The morning started off with dense fog, but with sudden speed, we broke through and into bright sunshine. With the docks of Hakai Institute gleaming in the distance, we were escorted down the channel by a family of orcas – a welcome start to the day and the best method of clearing a dining room.
On Calvert Island, we took to the trails and explored the moss-laden rainforests of British Columbia. White sandy beaches facing the open Pacific provided a setting unseen on the trip, and we spent the day following wolf tracks, staring at glimmering abalones and strolling with sandhill cranes preparing for their southbound migration. At the Hakai Institute, a helicopter zipped in and out – performing maintenance on the extensive network environmental monitoring stations we were learning about.
