To stand in a forest is to stand in a moment in time. Feeling the moist air breathe through the trees, seeing mosses glinting with dew, hearing the soft song of a chickadee or the gentle chatter of a snowmelt stream. All these moments make up the life of every forest. Some forests are full of hundreds of years of these moments, each day a time capsule of butterflies and birdsong. Old growth forests are the most ancient. Groves of Sitka spruce, hemlock, Douglas fir, and red cedar…hundreds of years old. That timeless wisdom stretches along the Pacific Coast and holds inside it the greatest lessons in life…slow down, breathe, let your roots find their way down into the soil and stay a while. The time we have is rushing past in our attempt to direct life’s winding current. So stand in the forest, listen to the woods, and feel the years long past, beneath you and around you. Become the old growth and never forget to be a part of this world…
5/11/2024
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National Geographic Quest
Calvert Island
The Hakai Research Institute is a former fishing lodge that was converted to an ecological observatory in 2009. Nestled in beautiful coastal British Columbia, it is surrounded by pristine old-growth forest, white sand beaches, and tidal inlets. A gem of the Pacific Northwest, the Institute invited Lindblad Expeditions and our guests to visit and explore the remarkable ecology of her mountains and shores. National Geographic Quest made her maiden landing at the Institute today, and it was an incredible day. Guests were able to choose from a variety of casual, moderate, and aerobic hikes, traversing through temperate forest, muskeg, beaches, and tide pools along the way. For those interested in marine exploration, Zodiac cruises probed the glacially-carved edges of the island. All were then invited to explore the grounds of the Institute and talk with the directors, who were happy to share their passions and history with us.