Haida Gwaii - around Graham Island

First stop today was meeting a local Haida artist, touring his carving shed, and hearing some stories about his family, culture and artwork. Afterwards, we had a quick driving tour of Old Masset, and then continued to the Golden Spruce Trail.  This short trail follows old growth forest to a lookout of where the once proud Golden Spruce Tree used to stand tall.  Unfortunately it was felled 20 years ago, but it’s story lives on

After the Golden Spruce Trail, we continued down the island, next stopping at the Balance Rock near Skidegate.  This natural balancing is due to glacial melt “balancing” a large boulder on a smaller one along the beach.  This is accessible right off Highway 16 so it’s perfect for a quick stop and photo opportunity. 

I decided another break from Trekking was well deserved, so I drove down to Queen Charlotte City to visit the Haida Heritage Centre.  This stop is something that I will be telling everyone is a “must see”.  The amount of history, art and culture is so vast, you could spend days in the centre, and not experience is all.  To top it off, we ate lunch in Kay Bistro which offers a fine dining on a lunch menu.  The smoked salmon and brie on a flat bread was delicious. 

 

After lunch, it was back to the Trekking with a visit to the Spirit Lake Trail in Skidegate.  This looping trail circles two lakes with nice boardwalks and fallen trees along the side of the trail. It took two hours, but I was also carrying the Trekker and completed the looping trail, as well as the connecting portions; at an average pace, it could likely be completed in 90 minutes.

With two days left of the Haida Gwaii Trek, I’m looking forward to exploring the Pesuta Shipwreck - stay tuned for that!