Great Bear Rainforest (5 page)

“I’m sorry,” she said and shook Alu’s hand. “I’m Patti and these are my sons Gannon and Wyatt. We’re very excited to be here and honored to have you as our guide.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Alu said. “When all is said and done, you will leave the Great Bear Rainforest having had a magical experience. This I promise.”

Just then, my dad walked into the galley.

“Dad,” Wyatt said with a smirk, “meet our bear guide, Alu.”

My dad, too, laughed aloud, and we went through the whole embarrassing routine one more time.

With her light-brown complexion, dark, piercing eyes and long, flowing, black hair, Alu kind of reminds me of a young Pocahontas. She’s a member of the First Nation people, which are the indigenous people of Canada. As for her name, Alu told me it means a clear night when the moon is full and illuminates its path with a golden light. On such nights, travelers are promised safe passage and people gathering food on the shore can see.

Wow, I wish my name meant something cool like that!

Anyway, I’m still amazed that my parents decided to keep Alu as our guide. I mean, the ugly, Sasquatch-looking bear guide I imagined would tie a grizzly in a knot and drop kick him into the river. He’d fight off a hungry pack of wolves with a spear he’d carved with his own hands. Alu, on the other hand, well, she’s this little petite teenager without any weapons. What’s she going to do if we’re attacked?

I guess I just have to hope we never find out.

1:39 PM


More than once I could have sworn I saw something moving in the bushes, just up from the bank. Each time I get my camera ready, hold my breath, and wait. But, if there are bears nearby, they always wander deeper into the forest, away from the stream.

Before trekking into the forest, Alu explained to us what we should do if we encounter a bear. What I didn’t realize is that there are different strategies for black bears, which we have at home in Colorado, versus grizzly bears.

“If we see a black bear that’s grinding its teeth or shaking its head back and forth,” she said, “that’s a sign that it’s aggravated and may become aggressive. In this case, we’ll want to stand up tall, hold our arms in the air, and make lots of noise. We want to appear as big and menacing as possible. This should discourage a black bear from attacking.

“If we encounter a grizzly, crouch down and avoid making eye contact. Stay perfectly still and don’t make any noise. A grizzly is not likely to back down from a challenge.”

“Most important in either case is to stay calm. Bears, especially grizzlies, can sense tension. If they feel they’re being threatened they’ll become defensive and that’s when they are likely to attack. If we appear harmless, they will know. They are very intelligent animals.”

“What if a bear charges us?” my mom asked.

Alu thought for a moment, as if replaying an experience in her mind.

“Truthfully,” she said, “it can be very traumatic. You would be amazed at how fast they come at you. If it happens, hold your ground. This is extremely difficult, but we’re not going to outrun a bear so there is no point in trying. You have to be strong and endure it. Most likely it is a mock charge and the bear will stop.”

“Bears mock charge just like lions?” I asked.

“That’s right. But, if a bear actually attacks, fall to the ground, curl into a fetal position, cup your hands around the back of your neck, and play dead. In a worst-case scenario, we may need to fight it off. Should any of this happen, I will direct you. It’s important that we all stay close. Our strength is in numbers.”

“Well,” Gannon said, “this sure sounds like tons of fun, but I think I’ll stay aboard the boat and help the captain chart our course to Princess Royal Island.”

“Come on, Gannon,” the captain said. “Where’s your sense of adventure? You didn’t come all the way to the Great Bear Rainforest to sit aboard a ship. You came here to explore, to bond with nature, to view the wildlife!”

Gannon thought for a moment before he responded.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll go. But I’d like to state the following on record: If I become a grizzly snack, I hold Captain Colin personally responsible.”

The captain gave a great, belly laugh.

“You’ll be fine, laddy.”

“Remember,” Alu said, “we are here to observe. If we behave properly the bears won’t pay any attention to us.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” Gannon said.

My nerves have settled, replaced by a bone-numbing cold. It’s not so much the temperature. It’s well above freezing right now. It’s all this rain. My hands are shaking and my writing is starting to look more like a seismographic chart than anything else. What I wouldn’t do to warm myself by a nice campfire right about now!

After what seemed like forever without a sighting, Alu leaned to me and whispered.

“I am concerned that we have not seen a bear today,” she said.

Concerned isn’t the word I’d use. My feelings over the matter are a combination of disappointment and relief, really. A contradiction, I know, but true. I mean, of course, I’d love to see a grizzly in the wild. I have my video camera all wrapped up in a waterproof casing and have been thinking about how great it would be to get footage of one stepping from the woods, lumbering toward the river, stopping, and looking me in the eyes. Oh, man, to capture that on video would just be awesome! Besides, we are here to see bears, so bears we must see. At the same time, I sure as heck don’t want to be mauled by one!

“Notice the salmon swimming upstream,” Alu continued, speaking so softly I could barely hear her over the trickle of the stream. “This is only a fraction of the salmon that we typically see here. Last year, numbers were down considerably. This year it is even worse. I don’t understand. The stream should be so full of salmon that you can’t even see the bottom.”

How the salmon numbers could fall off so drastically, I have no idea. And I didn’t ask either because Alu seemed to be lost in her own thoughts and, well, I didn’t want to bother her. I mean, she’s a real quiet, introspective type person, in general, but the troubled look in her eyes tells me that something in the Great Bear Rainforest is terribly wrong.

2:28 PM


We were all getting a little restless when Alu spoke to us in a whisper: “We’ll stay put for a little while longer, then I’d like to hike up the mountain a few kilometers to check on a grizzly den that I know of. I completely understand if some of you are not comfortable joining me. I’d be happy to take you back to the shoreline where we can radio the captain to pick you up.”

Even though we haven’t seen any wildlife, I’m happy with my field notes and the photos I’ve taken today, and besides, there will be more opportunities to view bears when we get to Princess Royal Island. I’m also eager to talk more with Dr. Brezner, so, without question, I’m ready for the warmth and safety of the Pacific Yellowfin.

I figured I wouldn’t be the only one. Given the fact that he’s been nervous about this whole bear viewing business from the start, I was sure Gannon would vote to double time it back to the ship. But just when you think you’ve got Gannon pegged, he’ll completely blindside you.

“I’ll go,” he said.

“Where?” I asked. “Back to the ship? Sounds good. I’ll go with you.”

“No, not to the ship,” Gannon said. “To the bear den.”

I could’ve killed him.

“Do you think there will be cubs inside?” he asked.

“We’ll have to see,” Alu said, somberly.

“Wyatt,” my mom whispered, “you in?”

“Of course I’m in.”

What else could I say?

“Then it’s agreed,” my dad said. “We’ll all go to the den together. A good, uphill hike will get the blood flowing and warm us up. It’s just what we need.”

So, the journey continues …

The rugged, mountainous interior of the GBR

Hiking into the mountains in this sopping wet place is beyond grueling. My socks are completely soaked and squishing around inside my rubber rain boots, and these boots don’t have the best traction, and even worse support, and the slopes we’re moving up are steep and slick, making it even more difficult to get any kind of footing. At times we’ve had to pull each other up muddy embankments and squeeze under fallen trees and sidestep around massive boulders.

Funny thing happened, though. I tripped, which isn’t the funny part, of course. The funny part is that as I was going down I reached out for Wyatt to break my fall and accidently yanked his pants down around his ankles. Oh, man, he got so mad and almost fell over himself trying to pull his pants back up before anyone saw.

“Purple polka dots, Wyatt? Really?”

“Mom bought them for me. You probably have a pair, too,” he said and stormed off.

“Whatever!” I yelled.

He hasn’t talked to me since.

We’re about an hour into this slog and have stopped for a rest and thank goodness for that because if we hadn’t, I’d have probably fallen flat on my face and stayed there for good.

4:07 PM
1,978 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL (603 METERS)
10° CELSIUS, 50° FAHRENHEIT
CLOUDY, WIND 10-20 MPH


As we came to a clearing in the woods, Alu held out her hand, signaling for us to stay back. Just ahead was a cluster of large granite boulders. At the base of the rocks was a dark opening. This was the den. Inside, possibly, were grizzly bears.

My hair stood on end as Alu stepped quietly toward the den. Approaching a dark opening in the rocks where a giant grizzly might jump out and tear you apart didn’t seem like a smart move, but I envied Alu’s bravery.

She stood at the entrance, placed her hand on the rock and slowly leaned inside to take a look. Again, my heart was racing. Then, without warning, she disappeared into the darkness.

I looked back at Gannon and my parents. Their eyes were as wide as saucers. I’m sure we were all wondering the same thing: “Are we about to witness a grizzly attack?”

She was probably inside no more than sixty seconds, but it seemed like hours. I moved closer to the rocks and listened for sounds coming from inside the den. I almost expected to hear a cry for help.

When Alu emerged from the den, she appeared deep in thought. She took a moment before she said anything, staring off into the distance, as if quietly trying to solve a riddle.

Finally, she spoke.

“Unfortunately, this family did not make it through the winter,” she said, her voice grim.

“What do you mean?” Gannon asked.

“A mother and two cubs,” she said, “they died.”

“How?” Gannon asked.

“Starvation.”

“How could that happen?” I asked.

“Salmon are the primary food source for many species including bears,” Alu continued. “But the salmon numbers were so low last year they weren’t able to eat enough to make it through the winter. There are even fewer salmon this year. I’m afraid more bears and many other animals that depend on the salmon for food may die, as well.”

“Can we see them?” Gannon asked.

“Of course,” Alu said. “Follow me.”

Alu led us into the dark, damp confines of the den. There was a terrible stench inside that made it difficult to breathe. I pulled my jacket up over my nose, which helped a little. At first, it was impossible to see anything. We all just stood there, waiting for our eyes to adjust to the darkness, knowing that a family of grizzlies lay at our feet. In time, I could make out the large, arching back of the mother. At its highest point, her back measured to my waist—and she was lying down. This was a massive grizzly! Probably close to eight-feet tall if she stood on her hind legs. I couldn’t imagine that this creature, so peaceful looking there in the den, had ever possessed the ferociousness that I’d read so much about.

The cubs were tiny clones of their mother. They had already lost much of their fur and their hipbones and ribs were visible through their pale skin. Otherwise, it looked as if they were still hibernating. Enjoying a prolonged sleep while they waited for the warmth of spring.

I keep wondering why the salmon numbers have declined so significantly over the past two years. Could it be that the offshore fishermen are catching too many of them? Overfishing has decimated fish populations in other areas of the world. Is it now happening in British Columbia?

I’m anxious to talk to Dr. Brezner when we return to the ship. I’m sure that he’ll have an explanation.

DINNERTIME
MOOD: IMPROVING