Wild Adventures: The final days of our Canadian adventure. September 18th

As I write this post we are now on the long journey back to Vancouver and sadly flying back home to the UK tomorrow morning (Saturday 24th) so this will be our last blog post of our trip. Our time spent in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park (Bella Coola) cannot be described as anything less than simply brilliant!

Whilst in the area we had a good combination of guided activities as well as plenty of free time to do our own thing, most of which was spent glued to the bear viewing station, come rain or shine.

We had many awesome experiences and despite there being a real scarcity of bears compared to previous years (as per comments from both park staff and retruning visitors)we still had some really good sightings and would most definitely return to this area.

A few things stand out from our time here and below is just a few snippets of these.

For our first full day (18th) we had a full day guided hike pre-booked from the UK by Wildlife Trails. Whilst Andy and I are used to being in close proximity to predators, specifically African Cats we have little experience in hiking in Bear country so rather than take any risks and also to benefit from essential local knowledge a guided hike was the best option.

Doug was our guide for the day, a seasoned local to the area and passionate about all the flora and fauna of the Bella Coola valley. We had discussed the plan for the day the evening prior and our focus was as you would expect to hopefully see bears and perhaps if we were lucky other wildlife, but this time on foot rather than from the viewing station or car.

Starting off at 9am and excited about the prospect of being on foot in bear country Doug took us to his first ‘secret spot’ very close to our lodge. Here he had often seen the Grizzly Bears fishing for Salmon. As we negotiated a step rocky trail down to our first point Doug talked about the local vegetation and warned us of stepping on small toads that liked this particular path. As he talked about the toads in more detail he then stopped and said “there’s one”, so here is Andy and I looking on the ground for a toad, only to then realise after a split second that he was not talking about a toad but a Grizzly just around the corner near a rock!. Ten minutes into the walk and already we almost bumped into a bear! The wind direction was not in our favour and straight away it seemed that the bear had clocked us and moved away fast, although perhaps there was another reason this young/sub adult has moved away so fast? With ‘bearly’ anytime to absorb he was gone but already the adrenaline was pumping, this was freaking awesome!

We decided to sit in this spot for a little longer, a small sheltered rocky cove where we could see the salmon were congregating and obviously why the bears liked this spot. As we were sitting there and as Doug was telling us lots of interesting information about the area we all suddenly noticed more movement to our right. There further upstream and some 100 metres away was another Grizzly! This time it was a big one! Its huge size and the way it confidently swaggered in the river, meant it surely had to be a male. As it came close we were right, and it was the same male we had seen the day previous at the Bear viewing station.

Andy was quick to get the tripod out and the ‘big gun’ ready (a.k.a the 500mm lens). I (Sarah) on the other hand felt like I was glued to the spot, in awe of this amazing creature as he came closer and closer to where we were. Perhaps this was why the other bear has moved away so quick, having caught the scent of a big male approaching on the wind? We discussed an ‘escape’ plan to be safe but given Doug’s experience in the area we knew we were safe, but having a ‘plan’ is always a good thing. Similar rules apply to approaching Grizzlies as they do with the ‘big cats’, never run and always stand your ground, making yourself tall but without confronting the bear in an aggressive manner, which may cause him to act defensively. However, in the event of an attack the action is very different to what you would do with a Black bear. With Grizzlies the key is to protect your head and neck and play dead, rather than fight back as you would do with a Black Bear. Neither Andy and I intended to practice either of these techniques on this trip but its always important to know what to do just in case!

The male was coming closer and closer on the other side of the river. Andy was trying to get as many shots as he could, although many obscured by the rocks and vegetation and even with a long lens he was some distance away still. I decided against getting the tripod out and tried my very best to get some images. However, I was just shaking with excitement and the adrenaline pumping way to much to even entertain the idea of getting anything sharp or in focus so I gave up and decided to just enjoy this moment. The male (one that locals affectionately call ‘Mac’ or ‘Lefty’, due to a missing part of his left ear) had by now moved to being right opposite us. We had just 30 feet of river separating us and a male grizzly.

In normal circumstances you could seek sanctity in the fact that water was a good barrier. However, with Grizzlies this is by no means the case, just a few bounds and he could have been on our side of the river in a flash. The cameras were clicking and by this point he had noticed our presence, looking up with an arrogance and manner as if to say ‘I could eat you for breakfast, but I wont” he then carried along on his way, intent on getting the biggest and best Salmon he could. He could see we were no threat as we had stood calm and quiet.

It’s often a misconception that Grizzlies are intent on killing people and the reason why many are shot through being misunderstood. Far from it. If you act in the right way, don't surprise them, are careful and read their behaviour then being on foot with Grizzlies can be perfectly safe. No sooner had he passed us he was then gone around the bend of the river. It was one amazing experience to have been on foot in the presence of a Grizzly and a male at that. We left the area quietly all excited about our encounter.

The rest of the day was spent with Doug, hiking and exploring many different fishing spots for the bears and walking through the most enchanting forests and seeing the most beautiful creeks. I was convinced that this is where fairies would live and Andy politely put up with my silly fantasies!!! We continued to see the evidence of the great flood the year prior and could only imagine the power of the water as it has carried 100 foot trees down the river, snapping them from their roots as if they were matchsticks. Doug pointed out the ‘day beds’ that Grizzlies use as well as lots of other interesting features of this beautiful area. We sat and watched the Salmon spawn and then occasionally leap out of the water in what Doug calls the ‘last leap of life’. So although our hike focused on bears there were a huge amount of other really interesting features along the way.

As we sat at one fishing spot and as Doug showed us how the water had intricately carved beautiful sculptures in the rock. I then rather casually tapped Doug on the shoulder and said ‘Doug, theres a bear over there!”. Doug stopped, turned around and there was a Black bear, just opposite us on the river bank. He did not seem to know we were there, fished out of the water what looked to be a large Chinnock Salmon and then casually moved back into the forest to consume his catch. It was quite a surreal experience, and one that Doug advised was not that common to see given that the Black Bears are very shy in the area, particular the river banks due to the menacing presence of the larger Grizzlies (They will kill Black Bears) .

All in all our walk was fantastic, not just because of the bear sightings but also listening to the Doug and benefitting from his experience in the area.

At this point the weather was being kind to us, overcast but fortunately dry. This was great as we also had booked a couple of ‘drifts’ along the river. It was on these trips we hoped to gain an eye level perspective of the bears fishing on the Atnarko in a rowing boat with just Andy and I plus our local guide, in this case a lovely chap called Jim. The first drift was a quiet one in terms of bears, we had a glimpse of one Grizzly and another short sighting of a female bear fishing just near where disembarked the boat.

However, the second drift was slightly more action packed in terms of bears. As we carved our way silently through the river we heard a distinct rustle in the bushes on the river bank and as Andy and I advised Jim that we thought a bear was around t suddenly appeared, a female bear. She walked nonchalantly along the bank and then down into the river, totally aware of our presence but relaxed with us being there. She spent around 15 minutes walking around and swimming, intent on getting her fish breakfast. Being on the boat gives another totally different perspective to walking or the viewing stand and most certainly the best one for photography. We managed a few nice shots before she moved around the corner and here we left her.

As we moved around another river bend I saw two splashes in the water, by this point you get used to seeing splashes in the river, caused the the occasionally leaping salmon but this was different. Before I alerted Andy and Jim I needed to check through the binoculars that I was not about to raise a false alarm. Soon I realised I was right, two bears around 100 metres ahead, close to the rocks. Jim put the boat in ‘full speed’ and rowed with all of his might. We stopped some distance back and watched as we realised it was two older cubs, around 3-4 years old frolicking in the water. Although we use the word cub they are pretty much full size and now independent of mum (although they will likely den together this coming winter). We sat and watched then play fight, one male and one female stopping every now and then to catch a fish before moving along the river at a speed that we just never associated with Grizzlies. They really gave quite a show and with Andy at the front of the boat and tripod set up he managed a few really nice shots of these guys. Jim was also frantically taking shots, and when you see a local doing this you know you are seeing something quite special! We left the bears after 20 minutes, all ecstatic and totally ampled about what a wonderful sighting it was.

That afternoon we then booked another drift with Jim, hoping to perhaps get sight of the cubs again, sadly we were not lucky. They had given us there show for today and for that we were grateful but along the way we did see another Grizzly very briefly and also a black bear foraging along what was the old part of the river before the floods carved a new course.

The rest of our time in the valley was spent with some nice sightings at the bear viewing station, and some afternoons with no sightings at all. Unfortunately by the evening of the 20th very heavy rain had arrived in the valley and continued without abating at all until we left on the 22nd. The water level rose during this time considerably and everyone was hoping that there would no be a repeat of last years flood as heavy rain was forecast for the next few days. The rain did not stop ‘The Skinners’ from donning as many waterproofs as we could muster, covering the cameras with everything but the kitchen sink and still spending hours waiting for bears. We were dedicated that was for sure and there was no way we were letting rain spoil our last few days, even though it did stop us doing our longer drift to see the Bald eagles further down on the Bella Coola river, the rain was just far too heavy for this. Oh well, thats another great excuse to return to Bella Coola!

Our time in Bella Coola soon came to an end, neither Andy or I wanted to leave but we knew we had to, all good things have to come to an end eventually. Together with all the other amazing places that we visited this was a incredible trip that has surpassed any expectations we had prior.

In the course of our trip we have driven in excess of 2700 km, passing vast forests, crossing deep canyons, driving alongside river courses and through huge cattle ranches. As well as putting on far too many pounds (way too many donuts!) and have been bitten by midges and flies more times than we would care to remember. Along the way we have met some great people, some of whom we hope will be friends for years to come. We have found the Canadians to be incredibly friendly and always happy to please. It is safe to say that Canada is truly an amazing place and we would at the drop of a hat urge anyone to visit and enjoy the stunning scenery, amazing wildlife, remote wilderness and interesting geology that Canada has to offer.

At this point we would also like to say a huge thank you to Allan and the team at Wildlife Trails (www.wildlifetrails.co.uk) for all their hard work in creating the perfect trip for us. Without their expert knowledge of this area we would not have had such an amazing time. Our accommodation was perfect in every sense, the locations that had been hand picked by Allan and James were absolutely perfect and the bespoke itinerary created for us was absolutely spot on. If getting off the beaten track is one for you then Wildlife Trails should definitely be your first port of call.

Thanks also to everyone that has endured our often lengthy posts on this blog and I hope it inspires others to go and visit Canada! Our images from our trip will soon be posted on our website (www.imagesofwildlife.co.uk) and we will post on this blog when they are uploaded.

Until the next of the ‘Skinner adventures’ we will say bye for now and Canada we will see you again and we hope sometime soon. However, not before we take a trip back to Kenya in a few months to check up on our extended feline family. Oh and did someone say bear cubs in Jasper? Mmmm, now theres a thought!...........

Grizzly takes a stroll past the viewing station