Paddlers discover magic of Haida Gwaii
I bobbed in my kayak enjoying the quiet and breathed in the nourishing atmosphere of Haida Gwaii. Looking up through the early morning mist, I saw a bald eagle gliding soundlessly overhead.
I was on a weeklong kayak trip as a guest of Green Coast Kayaking, owned and operated by Jo Hager. Not being a seasoned kayaker or camper, I wondered how I’d fare on B.C.’s northern rainforest coast. I needn’t have worried. Jo and her assistant, Dominic, were superlative guides and I was able to drink in the wonder of one of the world’s most biologically rich areas.
Kayaking with Jo was a lesson in the art of kayak-camping ease. She helped me steer my kayak through dogged currents determined to waylay me. She taught me the paddling stroke that I meditated to and that left my body feeling strong and invigorated, even against wind and choppy water.
One morning, my merry band of eight paddlers had just broken camp in a small cove on Haida Gwaii’s Bowles Point. We’d launched our kayaks and the rocky beach receded behind us. A humpback whale rose to the surface of the still ocean blowing spray and elegantly undulating — submerging, then emerging on the sea’s surface. After our initial exclamations of delight, the utter calm of the cove enveloped us as we watched the nature that teemed around us.
Nutrients from the Pacific Ocean create some of the planet’s densest intertidal life. And that’s what attracted our humpback whale.
We were experiencing a particularly extreme tide, which at its lowest allowed us an exquisite close-up view of brilliantly coloured sea stars, crabs, anemones, abalone, sea cucumbers and snails. We were delighted to paddle by huge egg yolk jelly fish that lingered just below the crystal clear ocean surface.
And we were challenged to power our way through the forests of bull kelp. On the surface they look like long, golden, tubular snakes with ribbons trailing behind them; together they form a veritable platform that can ground a kayak. Jo was there to talk us through, encouraging us to “keep paddling hard.”
Her Green Coast Kayaking tours offer a rare experience that attracts the young and the young at heart who are physically capable and want to fully participate in the adventure.
As guests, we helped with basic camp tasks. Morning and mid-day, we gathered to examine potential routes using detailed nautical maps of the area, tidal calendars, regular weather updates and the deep experience and local wisdom of Jo and Dominic. They described options for optimal adventure or relaxation — whatever collective mood prevailed — and we democratically chose a route.
At the end of the day, we found our own campsites and pitched our tents in the aromatic cedar, spruce and hemlock forests. We invariably found comfort on a thick, luxurious mattress of moss. We collected firewood, built campfires and made communal meals from supplies we brought with us.
Formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, Haida Gwaii is an archipelago on the north coast of B.C. It consists of about 150 islands whose isolation from the mainland has given rise to species that have evolved differently from their mainland counterparts. That and the rich wildlife lead scientists to describe the islands as the Canadian Galapagos.
At every turn during my week in Haida Gwaii, I was humbled by benevolence, beauty and abundance among the people and in nature — in every cove we explored, during our open-sea traverses and nestled in our luxurious-moss wilderness tent sites.
I delighted as seals checked us out as we checked them out, at the orange globe moon-rise and the soft slow sunrise. I was soothed by laughter amplified on a beach, by rocks warmed at the fire to ease sore muscles, and playing, gliding, paddling on the sea — mist softening the lines on my face, infusing me with its life.
Hawa’a Haida Gwaii. (Hawa’a means ‘thank you’ in Haida)