Today was our last day in Haida Gwaii. The good weather trend continued, with a lovely sunrise as we pulled into the dock at Queen Charlotte City on Graham Island. We boarded our buses and headed off to the Haida Heritage Centre, a lovely complex of museum collections, totem poles, and canoes. Local guides led us through the museum, telling stories about individual artifacts and the history of their people. A storyteller greeted us at one point to regale us with Haida stories and songs. Outside on the lawn, several totem poles flanked the building, and the guides told us about the stories carved in wood. We passed a handful of canoes stored in the Centre's carving shed, as well as a totem in progress.
Following lunch, the group split up. Half of us bused to a trailhead, where we trekked up a steep hill past several slugs and a plethora of mushrooms. Once we reached the top we headed out around Spirit Lake. It was a terrific experience among old growth red cedar trees which were culturally modified. Most of the trees we found had bark stripped from the trunks for a myriad of Haida uses. There were also many trees impaled with red-breasted sapsucker holes, muddy stretches where we found deer tracks, and abundant berries in a variety of flavors and colors. Meanwhile, kayakers headed off to explore the harbor and expedition landing craft tours discovered a flock of harlequin ducks as they zipped around a few islands.
This evening the sun is setting behind us as we head across Hecate Strait, filled with memories of a satisfying three days steeped in culture.
