Today Tracey is taking us up the Kildala River estuary and into the aptly named Great Bear Rainforest, where we do indeed see a bear. But more on that later. It is a cool and damp morning but the forecast is good so it should be warm and sunny later. Tracey launches his jet boat and we set off. The sea does not look particularly rough but let me assure you that a one foot swell in a jet boat is extremely uncomfortable. Every bang sends my brain crashing against my skull. Ouch! There is little comfort in Tracey telling me that it is unusual for it to be so bumpy. It is normally very smooth. Is it indeed?! Once we leave the Douglas Channel the water flattens and the ride is more comfortable.

Our next challenge is that the tide is out and the water in the channel is very shallow. Tracey spends a while motoring around the river mouth trying to work out whether we can make it up it. He decides to give it ago. He tells us to hold on very tight as – should we hit something – and the odds of that are fairly high – we will be thrown forward. So up the river we go. Tracey skilfully manoeuvres the boat around rocks and fallen trees and we progress upstream into the Great Bear Forest. It is pristine rainforest apart from the unfortunate presence of power lines, cutting a swathe through the otherwise untouched wilderness.

We spot a baby moose on the bank. Tracey says “Quick Maggie before it moves.” I’m as fast as I can be, but my camera is safely in my backpack to protect it on the journey. Tracey says “You should have been ready and setup.” Oh really? Well I would have been if I didn’t think that I was likely to be smashed into a tree trunk and have 2kg of camera hitting me in the face!!…. I did point this out to him later and he saw the funny side of it.

The baby moose was terrified and on closer inspection looked to have a broken leg. In the bottom picture you can see bear claw marks and a wound on the right haunch. We think it was probably attacked and fell down the bank when escaping. The bear will probably return later to finish it off. How sad.

A few more bends in the river and we arrive at a beautiful pool. It is still misty but the cloud is lifting and breaks of blue are appearing overhead. Two anglers are already at the pool and they have caught a huge coho. This bodes well. They generously say that they will move up river so Paul can have the pool to himself, which is really extremely kind of them. No sooner has Paul cast out his line than he catches a coho.

This is shortly followed with a large chum.

I take a stroll along the river. This really is a delightful spot – peaceful and surrounded by temperate rainforest.

I look down and see fresh bear tracks. Maybe I won’t stray too far from the men and the boat…

I return just in time to see Paul land this beauty.

The skies have now cleared and it is hot. I am continually scanning down river at the gravel banks in the hope of seeing a bear but I am not overly optimistic. Then, far away behind a tree on the far shore I see movement. I see legs and think it is a person. I keep watching and then a bear emerges. It’s a long way off but a bear nevertheless. I run back to the men and yell “Tracey! A bear! Please fetch my camera!” I dash back to my viewing spot – and hoorah the bear is still there. It then starts moving nearer, clambering over dead trees that block its path.

Nearer still and there is eye contact.

I am apprehensive but also excited. The bear does not appear to be interested in me. It is just intent on catching salmon. I watch mesmerised and only realise afterwards how close I was. I took false comfort from the fact that we were separated by the river with a few feet of water in it. Not much of a barrier!

She finally catches a fish and then departs glancing fleetingly as she does. Paul is in the river and sees her being followed by two cubs that must have been hiding in the shrubs on the gravel bank.

In any event they have now crossed the river, are on our side and heading our way. Time to vacate the area!

Tracey and his wife have kindly invited us to have supper with them tonight. We meet some of their friends and enjoy some good home cooking, which is really welcome after all the restaurant meals.