there really isn’t much else to the lodge apart from the rooms, dining room, lounge and a couple of other rooms for clothing, we were off on our first trip. All the outdoor gear is already here.  Everyone has to have a floatation device on – it is in the jackets and all-in-ones, or if it is the summer there are normal life jackets.  As we are going on the water, it has been suggested that we use their jackets instead of ours.  This was an hours boat ride in and around the estuary of the lodge.  The boat was so comfortable – everyone had a lovely seat that did a 360 degree swivel.  Fantastic for taking photos at every angle.  The tide was out – low tide was at 10.00am this morning.  There is apparently up to an eighteen feet difference in water levels between low and high tides.  There is so much bird life around the estuary.  We first found a mating pair of bald eagles on top of an old pole sticking out of the water.  We quietly went towards it until we were right underneath it, and they didn’t move.  There were so many eagles around in all the trees – they looked like golf balls dotted amongst the forest.  There were also seals swimming with their heads out of the water everywhere, but unlike the eagles as soon as you got near them they dived.  One juvenile eagle had caught a salmon and was minding his own business eating it on a rock, when a full grown one came down and pushed him off and took his breakfast.  Nothing like seniority!

We were out on the water for about an hour, and then came back for lunch.  We had a beautiful squash soup, toasted sandwiches and salad, and homemade cakes.  The food here is really good – no choice unless you have dietary needs, or you really don’t like what is served.  Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are on tap, as are soft drinks.  All in the dining room whenever you want.  After that quick lunch, we were off on the water again in another boat.  A faster boat this time, in the onesies, where we all stood outside at the back with the guide.  We went further round into the waterways this time, looking at the spectacular cliff faces and wildlife along the way.  There were a couple of seals sunning themselves on rocks – a couple watched us go by, but the majority dived into the water never to be seen again.  There were several waterfalls, and sheer granite sheets soaring high into the sky.  Parts were very much like the Norwegian Fjords.  We looked for bears along the shoreline, but there were none here today.  It is mostly black bears that are in this part, but we didn’t see any.  Perhaps this was going to be another one of those places where we only get to see footprints and not the real thing!

After a couple of hours out on the water we make our way back to the lodge for the main show of the day – a trip out to the viewing platforms to see the Grizzlies.  We kept our onesies on, as we are in a hide for two hours being very still and very quiet.  We get in another boat – they have several! – to get across to the other side of the estuary.  We then get in a bus for about fifteen minutes and travel down an old logging road to the two hides.  The one we are going to today is called “Weir” – probably because it overlooks a weir.  There is a steel wire gate that opens up to a corridor going up to the hide of steel wire – they take safety very seriously.  The hides have camouflage around them – I presume to make them seem as if they should be there, but when we are in them we stand out in our red jackets.  Hmm, not quite turning in with the landscape with those on!  Makes the camouflage seem a bit irrelevant. There are bears in the river!  Hooray.  At first it is a mother and her two yearling cubs.  Salmon are still running up the river, and it is easy food for the bears.  They catch salmon after salmon and eat one after the other.  They apparently need around 22,000 calories a day.  Another couple of bears are outside the other hide – and one is asleep on the bank.  At the other side of the hide – it is open all the way round for 360 degree views of the area – a couple of bears are swimming away, side to side as if they are in the swimming pool.  Some more are in the distance – there must have been twelve or more altogether.  All of them female and their cubs – apparently the males don’t come out until all of the humans have gone.  The bear viewing hours are from 8.00am until we leave at 5.30pm tonight.  I could have watched for hours more – just seeing the big furry animals swiping salmon out of the river, and the mothers putting their heads under the water for minutes at a time scooping up all the salmon eggs was fascinating.  5.30pm came all too quickly – as did the bus to take us back.  As soon as we were reversing out a huge male crossed the road to get to the river – he must have set his alarm as he was bang on time!

We did the trip in reverse – bus and then boat – and got back to the lodge to have a quick change and then choose the trips we want to do tomorrow whilst appetisers were being served.  Bears, bears and more bears please!  Dinner was self service, but very nice.  Meat or fish, and as much as you wanted.  Wine was on the table, and is included with dinner.  After dinner one of the guides always gives a talk on something or other, and this time it was a British guide called John whose talk was on “Gary the Bear”.  Perhaps this one drives a Subaru!  No, he doesn’t.  But he was a bear cub that John came across a year and a half ago when he was first here, and he has documented his first two years of life.  It was rather touching to see how he has grown up, rather like looking at a photo album of your children.  Not sure how he knows it is the same bear, because nearly all bears look the same to me.  I’m sure it is.  Perhaps we will see Gary tomorrow!