Forest Trails and High Ground

After two unsuccessful days staking out known patches it was time for a change of plan. Mike, our guide, decided to take us on a rolling tour of several spots on much higher ground and nearer trails that are navigable by truck.

The bears eluded us almost completely today, save for a sighting of a sow and two cubs. Regulations only allow males of a certain size to be hunted, so we just took the chance to observe these three at close quarters.

Otherwise, there were a couple of long walks and a nap in the middle of the day, and lots of breathtaking views. 

Last of the snow: there are some peaks around this part of Vancouver Island that still carry snow well into spring. Even a really hot spring like this. One thing that is very noticeable is that above a certain altitude a chill kicks in, and if the wing blows over one of these the temperature can go to very warm to very chilly in moments.

Nap time: we spent a couple of hours laying up in this spot after what was supposed to be a quick walk to investigate some suspicious broken trees on a trail. Leaving packs and gear in the truck, we headed off up the trail and half an hour later we were atop this knoll. It was hot, and Mike declared that no bears would be moving in this heat, so neither should we. An hour or so (I couldn't really tell) was passed dozing in the sun. You can see Jason sprawled out on a rock at the bottom of this photo.

Bear sign: male bears are very territorial and mark their ground by scratching and breaking trees. Boars (male bears) are aggressive toward each other and especially to sows with other boar's cubs. An un-mated boar will attempt to kill unprotected cubs if they have a chance. The other classic sign is a pile of excrement, with diameter being a better indication of bear size than sheer mass. I'll spare the blogging world an image.

Landscape for the sake of it: this simply gives an idea of the different terrain out here, and the constantly changing mix of forest and slash, hills and valleys. Slash is where forest has been logged and replanting has not yet happened, with white and grey stumps littering the landscape.

High ground: I think this is the highest point we reached. This was a real aerie, up the end of a twisting trail. I'm now sorry I didn't take a panorama. That is the inlet and the pulp mill in the mid ground.

Cubs: the two cubs we spotted shot right up this tree and started barking at us. The sow was in the bushes at the base of the tree, holding its ground there in case we came closer.

Lumber trade: taken from the fast moving truck on the way back through Port Alice. Demand for log timber is booming, but since most is felled for the Chinese export market, an the Chinese prefer to just buy the logs and pulp or mill it themselves, much of Port Alice's processing capacity lies dormant. 

Sunset: although the weather has been a blessing in many ways, all those blue skies can make for less dramatic photos. As the light was dying and we were heading for our last spot of the day, I snapped this from the moving truck. I've been learning to rely on the camera's automation much more on this trip. Usually, I have all the time in the world to set up a shot manually, but not so for this sort of thing. I grabbed this by poking the lens through the window and hitting the shutter.

Last Light: off for last look before dark. This shows the scale of the trees in this place. Just about of of this forest has been felled and regrown several times and the original huge cedars are long gone. Sometimes their huge stumps can still be seen. We will have to wait till California to see remnant old growth forests

One more sunset: the day ran late, and we were still on some high ground as the sun finally dipped. The long northern evenings always surprise me.