Helifishing is a popular activity as the rivers of the Great Bear Forest are teeming with salmon.
high-profile takers. Its remote location means the Lodge is an ecotourism venture by default: it has been
recycling since 1981, has used a hydroxyl waste-water treatment system since 2000 and electricity comes from a water-driven turbine mounted at the base of a waterfall. "We adhere to the theory that we don't own the land; the land owns us. We are lucky just to be here and act as stewards of this miraculous land that we live and work in," says owner Craig Murray. I join the other guests on the jetty for a glass of chardonnay and fresh Fanny Bay
oysters before gathering in the dining room for the evening's meal. Afterwards, we huddle around an open fire outdoors and listen to our host tell wild tales of bears encounters and fishing adventures. The next morning, after being kitted out in chest-high waterproof waders and
rubber boots, I climb into a helicopter along with four other guests. We hover above 1000-year-old cedar trees and salmon-rich rivers in the Great Bear Forest. Stretching from Vancouver Island to the Alaskan border, this is one of the world's largest remaining temperate rainforests and is home to wolves, cougar, elk and moose.
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