North America - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 189

in summer you have to work harder to find the
bears, following them as they move looking for
berries, protein-rich barnacles, crabs and even
some early salmon. Summer is also a good time
to see harbour seals and merganser ducks, while
in August and September you may hear wolves
howling.
The Bear Tours have been developed by Tom
Rivest, an expert on the natural history of this
isolated part of the island; he is the president of
the Commercial Bear Viewing Association and
a certified guide trainer. He uses his low-impact
trips to help build up a better understanding of
bear behaviour (all sightings are recorded by his
guides). The floating lodge is powered by wind
and solar power; there are only five rooms, so
groups are limited to ten guests at a time; and
his boats use a four-stroke engine, which is more
fuel-efficient and less polluting than the more
commonly used two-stroke version.
In between each bear trip (two daily), other
organized activities include sea kayaking in
the nearby Johnstone Strait, and a rainforest
hike to see some of the wildlife living amidst
the trees: as well as attracting grizzly bears,
the salmon run also brings in bald eagles, gulls
and ravens to the riverbanks, while the forest
is home to grey wolves, otters, black bears and
mink. To help you identify some of the wildlife
you've seen during the day, there's a small
nature library in the lodge, and in the evenings
the guides often give slide shows and video
presentations of the local natural history. This
place will immerse you in the natural world, in
all its wild beauty.

249 The BeAR neceSSiTieS of
Life on VAncouVeR iSLAnd,
BRiTiSh coLumBiA

Hunched up in a small hide by the fast-flowing
river, you're metres away from a hulking 300kg
grizzly bear, its shaggy coat dripping with water
as it ambles along the shallows. Suddenly, its
deep-set eyes focus upstream and it charges
through the rushing torrent. Within moments
it has trapped its prey under huge claws, and,
snatching the flapping, silvery salmon from the
water, the bear wastes no time in tearing it to
shreds, devouring every last bit of bony flesh
with its powerful jaws.
You might think that observing such raw
animal behaviour would be the privilege of
patient wildlife film-makers or local fishermen,
yet on a Great Bear Nature Tour in a remote
northern corner of Vancouver Island you'll have
an excellent chance of witnessing this natural
feeding frenzy. The tours are based at Great
Bear Lodge, a small floating cabin in Smith
Inlet, one of the many fjords in the heart of
the Great Bear Rainforest. The only way in is
by a 45min seaplane flight from Port Hardy,
and as it's the only place to stay in this region,
guests have exclusive access to this protected
wilderness.
From late August to October, bears are drawn
to the salmon-spawning streams that flow into
the Nekite River. Guests are led by a guide
along the riverbank to a hide, where you'll look
for bears hunting for the fish that will see them
through the long winter hibernation, which can
last up to seven months. There can be as many
as thirty bears down by the river at any one
time, and this is also the best time of the year to
see the beguilingly cute cubs.
At other times of the year, you'll be taken
out on a small boat to glide gently along the
estuaries: in late spring, you might see bears
by the side of the river grazing on sedge, while

Need to know Three nights costs Can$2140
(May 7-June 30), Can$1805 (July 1-Aug 19) or
Can$2975 (Aug 20-Oct 31), including transfers,
accommodation, meals, presentations and guided
bear-viewing trips, hiking and kayaking. For
directions from Vancouver Island and Seattle to
Port Hardy and bookings of Great Bear Tours see
W www.greatbeartours.com; T [phone].