We love taking people out to experience the great outdoors here in northern British Columbia—giving them the kind of adventure most folks never get to have. Whether we’re up in the mountains or down on the ocean, this coast has exactly what people come looking for.
Right now it’s spring bear season, and I’m actually writing this while sitting on our 38-foot ocean cruiser in the middle of May. This morning, the guys had a hearty breakfast, then jumped into 14- or 16-foot skiffs. They’re out cruising the shoreline right now, scanning the beaches for bears. Along the way, they’ll probably spot whales too.
Just the other day, as we were heading down toward camp, we had an amazing encounter. It was Sunday afternoon, and five orcas were right beside us. They stayed on one side of the boat for about half an hour, hunting seals. One big bull even crossed right in front of us—so close I had to throw the boat into neutral while he passed about 50 yards ahead. Then he flanked us on the other side at about 150 meters, while the other orcas were running the shoreline hunting. It was just incredible to watch.
These are the kinds of things we get to share with guests—experiences they’d never see in their everyday lives. We’re really lucky to live in such a special place. I can look out the window right now and see an eagle sitting in a tree, seagulls wheeling around, and snow still clinging to the mountains. It’s overcast today, but beautiful. Just before this, I pulled up a crab trap with five big Dungeness crabs that’ll be lunch when the guys get back. That’s our bear hunt experience here on the coast.
In the fall, we do something different. We’ll fly into some of the most pristine alpine lakes you can imagine, or we’ll quad and hike deep into wild, untouched mountains that very few people ever see. That’s one of the most special things about this area—it’s raw, wild, and remote in a way you just can’t find closer to civilization.
For now, though, it’s bear season. I’m sitting on our ocean cruiser, which is tied to our 26-by-68-foot barge. The barge is still pretty raw right now—it’s the early days. Over the next year or two, we plan to add lodging right onto it. For now, our guests sleep on the boat itself, which has all the comforts you need: flushing toilets, running water, and a shower if you want it.
One of the nice things about bear season is you don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn—we plan the day around the tide. We get up, have coffee around 6:15 or 6:30, and sit down for a solid breakfast at seven. Breakfast might be bacon and eggs one day, French toast with caramelized bananas another day, pancakes, or a big omelet. It all depends on what our chef feels like making.
After breakfast, the guys grab some snacks, hop into the small boats, and start cruising the shoreline looking for bears. Yesterday afternoon, one group found a grizzly in one bay. They swung around to the next bay, and sure enough, the grizzly must have crossed over through the trees—because they bumped a big mature black bear boar who was clearly hustling to get out of there!
You just never know what kind of wildlife interaction you’re going to have. Sometimes there are humpback whales feeding in the same bay, breaching and diving. Seals will often climb onto floating logs, swim right up to the boat to check you out, and then just hang around with you for a while before heading off again.
We typically come back to the boat for a hot lunch. Depending on the weather, it can be a long day out, and it’s nice to warm up before heading back out for more. I can look out the window and see three different beaches where bears often show up.
After lunch (and sometimes a well-earned midday nap), we’ll time things with the tide. We’ll have an early dinner—maybe around 4 o’clock—so the guys can get back out hunting in the evening. When they come back after dark—usually around 9:30, 10, or even 10:30 as the days get longer—we’ll have hot soup ready for them.
And of course, at the end of the day, as soon as the first skiffs start returning, we light the campfire on the barge. There’s a big steel fire pit with plenty of firewood ready to go. We’ll hand out beers to anyone who wants one and stand around the fire swapping stories about the day’s adventures. Then it’s time for some warm food and a good night’s sleep so we can do it all again the next day.
There are a lot of adventures to be had out here—and we love sharing every single one of them.