Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park

The day began in low light, with the boats resting quietly at anchor under a dark line of mountains, their masts catching the only glow left in the sky as cloud settled along the ridgelines above the water.

Out on the water, orcas surfaced nearby, their fins rising dark and sharp through the grey swell, a quiet, close sighting that the group paused to watch together.

Later, the group went ashore into the forest, walking among moss-covered trunks and ferns, the light dimming green under the canopy. They came upon an old moss-roofed building tucked among the trees, its shingled roof thick with growth, mountains rising behind it through gaps in the branches.

Back along the shore, the fjord opened out before them, waterfalls streaking down the cliffs through drifting cloud, falling toward the forest and the boats gathered near the dock below. The water held still enough to mirror the trees and rock in rippling green and silver.

The day closed gently, with the reflections on the water folding and swirling at the surface, the forest and light doubled in the current. The three nights at Princess Louisa brought the group together on the water and ashore, among whales, waterfalls, and old moss-covered wood, in one of the quieter corners of the coast.