True grit

The act of creating connections in the wilderness of Western Canada is all-consuming, particularly with the absence of phone signal and outside interference. The unforgiving nature of the great outdoors gives a new, invigorating energy to the body. The thwack of chinook against galoshes when fishing in a glacial lake perhaps, or being showered in the sea spray of a breaching humpback whale. Both of these scenarios are a possibility at Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, a collection of forest cabins that cling to the shores of the mercurial Mackenzie Sound – a body of water that’s as reflective and motionless as a mirror.

One moment intrepid travellers might be gliding silently across the glassy surface in a kayak, an interloper in the daily lives of porpoises, seals and sea birds. The next, they could be raising the stakes and the altitude in a helicopter up to a 10,000-year-old glacier tarn to paddleboard through luminous waters a shade of cerulean blue. Different angles, different colours, different sights and sounds – these confrontational moments challenge perceptions at every turn.

Ditching the paddleboard altogether at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge to plunge into the icy channels of the Bedwell River reveals its own rewards. Nothing is more invigorating for mind, body and spirit than being immersed in nature’s own bathtub, feeling shoals of fish weave between your limbs. Endorphins rise, racing thoughts slow, and mental clarity heightens with every second. Emerging feels like being reborn – and induces a restful night’s sleep in the tented suites. The evening holds more meaning when there’s just a canvas between you and some of the last remaining temperate rainforests in the world.

It’s been said that nature is the purest portal to inner peace. Accessible only by seaplane, helicopter or boat, Canada’s untamed nature is a soothing departure from the everyday – physically and emotionally. Surrounded by unrelenting panoramas and surreal palettes of deep blues and halcyon greens, there’s nothing left to do but breathe.