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BRITISH COLUMBIA
Klahoose Wilderness Resort
Traditional Customs and Off-grid Luxury
BY CAROL PATTERSON
Skimming over the inky-blue waters of British Columbia’s Desolation Sound, our boat captain pointed to napping seals and soaring eagles. As we reached Homfray Channel and the southern edge of the Great Bear Rainforest, the cedar walls and green metal roof of Klahoose Wilderness Resort came into view and the captain slowed.
Pulling up to the dock, fresh salt air tickled my nose. I hopped out and into the warm welcome of Klahoose’s cultural interpreters, Randy (Klemkwateki) Louie, Riley Harry and Coral Delorme.
Immersed in Indigenous Culture
As a Canadian Geographic Travel Ambassador I was on a collaborative cultural immersion, a partnership between Canadian travel operators and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society called a Canadian Geographic Adventure.
We were inching past giant trees, ancient as Methuselah, in the cradle of Toba Inlet’s freshwater fjord.
Since time immemorial, the Klahoose people have lived along the central West Coast, from Cortes Island to Toba Inlet.
Today, the nation has approximately 450 members, with its main village in Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island. As part of the Coast Salish communities, the Klahoose have rich cultural traditions. Though many customs were once suppressed by the government and church, they are being revived by knowledge keepers like Louie, who dedicate their life to rediscovering the old ways.
I rejoiced in a traditional welcome hearing Louie’s deep voice soaring over guttural beats from Harry’s hand drum in this ancient greeting practice.
Learning Ancient Ways
Inside a sun-lit lodge, it was time to learn cedar bark weaving and woodcarving. Amid Louie’s hanging hand-hewn masks he encouraged me to try this ancient technique. My hands clumsily wrapped a wet cedar strip into a simple rose shape, as this gentle teacher patiently showed me the way.
Louie also explained the importance of spiritual bathing with cold-water plunges. By dunking yourself four times, representing each cardinal direction, he said I could connect to my spiritual side, getting stronger mentally and physically. “It’s like a gift from the Creator,” he noted. We were invited to try it at Aap’ukw’um, a traditional Klahoose village nearby. My knees weren’t strong enough for this spiritual bathing, but for those cold plungers, they returned energized.
Cruising Toba Inlet
Another day, the chilly waters of Toba Inlet were poking into the steep Coast Mountains. Changing sunlight smudged into misty, moody moments—I felt like a speck on nature’s canvas on this wilderness boat tour.
In spring, when fish migrate, photo-graphers gather to capture bald eagles feasting during extreme tides. In fall, visitors climb raised wooden blinds to observe grizzlies, but our day was quieter. We drifted toward the estuary, where a keen-eyed passenger spotted a courting pair, triggering a rapid-fire chorus of camera shutters.
Later, we discovered harbour seals tucked behind a waterfall, hiding from orcas that patrol these waters. To the Klahoose, orcas are sacred, believed to carry ancestral spirits, protecting the ocean. Though none appeared, we photographed seals and seabirds, savouring the solitude as we picnicked beneath moss-draped trees.
Special Ceremonies
As our final full day waned, Louie invited us to join a traditional cedar brushing ceremony. Standing at the lodge door, the ocean and mountains framing his dark hair, he drummed, his steady rhythm carrying the prayer song of Chief Dan George. Delorme lit sage, its smoke curling skyward, while Harry held a large cedar bough, his voice weaving ancient words. One by one, we walked barefoot toward the lodge door.
When my turn came, I closed my eyes, motionless against the sea backdrop. Harry and Delorme guided an eagle feather through the smudge, its fragrant smoke swirling around me. Just above my skin, Harry swept the cedar bough, brushing away unseen burdens. I sighed as something shifted within me. The feather never touched me, yet I felt lighter, as if worries had been lifted.
The next morning, as our boat pulled away, Louie urged us to call out in Klahoose words, summoning our spirits home. Otherwise, he warned, a piece of us might linger behind, leaving us unsettled. I could understand the temptation to stay. As I called my soul back, I wondered if one day, I might return.
Award-Winning Self-Sufficiency
Built in 2008 as a fishing lodge, this off-grid retreat became an all-inclusive eco-resort in 2017. In 2020, the Klahoose First Nation’s Qathen Xwegus Management Corporation purchased it, making it fully Klahoose-owned to support economic growth.
Renowned for seamlessly integrating cultural teachings, the lodge earned the Indigenous Tourism Excellence Award at the 2024 Canadian Tourism Awards.
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