I was so close.
With each failed turn, it became harder to accept that the bear was just out of sight.
I went back over the sequence of events from that morning, looking for something to blame.
Stella Tennant wears Martin Margiela and a handbag by Fendi.
My guide forgot his keys.
After an hour of anticipatory hiking, I arrived at a river in British Columbias Great Bear Rainforest.
The river twisted off to the right, hiding a bear that was seen fishing an hour earlier.
A lake in the Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia.
The rain muted the colors of the river and the trees along the banks.
I was ready to jump in and wade across to catch a glimpse of the grizzly.
Instead, I sat down on a fallen tree next to my guide.
A grizzly bear stands at water’s edge in the Great Bear Rainforest.
We rested our elbows on our knees, waiting.
I stared at the bend for what seemed like forever, willing the bear to come around the corner.
Larger raindrops began thudding off my raincoat, tapping me on the shoulder.
It was time to go back into the rainforest.
Grizzly bears were an entirely different beast: large, wild, dangerous, much less goofy.
Throughout my career, Ive traveled the world for see animals in their natural habitats.
British Columbia has over 27,000 square miles of mountains, fjords, rivers, islands, and coastline.
Not everyone is allowed into this part of the world.
Bears are spiritual creatures in this region, symbolizing healing, leadership, and guardianship.
A few days earlier in Vancouvers Stanley Park, I noted bears carved into the intricate totem poles.
Bears were all around me, but I had yet to see one on this trip.
Where were the bears?
Jen stopped to marvel at the twisting, sprawling trees and plants along the way to the ancient tree.
For a brief moment, I felt the tree heat upin acknowledgment and thanks, according to Jen.
Now it was the final day of the trip.
My impatience turned to disappointment, which slowly turned to acceptance.
Had I been luckier than I realized with my other wildlife encounters?
As she approached the beach, her long brown claws swiped and dug like shovels with each step.
She lifted her nose in our direction, sniffing us out, cautiously.
On the ride back to Port McNeill, the sun came out and the wildlife came with it.
It was as if the grizzly had given everything around her a new lease on life.
A humpback spouted off and dove down, perfectly arching a fluke before submerging.
A group of sea lions basked on rocks, waiting for the tides to change.
Bald eagles flew overhead as harbor porpoises and otters floated by the boat.
It felt like a lesson.
