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Welcome to the Fall's News, Multi-media and
2010 Trip Schedule
Dear Friends,
This year showed us that, despite the fear and anger filling the headlines, the human spirit for adventure and creativity is still alive and well.
Thank you for a great year, for putting your faith in our crew and guides and in the restorative powers of an adventure in nature.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter, and the ideas, photos and videos we're sharing with you.
There is a video making the rounds on Facebook right now, about how making it more fun to use the stairs in a train station increased stair useage by 66% over normal.
(Engineers made each stair sound like a piano key that plays a note when stepped on.)
There are other videos like this, of 200 dancers performing Do-Re-Mi in a busy Brussels train station in March. Of a fictional orchestra playing a love song to a whale.
These videos are shining beacons of creativity, cooperation and the human spirit in a year when so much fear, anger and disappointment have grabbed headlines.
They fit the mood we're feeling, as we reflect upon a very unusual year.
We all take pride in creating something that celebrates life's beauty: giving you larger-than-life experiences in which you are an active participant, not just an observer.
And all of this creates an industry based on the conservation of nature, not its destruction.
Warm wishes for the winter. We hope to see you out here again soon.
Kevin and Maureen & the Crew
P.S. - To see our own video, check out the whales & glaciers of Haida Gwaii and Alaska below. Shot on a home-quality video camera by non-professionals!
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Sunlight and shadow pick out Maple Leaf guests in red kayaks, and the distant Maple Leaf herself, against granite cliffs.
Taken in the Fjordland area of the Great Bear Rainforest, by first mate Paul Smith on a Great Bear Rainforest trip.
Click image to enlarge.
Visit the Photo of the Month page to view all photos of the month since the last newsletter.
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The entire schedule of adventures in B.C. and Alaska for 2010!
This is slightly different from the one published last spring - including a brand new trip! - so you might like to check it out here.
Trips this year include:
- Gulf Islands National Park
- Great Bear Rainforest
- Queen Charlotte Islands / Haida Gwaii
- Alaska Adventures
- Whales & Totems of Vancouver Island
- Painting Holidays - Art at Sea
- Tall Sails & Ales: craft beer, culinary & nature adventure
- Galapagos Cruises
View it all here.
If you haven't travelled with Maple Leaf before, you may like to read about what makes a Maple Leaf trip special.
Interested in booking the whole ship for a family and friends adventure? (8 people.) Inquire soon as spaces are filling.
Questions? Or ready to reserve a place? Like a print-brochure? Email us or call us at 1-888-599-5323 or +1-250-386-7245.
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Jun. 4 - 11, 2010
8 days, 7 nights
$3820 all inclusive
Depart & Return: Prince Rupert, BC
Enjoy the full bloom of late spring and early summer in the Great Bear Rainforest:
- Bear viewing
- Sailing the fjords and channels
- West coast islands and beaches
- Exploring exquisite coastal estuaries
In early June, bears are still on the estuaries eating protein-rich sedges before they disperse throughout the rainforest for summer's menu highlight: berries.
Long summer daylight means we can have extended days of exploring.
There is high demand for our Great Bear Rainforest expeditions, so we're pleased to add this trip to the 2010 schedule.
About the Great Bear Rainforest
If you travelled north from California's redwood forests seeking a large intact rainforest watershed, you would travel until you reached the Great Bear Rainforest.
The entire coast of California, Oregon and Washington states, and half the coast of B.C., have been logged to such an extent that it is only near the northern tip of Vancouver Island you reach the Ahta, the first intact rainforest valley over 5,000 ha.
Here, mountains and towering cedar, spruce and fir plunge into river valleys that spill through the forest, across estuarine meadows and into the sea.
As you move north from the Ahta you move through a 500-mile long coastaline of fjords, islands and protected channels that still flourishes with all the natural richness North America once had everywhere.
This is why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calls it "the last stand of the great North American rainforest".
On this trip, you'll travel into the heart of this wild place. You'll go ashore often, and you'll discover the wildlife that thrive here.
Maple Leaf's world-class expedition crew will guide you on an experience of a lifetime. Our naturalist will introduce you to the wonders and complexities of the area. And our chef will top every beatuiful day off with superb meals and snacks.
This trip also includes an introduction to the rich culture of the Great Bear Rainforests First Nations communities.
Our 3 Great Bear Rainforest Trips - What Is the Difference?
The Great Bear Rainforest has many areas and many dimensions, and is different during each season.
The notes below highlight some of the differences of each trip, but one thing that remains the same no matter the season: the spectacular landscape, the overall feeling of awe and richness in exploring one of the world's great natural treasures.
- Spring Differences
- Travel the entire coast, on our supervoyage option (or just do Leg 1 or Leg 2).
- Journey down the Huchsduwachsdu (Garnder Canal) into the Kitlope, the largest intact temparate rainforest on the planet, and spiritual home of the Henaaksiala people.
- The Great Bear in spring: new growth and bears on estuaries, migrating birds, snow-capped peaks to frame the viewscape.
- Many species of wildlife, including black and grizzly bears.
- Summer Differences
- Lush estuary meadows and flowers
- Warmer temperatures
- The return of the humpback whales to the area
- Many species of wildlife, including black and grizzly bears
- September Differences
- The pacific salmon return to the coast to spawn, drawing wildlife to the coastal estuaries
- Many species of wildlife, including black, grizzly and spirit bears
Jun. 4 - 11, 2010
8 days, 7 nights
$3820 all inclusive
Depart & Return: Prince Rupert, BC
Questions? Or ready to reserve a place? Email us or call us at 1-888-599-5323 or +1-250-386-7245.
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To see for yourself up close the Galapagos wildlife that is unafraid of humans, check out these three sailings, including a new summer adventure.
You'll spend 8 days/7 nights on a yacht exploring the islands that inspired Darwin. You'll walk among blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, charismatic sea lions and fur seals ... and so much more wildlife.
You'll travel with just a few other people, never feeling as if you are part of a crowd.
Your naturalist and guide will take you snorkelling with sea turtles, galapagos penguins, sea rays and colourful fish of many species that feed here in the rich food created by ocean upwelling.
What makes this trip special?
- First, we have limited the number of guests to a small group of 16.
- We charter one of the best yachts in the Galapagos. The crew and onboard naturalist we hire are the most experienced and competent in the islands.
- We chose the timing and the itinerary of our trips to coincide with the best weather as well as the best times for diversity of wildlife activity.
- In addition to the standard stops, our top-quality yacht, small group size and guides allow us to explore places that are rarely visited by other outfitters, including a visit to an amazing island of birds.
- In addition to the tours by Zodiacs, snorkeling and on foot, we also offer paddling excursions with our fleet of kayaks, allowing us to get far off the beaten path.
- We offer an amazing "behind the scenes" tour of Old Quito, a UN World Heritage Site, with a guide we have come to know and love.
"It was the most fantastic trip of my life. And, our guide, Maria, was fantastic. I love the Galapagos."
- M. Melzer, California, USA
May 6 - 16
10 nights, 11 days |
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$4190 USD** |
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Jul 15 - 25
10 nights, 11 days |
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$4190 USD** |
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Oct 28 - Nov 7
10 nights, 11 days |
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$4190 USD** |
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View this adventure | Download this brochure | Book or Inquire about this trip
Questions? Or ready to reserve a place? Email us or call us at 1-888-599-5323 or +1-250-386-7245.
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"Thank you all for a great trip around some of the remoter Gulf Islands.
"Above all the very caring and helpful crew and capable and knowledgeable Captain made us feel very safe and secure. This was a wonderful experience and one I'm very happy to have shared with a congenial group of people."
- Shirley Leahy, Sidney, B.C., after a Gulf Islands National Park adventure on the Maple Leaf
"The Inside Passage of Alaska on the Maple Leaf - 10, 10, 10! We knew the scenery would be fantastic and that the ship would be beautiful. What we didn't expect was that the crew would be so fantastic!
"We saw beautiful flora and fauna (whales, otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions, bears, birds and more), all with commentary from our Naturalist to help us interpret what we were seeing. The scenery was hard to believe - glaciers calving, multiple waterfalls, ocean beaches, mountain lakes and bogs, temperate rainforest.
"All this was experienced up close, not just viewed from a cabin window! ...If this describes you, don't waste your money on a cruise ship - sail on the Maple Leaf!"
- Susan Goldsworthy, North Carolina, USA, after an Alaska Adventure on the Maple Leaf
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Capt. Stephen Anstee and First Mate/Naturalist Heidi Krajewski have begun their 4-year odyssey around the Pacific ocean. They're sailing their own boat, Narama, and left the coast of British Columbia in September, heading south.
They're now in Mexico. Their route will take them over to Australia (where Stephen is originally from) and then eventually north, past Japan and around the Aleutian islands back to Prince William Sound, southeast Alaska and finally British Columbia.
You can follow their progress on their now-active blog, Narama's voyage. Includes photos and Heidi's beautiful drawings of wildlife they encounter.
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by Paul Smith
Pop Quiz: What's the name of the body of water that is shared by Canada and the US and is home to Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Bellingham, the Gulf Islands, and the San Juan Islands?
Strait of Georgia? Rosario Strait? Strait of Juan de Fuca? Puget Sound?
Well, sort of, but rattling off four names to describe one place isn't very useful. Until recently this diverse and biologically rich area was known only by its geographic parts and not the whole.
Happily that may be about to change as a growing movement to rename the area the "Salish Sea" is gaining wide acceptance both officially and among the general public. This month, the name was approved by the Washington State Board of Geographic Names.
The name is both a nod of respect to the Coast Salish first nations people that have lived in the region for more than 10000 years and also a way of recognizing the interconnections in the region's fragile marine ecosystem.
The beautiful region of inland seas, islands and sounds, faces many environmental challenges, and pollution is a concern.
For example, the killer whales (orcas) that live here have some of the highest levels of toxin in their bodies of any animals on earth.
Hopefully by acknowledging the water body as a connected whole, regional ecosystem managers and regulating bodies will have less excuse to resort to the old "not in my backyard" excuse for not being proactive about threats to the environment.
Salish Sea Adventures on the Maple Leaf
In 2010 Maple Leaf Adventures trips in the Salish Sea include: Spring in the Gulf Islands, Art at Sea, Autumn Adventure in the Gulf Islands National Park, and our popular beer-paired foodie/brewery extravaganza Tall Sails and Ales.
If you're interested in visiting the Salish Sea aboard the Maple Leaf please visit those links, or call us at the number at the top of this page.
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We've noticed that many people like to give the experience of a Maple Leaf trip as gifts for loved ones, or to commemorate a special birthday or anniversary.
In fact, this fall, everyone on one of our Whales & Totems trips had either been part of a gift-purchase or was celebrating an anniversary!
So for those of you who are thinking of giving a trip as a gift in December, check out our special gift pack.
In addition to your Welcome Aboard package, we'll send you:
- a copy of the trip brochure without prices
- a beautiful Maple Leaf card for you to address to the recipent
- a personalized certificate showing the name and date of the trip
- a Passenger Agreement for the recipent without a price on it
Contact us to arrange one.
Please note that for people hoping to receive the Gift Pack by Dec. 25th, these are the deadlines for us to process your booking:
- Deliveries to Canada: Dec. 15
- Deliveries to the USA: Dec. 11
- Deliveries to Europe: Nov. 30
- Deliveries to most other locations: Nov. 30
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What is it that makes a trip with Maple Leaf Adventures one of the world's top-ranked travel experiences, by National Geographic Adventure, Frommer's travel guide and Explore magazine?
Perhaps more importantly, why do so many of our guests return again and again?
Click to view 11 reasons why.
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Our beautiful, full-colour newsletter and annual catalog is in production and will be mailed out soon.
Do we have your correct mailing address? If you have moved, or you think you never subscribed to the print catalog and would like one, please click here to let us know.
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All photos in this newsletter were taken by Maple Leaf guests or crew.
Photo credits are:
- Newsletter banner: Brooks Peninsula beach, Vancouver Island, on the "Wild Side" trip, by Kevin Smith
- Newsletter heading: Calving glacier, Alaska trip by Paul Smith
- Kevin and Maureen by Paul Smith
- Maple Leaf guests enjoying a "kelp forest", Alaska, by Kevin Smith
- Photo of the month by Paul Smith - Great Bear Rainforest trip
- Maple Leaf in Alaska's Inside Passage by Paul Smith
- Grizzly bear sow and 3 cubs, by Kevin Smith
- Guest walking along west coast beach, Great Bear Rainforest, by Paul Smith
- Maple Leaf anchored in a coastal estuary, Great Bear Rainforest, by Ian McAllister (taken from the bosun's chair, up Maple Leaf's mast!)
- Coastal wildflowers in an estuary in summer, by Kevin Smith
- Khutze river, Great Bear Rainforest, by Kevin Smith
- Photographing a marine iguana in the Galapagos Islands, by Kevin Smith
- Sunset over the Galapagos Islands, by Kevin Smith
- Video clip whales and glaciers, by Kevin Smith and Paul Smith
- Calving glacier series, by Paul Smith, Alaska
- Video clip whales and glaciers, by Kevin Smith and Paul Smith
- Guests with chef Lila off Solander Island, Wild Side trip, by Kevin Smith
- Heidi and Stephen, self portrait, BC Coast
- Salish Sea map by Briony Penn
- Gulf Islands in the Salish Sea by Kevin Smith (taken from a seaplane)
- SGang Gwaay UN World Heritage Site, Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii trip by Paul Smith
- Heading back to the ship from a beach in Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii by Paul Smith
- Guests photographing the Maple Leaf under sail, Great Bear Rainforest, by Paul Smith
- Maple Leaf sailing with killer whale in foreground, by Brian Falconer
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Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach us anytime - we love hearing from you!
Fair winds and following seas,
- The Maple Leaf Adventures Crew
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