Prince Rupert to Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary
A female grizzly bear stands up while eating sedge grass at Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. (Richard McGuire photo)
Written Tuesday, May 31, 2016
I took a short hike through rain forest and other landscapes down to the ocean at Butze Rapids Trail just outside Prince Rupert on Monday.
Otherwise it was a day to take care of a few chores before I leave civilization.
Today, I took a seven-hour boat tour to Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary at the end of a long inlet north of Prince Rupert and close to the lower tip of Alaska. It poured rain off and on through the day, but this is the Great Bear Rain Forest after all. Clouds clung to snowcapped mountains beside the inlet.
We saw a few grizzly bears from the boat, but we never got very close. I wished I’d bought that $10,000 long lens I was admiring as my photos were poor resolution and grainy from the distance.
On the way back, we saw humpback whales diving, harbour seals chilling out on a rocky island and a group of bald eagles that swooped down when meat bits were thrown from the boat. The company that runs this tour is pretty responsible, and the guide explained that feeding the eagles doesn’t habituate them to humans as it would for some other animals — it’s just a treat for them.
Though I would have liked better weather and a chance to see the bears from closer, it was a worthwhile trip.
Tomorrow I head north up the Cassiar Highway and it’s iffy if I’ll have access to internet or cell from here onward for a few days.
Mosses hang from trees on the Butze Rapids Trail near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)Plants grow up the side of a tree on the Butze Rapids Trail near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)Labrador tea grows among a young pine on the Butze Rapids Trail near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)New plants grow on top of a rotting stump on the Butze Rapids Trail near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)Commercial fishing boats are moored at Rushbrook Harbour in Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)Rhododendrons grow in the Sunken Gardens in Prince Rupert, B.C. The gardens were put in the foundation dug for a courthouse that ended up being built rather east. (Richard McGuire photo)Clouds hang over the mountains that line the inlet approaching Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. There’s a reason they call this the Great Bear Rain Forest. (Richard McGuire photo)Clouds hang over the mountains that line the inlet approaching Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. There’s a reason they call this the Great Bear Rain Forest. (Richard McGuire photo)Clouds hang over the mountains that line the inlet approaching Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. There’s a reason they call this the Great Bear Rain Forest. (Richard McGuire photo)A young male grizzly bear makes his way through sedge grass at Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. (Richard McGuire photo)A young male grizzly bear makes his way along the shoreline at Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. (Richard McGuire photo)A humpback whale raises its tail from the water as it dives in the Pacific Ocean near Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. (Richard McGuire photo)Harbour seals chill out on a rocky island as they take a break from fishing in the Pacific Ocean near Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. (Richard McGuire photo)Harbour seals chill out on a rocky island as they take a break from fishing in the Pacific Ocean near Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. (Richard McGuire photo)A bald eagle swoops down for pieces of meat thrown from a tour boat near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)A bald eagle swoops down for pieces of meat thrown from a tour boat near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)A bald eagle swoops down for pieces of meat thrown from a tour boat near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)A bald eagle swoops down for pieces of meat thrown from a tour boat near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)A bald eagle swoops down for pieces of meat thrown from a tour boat near Prince Rupert, B.C. (Richard McGuire photo)
One thought on “Prince Rupert to Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary”
Great eagle pictures!