Jackson Narrows Provincial Marine Park & Northbound Inland Passage
It was one of those mornings that made me want to crawl back into my bunk, turn up the heat and read a good book—it was wet, misty and gray. But as we made our way northward in the Inland Passages of British Columbia, the wind died and the clouds raised and thinned and the steep sides of the fjords came alive with the wide variety of greens that typify the rich transitional coastal forest through which we passed. By mid-morning we left the main passage and headed eastward in a stunning cross fjord to a place that neither the Sea Lion nor any of the crew or naturalists had ever been before, Jackson Narrows Provincial Marine Park. Five miles up the fjord we dropped anchor and the crew lowered a Zodiac so the naturalists could scout the area for possibilities for our morning’s activities. Kayaking, Zodiacs and a bushwhack along an inlet were offered. We divided ourselves according to our interests and abilities and headed out under a patchwork sky of wild hues of gray with small blue holes through which the sun shone down in rays (unfortunately the blue was not as big as a Dutchman’s britches which my grandmother always said would bring clear weather!). The richness above and below the waterline was breathtaking. I was especially taken by the diversity of tree species as we found ourselves where both southern and northern species flourish: Douglas fir, western red cedar and red alder are here found side by side with Sitka spruce, yellow cedar and Sitka alder along with the ubiquitous western hemlock. Above us eagles called from their high perches on prominent trees along the water’s edge or from their huge twig nests, winter wrens sang their nuptial songs from deep within the forest and some of us were lucky enough to see a migrating sandhill crane and a playful river otter. This expedition stop turned out to be a wonderful find, indeed, and will be put high on the list of preferred spots to visit on future trips along the British Columbia coast.
As we headed ever further northward in the afternoon, the call came over the public address system to hurry up on deck because whales had been spotted ahead. Everyone rushed to the bow and was rewarded by wonderful looks at a pair of humpback whales. Although we had been seeing harbor and Dall’s porpoise daily, this was our first whale sighting and the excitement was high. The whales were making long dives in search of food and repeatedly threw their tail flukes high in the air, forcing their 30 ton bodies deep into the plankton-rich, green waters of the fjord. Some of us were up on deck for hours watching dive after dive as these leviathans scoured the depth for their daily intake of 1-2 tons of fish or krill. All in all, I was so glad that I didn’t snuggle back into bed but stayed out in the fresh air enjoying the pristine beauty of coastal British Columbia the entire day—rain and shine!
It was one of those mornings that made me want to crawl back into my bunk, turn up the heat and read a good book—it was wet, misty and gray. But as we made our way northward in the Inland Passages of British Columbia, the wind died and the clouds raised and thinned and the steep sides of the fjords came alive with the wide variety of greens that typify the rich transitional coastal forest through which we passed. By mid-morning we left the main passage and headed eastward in a stunning cross fjord to a place that neither the Sea Lion nor any of the crew or naturalists had ever been before, Jackson Narrows Provincial Marine Park. Five miles up the fjord we dropped anchor and the crew lowered a Zodiac so the naturalists could scout the area for possibilities for our morning’s activities. Kayaking, Zodiacs and a bushwhack along an inlet were offered. We divided ourselves according to our interests and abilities and headed out under a patchwork sky of wild hues of gray with small blue holes through which the sun shone down in rays (unfortunately the blue was not as big as a Dutchman’s britches which my grandmother always said would bring clear weather!). The richness above and below the waterline was breathtaking. I was especially taken by the diversity of tree species as we found ourselves where both southern and northern species flourish: Douglas fir, western red cedar and red alder are here found side by side with Sitka spruce, yellow cedar and Sitka alder along with the ubiquitous western hemlock. Above us eagles called from their high perches on prominent trees along the water’s edge or from their huge twig nests, winter wrens sang their nuptial songs from deep within the forest and some of us were lucky enough to see a migrating sandhill crane and a playful river otter. This expedition stop turned out to be a wonderful find, indeed, and will be put high on the list of preferred spots to visit on future trips along the British Columbia coast.
As we headed ever further northward in the afternoon, the call came over the public address system to hurry up on deck because whales had been spotted ahead. Everyone rushed to the bow and was rewarded by wonderful looks at a pair of humpback whales. Although we had been seeing harbor and Dall’s porpoise daily, this was our first whale sighting and the excitement was high. The whales were making long dives in search of food and repeatedly threw their tail flukes high in the air, forcing their 30 ton bodies deep into the plankton-rich, green waters of the fjord. Some of us were up on deck for hours watching dive after dive as these leviathans scoured the depth for their daily intake of 1-2 tons of fish or krill. All in all, I was so glad that I didn’t snuggle back into bed but stayed out in the fresh air enjoying the pristine beauty of coastal British Columbia the entire day—rain and shine!
