Fjordlands, British Columbia
The Rain Coast was exactly that as we cruised into Fjordlands Recreation Area just before dawn. Accessible only by ship, this remote and wild stretch of coast was free of any other vessels on this misty, rainy morning. Granite walls streamed with white ribbons of waterfalls, dense forest lined the steep rocks with endless shades of green, and snowy peaks appeared and disappeared amidst constantly shifting clouds.
The fjords branched and reached deep into the British Columbia coastline. The end of each inlet was marked by brilliant green grasses, swaths of blue lupine and rushing white-water streams. In one meadow, we spotted a young brown bear standing shoulder-deep in the lush vegetation. It moved through the grass, periodically raising its head and showing us mouthfuls of greenery. Nearby its mother foraged through the shrubbery, great in size yet graceful in every movement. We watched, hushed, and then finally, the ship turned to slowly make its way out of the fjords.
We stood on the deck as the rain lightened. Glassy calm water perfectly reflected the deep greens of the Fjordlands. Here and there marbled murrelets and harlequin ducks made trails across the mirrored surface. Finally, we went downstairs to lunch.
During lunch, Ralph whispered into the microphone, “Please be quiet but please come up on deck immediately.” The Chief Mate had spotted three wolves on shore. They were moving quickly along the shoreline and just as we got to the bow, they went into the shrubbery just above the tide line and disappeared.
Not wanting to give up, we stood hopefully, watching. Suddenly they reappeared further along the shore. Over and across the boulder- and log-strewn coastline, they loped, pausing to sniff here and there and then, when the shoreline became too steep, they disappeared up into the shrubbery again. But they soon reappeared. For breathless minutes we watched as these wildest of creatures appeared and disappeared then reappeared again. Finally, they vanished before a long stretch of too-steep shore. The ship pulled away as we stood silently watching and fully sensing the sheer wildness of this remote Rain Coast.
The Rain Coast was exactly that as we cruised into Fjordlands Recreation Area just before dawn. Accessible only by ship, this remote and wild stretch of coast was free of any other vessels on this misty, rainy morning. Granite walls streamed with white ribbons of waterfalls, dense forest lined the steep rocks with endless shades of green, and snowy peaks appeared and disappeared amidst constantly shifting clouds.
The fjords branched and reached deep into the British Columbia coastline. The end of each inlet was marked by brilliant green grasses, swaths of blue lupine and rushing white-water streams. In one meadow, we spotted a young brown bear standing shoulder-deep in the lush vegetation. It moved through the grass, periodically raising its head and showing us mouthfuls of greenery. Nearby its mother foraged through the shrubbery, great in size yet graceful in every movement. We watched, hushed, and then finally, the ship turned to slowly make its way out of the fjords.
We stood on the deck as the rain lightened. Glassy calm water perfectly reflected the deep greens of the Fjordlands. Here and there marbled murrelets and harlequin ducks made trails across the mirrored surface. Finally, we went downstairs to lunch.
During lunch, Ralph whispered into the microphone, “Please be quiet but please come up on deck immediately.” The Chief Mate had spotted three wolves on shore. They were moving quickly along the shoreline and just as we got to the bow, they went into the shrubbery just above the tide line and disappeared.
Not wanting to give up, we stood hopefully, watching. Suddenly they reappeared further along the shore. Over and across the boulder- and log-strewn coastline, they loped, pausing to sniff here and there and then, when the shoreline became too steep, they disappeared up into the shrubbery again. But they soon reappeared. For breathless minutes we watched as these wildest of creatures appeared and disappeared then reappeared again. Finally, they vanished before a long stretch of too-steep shore. The ship pulled away as we stood silently watching and fully sensing the sheer wildness of this remote Rain Coast.
