This is my recollection of 14 days of paddling in the Queen Charlotte Islands, BC and Gwaii Haanas.
On Friday, June 20, 2008 I drove from Kirkland, Washington to Prince George, BC then onto Prince Rupurt, BC the next day. This is a 1050 mile drive. On Sunday, June 22 my two paddling partners and I catch the 11:00 AM BC Ferry for the 7 hour ride to Queen Charlotte City/Skidegate, BC. It’s a beautiful sunny day and a very flat Hecate Strait we cross. During the crossing I saw one humpback whale breach almost doing a complete back flip. For a point of reference Queen Charlotte City has a population of 1056 residents, which comprises roughly one quarter of the entire population of the Queen Charlottes and is by far the largest city in the Queen Charlotte chain of 200 islands. A note on humpback whales, they are 10' - 15' at birth, eat 1 to 1 1/2 tons of food each day, grow to a length of 40' - 50' and weight up to 4o tons.
On Monday, June 23 we attend the mandatory, and very information packed orientation at the Haida Heritage Center in Skidegate. The Heritage Center is a beautiful new complex dedicated to Haida art, history, culture and education. Here you will receive a lot of good information on the Watchmen sites and you will also receive your “Haida” passport. Following the hour-long orientation we pay the $16 bucks for a tour of the facility, which again I felt was well worth the price of admission. There are multiple totem poles that were described in detail by our guide as well as paddle carving and canoe carving areas. The center also has a fairly large and growing collection of Haida artifacts on exhibit. If you have some big bucks burning a hole in your pocket you can purchase art, weaved baskets or world famous Argillite carvings from the souvenir shop.
When Monday ends we have taken care of all the necessary paper work for our trip, contacted Moresby Explorers to confirm departure time and we are good to go. That evening we enjoy our "last supper", the final restaurant meal before our return.
Tuesday, June 24
Moresby Camp to Raspberry Cove, took the 8:30 AM Alford ferry run for the 20-minute crossing. A big rainbow appears in the western skies as I ride over, good sign to get the trip started.
Once off the ferry you immediately turn right onto a logging road for the hour long ride to Moresby Camp. Only had one U-turn…not bad as there are zero signs to follow along the way. The Moresby Explorers folks were having trouble with one of their other boats, which delayed our start by a couple of hours. Oh well, “your on island time now pilgrim’. After successfully getting our gear, our three NDK Explorers, another boat and a couple weeks worth groceries, several cases of beer a case or two of liquor to be dropped off along the way crammed onto our transport boat we are ready for this adventure to begin. The three of us plus a guy from Germany, who seemed comatose from his airplane ride from Berlin, hit the water around 12 noon for the 5-½ hour ride south to Rose Harbor/Raspberry Cove. The smarter people do NOT take either of the front seats on the transport boat, luckily I did get one of the front seats. I’m not sure why but about a half hour into our trip the wind started howling and it began to rain sideways. Sure felt like bees stinging any exposed flesh. Another benefit to sitting in either of the front seats is every fourth or fifth wave the transport boat hits, deposits a goodly portion of Hecate Strait swell in one’s lap just to add to the total experience and complete pleasure of the boat ride. Our first stop was to drop off groceries (several cases of liquor, several cases of beer and some canned food) to this ‘colorful’ hippy who spends his life baby setting a fishing lodge it’s owners built out in the middle of nowhere. The owners where promised that if they build a resort the politicians would build a road to the west side of the islands which are the prime fishing grounds, resort got build, the road got started and then they politicians ran out of road money and the road was abandoned. This was a very welcomed stop, color appears to be returning to my face and hands and I’m trying to remember is you can get frostbite with the temperature hovering in the upper 40’s. Next welcomed stop was on Lyell Island where we dumped off this 3,000 pound (slight exaggeration) double kayak, as getting out and moving around a bit helped to bring the body temperature up a few degrees. We decided Raspberry Cove would be our destination campsite for the first two or three days. The Moresby Explorer driver dropped us off there, bid us adieu and headed over to Rose Harbor to deposit his German passenger and pick up four lucky passengers for the kidney-jarring trip back to Moresby Camp. Raspberry Cove is a very nice spot to camp, a fast flowing stream on the eastside of the camp provides all the water one would need. Also a very clique outhouse is located on the westside of the campsite. It had stopped raining long enough for our tents to get pitched dry, as was the case the entire trip, surprisingly enough. After setting up camp we were joined by a gent from Tokyo who had just retired and this solo trip was the first thing he was going to accomplish on his ‘ bucket list’ following many years of hard work.
Wednesday, June 25
Had a peaceful warm, first night in the wilderness, the only four-legged visitor’s where Sitka deer (they are about the size of a big German Shepard ) they deposited plenty of their distinctive piles as calling cards around our campsite. The deer seem to have no fear of humans, not quite petting zoo deer but they will let you get very close to them before they wander off. We would find that everywhere we go on these islands there are loads of these little deer. After a delicious breakfast of oatmeal and MRE apples we discussed the plan for the day. We will paddle west down the Houston-Stewart Channel to get a comfort level established for paddling in wind and swell and if all looks like a go we will paddle out to Ninstints and visit the World Heritage site, which we did. One-meter swell, small wind waves and some fog but all and all it was a very nice first paddle in Haida Gwaii. Sgand Gwaii (Anthony Island) is very special place to say the least. We called the Watchmen who instructed us to paddle directly into the village since there was a very low tide, poor visibility and few visitors that day. It was as very unique experience to paddle into the small fog shrouded bay surrounded by towering totems, one could only wonder what the first European’s felt like when they arrived in this group of islands. The Watchmen, as well as the totem’s tell a wonderful story, not to be missed. Our guide on the two-hour tour is a unique character with a Scottish accent and braded beard who relates the Haida version and then his own personal interpretation of the site, interesting he certainly was. After the tour in the cold rain we headed to the Watchman’s home to warm up and have our passports signed off. I think one could spend a month at this site alone and never truly grasp all the history on this chuck of rock stuck out in the North Pacific. On the return trip we paddle in a light rain along the northwest side of Kunghit Island and stopped at Rose Harbor to make dinner reservations for the following evening. Seems Susan is expecting 19 guests for dinner so we decide to pass on the experience. I’m guessing the sail and big pleasure boat crowd pay big bucks for the ‘wilderness’ experience.
Back at camp in the late afternoon it has stopped raining and we build a big roaring fire on the beach to celebrate our day and warm up a bit over dinner.
Thursday, June 26
The moss where I pitched my tent is anywhere from 5 to 7 inches deep and does it make for a wonderfully soft mattress, another peaceful night and no big bad bears visited. This morning the water in the Houston-Stewart Channel appears dark and angry, we even have 3ft-dumping surf crashing on the shoreline. Today’s forecast is for improving weather, which I think means less wind but the same amount of rain and fog. Breakfast is oatmeal and MRE apples, which really gets the day off on the right foot. My partners decide this is a non-paddle day for them. My plan is to paddle east then south along the eastside of Kunghit Island. I see lots of whales on my way but never seem to be able to catch up them. Maybe a quarter mile is as close as I get to them on my way to High Island. High Island was a Haida summer camp. I hike around the thickly wooded island but must admit I really didn’t see any evidence that the Haida once occupied this land. During my lunch break the sun comes out for the first time since we arrived in the Charlotte’s, very pleasant. On my paddle back to Raspberry Cove the gray whales are all around me, what and experience to be paddling alone in Hecate Strait surrounded by these big wonderful creatures. They take three deep breaths, then dive, flukes extending high out of the water, quite a thrill. I finally get a couple of close up pictures to prove I danced with the whales!
Another fire on the beach on this dry evening is a treat. Tomorrow the plan is to pack up and begin the journey northward.
Friday, June 27
I had a wonderful breakfast consisting of oatmeal and MRE apples, then packed up the tent, loaded the boat and we are on the water at 8:30 AM this morning. This will be a fairly long paddle in the exposed waters of Hecate Strait. Very nice 2-knot flood will be helping us on our paddle north to Gona Pt. Here the floods move south to north and ebbs north to south. It’s a gray morning with mist in the air. Some of the swell is in the two-meter range, along with 15 kt SE winds and waves bouncing off the rocky shoreline made for an interesting morning on the water. Carpenter Bay was the most exposed part of the paddle but we all did good and arrived at 2:30 PM at Gona Point which is located on the south shore of Collision Bay. A little latter the sun peaked thru the clouds so my dripping wet tent got an opportunity to dry. This campsite is not very large and backs up to a sheer rock face. The beach is all fairly large rocks and quite steep. Above the high tide line there was bear scat but again we did not see any of those critters. The critters we did experience were hoards of nasty, little, black blood-sucking flies, got to try my new Outdoor Research bug hat, which was very effective. I guess one blessing of the cool weather is there were few mosquitoes to go along with the generous hoard of black flies. Glad to be on dry land with a dry tent and beach fire going. For dinner today we roasted potatoes and carrots, which were very tasty. The rain soon returned and the temps again hover in the upper 40’s low 50’s. Back into the tent to read and get out of the weather. Did something to my right hand today it’s badly swollen and there a strange looking lump where my little finger used to be, doesn’t hurt as if broken but it’s definitely not normal.
Saturday, June 28
Glad to see this bug infested site in my rear view mirror, we are on the water at 8:30 AM after a delicious breakfast of oatmeal and MRE apples. Today’s destination is Swan Island. We paddle on flat calm water but thick fog will be our paddling companion this day. As has been the case today’s temperatures are 50’ish and the rains return at noon. Skincuttle Inlet is a large body of water and is another of the 3 mile + crossings we will paddle on this trip. We round Deluge Point (appropriately named, I might add) and head west out into Skincuttle Inlet towards the Bolkus Island group. We had an up close and personal encounter with several gray whales here, my guess they were less than thirty feet from us, again a very cool experience. The Bolkus Group is a must do, just follow the winding shoreline of this small group of islands as the shallow water is teaming with sea life. The bat star’s are numerous and come in every color of the rainbow. Arriving at Swan Island there was a commercial group there but we had plenty of room on the east side of the island. The skies brightened in the afternoon, beautiful sunshine and bright blue skies spend the next four-day’s with us. Once again the wet tents went up and all was dry in a very short time. We saw many raccoons scurrying about so hang your food here! The humpback whales were passing on both sides of our island campsite all afternoon and into the evening. There were an abundance of songbirds living on this island, which are such a joy to hear at 4:00 am when it starts to get light, real joy. The daylight lasts very long this time of year 4:00 am to 11:00 pm, I’m wondering why I brought several flashlights with me! We end the day with another beach fire. Our plan is to spend two days here.
Sunday, June 29
First time in my life I am awaken this morning by the sound of whales inhaling/exhaling. It is a glorious sunny morning; the ravens are busy searching for breakfast for their squawking young, deer eat the kelp from last nights high tide line and eagles keep a sharp eye on the activity from high in the spruce trees we camp under. For whatever reason this island is seemingly bug free. Following a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and MRE apples the plan was for a slow, easy day paddle in Burnaby Narrows, famous for the abundant sea life. We are in a period of large tidal swings, highs of +21feet to lows of 1.3 feet. Our timing was a bit off, we did not hit Burnaby Narrows at prime viewing time. The huge clouds of moon jellyfish under the water were impressive. We did see our first black bear walking the tide line in the Narrows. We also got acquainted with some local knowledge here, as noted the flood moves the water from south to north. We were paddling at a time to take advantage of the water moving south to north, what we discovered was the water flows into the Narrows from both the north and the south and meets in the middle. Lesson learned: go at slack before the low if possible. We did flag down one of the Moresby Explores boats that were taking a group back to Moresby Camp and asked about the currents in the Narrows. They though it best to go at slack but wern’t really sure. I guess when you have a 150 hp Johnson on the back of your boat you really don’t worry much about which way the water flows. We stopped to fill up our water bottles at Smithe Point which is where the Haida’s Swan Bay Youth Camp is located. After getting our water bottles filled we checked out the youth camp, it’s three Haida’s architecturally styled buildings and we were happy to discover a sign that informed travelers if there was no one using the camp the building were open to all. Only requirement was to respect the site. We then paddled back to our Swan Island campsite, packed up our gear and paddled the quarter mile back to the Youth Camp and moved in for the night. These are very nice, all cedar buildings with four large cedar bed frames in each building plus a nice new eco-friendly outhouse! No bugs bother you in these cedar dwellings, a real plus for the time we spend here. That evening baby seal pups whining for their dinner serenaded us, they sure sound just like human babies. The humpback whales patrolled this side of Skincuttle Inlet until the light faded into darkness. All is good, what a wonderfully peaceful setting, so very different from our so-called ‘real’ life in the Seattle area.
Monday, June 30
Happy birthday to my daughter Cari. This is an absolutely picture perfect morning, bright sunshine and 55 degrees. After downing another breakfast of oatmeal and MRE apples, I’m beginning to wonder about my breakfast selection choice for this trip. Our plan is to paddle Burnaby Narrows at slack before the low hoping to avoid some of the stiff currents we faced yesterday. Today will be the longest paddle of the trip, roughly 18 miles. We will probably miss the Watchman Station on Huxley Island due to our planned route. We are aware that by the time we get to the 5 ½ to 6 mile crossing of Juan Perez Sound we may have the afternoon anabatic winds coming down the mountains to deal with.
Burnaby Narrows is absolutely dead flat calm today, the huge clouds underwater of pale white moon jellies are amazing. Again, today there are a number of whales swimming up and down the shoreline in search of a meal. They are such an impressive animal I stare in awe each time I see them. We paddle to Newberry Point then around into Matheson Inlet looking for a resting place and stream to refill our water bottles. With the abundance of available water we have decided not to carry the weight and fill up at our destination campsites. Today our goal is Ramsay Island where we plan to spend a couple of days. From our campsite you are a 10-minute paddle to the Hot Springs site. After a nice long break in Matheson Inlet we begin the crossing of Juan Perez Sound in bright sunshine and flat, calm water. The temperature is by far the warmest we have experienced on this trip, with a light breeze to our backs it is extremely warm, even hot to paddle and it soon becomes a long, boring slog over to Ramsay Island and our campsite on Ramsay Point. Ramsay Point is a beautiful place to camp, as it ends up, probably my favorite. Here we have another opportunity to camp where the moss is 5” thick and what a nice soft bed that made. Even had a small steam not 30 feet from our campsite so again water was not an issue. That evening we had a couple and their two small kids camped just down the beach from us. This was the first time since our first campsite at Raspberry Cove that we saw any kayakers and as it turn out the last kayakers we saw! Headed over to the hot springs at the Watchman Site early that evening. No one there, we have the hot springs all to ourselves. Due to the cool spring the wild roses are just now blooming and fill the air with their sweet fragrance.
Tuesday, July 1
Today dawn breaks around 4:00 am, not sure why those crazy birds have to get up so early and start their chirping. Bright sunshine and a cloudless day greet us. I eagerly anticipate my oatmeal and MRE apples breakfast, my that pasty substance is yummy. A point of interest, there almost appears to be a forest fire in the San Charistoval Range to the west of us today. Any gaps in the mountain peaks have a thick carpet of fog oozing over them from the westside of the mountains to the eastside. The mountains still have lots of snow in the higher elevations so I’m guessing the warm air rising from the lower elevations clashing with the cold air aloft is creating this condition. Today’s agenda for me is fishing and hot springs. It took me probably 30 minutes to have all the fish our group could eat that evening. I caught three different species of rockfish in the kelp beds 200 yards from our camp. The cost of the fishing license was quickly justified. I kept three 3-4 lbs black rockfish which were seasoned, wrapped in foil and cooked over the campfire. Our team ate very well for dinner this evening. We paddle over to the hot springs around 5:00 pm and again have the showers and hot springs all to ourselves. The thermostat in the hot springs registered at 110 degrees so one soon knows what a lobster feels like. The hot spring water sure feels good on sore muscles and tired bodies. Only hard part of the hot springs experience is they melt your muscles and so thoroughly relax you it tough to paddle the 1-mile back to camp. Before turning in for the evening a quick listen to weather radio suggests a thick blanket of sea fog will be our paddling conditions tomorrow when we break camp and move on. The weatherman also warned of gale forced winds after 10 pm tonight caused by a quick moving low-pressure system with calming winds and fog to be the 6:00 am conditions.
Wednesday, July 2
I’m very impressed by the accuracy of the weather predictors in this region. It blew like stink all night and by 6:00 am the ugly black water and white caps relaxed and the water in Ramsay Pass went flat. No bright sunshine greets us today and the predicted fog is with us although it’s not impacting our vision YET. Can’t wait to gulp down that delicious bowl of oatmeal and MRE apples. Wondering if I add the coffee grounds to the oatmeal if that would make it taste any better. We are packed up and on the water at 9:15 AM this morning with a goal of the Watchman Site at Windy Bay as our planned destination. Paddling around the eastside of Murchison Island, then north, first through the Agglomerate Islands and Tar Islands that appear then quickly disappear in the thick sea fog. The thick fog is extremely disorienting and makes for tough paddling conditions. We are trying not to use our GPS’s at all on this trip. We discuss our planned route and the compass coordinates each day before we jump on the water. Today is the first exception, we did see a sailboat in a small bay close to where we thought Windy Bay was but overshot our destination by about a mile. We paddled just south of Fuller Point in the thick fog. We stop close to the shoreline to discuss next steps when we noticed that large black stump got up and walked away! Yikes. We got out the GPS’s realized we needed to head south back to Gogit Point which is where we saw the sailboat, so off we went. We arrive at Windy Bay at 1:00 pm and despite it’s name it was flat calm. The Watchman assigned to the site had just arrived late the previous evening so they were busy moving in for their 28 day stay and told us to make ourselves at home in the long house. There was a sailboat family and one small group of tourist visiting as we moved our gear into the long house. After 3:00 pm we had the long house all to ourselves, again what a treat. First order of business was to fire up the wood-burning stove and get all our wet gear hung to dry. Our gear is developing a unique fragrance.
Al, the Watchman told us he was a Polish-French Haida, what a character. He was married to a Haida lady who we latter found out is a world famous artist. She travels all over the world, recently to Paris teaching basket weaving techniques. Her basket art sells for thousands of dollars each. By now we have experienced three of the Watchmen site’s and as impressive as the sites are from a historical and cultural perspective it’s the Haida Watchmen and their stories are the most memorable for me. I would not want to play cards with these guy’s I suspect I’d be broke in a heartbeat. Late in the afternoon, Al the Watchmen and his grandson Jason take us on a tour of the magnificent cedar trees located on the site. They are towering cedar specimens many over a thousand years old. We also see many CMT’s (culturally modified trees) along the way. Windy Bay is significant to the Haida as this is the site where they stood up to the logging industry and the Canadian government said no more logging. From that incident Gwaii Haanas became many years later, a Canadian National Park Reserve which today is co-managed by the Haida’s and the Canadian Park services. Anyway, lots of history at this site and well worth the stop, plus it's not everyday you get to sleep in a Haida long house.
Thursday, July 3
The wood stove kept us toasty warm and very comfortable all night. All our gear is dry, packed and ready to go after that scroumpous breakfast of oatmeal and MRE apples is consumed. Windy Bay is located on Windy Bay creek, which is a fast flowing body of water about 20-30 feet wide. Home to the largest salmon run in the Charlottes I later discovered. This morning the low is early in the morning so we load our boats and walk them a ¼ mile down the creek to Windy Bay and deeper water. That was a nice morning workout, got us sweating before we started to paddle. We shove off at 10:15AM for today’s destination of Tanu Island and the Watchman site at Tanu. It’s only 9 ½ miles from Windy Bay to Tanu but again the heavy, thick sea fog is with us. The weatherman said little wind; lot’s of fog and less than one-meter swell in Hecate Strait with a promise of things will change tomorrow. We pass Fuller Point where yesterday we saw the big black stump (bear) get up and amble off, then Dodge Point on our northerly path to Tanu. We stick close together as we paddle today with the only sounds the paddles entering the water, porpoises inhaling and what I guess to be salmon jumping. The fog is so very disorienting to paddle in. We take the long way to our campsite as we paddled around the east side then north side of Kuna Island over to the Watchmen site at Tanu. One group, who we have seen a couple of times on the sailboat are just completing their tour as we arrive. The Watchmen told us groups rent the sailboat and driver who sails them to each of the Watchmen sites for roughly $300-$400 a per day per passenger. Actually, you motor from one watchmen site to the next was my observation. At Tanu, Haida Watchmen Paul who is I’d guess in his early 70’s tells us stories mostly related to the consumption of alcohol and his wife. Seems his wife enthusiastically supported his decision to spend two 28-day stints at the Watchmen sites this summer, go figure. Watchmen Steve is a 35-year-old Haida from Masset and provides us with a very informational tour. This is his first summer as a watchman and it’s obvious he had done his homework. Tanu was once a heavily populated Haida site where the people got rich from the fur trade. There is evidence of several very large long houses along with smaller family long houses and many standing totems. I had to smile at Watchmen Steve’s t-shirt, which read “Haida Homeland Security”. Couldn’t be poking a bit of fun at those neighbor’s to the south of Canada, could he? When I returned to Queen Charlotte City I looked all over for one of those t-shirts but none were to be had. After the tour we filled up our water containers and headed over to a big, flat black sand (yes I said sand) beach on the southwestern tip of Kuna Island. Similar to all the beach’s we camped on, this site I’m sure gets quite a few visitors but there is no evidence that anyone had ever been here. No campfire debris, plastic bottles, paper or any of civilization’s pollution is evident. We did have lots of neighbor’s in the trees surrounding our camp that kept a careful eye on us. The bald eagles line the trees above our camp as did a half dozen other large birds in the trees, I assume they are Golden Eagles as they are noticeably larger than the bald eagles. Interesting through out the afternoon, evening and as the sun set one variety of bird was carefully watching the other who was watching another right down the tree line. Every once in awhile one eagle would chirp at one another. When we got up the next morning they were all still in the exact same spot keeping a watchful eye on one another.
Friday, July 4
Another opportunity to have oatmeal and MRE apples drives me to be up at 6:00 am, enjoy my breakfast, pack up the gear and be ready to go by 7:30 AM. We have a long 15-mile plus mile exposed paddle and we’ll be crossing two large multi-mile bodies of water. First Laskeek Bay and then the eastern portion of Selwyn Inlet . The weatherman cautioned that there are gale warnings forecast for later this afternoon with southeast winds in the 25K-35K range. Winds from that direction will be a challenge for us. On the water at 7:45 AM for our planned ‘ as the crow flies’ paddle to Skedans and the Watchman site there. We take advantage of both the current and the Hecate Strait sea breeze that aids our journey north. We paddle to the east of Flower Pot Island, Porter Head the northern boundary of Gwaii Haanas , then past Heming Head to a rest stop on the west side of Limestone Island. The wind is steadily rising and as we are leaving the protection of Limestone Island it’s a true 3-½ mile storm paddle. We experience three-foot + wind waves, two-meter swell and waves rebounding from the rocky face of Louise Island. I remind myself to relax and let this awesome boat do its thing but find myself firmly gripping the Werner paddle in my hands. Arriving at Skedans around 12:30 PM and gladly set foot on tera-firma. One of the protocols is to call the Watchmen before you land but they understood and were actually surprised to see kayakers out in these conditions. There was one group of tourists who had just completed their tour and were now chowing down on lunch and drinking copious amounts of hot tea and coffee. Soon they were headed back out to their tour boat, into the wind and cold rain for a ride back to Moresby Camp. The Watchmen offered us their warm home and we readily accepted their hospitality. We were asked to wait for a second group of six tourists who were on their way from Moresby Camp so we could all take the village tour together. After an hour the second group arrived and out we went into the wind and rain, oh yeah by now the temperature had dropped into 40’s degree range and it’s the 4th of July! It took all of about 10 minute before my kayaking partners and I were on the verge of hypothermia. We had gone from sweating during the long paddle over to quite cool once out of the boats to nice and warm in the Watchmen’s home to now freezing. The Hiada’s stayed in their cozy cabin and allowed a 23 year-old young lady from Moresby Explorers to do the tour. She was by far the most knowledgeable tour guide of all the Watchmen sites that we encountered. Had we not been freezing it would have been a much more enjoyable experience. After an hour in a cold downpour the folks in the tour decided they had had enough education and trotted off to the Watchmen’s cabin for their lunch and hot beverages. We poor, freezing kayakers stayed out in the wind and rain until the tourists were done with their lunch. One of the Watchmen suggested they might just allow us to stay in their almost completed, brand new cabin but we would have to wait for all tourists to leave and then the three Watchmen would discuss it and make a decision. The wind by now at full gale force, howling through the tree’s and it’s raining sideways. We were not looking forward to a 1-mile paddle back to the closest campsite. We could see the waves were much larger and continuing to build then they where when we arrived and the current off the east end of Skedan’s Point was chaotic and actually quite scary looking. As soon as final tourist boat of the day left the Watchmen let us know we could stay in their new building, which by the way was complete with wood burning stove. What a wonderful place to spend a stormy afternoon and evening. From the window in the room I spent the night I looked directly out onto a potlatch pole with 13 rings and a mortuary pole, quite a view. We drag all of our gear up to our luxury suite and begin the drying process once again. Two of us decide to paddle our now empty kayaks from the south beach where we landed around the east end of Skedans Point to the north beach. A short but dynamic ride to say the least. With the kayaks emptied and firmly secured for the evening we relaxed and thawed out in our cabin. At 9:30 pm there is a knock on the door and one of the Watchmen brings us a tray of just baked cookies, what a tasty treat. Again it’s the people we meet that really enhance the experience and the Haida’s are warm, sharing folks.
Read “Born at Kuna” and you will have a much better understanding of the history of this site
If you travel to the Haida Gwaii, Skedans is another must see destination, rugged yet beautiful.
Saturday, July 5
It was so stormy last night we could not get a radio signal to hear the weather forecast for today. After a night in our warm cabin all is right with the world this morning. The wind has subsided although there are still measurable swell crashing on the beach below our cabin. Looks like we’ll have an opportunity for a surf launch today. But first, oatmeal and MRE apples need to be consumed, then the ritualistic packing process begins anew. Our dry gear is packed before we trudge down to the water and load the boats. The rain really came down last night, there was a metal roof on the cabin and we could hear each drop drumming on the roof. The weatherman tells us the wind will be out of the southeast in the 15-20K range today, subsiding later in the afternoon. Swell will be 2 to 3+ meters on the eastern end of Cumshewa Inlet. We will be traveling westerly in the wind shadow of Louise Island so after getting on the water and paddling about a mile we should be fine. With the boats getting lighter we don’t have to be so precise in using every available inch of space. After thanking our gracious and generous hosts one more time we safely execute our first surf launch and are on the water by 8:30 AM. As predicted the swell was quite large but it was a blast paddling in, we had the wind, current and swell pushing us smartly towards today’s destination of Mathews Creek and logging ‘ghost village’ of New Kluu.
We paddle 9 NM in bright sunshine with a plan to set up camp on the high banks of Mathews Creek. I’m not sure what designates a creek, vs. a stream, vs. a river but this creek was probably 30 feet across and had a very strong current. After arriving we had to spend about an hour waiting for the tide to rise which eased the unloading of the boats process . There are miles of long flat sandy beaches and dragging heavy kayaks up to the campsite was not in our plans. Should you stop here be vigilant as once the water starts to rise it does so in a hurry. A lesson to always tie up your boat was again re-learned by the three of us. We had waited the hour and paddled up Mathews Creek to our campsite and while lugging our gear ashore and putting up tents we had three kayaks floating off by themselves. Fortunately with the flow of the creek going in one direction and the flooding current going in the opposite direction the boats did not go far. This is the location of a long abandoned logging site. There are at least 20 marble grave markers in the sunken, moss-covered graveyard. The grave markers are still fairy easy to read, most noting the name, age and year of death. Several, like Captain Skedans gravestone noted that he ‘tried to be a good Christian’. There are also the moss covered, decomposing remains of 12 to 15 ‘steam mules’ their Firestone tires look good as new on crumbling wooden wheels and spokes. You could easily see the brakes and clutch peddles of these machines under the thick layer of moss. On one of the ‘steam mules’ there were a pair of boots, kind of eerie sight. It appeared to me the 5:00pm whistle blew one Friday evening and the work crew went home never to return. All of this equipment ran on wood rails and was used in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s to haul logs down to the water, corralled into log booms for transport to Queen Charlotte City and eventually the mainland.
Just down the beach there is a seal that washed up on shore, I count 18 eagles taking their turn at the carcass. If you are observant you will see a large spruce tree at this campsite with what looks to be a 1-ton eagle nest in it. We build a big beach fire on the final night of this grand adventure to commemorate the successful conclusion of a great trip.
Sunday, July 6
Up at 6:00 am to another pretty morning, the rays of sunlight are forming streaks as they shine through high clouds. The oatmeal and MRE apples taste almost as yummy as it did yesterday but today is the last time for that breakfast as tomorrow it will be a restaurant with eggs and bacon and many cup’s of brewed coffee ’s for me.
I am packed and on the calm water at 7:30 AM this morning for the 10nm paddle back to where this journey began, Morresby Camp. I arrive at 11:30 in a cold down pour, a fitting end to today’s paddle and this trip. The trip ends far too quickly, I guessing it’s a 120 – 130 miles of paddling we did on. I’m happy to have successfully accomplished this trip after months of planning, happy for the wealth of new experiences, knowledge gained and wonderful people I both paddled with and encountered along the way. I must also admit that resting sore muscles, not sleeping in a tent, hot showers, cold beers and a greasy hamburger that I won’t have to share with bugs is also appealing at this time.
My list of things I might/should do the next time:
1) Try on ALL your cloths before you go, I took 2 left hand paddling gloves
2) Be aware of the QC weather reporting stations, didn’t have a clue where most of the reporting stations were located.
3) Kept better track of barometer readings
Smart things list:
1) Good skilled partners are great for long trips( 14 water days )
2) Get a promenade cabin $60 especially for the QC-P Rupurt run
3) Plan for non-paddle day’s
4) No need to drag along tons of water
5) Bug spray will come in handy
6) Stop at all the Watchmen sites
7) If you take Moresby Explorers they will offer you a rain coat – take it!
8) Get all your reservations set as early as possible, we made ferry, Haida orientation, hotel and Moresby Explorers reservations is late February to early March.
Rough costs for this trip:
1) Ferry with cabin US $680.00
2) Gwaii Haanas Park Permit US $125.00
3) Moresby Explorers US $325.00
4) Gas to/from and around the Queen Charlottes US $525.00
5) Food is quite expensive in the Queen Charlottes as are groceries
Additional pic's can be found at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29042198@N05/References:
Rob Robinson and Chip Queitzsch Trip Report from 2002.
Shawna & Leon of BBB presentation of their QC circumnavigation 2006
Gwaii Haanas – National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site visitor guide
Haida Gwaii Journey Through the Queen Charlotte Islands by Ian Gill
Spirit Faces by Gary Wyatt
A Guide to the Queen Charlotte Island by Neil Carey
Ninstints by George MacDonald
Raven’s Cry by Christie Harris
The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
Haida Gwaii by Dennis Horwood and Tom Parkin
A Haida Potlatch by Ulli Steltzer
Masks of the Northwest Coast by P. Macnair R Joseph and B Grenville
The Weather of the Queen Charlottes
Those Born at Kuna
