DeCourcy & Wallace Islands, British Columbia Discovery Islands

Our day started in the Discovery Islands in the northern Gulf Islands of British Columbia with a large group of morning “stretchers” led by our Wellness Specialist Eza. This is done on the bridge deck every morning of the trip with a different background scene. Today’s backdrop was a Gulf Islands sunrise scene followed by a nice smoothie before breakfast.

This morning involved kayaking and hiking, accentuated by a short pass through the amazing tide pools. Imagine a kayak ride on calm water next to rocky areas with hundreds of intertidal plants and animals on a bright, sunny day with perfect temperature – nothing better than that! The hike was the longest of the trip and resulted in a fine variety of bird sightings. Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatches and Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Belted Kingfishers, to name just a few.

This island is a great example of the Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast where the islands can have old growth Douglas fir and Madrone approaching 350 years in age. This is interesting because these Douglas firs are not very big trees. The combination of wet, very poor, and extremely well-drained soils produces an old tree with a small diameter. The same tree in other areas would be 8 to 10 feet in diameter for the same age. The Madrone with its lime green smooth new bark and red peeling paper thin old bark is a sight to see. It is a dry-weather plant growing in a high rainfall area.

We returned to the ship for lunch and an afternoon of kayaking and hiking on Wallace Island. Even though our voyage emphasizes kayaking, we offer hiking, birding, whales and seal watching plus plants, rocks... a typical Lindblad expedition in the Pacific Northwest. The afternoon of kayaking, hiking and Zodiac cruises provided more adventures and sightings. River otters played along the shore, a family of mink dined on crabs, and the ornate design of the limestone dotted the shoreline.

We had an eventful “recap” of the day starting with Sarah, our videographer. She provided a wonderful sample of this week’s video. Berit showed us the wonderful world of kelp and tidepools and how a seastar defends itself with little pincers called pedicellaria. Naturalist Betty Lu ended with a song of the intertidal life.   Some of us concluded our day by experiencing the Northwest cuisine of the day – halibut. It was a Pacific Northwest September day that can only to be experienced. The tint and temperature of fall is here with the feel of warm summer days lingering one more day.