The lungs of the rainforest

This is one of my favourite places. With the mist that often hangs in the air from the falls, it feels like the lungs of the rainforest. The character of this spot changes dramatically with water levels. When the salmon are running and the water levels are much higher than in this photo, I love to just sit and watch the fish leaping up the falls.

For the pink salmon which are the most common in this creek, it appears to be a futile exercise. As the smallest of the five species of pacific salmon, the falls are simply too high. And yet they try. Again and again, they hurl themselves at the falls only to get washed back down by the racing water. Occasionally, a coho salmon will make an attempt and these big powerful fish soar upwards like finned torpedos emerging from the frothing water under the falls. Some appear to make it into the upper reaches of the river, where I like to imagine them swimming in the clear water under the boughs of towering old cedars draped in mosses and lichens.

Occasionally, while we wait, a bear comes by looking for salmon. Sometimes they will stand at the edge of the falls, hoping to catch a salmon in mid-flight as it leaps. And occasionally the bears are successful. Some mornings when we show up the rocks are littered with salmon carcasses from feasting bears. Of course, the dream is to photograph a white bear in this spectacular backdrop, but so far, that remains a dream. In the meantime, this photo of this black bear walking toward the falls is a favourite from a favourite place.