CAMPBELL RIVER, BC — The Great Bears of Bute tour in British Columbia, Canada takes folks by boat to see grizzly bears in the wild. It’s a tour unlike any other because it's owned and led by the Homalco - Indigenous People who shared this land with grizzly bears for generations. The adventure starts at sunrise, at the marina in Campbell River.
"First off, you're going to load on one of our boats and then you're going to take a beautiful two hour boat ride through the waters of the Salish Sea searching for marine wildlife,” said Chyanne Trenholm, GM of Homalco Tours.
The journey to Bute Inlet is stunning, and the comfortable custom boats have both indoor and outdoor seating. On the way, the tour stops at Church House, or Aupe, where the Homalco People once lived, until the village was relocated closer to Campbell River in the 1980’s. It’s easy to see why this place is special to them.
"The water when you're heading up the inlet, it turns blue and bluer the farther you go up. It's just this beautiful turquoise blue. The mountains are as high and the water is literally as deep as those mountains. It's the grandest fjord in B.C.,” Trenholm said.
When the boat arrives at the dock at Orford Bay, the group is greeted in the Homalco language by tour guide Cheyanne Hackett. "What I said to you all was hello, my name is Cheyanne, I come from Aupe which is Church House and I'm a Homalco First Nation Band Member.”
Language and culture are an important part of this tour.
"You're also getting that indigenous component woven into what you're experiencing, learning about area names, perhaps listening to some stories along the way,” said Trenholm. “We take a lot of pride in that. And it's also a way back to our roots, learning about our culture and being able to share it. It's kind of a win win situation."
Evening's Jose Cedeno learned the most important word of the day from tour guides Cheyanne and James: χawgəs which is pronounced ‘Howgus’ and means grizzly bear. The grizzlies are here for the salmon that converge on the Orford River and Algard Creek in the fall.
At first we see plenty of fish - but no bear. Then it happens when the group is in one of the five viewing towers specially designed for spotting bear, and located in areas where they frequent: a hungry grizzly comes down to the river for lunch. He’s the first of many bears spotted on this September day.
"I love meeting new people every single day and I love seeing the bears. It changes every day with the bears,” Cheyanne Hackett said.
We are in the bear’s home, but these bears don’t care. They are just focused on the fish. One comes within 20 feet of the group as he wades and swims in the water, seeking salmon. A breathtaking moment that's just one small part of an unforgettable experience.
When the day-long tour is over, we don’t want to say goodbye to this wild, and beautiful place. Tour guide James Hackett tells us we don’t have to. He explains there are no words for "Goodbye" in the Homalco language. Instead they say ʔɛmaxʷiga, (--e-m-a-xw-i-g-a) which means "Come back soon."
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