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British Columbia II

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Bear Viewing in Gimble Island

Thought of the moment:
misty watercolors, shady greens, leafy covers, rocky streams

Weather:
cool, slight drizzle, wet socks

No-see-um biting me — AAHHH!

It’s totally overcast and no bears ... yet.

The crew is setting up below the platform. Half the crew is on a boat that has overheated, so I don't know if they are going to make it. Tristan is frustrated. He wants to be filming. I am getting bitten by these no-see-ums, and it itches like hell. I am sitting, waiting; the salmon are fighting to get upstream. It IS a beautiful spot — a rocky stream with green, grassy banks scattered with salmon carcasses below crab apple and pine trees. The sad part is the whole area has been logged out.

The salmon are spawning, and as the Brits say, "There is quite a lot of shagging going on!"

It's strange just sitting and waiting — how long? We left at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at 9:30 a.m.; it’s now 1:30 p.m. as we’re trekking upstream and uphill to this viewing platform in the pouring rain. And, now is the best part: WAITING!

First BEAR SIGHTING!

A small, black female bear bounded out of the bush, pounced on a salmon and had her lunch just a few feet in front of us. It was a fat, fluffy thing. They sure do look like stuffed toys with big, fat paws.




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Picture: DCI |
Contributors: DCI | Vanessa Garnick
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