Haida Gwaii Part 1 – Planning the Adventure of a Lifetime

Last year, 2024, Jenn and I embarked on one of the most amazing and impactful adventures of our lives.

In my case at least, THE most amazing and impactful adventure of my life.

I have been putting off blogging about it for a year, despite having written out most of it out within a few days after the trip. I’ve been having a bit of mental block when it came to sifting through the photos for some reason which I still can’t explain, and since they’re so essential to telling this story, the story has had to wait for me to try to push past it.

I’m trying a different approach. I’m going to start writing. And then I’ll figure out the photos that work best with what I’ve written.

Either way, this will be a multi-installment series of posts with no set release cadence and may even be interrupted by other posts, so please bear with. I’m happy to have you along for the journey.

“Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?” he asked.
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass

Jenn and I had talked about visiting Haida Gwaii before. I didn’t know much about the place, but Jenn had heard really good things from a co-worker about boat tours around the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.

We thought that would be a really nice way for us to celebrate when we finally finish paying off our mortgage, though that was still several years off on the horizon.

But then, in September of 2022, something sudden and unexpected happened.

Jenn’s mom passed away.

Of course the death of a close family member is always traumatic, but on top of that, Jenn also ended up taking on settling the estate as the executor. Not only is it a LOT of work, it only adds trauma onto trauma.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2023. Much of the estate work was done at this point. We decided to go for little nature walk around the Pylypow Constructed Wetlands, not far from where we live.

There’s a bit of irony in seeking nature in a manufactured wetland, but I assure you it’s actually a really nice place where reclaimed nature meets urban stormwater management. And it’s not bad for birding.

The downtown Edmonton skyline lies beyond a field of green and gold canola, under a clear blue sky.
Downtown Edmonton from Pylypow Constructed Wetlands, over a sea of canola. Photo by Jenn Fehr

While we casually looped around the ponds and trails, our conversation turned to how to reward ourselves – mostly Jenn, though – for getting through a very traumatic time and getting through the hardest parts of the executorship.

It was all a stark reminder that no matter your plans, you never know what life may throw at you.

We sat down on a bench and watched a tree swallow fly back and forth from the constructed wetland to its constructed birdhouse, met each time with a tiny little bird face with a tiny open beak waiting for its meal, while our thoughts returned to Haida Gwaii.

On that warm August day, surrounded by birdsong and a nurturing tree swallow’s movements, we made the decision then and there that we would make the trip to Haida Gwaii the following summer.

A tree swallow rests at the edge of the opening in a birdhouse, while a baby bird pokes its head out, beak wide open and waiting.
A baby tree swallow poking out from the birdhouse, beak wide open and waiting for the meal the parent has just arrived to deliver. Photo by Jenn Fehr

“Well then. We’re doing this.”

Overview map of part of Haida Gwaii and the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, an archepelago of hundreds of islands of all shapes and sizes.
Overview map of Haida Gwaii, with the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve outlined. Image via Parks Canada

While “mainland” Haida Gwaii can be reached by a couple of airports and – though not recommended by pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to who has taken it – by ferry across the Hecate Strait, the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve is only accessible by water, even if you’re already on the archipelago.

We needed a boat, then.

Fortunately, there are tour operators that can get you there and around, and some of them have a few different boats to choose from as well.

We perused the options. None of them were cheap, but we expected that. They were all very enticing, which we also expected. But what I didn’t expect was how much one particular boat with one particular tour would grab hold of me and would not let go no matter what else we looked at.

That was my speed. That was my style.

I was smitten.

“I want that one.”

A photo of a large jade-like sculpture in the Vancouver International Airport. It depicts a Haida person in a dugout canoe surrounded by a variety of animals. The piece is titled "The Spirit of Haida Gwaii" by Bill Reid.
“I think we’re going to need a bigger boat.”

…but more on that later.

We had a plan for our trip, and had a trip to plan.

1 thought on “Haida Gwaii Part 1 – Planning the Adventure of a Lifetime”

  1. T. J. Bombadil says:

    @Dave The struggle is real. Trying to do a major trip justice is so stressful! I often put off writing up something because I can’t bring myself to just dump a chronological account of what we did. Once I find the hook *then* I delete most of my first draft and write it up for real. Pictures come last.I look forward to following your journey and seeing which pictures you choose.

Comments are closed.