Grizzly's gone wild

If I had a $1 for every time someone was surprised I travel the world mostly by myself, I'd have enough for a few rounds of G&Ts. One of the many drawcards of moving to Canada was the wildlife and scenery. Bears and Orcas were at the top of my to do list. I'd been living in Vancouver just over 12 months when I realized time was moving way too fast and I had to start ticking items off my Canadian bucket list.

I started researching bear tours in BC and came across a company that said it offered everything I was looking for. Remote location, abundance of Grizzly Bear sightings & an up close and personal experience. I was excited to say the least. Before I knew it, the trip was all booked and organized. All I had to do now was wait.

The weeks passed and it was finally time to set off on this adventure. After a small jet flight and an overnight stay in a small town on Vancouver Island it was onto the last leg of the trip. Being stuffed into a float plane along with the lodges' food supply, we were off flying over the picturesque views of what makes British Columbia one of the most beautiful places in the world. The sheer remoteness of this location is magical. No phones, no internet just peace and quiet. The floating lodge of Knights Inlet was the perfect base for the trip.

Upon arrival we were given the grand tour and shown to our rooms. We had just under of 30 mins to get settled before we were off on our first adventure. An estuary tour showcased why this place is so special. The abundant wildlife from eagles to otters to the occasional dolphin, words can not describe the serenity of the amazing place. We weren't fortunate enough to see any bears on this outing but our spirits remained high.

After lunch, we were out again for another trip. This time we cruised to the other side of the inlet by boat and were driven to 2 viewing stands that had been purpose built by the lodge. Once stepping off the boat it was a short 20m walk from the beach to the trucks. We had to walk in formation with guides at the front and back of the group as we were now in real bear country. Bears were regularly seen digging for food on the beach where we were dropped off so it was serious business to be safe and quiet. Fortunately we had no such run ins. Once we were loaded into the truck we drove through the forest slowly and encounted deer and bears leisurely walking across the path. This was all it took to get the excitement in the truck to sky rocket. We were all pumped and could not wait to reach out destination.

Once at the stands, the guides got out of the truck and surveyed the area. We could see bears only 10-15m away from us in the water. We quietly walked up the platform onto the stands where we had a million dollar view of these amazing animals. My next 2 days were spent at these stands in 3 hour blocks.

At the Wier stand, I got to see the national geographic documentary come to life. Bears standing on the edge of the rocks just waiting for the salmon to fly through the air as they swim up stream. Just awesome! It was really interesting to see the Salmons' life cycle for my own eyes. After travelling thousands of kms they return home having beaten the odds with fisherman & other marine life trying to eat them. The final hurdle is simply 4 or 5 massive grizzly bears waiting to just snatch them out of the water. If they are lucky enough to by pass their snapping jaws, they jump the barrier, lay eggs and die a peaceful death anyway.

During my visits I alternated with the Finger stand, named aptly for the finger of land on which it sits. From this vantage point I could no longer see the feeding frenzy on the rapids up close and personal which at first I was saddened by. After being there over an hour and not seeing any bears my group was getting a little antsy. Patience is key to this game and sure enough our prayers were answered shortly after decided to stick it out and wait at this stand. The biggest group to be seen so far on my trip approached our stand. A mum and 4 cubs. She knows where the food is and walked her cubs through the shallow stream, packed full of salmon, to the pool of water for them to feed and play. At one stage, 2 cubs were falling behind. We heard her call to them and they came running to catch up with her. With so many bears in the same stream, mumma bears were extremely protective of their cubs.

 Back at the lodge on the first night, I arrived for dinner in the communal hall and was in line getting my food. Travelling alone, I briefly met the people on the plane I flew over with. Majority of them were from Australia. I got to chatting to the person next to me in line and it turned out there was a group of 14 Aussies who had travelled over together and this was one of their first tours of their great Canadian adventure. Needless to say, they took me in and made me feel like part of the group for the rest of my trip. Just proves again how small this world is and the kindness everyday Aussies have.

On my last morning, I took the kayak out and ventured up stream to try and glimpse these precious animals one last time. We weren't disappointed. A mum and 2 older cubs came out to play and for me it was the perfect ending to what was a once in a lifetime experience.

As sad as it was to leave this tranquil place and these seemingly harmless animals, it was empowering to know that they had the means to get ready for the winter and their hibernation. With the visiting season almost over and winter soon approaching, these bears will go to sleep and wake up in 6-7 months to do it all over again. Conservation of their habitat and preservation of their livelihoods was such a big part of the educational experience I received during my trip. This is one world adventure I would do again in a heartbeat!

I shot a grizzly with my camera, not a gun. #stopthehunt