In Praise of Rain (and Orcs)

I’ve been in the Great Bear Rainforest for two and a half weeks now and it has only rained once. The sun and blue skies have created great opportunities for photos like this one of a bald eagle.

Nonetheless, this is not really typical weather for this time of year. The water levels in some of the smaller salmon streams are too low for salmon to spawn.  So, I have been hoping for rain. Besides, rain suits this place. The way the mist and clouds mingle with the mountains on rainy days makes me feel like I’m somewhere in Middle Earth. Sometimes I think there must be Orcs roaming these hills.

Spawning salmon, Orcs and grizzlies in the mist

I’ll be heading further north in a couple days to guide a group of people on a sailboat adventure in the fjords and island archipelago of the central BC coast.  The people I guide are always hoping that it will be sunny for their whole trip.  But, the thing is, if you never see this place in the rain, you miss out. In the rain it comes alive in a whole new way.

When I try to tell them about this they look at me as if I am a certain kind of person – the kind that can’t be trusted.  I guess the allure of rain on one’s vacation is a tough sell.  It is something that has to be experienced to appreciate.  In the meantime, I’ll be hoping for some misty, rainy days during our adventure so we can experience the true nature of the rainforest – and perhaps even see some grizzlies in the mist.