Great Bear Rainforest

by Patti Wheeler

  Bear claw markings in the mud

  Now, I know.

  I mean, who in their right mind marches unarmed into a cold, mud-soaked rainforest in search of giant grizzly bears? The answer to that question is no one. At least no one with any sense. Now, these people, the kind without sense, they’re called crazy people. So, are we crazy? Well, if I were under oath and being questioned in a court of law, I’d have no choice but to clear my throat and say:

  “Yes, your honor. We are crazy.”

  I should clarify what I wrote about being “unarmed.” That’s not completely true. We have a gun. A cap gun!

  The cap gun is called a bear banger and it looks a lot like the kind of cap gun you can buy at any old toy store, but makes a slightly louder “bang” when you pull the trigger. It’s supposed to scare the bear, causing it to turn and hightail it in the other direction. But, come on. Will a cap gun really scare an 800-pound grizzly? I have serious doubts. And what if the grizzly has a hearing impairment?

  It all sounded great when the captain explained bear tracking over the phone, but now that I’m actually doing it … uh, not so much.

  Since just after dawn, we’ve been seated on a slimy rock in the middle of a shallow river that stretches about a hundred feet from one side to the other. In the water, a few dozen Coho and Pink salmon thrust themselves upstream to spawn. On one side of the river there is a bear trail that leads to the water’s edge and on the other side of the river, that’s right, another bear trail! So, just to clarify, we’re seated dead smack in the middle of two clearly worn, frequently used bear trails!

  Here’s the craziest part: we intentionally picked this spot because it’s here that we have the greatest chance of seeing one of these mighty beasts. Last September, we were told, it was common to see several grizzly bears pass by this very rock in a single day.

  And did I mention that it’s cold and raining? Okay, that’s not totally true. It’s cold and pouring. Seriously, it’s like a monsoon out here. The rain hasn’t stopped coming down since we stepped ashore. Nature is leaving no question as to why they call this a rainforest.

  On either side of the river, there are a handful of half-eaten salmon carcasses strewn about the rocks. Apparently, bears prefer to feast on salmon eggs, so they typically eat only the midsection of female salmon. Wolves, on the other hand, enjoy the head and brains of the salmon, so headless fish mean one thing—wolves are nearby!

  Which leads me to another point. Not only are we potentially in the path of grizzlies, we might very well find ourselves surrounded by a pack of wolves! Wolves are the rainforest’s apex predator, which means that this animal sits at the top of the food chain. Or, in other words, against a pack of wolves, not even the most ferocious grizzly stands a chance. No joke, scientists have actually found adult grizzly claws in wolf scat, which means that a hungry pack of wolves can and will attack, kill, and eat a full-grown grizzly bear.

  Come to think of it, this experience is a lot like jumping out of a boat in the middle of the ocean with a bucket of chum and waiting for a school of great white sharks to show up for lunch.

  There, I think I’ve made my case. It’s pretty obvious we’re not of sound mind, but over time we’ve gotten a taste for adventure and that makes you do lots of things that most people would consider insane. What can I say, it’s addicting.

  WYATT

  SEPTEMBER 19, 11:29 AM

  13° CELSIUS, 55° FAHRENHEIT

  CLOUDY SKIES, WINDS 5-10 MPH

  Waiting for bears to feed in the stream

  Bear viewing, to be completely honest, can be pretty darn boring. At least, that’s the case when there aren’t any bears around. There are bugs around, that’s for sure. Whenever the rain lets up, mosquitoes appear in small swarms. Dozens have made their way under the hood of my jacket. I hear them buzzing in my ear and feel them biting my cheeks. We’re constantly swatting them away. Watching my parents is especially entertaining. They look like a couple of klutzy karate students practicing their chops.

  The upside to all of this sitting around is that it gives us time to work on our journals. Of course, writing in a rainforest is a bit tricky. I’ve draped a tarp over my head, creating a small area that’s protected when the rain comes so I can write without getting my pages wet. So far, it’s working pretty well.

  I always wondered how the great explorers like Ernest Shackleton and Sir Richard Francis Burton or Captain James Cook had the time to take such detailed notes during their epic journeys. But it’s pretty obvious now. Even in the midst of the most thrilling adventures, you spend lots of time waiting. Waiting for a boat or plane, waiting for the weather to clear, or in this case, for a bear to appear. For an explorer, waiting is just part of the job.

  Which leads me to the SECOND LAW OF EXPLORATION: Always maintain a healthy curiosity.

  When things get boring, curiosity is what drives you forward and right now I’m as anxious as I could be to see a grizzly!

  GANNON

  AFTERNOON, PROBABLY

  Now, aside from the fact that this excursion is crazy, I have to admit that I do appreciate being here, sitting in the cold drizzle, on this rock among all these humongous trees. This place is beautiful in any light, but when the sun comes out and sends beams of light through the forest’s canopy, it’s just magic—with mist rising up through the trees and raindrops sparkling like gems atop the leaves and the stream shimmering in the bright spots. Even the rocks have come alive, glistening under the sun’s warm glow.

  Trees covered in moss are a common sight

  The forests of the Great Bear are dense and high and ancient, and I’m not using the term “ancient” loosely. This morning, the captain told us there are trees in this rainforest that are more than 1,500 years old. That means some of these trees around me were already 1,000 years old when Christopher Columbus sailed to America and that’s just totally mind-blowing!

  As impressive to me as the forest itself is our bear guide, Alu. When we were told that we’d have a bear guide leading us through the rainforest, I sure as heck didn’t picture someone like Alu. I pictured a big, burly guy with a bushy gray beard, bad teeth, and worse breath. The bear guide I imagined wore faded overalls, a coat made of wolf fur, and had a rope of grizzly claws hanging around his neck.

  When Alu walked into the galley last night with Captain Colin, I thought she was a schoolgirl from a nearby village who had come aboard for a visit. Then Captain Colin put his arm on her shoulder and said something that just about knocked me out of my chair.

  “I’d like you to meet your bear guide, Alu.”

  My mom actually laughed out loud. She thought the captain was joking. I mean, we all did.

  “I assure you,” Captain Colin continued, “you’re in good hands. She may be young according to the calendar, but when it comes to wisdom she’s a tribal elder.”

  “I am from the Gitga’tt tribe and have grown up in this forest,” Alu said. “Over the years my father and mother taught me how to be one with nature so I am perfectly at ease in the Great Bear. This is my home and I promise you, I know the forest and all of its inhabitants as well as anybody.”

  “That’s wonderful,” my mom said and pulled Captain Colin into the hallway to discuss the matter in private and make sure he hadn’t completely lost his mind.

  My mother needed to be totally convinced that Alu knew what she was doing and I can’t blame her. I mean, I wasn’t thrilled about a fifteen-year-old leading us into grizzly territory either. I wanted the big, burly, bearded guy I described earlier.

  As we stood around waiting for the whole thing to be sorted out, I felt like I needed to say something just to break the awkward silence.

  “Nda wila waalu?” I asked Alu.

  A beautiful smile came over her face.

  “Aam wila waalu,” she said. “Very impressive. It is not often that I can speak Gitga’tt with anyone outside my tribe. How much of our language do you know?”

  “Unfortunately, that’s
about it. I learned it from a book I found on the boat last night.”

  My mom returned to the galley. Whatever Captain Colin had said completely settled her down.

  “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.

  WYATT

  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!

  GANNON

  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.

  WYATT

  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 …

  GANNON

  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.

  WYATT

  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.