Big Trees, Big Spirits

As a Big Tree Seeker, going to Haida Gwaii (Islands of the People) is sort of the Shangri-La for our crowd. British Columbia’s west coast is endowed with some of the greatest forests on the planet, with these isolated, rain-drenched islands supporting some of the most productive tree growth of anywhere on the coast. The research in preparation for our visit was extensive. Scouring maps, following up on websites and technical papers, and sending requests for information from friends who had gained local familiarity, from having lived on the islands in the past, all became an indispensable resource.

Like most places in BC, there are quite a few local trails, and some of those trails lead you right to some of the biggest trees in their respective areas. Being familiar and active with the BC Bigtree Registry, I utilized its easily searchable database as a quality resource, extracting geographic coordinates for some of the biggest trees that I hoped to visit.

The Haida Gwaii archipelago consists of over 150 islands, with the two main islands, Graham in the north and Moresby in the south. The majority of the population live on Graham Island {Kiis Gwaay}, while Moresby {T’aawxii aaydag} has very few inhabitants as Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and the Haida Heritage Site make up a large percentage of this land and its associated marine environment.
We were based out of the town of Masset {Uttewas}, where we had the luxury of being able to stay in a friend’s ocean side cabin. Having a dry and warm place to shelter after a big day in the bush cannot be understated. Thanks, Jake!

Some of the more well-known exploration sites: Anvil Trail, Golden Spruce Trail, Old Growth Alley, Yakoun Lake, Louise Dover Trail, and Cape Fife Trail provided some most fulfilling outings throughout this luxuriant rainforest setting.

Our off-trail excursions, with only a GPS coordinate loaded into the unit proved to be quite a bit more challenging. Experiencing a 2m diameter and 75m long Sitka spruce laying across your path requires some serious deviation from a chosen bearing direction. Squirming through head-high salal hedges required some serious perseverance (at one point repelling us completely, as Laura’s command to “retreat” was uttered), and the bogs, oh the bogs' boot-sucking gumbo, now that really tested our endurance. Fortunately, the rewards of coming upon some of the most majestic old-growth trees in the forest, soon had any strife left behind.

My wife, Laura is a wonderful exploration companion, enduring many epic bush-capades together and sharing the finest big tree moments. Standing in awe, appreciative of where we had arrived, the big trees seem to sigh in relief on our behalf. Comfortable surroundings to say the least.

The Haida First Nations’ presence can be felt all around you. Whether it is a time-worn (thousands of years) trail beside a river with imprinted moss guiding the way, or the powerful family totem and memorial poles that grace Old Masset {Gaw Tlagėe}, or Skidegate. The friendly, and joyful reception of the Haida reinforces the new/old cultural well-being that is being nurtured throughout this strong matriarchal society. Our opportunity to attend a book launch for 7IDANsuu James Hart: A Monumental Practice coupled with the generous time shared with Guu Jaaw were memorable highlights of our trip. Ancient knowledge comes in many forms.