Nimmo Bay with Filson

Nimmo Bay has been on my wish list for years. A spectacular place nestled on the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest, accessible only by seaplane or helicopter. A place I have seen many beautiful pictures of but never imagined I would actually see in person. So, the amount of time it took me to accept an invitation from Filson to join them in Nimmo Bay for a day and night of adventure, was about as long as it takes to type YES in all caps and hit reply.

We arrived by seaplane, but not just any old seaplane, a Grumman Goose, which now tops my list as the coolest, most bad assed mode of transport I’ve ever taken. I had seen these beauties in pictures and on TV but had no idea I would be flying in one. Our 24 hours in Nimmo didn’t include downtime and we were taken to our cabins to drop off our bags, and soon after set out again. We departed by boat and were dropped off at the edge of the dense rainforest. There an outdoor survival coach taught us some of the ways of living off the land. She made an ember with a bow drill, and fire came forth from a nest of bark and from that fire we enjoyed fried dandelions, and sipped fresh juniper tea.

Our evening was filled with more delicious food and an inspiring campfire talk with K’odi Nelson from Sea Wolf Adventures. He talked with us about what it’s like being a local First Nations person, living in their sacred lands, the importance of salmon and of protecting the fragile environment in the area. The fire kept us warm and soon everyone was off to bed, but not before a dip in the most epically placed hot tub I had ever seen, which was tucked in beside a waterfall. The light was soft, the air was cool, and the water temperature was perfect, how could I not jump in.

Myself and the 3 other photographers in the group woke up at 6am with the hopes of catching a beautiful sunrise. The sun didn’t make an appearance, however, we were treated to my favourite Pacific Northwest conditions, rain, fog and mist. In my eyes the perfect way to experience the area and I couldn’t have been happier to see it both in gorgeous sunshine and the moody rain.

Thank you Filson for inviting me along for the ride. It was a trip I won’t soon forget.