The Great Bear Rainforest

This past summer I flew to British Columbia, Canada in search of the Coastal Wolves of the Great Bear Rainforest led by Tim Irvin and Marven Robinson. The Great Bear Rainforest is part of the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world and is just off the Pacific Coast of British Columbia.

Getting There

My flight took me from Cincinnati to Chicago and then to Vancouver, Canada. In Vancouver I was to catch the once daily flight to Prince Rupert.

My flight from Cincinnati to Chicago was delayed waiting on the flight crew and then because of a maintenance issue. I arrived just in time to run across the Chicago airport and board my flight to Vancouver. Upon leaving the gate in Chicago one of our engines shut down.

After another delay, while they tested the engine, we were asked to get off the plane. They found us another plane, but that one had no working toilets. We then waited for a plane to arrive from Tampa, which we boarded and we arrived in Vancouver over four hours late.

I missed my flight from Vancouver to Prince Rupert and after standing in line to re-book for the following day, I was left on my own to find a hotel for the night. The next day I finally arrived in Prince Rupert. I was glad that I added an extra day to get there or I would have missed my adventure.

The next morning we met our guide Marven Robinson of the Gitga’at First Nation at the dock. We then left for a two hour boat ride to our undisclosed location in the Great Bear Rainforest.

“Boatel”

For this season’s Coastal Wolf Expeditions, Marven built a plywood bunkhouse on top of a boat with eight bunks and an area with two portable toilets. Tim christened our bunkhouse the “Boatel”. Tim, Marven and the crew slept aboard other boats tied next to us.

We spent the next week eating and sleeping on a flotilla of boats anchored in a quiet bay. Twice a day the tide would go out and our boats would be on dry ground on the bottom of the bay.

Wolf Pups

When we arrived, Marven carefully mentioned that he had seen wolf pups a short distance up the river. So, we put on our waders and backpacks and hiked up the river. We were soon sitting by the side of the river. 

When we arrived, Marven carefully mentioned that he had seen wolf pups a short distance up the river. So, we put on our waders and backpacks and hiked up the river. We were soon sitting by the side of the river. 

After a short wait we saw our first black wolf pup. We eventually spotted at least two black pups and one brown wolf pup. Pups are usually born in April so they were about four months old. What a great first day!

Waiting by the River with Camera Ready

Further Up The River

On the third day we decided to move to a new location about three quarters of a mile up the river. We set up our cameras in some soft grass along the river bank and waited. It was not long before two wolf pups and one brown adult came up the river and settled right across from us.

After they rested and drank from the river, the adult soon crossed the river a short distance from us. The adult disappeared into the dense forest followed by the two pups.

On the Way Back to the Boat We Witnessed Beautiful Sunsets 

Close Encounters

The next day we made our way back up the river to were we saw the adult and two pups the day before. We set up in the same place and waited quietly.

About mid morning a lone brown wolf pup appeared on the far bank and came down for a drink. He was a curious pup and did not seem to be too afraid of us. He had seen us all week and knew we were not a threat. He came really close to us as he drank from the river. He then went to the bank across from us and howled for the rest of the pack.

Final Morning

On our last morning we went back to our favorite spot and waited again. Our curious pup showed up again to drink from the receding river waters. He crossed to our side of the river getting to less than 20 feet from us. He seemed to be very curious and was not afraid. We were careful all week to not disturb them and it paid off.

Thanks to Tim Irvin, Marven Robinson and family and crew for a great adventure in the Great Bear Rainforest. Check out Tim’s website at https://www.timirvin.com/.

And thanks to my traveling companions, Sonja, Eric and Taylor for making this a wonderful experience.

You can see more coastal wolf images in my image gallery at https://www.lookingatnature.com/wolves/.