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.
We are on our third day at sea without any view of land but are closing in on our next destination, the Canary Islands. The seas have calmed a bit, bringing more people out on the bow to enjoy the beautiful blues of the Atlantic Ocean and to watch for seabirds flying by. enjoyed another day full of presentations, learning about travel photography, the deep sea, and the Age of Discovery. We finished the day soaking in the sun during an outdoor cocktail hour. After a few days at sea, we are excited to reach La Palma tomorrow.
Today our guests experienced Santiago Island. This is the Island that Darwin explored the most when he visited the Galapagos back in 1835. Darwin, together with some of the crew of HMS Beagle, camped on the island of Santiago for a week. While on the island, Darwin studied Galapagos marine and land iguanas, collected finches, mockingbirds, insects, and plants. Most of the species that Darwin collected were unique to the islands.
Colors were bright on this marvelous spring day in Santa Maria. The sun shined as hikers made their long descent down to Anjos. The moderate to strenuous walk started at the Church of Santo Espírito, zigzagged around grassy fields, cows, cedars, and windmills and went to where the tallest waterfall in Portugal jumps over the cliff. As the steep trail ran down to the village of Maia along the rock walls, we enjoyed the star-shaped yellow flowers of the endemic Aichryson santamariensis. Those that preferred to explore the island on the scenic tour visited the top of the island and Pico Alto, the church where Columbus’ crew stopped to pray while returning from the New World, and other viewpoints, including São Lourenço Bay, truly a postcard come to life. In the afternoon we had presentations by Angélica Bas Gómez on cetacean migration through the Azores, and National Geographic Photographer Krista Rossow instructed us on how to photograph people. The talks were interrupted by a couple of blue whales during our crossing from Santa Maria to São Miguel. The night brought us the Azorean guitar - Viola da Terra - played by Rafael Carvalho, a local master musician. It was a wonderful ending to a wonderful day.
Today we visited the island of Santiago. In the morning, we explored the coastline of Puerto Egas and spent some time on the beach observing the friendly creatures resting on the rocks. In the afternoon, we explored Buccaneer Cove by kayaking, snorkeling, and Zodiac cruising. The western side of Santiago offered remarkable moments observing wildlife and great opportunities for photography.
Today we had a full day exploring the biggest island of the archipelago, Isabela Island. We started at Urbina Bay where, after a thrilling disembarkation, we had the opportunity to find a large number of tortoises, as well as Galapagos land iguanas as they roamed the deciduous forest. As we finished our walk, we had a refreshing swim in the bay and later navigated to Tagus Cove where we had an amazing snorkeling excursion and a leisurely kayaking exploration. We finished the day accompanied by a beautiful sunset as we explored the coastline with a scenic view of Tagus Cove and its wonders.
