Pilgrimage to Windy Bay, Haida Gwaii

Visiting Windy Bay on the eastern edge of Lyell Island feels a little like going on a pilgrimage. It is near here in 1985 that a group of elders from Haida communities decided to embark of a very public campaign to stop logging activities on the island, home to magnificent 100-year old trees, up to 70-meters tall. This is where the begingings of protected Haida Gwaii were hatched. Watchmen still protect the site and the longhouse-style cabin named "Looking Around and Blinking House", which they built and lived in bunk-style while events unfolded at the time. Watchmen do allow visitors in. It is a fitting prelude to any visit deeper into Lyell Island's forest.