Climb: Haida Gwaii-Some Bushwack
Date of Climb: 9/13/2004
Trip Report:
I went to work on these islands off the coast of Northern BC for a couple of days.
The highest mountain is like 4000' but treeline is at 2000' so there is some very low alpine.
I saw salmon spawning on an old logging road...they must have been desperate!
Fallow deer have been introduced to the island. The bears only eat fish so the deer have no predators as the islands are too far out at sea to have cougars or wolves. [Either that or they used to have them but they went extinct. Don't know for sure]. These deer are everywhere. We saw like 30-50 a day. Hunter take note the bag limit was recently revised upwards from 10 a year to 15 a year. The browse pressure is so intense, devils' club ("tsi'liihn jaaw" in Haida) is considered an endangered species worthy of protection.....
The rock is pretty crappy. Pillow lava and sea floor sediments mostly, some limestone, little bit of granite. I did scope one clean looking 400m wall with chimneys across a bay. It might be horribly loose. I found a little bit of beach bouldering but hardly destination bouldering area unless you like limpets!
I would go back. The surf is rad. The whole area seemed like Tofino before the rich New Agers moved in.
Gear Notes:
Rain gear, rented 4wd.
Approach Notes:
Pot holed logging roads. 6 hr ferry or 2 hr plane ride. Wet bushwacks. No devils club but lots of alder!