“It's been quite some time since I travelled alone, so I was looking forward to a bit of a recharge and finding some time to slow down. I was expecting to get out into nature a lot too. I think the trip ended up being a nice balance of new experience, exploration, and time to live quietly. The island is really quite remote, it's not easy to get to, and I think if it weren’t for the Jaunt it would have remained a pipe dream to make the trip. Just being in the woods and on trails left a big impression on me. You get a real sense of the fullness of life and mythical qualities of the woods out here, a very humbling and almost uneasy feeling, but I think that respect for nature is a good reminder of how small we are.

I was lucky enough to visit two studios in Skidegate and Masset, both historic places on the island for Haida art and carving, and I was really happy to have the chance to see carvers at work. I was already hoping to see and learn more about the history of Haida carving through my visits in the museum, but it was a pleasant surprise to see some work in progress. 

I was thinking a lot about old growth forests, and what it means to live in harmony with our eco-systems. In their culture the Haida people work to preserve and teach the idea of taking care of the land which will take care of you in return, but also to tread lightly and only take what you need. I created a work that highlighted the rings of a tree as a symbol of wisdom. The arrangement and other ‘objects’ in the print serve as impressions rather than literal translations. I was hoping to capture the feelings of my experiences from the trip more than anything, and I wanted to leave that open ended for the viewer.”

Travel diary…

Sunday, October 24, 2021

I boarded my flight from Vancouver at 7am, and arrived in Haida Gwaii around 9:30am. The airport is in Masset, which is on the top end of the island. I picked up my rental car and had some time to kill before my 4pm check in at the airbnb, so I decided to find some food and go for a drive. I picked a destination on the lower end of the island, about an hour or so away and headed out. I noticed I was practically the only car on the road for most of the trip, which was a nice change of pace from the city and made for some really enjoyable highway driving. I stopped at a few pit stops to look out over the ocean and check out the scenery.

On my way back up I found a book store/art supply shop called Sitka Studios. I spent some time there and grabbed a few books. I wanted to get some groceries for the night and head back to the airbnb for check in, and noticed that nothing was open. I had a friend warn me about businesses not being open often in Haida Gwaii or at least not updated on google, but I think most of this was also due to the fact it was Sunday. I ended up driving 40 minutes out of the way to make it to a grocery store just before closing and headed to the airbnb for the night.

Monday, October 25, 2021

I had a slow morning today with some reading, breakfast, and coffee at the house. It was shaping up to be a nice day out with the weather, so I drove up to Masset to do a hike at Tow Hill. It was about a 45 minute drive, and over half of it was on gravel road. The wilderness here has an ancient presence to it, the moss, swamps, trees – it all feels so untouched, almost spooky.

I started the hike and attempted to identify mushroom species along the way with the pocket book a friend had lent me. There were some amazing views of the ocean at the top, and after coming back down to the base I ventured on a second trail that leads you to the base of Tow Hill. Here at Blowhole Viewpoint, there's amazing lava rock that has been carved by the crashing ocean in the most dynamic, almost italicized sculptures.

The landscape here feels like a different planet. I admired the rocks and curious items that had washed up, then made my way back to the car and eventually back home. I spent the evening walking around the neighbourhood, exploring the local market, and taking in the view from a long red dock overlooking the inlet. I eventually turned in for dinner and some more reading and writing.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

This morning I headed down towards Queen Charlotte, the town on the lower end of the Island. I stopped in Skidegate along the way for a coffee, and stopped by a beach for a stroll as well. I visited a thrift shop in Queen Charlotte, and then made my way to the Haida Cultural Centre and Museum.

I spent the better part of the day there taking in artworks, historic totem poles, and learning about the history of the island, the Haida Nation people, and natural habitat. Afterwards I was very fortunate to meet a new friend, Billy Yovanovich, at his carving studio, which is also shared by experienced carvers Garner Moody and Tim Boyko.

I was lucky enough to see some large totem poles that were in progress by both Garner and Tim, and see some of the tools and methods they use in creating such large scale sculptures. A very cool experience – I might have to visit again before the trip is done. I have so many questions. I headed back to the house to make dinner, and catch up on some writing and reading for the night. 

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The weather has become a bit more unpredictable as of last night – there are quick flashes of heavy rain and a mix of cloud and sun. After my morning routine I waited a bit for the weather to break and decided to go explore the Golden Spruce Trail, which is in Port Clements where I’m staying.

The trail head is a 15 minute drive, half of which is a bumpy gravel road. Arriving at the trailhead I couldn’t help but feel in the presence of a forest spirit, or energy. I guess coming from Vancouver where there's lots of trails and popular hikes, there's always people around. Chatter, noises from vehicles passing close by, that sort of thing. Here there is just silence. Combined with no cell service it feels as though it's really just you and the woods. It was particularly dark and ominous entering this trail with the clouds above, and the rainforest immediately folded up around me within the first few steps forward. There was an abundant array of mushroom species everywhere you looked, some seeming very alien-like with bright orange fruiting bodies oozing out from dark tree branches. I didn’t spend much more time here as the weather started to turn, and headed home to dry off and head out again for the afternoon.

I drove up to Old Masset on the upper side of the island. In the 1960’s Old Masset was the largest village on the island and is home to several historic totem poles which I was interested in seeing in person. I drove all the way to the end of the waterfront and happened upon James Hart’s carving studio. He is a Haida carver and Hereditary Chief of Haida. It was amazing for me to see his work in person and to see some works in progress. James was not there during my visit but I got a chance to speak with Raven, one of his assistants who was really knowledgeable and happy to share with me some insights and answer my many questions about the work. This was truly an amazing experience and highlight of my trip so far. 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Today I got up and walked to the Bayview market for a coffee, which is just a short walk from my place. The weather looked like it was going to be clear skies and sunny for most of the day so I was looking forward to getting on the road. I drove down to Queen Charlotte to spend the day there. Since this was going to be my last day on the island I figured I’d spend a bit more time in town since it's a bit of a drive. I met up with a new friend, Teresa, for lunch. We have mutual friends in Vancouver and she’s been living in Haida Gwaii for 8 years with her husband and two kids. She’s been giving me tips on things to do here which has been great, so it was nice to meet in person.

Later in the day I checked out some local shops, a liquidation store, and a building supply store. I always like going to supply shops like this in remote locations because you never know when you might find; a coveted tool, or something awesome that you used to have ages ago that you can’t find anywhere anymore. I wasn’t so lucky this time but I had fun poking around. I started to make my way back up the island and stopped by Naikoon Provincial Park. The highway between Queen Charlotte and the Naikoon is a slightly windy road along a rugged and rocky beach. It's an amazing view of the ocean the whole way and stretches about 20 km.

When I got to the park I pulled over and walked a short trail to the beachfront, which turned out to be a beautiful sandy beach (less rocky than what I was seeing) and it seemed to just stretch on into the distance with not a single person in sight. It was about 4:00pm when I arrived, and the sun was going to set behind the trees in just over an hour, so I sat on the beach and watched the waves for the last bit of sunshine.