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By Hazel Heyer Once in a while, a destination does not only engage the five senses.
It also captures the heart and soul. Where serenity, tranquility and remoteness
blur the line with indulgence in vacation luxury, one finds himself at the
threshold of paradise in North America.
Pure and genuine desolate west coast wilderness is this destination located
in British Columbia. Most attractive in the tourist market for its panoramic
coastal mountain vistas, Desolation Canada is a perfect get-away at the site
of the 17th century Waddington City north of Desolation Sound, British
Columbia’s largest marine park. It was first discovered in 1792 by Capt.
George Vancouver.
Among many features, landscape is its tourist lure. Here lies Canada’s
foremost tourist magnet. Its unique selling points are bountiful in a region
blessed by nature where life imitates art. “Because of the mountainous areas
surrounding British Columbia, we have places like Whistler hosting the
Olympics in 2010. It will definitely help bring millions of people to B.C.
for the first time,” said Desolation Sound Boat Tours owner and operator
Greg Dickie, a gifted historian and nature-lover extraordinaire.
Whistler is about 2 ½ hours drive from Vancouver, at the same entrance on
the right hand side of the B.C. Ferries Terminal at Horseshoe Bay. The trail
connects to the Sechelt peninsula up the Sunshine Coast. At the end of the
ferry-road system is the quaint seaside town of Powell River behind of which
runs the 32-mile long Powell Lake. The lake is close to the gateway of Desolation
Sound, otherwise known as Greg Dickie’s Backyard. About 200 floating cabins
on cedar logs is Greg’s idea of paradise; North Americas’ second deepest fresh
water lake was definitely God’s.
Following a circle loop tour starting from Vancouver up to Whistler, ending
at the Powell River, tourists cross over to Vancouver Island to Comox, again
by the ferry system. “We drive south to beautiful Victoria and back across
to Vancouver. The trip to Powell River is a scenic two-ferry, five-hour
trip, culminating at Desolation Sound,” said Greg. From the marine park,
Greg’s group usually heads north up to the Lewis Channel, past an old native
reservation called Church House - an old abandoned church where natives were
relocated in 1912.
Operating on the coast for many years are fish farms teeming with salmon. “I
lecture about the salmon industry. There are a couple of species of salmons
I talk about before I take my guests to Stewart Island, a place John Wayne
fell in love with. It was his secret get-away John used to go every year on
his Corvette boat and have a drink and a good time right by the inlet
entrance,” said Greg.
At the end of Highway 101 sits an impressive spot Lund. It is the gateway to
Desolation Sound and the coastal islands of Savary Island, Harwood Island
and the Copeland Islands Marine Park just 4 miles north to Desolation Sound.
With immense pleasure to look at, Harwood Island comes out of the sea and
disappears into the sea. A huge volcanic rock, it has a circular sand quay
right outside of it. Dubbed the misplaced Caribbean Island by its discoverer
Capt. Vancouver, the Savary Island basks in its powdery white sand.
“The Coast Salish communities have lived on the coast in the last 10,000
years. This less known area braces for action as the 2010 Olympics draws
nearer,” said Dickie.
Stretching hundreds of miles north, the Great Bear Rainforest national park,
a giant conservation park opened February 2006 on the west coast of Canada.
The rainforest is a 14.4 M acre park twice the size of Yellowstone National
Park or the country of Belgium. It expects to welcome guests more than
double the population of the Flemish nation.
Dickie’s most popular tour is the 50-mile long Bute Inlet’s 10-hour full-
day wildlife tour by boat. Commencing July 1st and running through July 15,
23, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26 and Sept 2 and 9 on scheduled departures from
Westview Powell River, it is the most-sought after. “From the 2000-feet deep
Bute Inlet, guests are taken on the most amazing, awe-inspiring sites that
include over 50 glaciers on the inlet en route to Homathko River property.
At the head of inlet, folks get excited over a full camp facility complete
with camp cook and genuine West coast loggers accommodations.” Greg’s river
comes from Lake Patalako, a glacier melt whose run off flows through the
mountains from the eastern side, creating one of the largest systems of
rivers in B.C. “View the several thousand feet of crystal-clear waterfalls
of Twin Falls, just a 20-minute drive from my door step.”
Optional packages include a 12-passenger single Otter aircraft for fly-in's
on to the on-location air strip or simply boat in. Fly out over one of
Canada's largest ice fields called The Homathko Icefield and surrounding
ice caps.
Boats take guests 2 miles up the river to Greg’s dock at logging camp where
people can stay the night or check out a couple of activities serviced by
his charters. Learn here about true life experiences of how the coast was
won. Groups pass by the ancient native wintering grounds en route to Bute
Inlet. Then they travel to the location of the 1864 Bute inlet massacre by
helicopter.
Aside from being remote, Bute Inlet gains popularity from its great
wildlife. Grizzly bears and black bears roam here, finding bliss in the
backcountry at the Loggers Crummy Van. Gigantic fjords, the largest found on
the west coast of North America, stretches almost infinitely along the
western side of Canada. “Here is a gentle reminder of the logging/fishing
industries, how they evolved and was used in Western Canada to sustain
livelihoods,” said the owner. Also here lies Canada’s third highest mountain
Mount Waddington, used by many British expeditions to climb before taking on
greater challenge at Mt. Everest.
Capped with fun, Desolation’s 4-hour tour called the Ice Cream Run takes
guests on a refreshing pit-stop on the island paradise of Refuge Cove.
Guests are served flavorful ice cream delights, at the same time, are
offered sights and sounds of all areas first discovered by Captain George
Vancouver in the 1790s. “We go over the facts and history of the places
before I give guests a rare snapshot of a spot teeming with bald eagles,
seals and porpoises.”
Hanging out in the wild with a Canadian expert makes one see, feel, hear,
breathe, taste a totally different flavour or dimension in nature tourism.
Greg Dickie proves his expectations about Desolation Canada are spot-on.
After all, his is the world’s most perfect spot and ticket to almost heaven.
Website: www.Desolation.ca; Email: info@desolation.ca/
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