The Grizzlies of Bute Inlet

Posted on November 2, 2023 by JeanEB

In late September I travelled up to Campbell River to take a boat trip out through the Discovery Islands, up the fjord of Bute Inlet to hang out with the Grizzly bears who were fishing on the rivers during the annual salmon run. This was the second time I’d been fortunate enough to get up close (well not too close) and personal with these bears. The first time was back in 2019 when we spent a few days at a floating lodge in the Great Bear Rainforest (see Hunting Grizzly Bears). It was August back then on that trip and the salmon hadn’t started to run up the river, but the run was only a couple of weeks away, and we saw lots of bears who were making their way down to the estuary, feeding on grasses while they waited for the salmon to arrive.

This time I was on a day trip with a tour run by the Homalco First Nations whose territory includes Bute Inlet. It was late September and the salmon run was well underway. I’d been on another boat trip with them earlier in the summer which was great and at that time Captain Ron suggested I might like to come back to see the Grizzlies. So that idea rattled around in my brain for the following month until I went ahead and booked it.

On the way to Bute Inlet we made a stop and disembarked at Church House, an old Homalco Nation village. It is abandoned now – the last residents left in 1984 and in the intervening time the houses have collapsed and been reclaimed by the forest. Only a few remnants of what was once a thriving village remain.

Aupe (Church House) village today,
only two ruined structures left visible from the boat entering the bay

It was a real pleasure to tour the site of the old village with our Homalco guide, Janet, who told us stories of what it had been like when it was a going concern. Her family was from there. Starting in the early 1900’s generations of Homalco children were taken from the village and forced to attend Residential Schools. Her own mother had been taken away at the age of 5, developed tuberculosis at 6, and remained institutionalized until 16. Janet described what she had been told about the Indian Agent and RCMP arriving in the bay without much, if any, warning to take the children away from their families. It was an unsettling experience to stand on the shores of the bay, and imagine those boats arriving. As with all indigenous people who went through this shameful experience, the Homalco describe it:

“The loss of these family units, culture and language and the traumas of abuse are issues that our communities still struggle with today.”

We walked through the ruins of the old village to the top of a ridge. Along the way various plants and trees were pointed out and we heard of how they have been used traditionally as medicines. I heard that Devil’s Club was prepared and used topically to treat arthritic pain among other things. Later the Grizzly Bear guide told us that bears get arthritis too and eat the plant. The following day I happened to find some Devil’s Club balm for sale in the gift shop of the Campbell River Museum. I’ve been using it on my hands ever since. It works.

At the top of the ridge our guide told more stories and drummed and sang a song in her language in tribute to the Missing and Murdered Women and Girls.

On our way back down to rejoin the boat I took lots of pictures of what little is left of the village. I seem to have a thing about ruins anywhere.

At one point, getting closer to the bay, I was lagging a little behind our small group. I heard very distinct footsteps close by on the path behind me. I thought “bear” but when I turned to look there was no one there. I looked at the group in front of me, and counted heads. Everyone was ahead. It was very eerie and I hurried to catch up. When I mentioned the footsteps, our guide was unfazed and said that there were lots of ghosts there. You never know.

On to Bute Inlet and Orford Bay.

Bute Inlet mountains rising straight out of the water, which in places is over 2000 feet deep,
one of the deepest fjords along the coast

Docking at Orford Bay we had lunch at picnic tables on the docks and then transfered into a small bus/van accompanied by the resident Grizzly tour guides. Other wildlife boat tours out of Campbell River also bring their guests up here for the Homalco bear tours. The Homalco have been doing this for 20 years – it is just recently that they have started tours with their own boats. On the day I went there were only five of us on the Homalco boat which was great (for us) as we could change seats whenever we wanted and move around easily. The boats were new and great – 12 comfortable seats inside and 12 outside.

The small buses and vans drive along the rivers to various spots seeking out the bears. We saw 5 that day – not all together but in five different spots. The rivers and scenery was so breathtaking and at the same time so peaceful.

The main event.

We’re pretty close, but not close enough to disturb, and the bears have zero interest in us.

It was a nine hour day, through the islands, up the fjord, along the rivers and back to Campbell River. I was grinning the entire time.

And bears weren’t the only treasures we saw. Seals, sea lions and humpback whales.

I’ve long ago given up trying to photograph whales. I miss so much behind the viewfinder. Best just to enjoy the show and let others do that.

On our return, a sunset cruise back to Campbell River.

It was the BEST day.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Part 1

Posted on September 27, 2023 by JeanEB

Equinox has now passed and for weeks now the days have been getting shorter and shorter. Today sunrise was at 7:08 am and sunset 7:09 pm. Evening and early morning temperatures are falling although there’s still been lots of sunshine. This weeks we’ll have several days of cloud and the rain has finally arrived, at long last. Hallelujah. Summer was a doozy, that’s for sure, with drought conditions since May and a horror show of wildfires across the province, including near us, where the west coast of the island was effectively cut off from the east for many weeks. Many people in many communities on the mainland were evacuated and some lost their homes and communities. Even now, some wildfires continue to burn.

Still, we were among the fortunate ones and although it seemed I had a late start leaning in to my own summer, as I finally get around to sorting through images of fine times, I feel the good memories of getting out to explore this beautiful place I live in. There are more adventures ahead, but here’s a look back on my summer.

Back to the Islands

View of Hornby Island from Qualicum Beach

I had such a good time on our first island day trip to Denman Island (A Different Perspective) a few weeks later we returned to explore its sister island, Hornby. To get there, we took the 10 minute ferry across to Denman, drove across the island and then took another 10 minute ferry ride across to Hornby. Short distances but slow and easy travel. Getting in the mood for the slow and easy vibe.

First stop off the ferry – fuel for the body, in the form of the best carrot cake in the world and a cappuccino. Then a hike at Helliwell Provincial Park through the mixed forests of Garry oak, arbutus and Douglas fir out to the flat meadow-like land above the 100 foot high bluffs on the south end, with panoramic views down the Strait.

Back to town and another of those intriguing island community bulletin boards. It’s a happening place. Announcements of theatre performances, lots of concerts, art shows, festivals, help wanted (blackberry pickers), items to buy and sell, reiki, yoga, cabin to rent, bird watching walks and more. Cash or barter!

After lunch (we ate our way through Hornby Island – great food) we headed out towards Tribune Bay to the warm water sandy beach that I’m told is the best on all of the Gulf Islands, north or south.

Headed to, is the operative expression here as we ran into a bit of a snag on the way when the navigator (that would be yours truly) headed us in the wrong direction. We never actually made it to the beach this trip. (This beach picture was taken on our last visit, back in 2016). But this turned out to be a happy accident as instead we found ourselves on another beach called Heron Rocks. It was low tide, and we scrambled along the rocks taking in the spectacular sights of weathered rock formations of amazing colours and textures of sandstone sculpted by the sea. Peeking into the hollowed out rocks at the shore line I discovered gorgeous star fish, waiting out the tides.

Then on to some power shopping at the local garden centre and produce market. And a lost sign.

So much more to explore, so many more trails and different geography, but the day was coming to an end and the ferry beckoned. But not before more food! Ice “cream”. A day of great food, vibes, walks, scenery, views, geology, colour and smiles.

Vegan ice cream – I think I’ve found my tribe

So long, Hornby Island. Love ya. I’ll be back.

A Different Perspective

Posted on July 23, 2023 by JeanEB

Life has been difficult these past months. Preoccupied and hijacked by troubles, I have felt like I’ve lost myself. A writer who hasn’t written, an artist who hasn’t painted, a photographer who hasn’t been making pictures. Lost. On top of that it’s the middle of summer and life seems to be passing me by.

Now, little by little I start to remember who I am. The other day I was walking on the floor of the ocean at the low, low tide of the new moon, totally relishing the warmth of the sun on my body and the feel of the warm salt water on my feet, feeling happy. At last. I looked out at the Strait over to the mountains of the mainland and north to the islands of Denman and Hornby. The sky was bright blue but over there, I watched as thick clouds formed over the islands. Now we have had only an inch of rain since April which is extraordinary, but isn’t everything about the weather these days. But there it was, this single cloud grouping and as I watched it roll in I could see that it looked like rain was falling over Denman Island, just about obscuring it from view. It only lasted half an hour at most, surely not enough to make a difference to the parched earth but rain nonetheless. I took it as a sign and a beacon.

I remembered that I haven’t been to the islands or anywhere else much around here since before Covid. Day tripping and longer road trips used to be a big part of my life. Over the years I’ve lived here (12 now) my go-to place of peace and joy has always been being in nature and exploring the landscapes and wildlife and birds and trees and rocks and shorelines. An idea formed and I went home to see if Howard felt like going on a day trip to one of these islands in the coming days. Well of course he did! And may I add, this is not exactly an onerous trip to make. Drive down the coast road for about 25 minutes then get on the cable ferry for a 10 minute ride across. Duh. Where has my head been? How has it felt so far away?

So Tuesday we took a wonderful trip to explore Denman Island and the resulting different perspective. Literally.

Waiting for the ferry, I amused myself by watching the purple martins swooping in and out from these nest boxes constructed along the pier, feeding the little ones.

This sight is part of a larger success story. Purple martins typically nest in groups along the shoreline in tree cavities. But by the 1980’s the number of natural nesting spots had dwindled to less than 10 and the species was almost lost in British Columbia. This was a result of competition from non-native species and human development along their coastal nesting areas.

A volunteer artificial nest box program started in 1986 and has provided the platforms for almost all B.C. Purple Martin nests today. There are now over 1200 nesting pairs and over 120 nesting colonies on B.C.’s lower mainland and on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Because of collaborative efforts of many groups of people, purple martins populations have recovered and are now assessed at a lower risk level of conservation concern.

Gotta love a sense of humour. Laugh out loud. A fellow vehicle traveller on the ferry over to the island:

Once on the island we stopped for coffee and explored the “town” which consists of a General Store, Hardware Store, Book Store, Cafe and Community Centre. That’s it. Bought some books and had the best vegan sandwich. A drive around the island looking at signs at the roadside of laneways to the rural properties – farm produce stands, yoga, pottery and other artist studios, reiki, massage, bike repair, paddle board and kayak rentals. Notices were posted of all kinds of community events on the bulletin boards of the General Store – writer’s festival, lots of music concerts, self-help groups, lessons on offer, people exchanging services – a very artistic, hippie vibe. I said to Howard, “In my next life I want to be an artist/hippie living on an island acreage.” To which he replied, “You already are!” Hmmm. Perhaps – although maybe a little better dressed on a smaller lot on a much bigger island.

Then off to explore the beach and the hiking trails and the views.

This low tide view is towards the little ferry that connects Denman Island to Hornby Island. Through the gap in the distance somewhere is where we live on Vancouver Island and the beach where I had been walking looking up this direction.

We hiked through the tall trees of the provincial park forest on the south end of the island to the tip and its view of Chrome Island Lighthouse and across the strait towards the mountains of Vancouver Island.

I was particularly stoked for this as Chrome Island was very much part of our sailing trips when we had the boat. Our marina was not far from here and we sailed past it many times. I have many, many pictures of it taken from the water. Now was a chance to see it from another perspective.