4 Days Camping with Bears in the Rainiest Place in North America

[Music] I'm here on the Northern tip of Vancouver Island with my close friend Tom and my wife taes we're in Cape Scott Provincial Park and we're hiking out to San Joseph Bay this place just has layers and layers and layers of life to it just things growing on things it's just just amazing you can just feel it you can smell it it's just so rich and I I think this log behind me that has three massive trees growing out of it sort of exemplifies that it just feels like this place goes deep really looking forward to spending the next few days here this is a great place for wildlife we've already seen one black bear we're just going to base camp and just do a bunch of hikes around for the next 4 days Bears there bears for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hold [Music] I'm absolutely blown away right now this is just uh an incredible spot I knew it was going to be beautiful but you know when you get to a place like this it's just amazing it's one of those things that you can't describe the smell right it's the smell and the feeling and the openness we've been here 5 minutes and Tom's already seen a bear you must have sharp eyes a Tom do you know do you have sharp eyes eagle eyes brother eag eyes it really does you seen two bears already we're just going to stash our stuff over here in the Estuary uh just cuz that's where the animals seem to be we want to optimize our chances of being eaten by a bear we we're not going to set up our tent just in case we want to go camp over in the second Beach really loving this it's just amazing to be here so I'm really happy with this campsite right here we're a little bit protected from the wind we just got a magnificent View and we saw a bear over here earlier which uh kind of bodess well for the future we know that the Bears are feeding over here and it just gives me a chance to sort of you know film them and hopefully you know we'll see some seals or some whales come by here is very cool the only issue with it is we don't have any water uh we know that there's water down on the other Beach I kind of went back and looked for some puddles uh but I didn't really see anything so we're going to go take a gander down the beach we haven't set up yet just in case we find something better than this I'm highly doubtful like this this is amazing [Music] the woods behind us is absolutely spectacular enormous trees just so interesting it looks like Tyrannosaurus reck could sort of pop out at any time so we're going to go explore right now um maybe there's a campsite down there that's better I doubt it can't be this [Applause] this [Music] [Music] I love it I both love it and hate [Applause] it satisfying eh yeah this is uh awesome eh we love this we made it to the second Beach through the sea stacks and we have found the freshwater stream we're going to filter some water and haul it back to our campsite we could just Camp here but we're kind of already comfortable where we're at and you know we're going to stay a few days so maybe the third and fourth night we might stay on this side so got fresh water going to start filtering that immediately [Applause] oh so what we're going to do is we're just going to head back get dinner started set up camp and relax for the night I think it's going to be a good one the moon is full the sky is somewhat clear and I think that we're going to have a good evening in store ha so we have some Pokey animals here back look at this go down I don't know we saw a raven move away yeah so we're going to have to use my Garmin in reach because we're going to have to get a hold of the police immediately and figure this out this is a crime scene right now and we're going to have to coordinate it off and uh just just really figure what happened here oh no he got partridges tent oh no oh no got to dust it for beak prints yeah damn it hopefully he'll be in the beak database match him up what else did it get almost pulled the clothes right out of the bag open open the B so Tom uh borrowed our other buddy's tent and it looks like that tent might be damaged but Tom has a plausible deniability because if Justin's tent was being pecked at it probably was smelly so it's probably Justin's smells that were at to blame so Tom is perfectly blameless us e [Music] dud you got to smell this smells so good oh that is nice ooh that is really nice okay e [Applause] for for another bear is moving down the beach he's on the opposite Shore actually where we saw the bear this morning probably eating the same meal just coming for dinner just like we are going to let him come towards me and try to get a nice clean shot of him he's kind of moving towards us so I'm going towards him but on the opposite side of the river and see if I can peek out and get a better shot of him he's still pretty far away probably about 400 m Bears here have been very very casual clearly see people from time to time not interested going to try to get a better shot of him yeah this bear is just casually grazing on something wants nothing to do with me not interested whatsoever I'm uh clearly being winded right now the wind's coming on my back and going right towards him and he couldn't care less whatever he's eating there seems to be a lot of it I've uh snuck a little bit closer here and uh he's definitely aware of me hardly even looks at me hardly even bothered I'm really interested to know what he's eating at the moment look what happens when I step on this tidal flood plane right here it's kind of fun this is about as close as I can get I'd say uh the bear is about 150 M on the other side of the river I I haven't even seen him look over at me yet it's probably even that he saw me earlier today filming him and now he's a little bit more used to me filming him so you are appreciated bear well I'm going to head back um he's just eating and I also need to eat so I guess it would be rude for me to to bother him anymore I'm going to head back he's is cooking up some pasta it's funny I've only been here a day but I already feel like I'm starting to get to know the characters here presumably that's the same bear that we saw earlier in the same place and perhaps even the same bear that we saw up the river when we were coming in I see the raven that pecked at our stuff while we were away he kind of swoops by every once in a while there's a eagle nested up in the tree over here this place is full of characters that's what it feels like and I'm already feeling like I'm starting to get to know them that's unusual bear is still there e oh yeah oh we are that smells amazing I've got minimal sand I definitely had had a few grains but it's not like yeah well you just got to slurp it up man [Applause] yeah so just a little bit of s all right my intentions were fantastic oh it's still delicious just a little bit of sand oh No Just tiny bit of sand I was saying I was saying it a positive one yeah it's tiny yeah tiny well I appreciate you guys trying to make me feel better no this is very I'm very grateful for this right now yeah my teeth be cleaning anyway whatever whatever whatever no this is my food is Sandy whatever there's nothing you guys can say it's okay and that bear is just hanging up yeah it's getting a little closer I'll tell you it's delicious doesn't change the taste of it we're expecting about 5 mm of rain tomorrow so I'm going to set up a tarp just around my tent uh and then I have a second tarp maybe I'll set that up tomorrow I don't really feel like setting up a second one right now but just uh giving us a little bit more outdoor space so if we have to deal with the Deluge first thing in the morning we have extra place to sprad our elbows for [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] he [Music] [Music] [Music] he [Music] pros and cons of uh camping on the beach pro obviously the view a nice Beach itself con sand gets in absolutely everything including your pasta and uh I'm just chewing 90% of the way I'm chewing 90% of the way uh just because you know there's sand on everything and uh just kind of slurp up the rest uh but it's still delicious you know it just just takes a little technique that's allting just killed me I turned to ma he's like I'm chewing 90% of the way yeah you almost closed it yeah yeah execute that Pac-Man oh really you what is that in there how do you like them new mug it's great can't touch it when it first comes out cuz the whole thing is H fo yeah super light yeah it's really light this handle is great oh this is yellow fever okay you can treat this now yeah so Tom's uh going to head out right now um he's got a long drive and he's actually been on a long road trip for about like four months right yeah it'll be five months five months five months yeah so he's uh just about head back to Ontario uh we uh both met up here uh cuz we were at a wedding at a friend's place which was so much fun so it's just been so so awesome just come here with Tom um you know the older you get the more rare it becomes to spend time with old friends we have known each other since grade four and uh yeah time flies time flies so yeah it just it's amazing coming to this really cool spot together and you know spending time together um you know it's important you know as you get older and stuff yeah it really is so yeah Tom's going to head off now he's got about a 5 hour drive back to and we'll depart with him now and then we're going to go for a hike yeah you be safe yeah enjoy the hike out we do yeah it's pretty cool to see the tide coming back in in this Estuary here it's just been apparent how much life estuaries contain the Bears and the fish and the birds there's a real Rhythm to it just learning so much being here I'm loving it you can see the bear way in the distance there we're going to spend a few more minutes taes is brewing a coffee right now then we're going to get on our hike I love this campsite so much there's the beach view then there's the view of the Estuary and then which is almost just as good is the forest these amazing trees and the sounds too it's almost like two overlapping soundscapes this morning uh the birds that are chirping in the forest um are distinct from the ones that are out in the Estuary I really feel like I'm starting to get to know this place it's really interesting I'm so grateful to spend time with Tom the older you get the more valuable it is to have people who knew you when you're young memories are really funny thing cuz there's a lot of things that you don't remember but your friend will remember and then reminiscing it just sort of brings a whole another level to your memory where they say something hey remember that situation you're like oh my God I haven't thought about that in 20 years and just for a moment you can both relive that experience together [Applause] it's just enriching to have old friends and I'm very grateful because I know not everybody has them this whole experience in BC has been wonderful for that cuz I've reconnected with a lot of old friends and to be able to spend time with those people is just Priceless so I'm really grateful that Tom made it out means a lot and I'm grateful for this whole trip to BC I've spent some valuable time with good friends old friends I love those guys [Applause] that was fun tide is almost at its peak and we can see it much different than yesterday it's fun to watch things change so we cross the second Beach and we are at the trail head for the mountain which should take us about 45 minutes to get to the top but after Crossing that trail between the two beaches cuz the tide was high I see how rugged things are and with the lack of visibility and just the additional Danger of slipping on a route I think I'm just going to put this hike off until tomorrow uh it probably doesn't make sense to risk more and have less benefit from it so we're just going to go down the beach gather some more water and then head back to Camp make ourselves a nice cozy fire and cook some tasty food something really interesting just happened we're all by ourselves on this beach it's raining and know to Nowhere a helicopter just drops in and two guys run out while the helicopter's still sort of winding down across the beach from us doing in there really fast they and they have some vests so maybe they're um could they be rescuing someone do you think this is connected to the CIA you think they're finally here for me we didn't know it was going on so we kind of packed up and walked over just to see if they you know need any help if it was an emergency we had no idea let's just wait and watch this we walk over here and of course it's an ouse so two guys just dropped in seemingly in a rush out of a helicopter while it's raining in the middle of nowhere to go to the bathroom seems appropriate I would do the same if I had a hel opter we're going to keep on moving and uh once this thing fills up over here uh we're going to make our way back so we filled up with water now we're going to go back over this path here into the first Beach and back to our campsite [Applause] just how we left it it's nice to sit down mhm how you feel delicious pepperoni stick that's not how you feel that's a a statement about a pepperoni stick I feel good about the delicious pepperoni stick okay there for [Music] I've been really enjoying watching the wildlife in the Estuary I've never really considered camping in such a location before but it's really amazing it's a place of Rhythm and what really gets me is how incessant it is there's no stop the moon's been rotating around the earth for billions of years [Music] [Music] we have had a beautiful day today we got to see the west coast of Vancouver Island and all its rainy glory and the rain has kind of been picking up a little bit so we are going to take that as a cue it's probably time to go to bed going to wake up nice and early tomorrow we had Ambitions to wake up early this morning the best of intentions but as my grade n English teacher said to me as I handed in an essay late Max road to hell is paved with good [Applause] intention it's funny in that moment I uh had a revelation of sorts but it's definitely West Coast weather in April an abundance of rain absolutely loving it makes things a little bit more tricky but it's beautiful nonetheless so we're just going to take our time drink our coffee mle over what our options are we could go for that hike again but we're going to have the same issue as yesterday right now there's no rush that's the nice thing about the rain kind of causes you to slow down a [Applause] bit feeling feel I feel like a wick a wick a wick just sucking in moisture out of my extremities my extremities are just pulling moisture in [Applause] nice [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] just came out from under the tarp when it stopped raining and the bear was walking casually in the Estuary so I ran back to get my long lens and I can't see him anymore just going to hang out here for a couple minutes it's a beautiful spot and if I can't see him I'm sure some something else will show up like a duck or some birds it's a beautiful area Tide's coming in at the moment and got even a little bit of sunshine it's kind of turning into a lazy day yeah so I found him he was just uh in a little divot right where I thought he was but uh just very low to the ground and uh casually eating whatever he's eating looks like some sort of seag grass this bear is a bit of a problem it's just too entertaining watching a meet uh problem is that I'm just going to fill up my SD card just eating it's a pleasure to film a bear that doesn't mind us being here it it just could care less and it's just really in its element just eating the grass and just enjoying itself seems to be enjoying itself he's kind of crawling around to the next patch yeah just crawling from patch to patch I love when he lifts up and there's like the toughs of grass out every corner he's just like we've been immensely enjoying ourselves it wasn't the plan for today to come and do this but just being quiet and kind of watching the world happen what is that that is an order get it get it get it hello hello yeah that's awesome that's so cool do you think he's going to pop up I hope so oh there he is hello an otter and a bear got otter and a bear in the same shot I love that whoa that's not an otter a sea line that's a sea line now that was exciting that was so exciting yeah sea line I'm pretty sure exactly like a scruffy dog yeah salty scruffy dog what's more exciting the bear or the seal um at this point the sea lion is more exciting cuz we've seen a lot of the bear but I think I was most excited about getting the bear and the sea sea lion in the same shot well never got two animals like that in the same shot before that delicious taste made me a wonderful cheese and salami and onion wrap couldn't be better W it's a little tomato no could be better days okay so today we've done almost nothing except observe animals and just hang out ties made some delicious wraps we had these Grand ideas of going for a hike but that just didn't seem to materialize it's been really nice to sort of do nothing and just hang out by the ocean it's uh not something I've done for a while usually in the last couple years when I've been by the ocean it's always just been kind of passing through but this is the first time really spending some time and just listening to the waves come in and out and watching the tide come in and out and that's been an experience so we going to take a little cat nap now and in a Bo an hour or two going to collect some water when the tide is low and I can walk along the beach just had a lovely nap it was beautiful to sleep with the birds chirping as always got to go get some water now so I got to walk across this beach I think the Tide's low enough to walk through the sea stacks so we're going to go there now and then come back and then make some dinner [Music] [Applause] [Applause] oh that was a nice walk I was not expecting it to be so fruitful considering we've done that now three times so that was just wonderful just as good as the first time great for oh no no no no no no no see that's too hot [Applause] perfect nice okay all right okay this is better than a pizza right now we had a beautifully lazy day today it was not the intention but it was beautiful and I relished every moment of it loved seeing the bear again and I loved seeing the sea lion as well that was really cool feels like a little bit of unfinished business with the hike SL Mountain I wanted to climb the hike is about 2 and 1 half hours if I get out the door early enough I'm going to try to swing it if not I'm just going to stick around on the be beaches in the Estuary to see some more Wildlife either way we're going to bed going to wake up first thing tomorrow morning [Applause] 6:00 in the morning here spending One Last Time see when I can film hopefully your be friend comes out and hopefully even a wolf just going to hang out here for a little bit [Music] oh cool the Eagles fight fighting an [Music] opray oh there's a second [Music] Eagle I can't quite see but I think that ospre just dropped a fish or just dropped something I'm not sure if the eagle caught it in midair whoa that's [Music] crazy for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] wow the ospry just caught another fish that is so cool [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] I'm sure the off spray and the Eagles know each other well there's so much going on beneath the surface that I don't even pick up [Music] on I walked a few hundred meters up the Estuary really Mucky ground trying to be as quiet as possible but it's amazing how rich this area is I'm going to peek around the corner here see if the bear is munching on any grass up here or anything else I keep on going farther and farther than I said I would but this is just too good I'm enjoying myself way too much I'm going to continue on right now this is so awesome awesome the bear is just right over here right around the corner like I suspected munching grass as always this is the closest I've been to him so far even though the bear has been super relaxed I wouldn't really care to be much closer to him he's on the other side of a river this is perfect it's better for the bear better for me only seems appropriate to finish off my last Wildlife encounter with this guy right here I like to think we become friends or he just thinks I'm a tourist I just had a bit of a holy [ __ ] moment and uh I was so focused on the bear over here that I never noticed the bear much closer to me right across the [Laughter] River that's funny there he is right there probably about 70 M away on the other side of the river the other bear that I was just filming is over there I wonder what else is around me that I don't see for for here's some moving in the bush right behind me hopefully it's not a bear cutting me off probably is actually probably another bear come on guys I need to get back okay I'm going to get out of here before I find out [Music] [Music] I'm just buzzing right now what a morning first the eagle and then a series of birds and then the bear and then the Bears and then an ospray who ate a fish estuaries e they're they're a thing um definitely want to spend more time in them they're just a such a rich place and a great place for people who are interested in wildlife there is just so many things that I have left to do here um I could spend a lifetime just exploring this area I have like five trips in the back of my head that I want to do the big one is I really want to kayak around huay I've wanted to do that for a long time but this sort of really instills that um goal in my head uh so I I want to do that right and I want to do it safely so that will definitely be in my future sometime we have about 9 hours of traveling to do today uh about 7 hours with driving and then about an hour and a half plus with a ferry so we need to get going so many things left to do but we got to go this was awesome I'm going to definitely be back here again [Music] [Music] he [Music] [Music] [Music] sh e [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] for [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Maxim Budnick

Views: 36,747

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Id: VK0yztnUXUY

Length: 68min 29sec (4109 seconds)

Published: Fri May 31 2024