A CABIN OFFERS WELCOME REFUGE AT HUGH CREEK.
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il is not the rainforest’s only threat. When the B.C. government named the Great Bear a protected area in 2006, just 50 percent of the forest was made off-limits to
logging, leaving half the old-growth forest at risk. Following a creek that tumbled down from Evelyn Lake, we found ourselves on an old logging road overgrown with willows and young spruce where centuries-old Sitka spruce, cedar and western hemlock would have once reached heights of 230 feet. We were clearly not the only users of this wilderness highway. The dirt was imprinted with wolf tracks as big as our hands and fresh piles of bear scat had us nervously fingering the triggers of our pepper spray cans. After swimming and fishing in the crystalline lake, we returned to the coast along a game
trail littered with half-eaten salmon. Spencer explained how a vital source of these forests’ nitrogen and other nutrients comes from fish carcasses carried into the woods by bears and wolves. Moments later, we climbed over a head-high log and found ourselves face to face with a huge black bear. Luckily, the bear had already filled its belly with salmon and we made it back to the cabin instead of nourishing the trees. With our own food supply running low, we turned back toward Kitamaat Village the
following day. At our cabin that evening, I was restless and frustrated. I had missed filming the bear on the game trail—I still didn’t have what I needed. Wandering down to the beach where I had collected mussels for dinner, I spotted a black bear eating from the exact spot I had been only minutes before! Elated, I ran back to the cabin to grab my camera and my friends. We sat on the edge of the forest and watched our neighbor crack open mussels and sniff at the new scent in the foggy ocean air. On the final 20-kilometer push to Kitimat, carbohydrate withdrawal was obvious as we
talked for an hour about different ways to cook yams. A cold wind, rain, fatigue and hunger had us in low spirits until a dozen dorsal fins popped up in front of us. A pod of Dall’s por- poises had come to investigate and offer us a reminder of why we were out here. Leaving the Great Bear, I found myself pondering the issues facing this complex wilder- ness with a newfound clarity, and grateful to have had the chance to journey with my friends amongst the rainforest-cloaked mountains, foraging bears and playful porpoises. I was glad, too, that the trip was more than a personal adventure. Aspiring to share the Great Bear’s story with others enhanced my own connection to this special place. Hauling camera equipment and seeking out opportunities to film may have limited our miles, but it opened our eyes. :•.
52 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SUMMER/FALL 2013
00:08:15
DIGITAL EXTRA: Paul Manning-Hunter’s documentary short is touring with Clean Air Champions and the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Click here too watch the film.
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