Day 55 - Wednesday July 12/17

Our first order of business this morning was to check our email to see if there was a notice from our tour company, Haida Style Expeditions. Weather conditions could force a cancellation. Fortunately there was no such notification so we proceeded with our breakfast of protein shake and toast with peanut butter. We arrived right on time at 7:30 to the Queen Charlotte dock (which was in view from our Guest House). 

We had chosen the charter company - Haida Style Expeditions - because it was owned and operated by Haida people. We were warmly greeted by Jaylene who issued us high-topped rubber boots. We joined 10 other adventures along with Jaylene and our captain James Cowpar in the aluminum boat equipped with a front ramp for ease of beach landings.(photo) 

It also had an enclosed cabin which gave protection from wind and spray (although neither proved too much of an issue today). It was heavily overcast as we departed promptly at 8:00 am. 

What a treat we had after about an hour and a half of travel, to sight a small pod of Skana (killer whales, aka Orcas) - 3 females and a calf, which breached several times as they circled small sea-lion rookery islands in search of prey. It was interesting to watch and hear the huge 1,200 lb bull rise up to watch the Skana and bellow to warn the cows to stay out of the water! (sorry, no photos - not close enough to the whales)

Our first stop was in the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site at T’aanuu Llnagaay. This is the site of a former Haida village which had been home to over 1000 people during its heyday in the early 1800’s. Unfortunately after several epidemics of small pox and then tuberculosis the town site was abandoned when the remaining 100 inhabitant moved to Skidegate. We were greeted by the Haida Watchemen, Mary and Sonny (and their  5-yr-old granddaughter Raven) who live on site and care for the village. 

Haida Watchmen:

Three human figures wearing high hats are often carved at the very top of Haida poles. In the past, Haida watchmen were posted at strategic positions around a village to raise the alarm in advance of an approaching enemy. 

The carved figures crowning the monumental poles stood sentinel over the village. The three carved watchmen form the symbol adopted by the Haida for the Haida Gwaii Watchmen Program.

Today the Haida Gwaii Watchmen have their own management structure and they are funded by Parks Canada. 

From May to October the program has provided seasonal employment for Haida men and women as young as 16 and as old as 78. For many visitors, meeting the watchmen is their favourite part of a memorable trip to Haida village sites.

They offer a first-hand introduction to Haida culture by sharing their knowledge of the land and sea, their stories, songs, dances and traditional foods.

Mary had coffee, fry-bread (like an elephant ear available at the Western Fair,or a Beaver Tail, but not sugar-coated) and cinnamon buns piping hot out of the oven and waiting. Her husband Sonny gave us a tour of the village site, with its numerous collapsed longhouses. The pits and the roof poles in most were still clearly visible covered in soft green moss. With the regrowth of 100 year old trees offering shelter to the site, it was beautiful and peaceful despite its sad history. (photos)

We continued further south in the boat to Gandll K’in Gwaay.yaay (Hotspring Island). Another warm welcome from the Watchmen as they directed us to the hot spring pools. We felt fortunate to find he pools full and warm as an earthquake in 2014 had caused the springs to change course and dry up the pools, but they were full, warm and tempting. We quickly took advantage of the opportunity and hopped in (after changing into our bathing suit, of course).

Nancy and Michael are the smiling couple on the right!!

While some of us relaxed in the hotspring pools and others explored the area, our guides prepared a wonderful shore lunch for us, including grilled salmon, poached halibut, rice, roasted potatoes, and two salads. It was a fabulous ‘gourmet-quality” feast!

After lunch, we re-boarded our trusty craft, and headed a bit further north up the shore to Hlk’yah Llnagaay (Windy Bay). Here, once again, we were greeted by the Haida Watchmen. We were led on a hike to see both a fenced “exclosure” (a small fenced area to keep out the invasive black-tailed deer to see how the forest floor would regenerate without being foraged by the deer), and a huge old-growth Sitka Spruce, estimated to be some 900-1,000 years old (and one of the few remaining on the island). (photos)

We then viewed the Legacy Pole, which was erected at this site in 1989 to commemorate the establishment of the Agreement between the Haida people and the Federal Government for cooperative governance and management of Haida Gwaii (even though land claims are as yet unresolved). Our guide, James, and the Watchman Sean, gave us a commentary on the Legacy Pole and the protest of 1985. (photos)

It was at this site in 1985 that the Haida peoples staged a lengthy protest over both land claims and the indiscriminate logging of Haida Gwaii. During that protest, a longhouse was constructed to support the protestors, called the “Blinking Eyes” house – meaning, ‘who’s going to blink first, the Haida or the government and forestry people?) (photo)

Following this last stop on our expedition, we again boarded our boat and headed back to the dock at Queen Charlotte. The return trip took some two hours or more, and it was a slower and rougher ride as we were riding both with the swells from a southwest wind and against the out-going tide, which created ‘standing waves’ as they met together - we had a ‘bucking bronco’ effect as we crested off the tops of some of larger waves while James strove to maintain speed and course! Overall, it was about a 12-hour day from the time we arrived at the dock at 7:30am to our return after 7:30pm! A fabulous day, well-worth both the time and money. A big thanks to James and Jaylene and the Watchmen for a truly memorable expedition!!!!