Exploring the British Columbian Archipelago’s Most Remote Sacred Site By Marc Cappelletti I am walking in the footsteps of chiefs and carvers, warriors and weavers, shamans and slaves; people as connected to the land as the very trees from which they once made their homes. The ground is soft. It is sacred. And it lies at the edge of the world—Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. We are at the ancient village of SGang Gwaay Llnagaay, formerly known as Nan sdins or Ninstints, on the eastern edge of SGang Gwaay (Anthony Island).
When we, as Canadians, talk about our whole country, we say “from coast to coast to coast.” The three coasts feel very different underfoot. In the west, deep moss makes a trail that feels like walking over sofa cushions; in the east, long grasses swish and slap against your boots; and up north rocks and rivulets form tiled patterns over the permafrost. It was the west coast that convinced me to start working at sea.
Newfoundland’s Gros Morne National Park is one of the few places where you can walk on the Earth’s mantle and also cruise glacially carved freshwater fjords.
In this episode of Expedition Spotlight, join Cultural Specialist Susan Flanagan as she reveals what discoveries are in store on our Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland expedition.
Early morning we arrived at Raft Point where we disembarked the ship for a sunrise Zodiac cruise around the bay. We cruised below towering cliffs of red sandstone and discovered isolated caves, coves, and white coral sand beaches all whilst looking out for some of the birdlife that call these rocky outcrops home. Late morning we arrived at Montgomery Reef, described by David Attenborough as “one of the greatest natural wonders of the world”. It’s a huge coral reef that is exposed as the tide drops, creating hundreds of ocean waterfalls, a remarkable sight for all to witness. The marine creatures were spectacular, with hundreds of sea turtles, rays, sharks, sea snakes, and many types of birds out feeding on the exposed reef.
The day began with an incredible sighting of a blue whale north of Itilleq, right before reaching the destination of Sisimiut. After some mandatory preparations, we were greeted by the colorful town of Sisimiut, revealing itself as the fog dispersed. We conducted several operations with some local tour operators, with the first operation being the Arctic Circle Hike, part of a route that locals and hikers trek to reach Kangerlussuaq. Other groups were introduced to a shorter town walk and a longer town walk that included a close encounter with Greenlandic sled dogs and a lecture from a dog owner and local guide. The guided tours continued through town to a local greenhouse for more presentations and eventually reached the old town of Sisimiut for a tasting of local cuisines, including dried capelin, dried cod, snow crab, musk oxen and reindeer. The evening included the daily recaps, the captain’s welcome, and ended with a lecture about Greenlandic culture from the former Prime Minister of Greenland, Aleqa Hammond.
Today we visited North Seymour Island, a small, 1.7-square-km uplifted landmass. The island is home to various species of marine birds, including the frigates and blue-footed boobies nesting in the area. The Galapagos National Park has put forth significant effort to control the number of introduced species. We admired the results of their successful conservation efforts. On Rabida, we spent the afternoon on the beach. We enjoyed our first snorkeling opportunity of the expedition. We observed groups of playful Galapagos sea lions, sea turtles, and a large variety of colorful fish. After snorkeling, we went on a walk along the beach, where we encountered a group of American flamingos nesting by a coastal brackish water lagoon. What an amazing adventure exploring the Galapagos!
Today was a very busy day in the east fjords of Iceland. All enthusiastically made the most of the perfect weather to explore the region’s hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing opportunities. A hardy group of guests rode e-mountain bikes deeper into the back country for a new perspective of the region. While guests were ogling the thousands of puffins along the shoreline, the undersea team went for a dive near the steep cliffs of Borgarfjörður. They found a vibrant kelp forest below the calm surface waters. Tall Laminaria kelp was the primary player in this kelp forest with sea stars, comb jellies, flat fish, and many other creatures filmed for the guest recap later in the evening.
This morning, we arrived at Vansittart Bay in the Kimberley. Our morning activities included a hike from a beautiful beach landing, across a dried-up tidal mudflat, and into the bush. We were greeted with a plethora of wildlife and the remains of a plane wreck, the C53 which crashed here in February 1942 during World War II. In the afternoon, we moved a short distance away to Jar Island where we once again enjoyed hiking around the bush whilst also getting up close and personal with some incredible indigenous Gwion Gwion and Wandjina art found within the sandstone rock galleries. What an amazing time, mixing incredible wildlife sightings, World War II history, and local indigenous art all together into one action-packed day.