“Tadswii - Kaats’ii Hla"
"Come in, Welcome to Haida Gwaii”
I wondered if much had changed since my last visit almost a decade ago because of the Haida Title Lands Agreement. I was curious if the archipelago would become much like Hawaii is to the United States.
A difference, for now, is that tourists generally come to Haida Gwaii by ferry which limits the number of guests who can cross daily. It does have an airport at Masset and one at Sandspit but both appear to have limited-length runways.
While strolling the beach at Old Massett, my friend and I stood stock still as an airplane, with its headlights on, appeared to be coming straight for us. We saw very clearly, and were shadowed by, the underbelly of a military plane coming in for a landing.
It is a busy runway as domestic planes land there as well.
The islands may be a tourist destination but the Haida language is encouraged to be spoken in the north and in Skidegate in the south.
The roadmap that we used on Graham Island has both the names we know and the Haida names. The new map is extremely helpful because the highway signs to the towns and villages are in the Haida language.
The Co-Op grocery centre also displays the new-to-us language. Products for each aisle are in Haida and thankfully the employees were helpful.
This is a little of the new logistics that we needed to learn to get to the beaches that we came to visit.
At Agate Beach we could see Alaska. We had pounding waves but when it was calm there was great crab dipping success.
The rocks were large from the campsite to the sandy areas which made walking precarious. Kids loved the excitement of rocks and sticks and logs to walk along. We had great weather for the first few days and then the rain came.
We were lucky to catch the last spot at an RV park. Hidden Island has electricity. We could shower and wash and dry our clothes. RV Parks and lodgings are best booked ahead. Provincial, municipal and forestry campsites are first-come, first-served.
Misty Meadows Provincial Park at Tlell has paved roadways and wheelchair access to the beach. It is a great place for little ones to learn how to ride bikes and a great place to teach them etiquette.
Kagan Bay was my favourite camping spot and is in the vicinity of Daajing Gliids. It is on the way to Rennell sound and the route to the west coast. Each site is downhill but has level spots and a picnic table. A private site with its own oceanfront and forest all around was appealing to me. There is a shared outhouse between campsites.
Daajing Gliids pronounced 'dodging geese' which used to be Queen Charlotte City has a municipal campground. After a good breakfast on the main road through town, and with easy parking, we got to walk across the street to Haida Gwaii Kayak and go out for a few hours in a tandem sea kayak.
We had talked to the guide the day before and she proved excellent and patient as we learned to handle a kayak with a rudder.
Very few campsites have wi-fi or data and it’s a good idea to get a tide chart. The Tourist Info Centre and Hidden Island Resort had photocopied ones to give to guests.
Not only is the info centre helpful with its brochures and maps, but the guest book worked well for us. As we signed in, we could see that friends from the Bulkley Valley were in Massett ahead of us. We had valley connections as we shared a meal and glass of wine.
We were out of the heat and into the rainforest. Haida Gwaii doesn't have a campfire ban and most beaches have lots of driftwood.
Skidegate Days is worth the journey with a fish-cutting contest, canoe race and fresh-baked fry bread coming hot off the grill. We heard about the wonderful dancing at the opening ceremony the evening before.
The totems and carvings always caught our eye. It was a great holiday as we escaped the news and our ties to social media. The ferry ride over is like a mini cruise to a land of magic.
If you have an item of interest for this column please email sonja.lester.b.c@gmail.com or phone me at 250-847-4414.
