Desolation Sound, British Columbia
Light-off came at 0700h, shortly before Bette-Lu’s soft and soothing wakeup call. We had been peacefully anchored all night in Thurston Bay Provincial Marine Park on Sonora Island when Sea Lion’s twin Detroit diesels were “lit-off”, purring to life and summoning 2000 horsepower into action. They were ready to propel our happy ship through any waters – calm passes or rolling rapids. We were in another of the ancient fjords that penetrate far into the Coast Range of British Columbia - mountains that were formed by the slow but relentless crashing and subduction of exotic tectonic plates into the North American plate. These mountains and all of the islands along the northwest coast came from places far to the south. Total immersion in a vast sheet of ice and grinding glaciers followed, some 14,000 years ago. The result is rounded mountain-scapes, deep fjords, diverse habitats, spectacular scenery, and an astonishing total of 20,348 miles of marine shoreline along the coast of this province. That is a distance almost equal to the circumference of the Earth at the equator.
The air was still. Low, thin clouds enshrouded the stately Douglas firs and western redcedars. A Bald eagle sat as sentry atop a tree as we left the bay, while others were spotted along our route, each watching for an unsuspecting fish to expose itself to the water’s surface. The Bald eagle (by no means is it bald) is one of the eight species of fish eagles in the world and is found only in North America.
Salmon farms and log booming grounds dot the coast here, but their impact on the environment will be short-lived; nature has a way of healing wounds. We were treated to close encounters with the two species of porpoise native to this area – first the relatively small harbor porpoise and then the portly but very fast and counter-shaded Dall’s porpoise. Its black and white patterns are strikingly similar to those of the killer whale. As we cruised through Dent Narrows and Yuculta Rapids, large numbers of Bonaparte’s and Mew gulls worked the upwelling waters for zooplankton and small fish. And the sun finally burned through the thin layer of clouds. We warmed with it.
Before our barbecue lunch on the sundeck, Sharon’s exceptional skills as a photographer were again demonstrated as she took us through the four seasons with native flowers. The temperate winters of the rainforest encourage growth; some flowers bloom here even when much of British Columbia is under snow.
Our afternoon in Desolation Sound was simply spectacular… a fine way to approach the end of a tour that will bring back so many great memories. Kayakers paddled in glassy waters among countless islets and bays, finding eagles, river otters, harbor seals and a black bear. Hikers witnessed the re-growth of a forest that was stripped of its giant trees some 40 to 60 years ago, the “significant” stumps of which – springboard cuts and all - still bare witness to the majesty of nature’s “cathedral” that once was here. That cathedral is emerging from the moist organic soil again. But will it ever regain its original beauty? We shall return, perhaps 10, 20 or 30 years hence, to see for ourselves.
Light-off came at 0700h, shortly before Bette-Lu’s soft and soothing wakeup call. We had been peacefully anchored all night in Thurston Bay Provincial Marine Park on Sonora Island when Sea Lion’s twin Detroit diesels were “lit-off”, purring to life and summoning 2000 horsepower into action. They were ready to propel our happy ship through any waters – calm passes or rolling rapids. We were in another of the ancient fjords that penetrate far into the Coast Range of British Columbia - mountains that were formed by the slow but relentless crashing and subduction of exotic tectonic plates into the North American plate. These mountains and all of the islands along the northwest coast came from places far to the south. Total immersion in a vast sheet of ice and grinding glaciers followed, some 14,000 years ago. The result is rounded mountain-scapes, deep fjords, diverse habitats, spectacular scenery, and an astonishing total of 20,348 miles of marine shoreline along the coast of this province. That is a distance almost equal to the circumference of the Earth at the equator.
The air was still. Low, thin clouds enshrouded the stately Douglas firs and western redcedars. A Bald eagle sat as sentry atop a tree as we left the bay, while others were spotted along our route, each watching for an unsuspecting fish to expose itself to the water’s surface. The Bald eagle (by no means is it bald) is one of the eight species of fish eagles in the world and is found only in North America.
Salmon farms and log booming grounds dot the coast here, but their impact on the environment will be short-lived; nature has a way of healing wounds. We were treated to close encounters with the two species of porpoise native to this area – first the relatively small harbor porpoise and then the portly but very fast and counter-shaded Dall’s porpoise. Its black and white patterns are strikingly similar to those of the killer whale. As we cruised through Dent Narrows and Yuculta Rapids, large numbers of Bonaparte’s and Mew gulls worked the upwelling waters for zooplankton and small fish. And the sun finally burned through the thin layer of clouds. We warmed with it.
Before our barbecue lunch on the sundeck, Sharon’s exceptional skills as a photographer were again demonstrated as she took us through the four seasons with native flowers. The temperate winters of the rainforest encourage growth; some flowers bloom here even when much of British Columbia is under snow.
Our afternoon in Desolation Sound was simply spectacular… a fine way to approach the end of a tour that will bring back so many great memories. Kayakers paddled in glassy waters among countless islets and bays, finding eagles, river otters, harbor seals and a black bear. Hikers witnessed the re-growth of a forest that was stripped of its giant trees some 40 to 60 years ago, the “significant” stumps of which – springboard cuts and all - still bare witness to the majesty of nature’s “cathedral” that once was here. That cathedral is emerging from the moist organic soil again. But will it ever regain its original beauty? We shall return, perhaps 10, 20 or 30 years hence, to see for ourselves.
