It takes me a moment to register the cold on my skin. I’m underwater for a fraction of a second, and the sound of laughter greets my ears when I break the surface. Then it hits me. Hard. Fresh water streams into the ocean around me from a waterfall that must begin high in the mountains somewhere, bringing the temperature suddenly way down. There’s no taste of salt on my lips this close to the source. I’d have to dive several feet for that. None of that is on my mind as I look around me. My fellow swimmers are clearly as shocked by the cold plunge as I am. One by one, we quickly make our way back to the boat—to dry clothes and warm drinks.
I’m touring Desolation Sound on a water taxi owned by my hosts at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort. This is just one of several picturesque waterfalls in the area, but something about this one called out to us. At first, one of our hosts planned to dive in the water on her own, but we can’t resist. Soon enough, my fellow guests and I are suited up, along with two staff members. We’ve all egged each other on before this new experience, only half convincing ourselves that the water surely can’t be that cold given Desolation Sound’s reputation for exceptionally warm water.
Back at the resort, I’m treated to everything I could want from a luxury outdoor getaway. My roomy suite looks out onto the sound from a private balcony, allowing me to take in the spectacular view with my morning coffee before heading downstairs for breakfast, the first of three gourmet meals served throughout the day. The resort’s chef introduces each course at lunch and dinner, drawing connections between the dishes and the local ecology and history—she remarks on the importance of seafood, walnuts, and summer squash to the area, for instance, situating mouth-watering dishes in a broader context. There is a focus on fresh, local ingredients like wild salmon and scallops, as well as produce foraged on the property, including gooseberries and huckleberries. I’m pleased to learn that the beer and wine served with my meals is also from B.C.
During the day, I enjoy sightseeing excursions, spotting bears, seals, otters, bald eagles, and even dolphins. On a fishing expedition, I have the chance to catch a massive lingcod. Our skipper offers instructions on how to handle the fishing pole as he finds the ideal depths for the task at hand.
Depending on the season you visit, activities can include bear and whale watching, helicopter tours, and visits to nearby wildlife hot spots and waterfalls like the one I experienced. There’s plenty of downtime too. The main resort building is a cozy and inviting cedar lodge, stocked with books on the area, from wildlife guides to biographies to many tomes of local art. I had the chance to have a quiet paddle in a kayak and visit the resort grounds on a short hike—armed with bear spray, a radio, and a whistle as sharp reminders of my remote surroundings. In the evening, I warmed up in the wood-burning sauna that sits on a floating dock, followed by a plunge into crystal clear water.
The creature comforts and natural beauty around us blend with the cultural teachings offered by members of the Klahoose First Nation, the owners of this remote resort, only reachable by boat or sea plane.
Related stories
- A Narrated Aerial Tour Through the Sunshine Coast’s Indigenous History and Culture
- How to Spend a Shoulder-Season Getaway in Whistler
- UBC’s Groundbreaking Indigenous Teacher Education Program Turns 50
Jessie Louie is here with us. The first woman chief of the Klahoose First Nation, she offers translations for some of the wildlife we see. Louie describes her own life to me, and the hard work of carving a path for herself among mostly male community leaders in the 1970s. She tells me about her family, including her son, the current chief of Klahoose. I’ve participated in many land acknowledgements over the years. I’ve learned about Canada’s history and the First Nations whose land I now live on. I’ve followed along in the news as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made its historic findings and recommendations for a way forward for this country.
But my time at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort is something else.
My destination is a short flight and boat trip from Vancouver, a welcome feature as travel south of the border grows ever more complicated. I could have made the drive to Lund and my boat pickup in a few hours. I also could have simply rented an Airbnb and enjoyed a long weekend away from it all in this majestic place.
That is to say, I’m quite close to home—but I’m seeing it from an entirely new perspective that moves me to my core.
That’s very much the point. The programming is designed to offer rich insights and connections. To bring guests into this world of exchange and understanding. Louie herself is here as an honoured elder of the clan. After we disembarked and settled in on day one, guests were invited to a welcoming ceremony. We listened to a brief history of the place and its inhabitants before a song of welcome, the rhythmic drumming offering a kind of psychic reset for the days ahead.
Before I leave, we’re back in the river for a spiritual cleansing ceremony. One by one, we step in where a river meets the sound. We go under four times, once for each cardinal direction. Jessie Louie is present and offers a prayer in the Klahoose language. We are invited to use this moment to shed our worries, our pain, our stress. To release it back into the world and find inner peace, or something like it.
The water is nowhere near as cold during the ceremony as it was when we jumped in the day before, though I’m not sure anyone is especially concerned either way in the moment. I feel immense gratitude for being brought into such a ceremony.
Read more travel stories.
