Haida Gwaii in February

 Hey Guys! 

We usually blog about our trips outside of Canada, but there is just something so magical about Haida Gwaii. It feels like it is outside of Canada. For those of you that have never heard of the place, this is where it is located in Northern BC: 

We found ourselves here because we were doing locum vet work at the Haida Gwaii Animal Hospital. It is a beautiful new clinic with all the bells and whistles and a full staff. Pretty amazing considering it is such a remote area. Your options to get to HG are either a 9 hour ferry from Prince Rupert or a 2 hour flight from Vancouver. 

                                                

Seth helping us pack

We arrived at the start of February, and stayed for 3 weeks. We had such an amazing time, exploring the island and having it almost completely to ourselves. 

Jared enjoyed fly fishing. He was going for steelhead at this time of year, but I also think just fishing in general. You will have to ask him if you require any more detail than that! 

One afternoon we hiked out to the Pesuta shipwreck, and this is what the forest looked like on the way there, on the banks of the Tlell River. 

This was a 264 ft barge that was being towed by a tug boat and hit one of the Hecate Strait’s famous winter storms. On December 11^th, 1928, it was struck by a heavy wind that caused both the tug and the barge to crash. Now all that remains is the pile of wood you see in the photos. 

Look at how happy Seth looks to be out in the wind? 

Here is the Hl’yaalan pole, standing in front of a former Haida village, known as Hl’yaalan ‘Lngee and Tlielang. It was raised on June 21^st, 2017 and was carved by Kilthguulans (Christian White) and a team of his apprentices. It was fashioned from a 600-year-old red cedar tree chosen by the master carver. It is an impressive 15.5 m in height, and has designs incorporated from an 1820’s pole that used to stand on this site. 

The location is strategic, at the mouth of the Hiellen River in Haida territory on Graham Island (the north island). Residents used to enjoy the ready access to the rich food resources of the area, such as the razor clams right out on the beach. On the opposite side of the river is Taaw (Tow) Hill, a remnant of a volcanic cone. It was a massive landmark for canoes crossing the Dixon Entrance. It also provided a defensive advantage for village residents against intruders, and hosted a fort. 

Taaw Hill

After seeing the pole we hiked up Tow Hill, and here is the beautiful view from the top. 

There was also a blowhole at the bottom:

This was a tree near where we were staying. Apparently it grew like this (with branches so close to the ground) because a forest fire had ripped through when it was a sapling, knocking out a lot of its competition. So it never needed to grow tall before putting out branches. 

This was on the Golden Spruce Trail, but it is not the actual Golden Spruce. I was about 25 years too late for that. The Golden Spruce was a Sitka spruce that had an interesting genetic mutation that made all of the needles a beautiful golden colour. It was right on the banks of the Yakoun River, and you could walk through this beautiful forest and gaze upon it from across the river. You can still stand in that spot today and contemplate the massive loss that occurred here. For some very strange reason, Grant Hadwin cut this tree down in January, 1997 in a deranged act of eco-terrorism. This tree had deep cultural significance to the Haida and was loved by non-Haida locals as well. If you haven't read the "The Golden Spruce" by John Vaillant, I highly recommend it.   

Here was another day trip, this time to Yakoun Lake. We took a logging road and a beautiful forest trail to reach the lake. The moss in the forest here is just so amazing. 

Seth is our little woodland cervitaur

What made the trip extra special was the fact that we were hosted by the Richardsons. Don and Leslie knew my parents from Hereford goings-ons, and we are really close in age to their son and his wife; Dane and Steph. They have two little kids, Charlie (3) and Annie (pictured). Seth and her played very nice together (most of the time!) Here they are trying to hold each other's hands. So cute! 

Until Next Time!