Prince Rupert, BC, Canada

July 20, 2018

Prince Rupert, BC, Canada

Prince Rupert is a port city on British Columbia’s northwest coast. It’s a gateway to various wilderness areas, and has a population of around 12,000 people. 

We arrived in Prince Rupert just before 5am!, and took a taxi to the Crest Hotel, which Andy’s daughter, Alaiza, had recommended as a good place for breakfast. We were not the only people hanging around the lobby waiting for the breakfast restaurant to open at 6:30am, and we recognized other people from the ferry from Haida Gwai.

The hotel had great service as we could leave our backpacks there for the day while exploring the town even though we weren’t staying at the hotel.

We walked around town, and came across the Mariner’s Memorial Park which is a memorial to honour the Nordic influence in Prince Rupert.

Andy had a haircut and a beard trim as the day’s first customer at the barbershop, and there was a lineup when we left.

We also visited the Sunken Garden, which is a small two level park with lots of beautiful flowers.

Shops and cafes dot the waterfront Cow Bay Area, which is the nicest part of town in our opinion.

We had a great fish lunch at Dolly’s Fish Market Restaurant, and then headed to the wharf to watch the action as the fishing boats came in. Seals, eagles and seagulls were fighting over the fish leftovers, and it was quite a show.

The eagle is on the top of the post.

These guys had had a successful day at sea!


... and so had these guys! Halibut, sockeye salmon and live crabs eating fish heads!

What better way to kill time waiting for the ferry to Alaska than with a lical craft beer from the Wheelhouse Brewing Company.

The Last Day on Haida Gwai

July 19, 2018

We said goodbye to the beach and the ocean, and drove towards Charlotte Town 120 km south of Masset.

We stopped by the Balance Rock, another one of the Haida Gwaii' spiritual wonders. A large bolder left behind from the glacial retreat of the ice age. Many decades later it still sits perfectly suspended on another rock's pointed head, guarding the shores of Skidegate, Graham Island.

Defying all odds for many centuries, how come not even the powerful forces of a Haida Gwaii storm, with its thundering waves and high winds, are still not able to knock the rock from its magical perch?

We also visited the Haida Gwai Museum, and learned more about the Haida culture, and their way of living then and now.

Then we drove to the village of Queen Charlotte, and visited the “library”, which also functions as a bus stop.

We relaxed in a coffee shop and had a nice dinner before returning the rental car. The owner of the car rental company offered to drive us to the ferry to Prince Rupert, which was very nice of him.

We had a great time on Haida Gwai, and if we do come back we will spend time on the southern islands. A lot of people go there to kayak or go boating as there are no roads, and it must be a wonderful experience.

The only thing we didn’t understand and missed was the fact that we couldn’t buy any fresh fish or seafood, but we did buy some frozen halibut, and it tasted really good when cooked.

“Lost is where we find ourselves. Weather weaving through unfamiliar neighbourhoods in a new city or jumping in the deep end of an adventure, the act of surrendering yourself to the unknown can be terrifying, exhilarating, and revealing. Lose yourself a little - you never know what you might find.” - Matt J. Simmons

Cape Fife Trail, Haida Gwai

July 16, 2018

The Cape Fife Trail (10 km one way), located in Naikoon Provincial Park, at the north end of Graham Island, is an old settler's road, which supplied the many homesteads in the area in the early 1900’s.

The trail goes right across the peninsula, and ends on the East Beach facing the mainland (point 3-6).



We navigated mud and roots, and even tough the trail was flat, it wasn't easy going as we couldn't get a good rhythm going.

Trail Marker

Tree Tunnel

Most of the vegetation was moss and ferns, and this was the only “flower” we saw.

Cotton Grass

After 3.5 hours we reached the beach and the endless rows of driftwood stretching down the beach from the cabin were amazing. 

Big Lion’s Mane Jellyfish - it has a painful sting even after it is dead.

We had lunch on the beach, and then headed back the same way.

We were in for a wonderful surprise when we got back to the cabin:

Our only disappointment at this cabin was that we couldn’t see the ocean, and they must have “heard” us, as they were chopping trees to give us a view. Wonderful!

The evenings are chilly, so we get the wood stove going and enjoy the heat and the smell of cedar. We keep the patio door slightly open so we can heatr the ocean and get some of that clean air.

Tow Hill and the Blow Hole Hike

July 15, 2018

We woke up to drizzling rain, so we took it easy in the morning. We went onto Masset and checked emails in a coffee shop, and shopped for dinner - elk meat - as the fish store was closed!

It cleared up, and after lunch in the cabin with drove 7 km east to Tow Hill, which is 400 ft high and towering over Agate Beach.

Tow Hill

It's face consists of rock columns formed from molten lave approximately 2 million years ago. We hiked the 3.5 km Tow Hill/Blowhole loop hike which had magnificent views of the coast.

The Legend

The Haida speak of a time when Tow lived beside his brother, Towustasin in Juskatla (Port Clements). According to the legend,Tow and Towustasin frequently argued as Tow felt that Towustasin unfairly received more fish than Tow. The legend tells of a feud that sent Tow stomping from Juskatla through Masset Inlet, casting off piles of rock and creating the Tow with all his stomping.

As we were there during low tide, the blowhole wasn't “working”so this is what it looks like, and the local story behind it:

The elk meat tasted gamy and very nice, and was served with pesto pasta and a salad.

Haida Gwai - The Edge of the World

July 14, 2018

'When you have reached the edge or your world, our begins'

History
Haida Gwai means the Islands of the People, and consists of more than 400 islands. The area is 250 km long and 80 km wide at the widest spot. Haida Gwai is a village of 4,500, hardy, unique characters who live en 7 "neighbourhoods" spread up and down the islands. The ocean and the forest is their larder, the ferries their connection to the mainland, and the ferry lineup is one of their gathering points where they socialize and politic - with coffee cup in one hand. The people living here are mainly making their living in the logging, fishing and tourism industries.

The oldest archaeological discoveries dates to be about 12,500 years old, and is some of the earliest-known evidence of human activity in North America.

The first-know contact with the 'outside' world was made with Europeans, Juan Perez in 1774, who noted that the First Nations were a people with extremely high skill sets in the arts, seafaring, trade and negotiation. Haida Gwai holds a fascinating record of human advancement on a microcosmic scale.

But in the mid-1800 it was nearly wiped out, as smallpox reduced the population of tens of thousands to just 1,000. What followed was the 'silent years', where unimaginable amounts of knowledge was lost. Policies hostile to First Nations helped reduce the Haida population further to just 600 by 1900.

Residential schools and racism mark a dark chapter of Canada's history, but today, especially amongst the Haida, there is a cultural revitalization all around the islands. It is no accident Haida art is so highly praised around the world.

The archipelago was long called the Queen Charlotte Islands, so-named in 1787 after the ship of fur trader, George Dixon. But the Haida Nation literally returned that name to the Crown in an official Giving Back the Name Ceremony in 2010.

Arrival
The flight from Vancouver to Sandspit Airport took just under 2 hours, and due to the wonderful weather it was a beautiful flight.

Eagle Transit drove us from the airport via a beautiful 20 minutes ferry ride to Queen Charlotte City (QCC) where we picked up our rental car.

We shopped eggs, bread and vegetables at the local Farmers Market in QCC, and stopped for lunch just outside QCC, which was founded in 1891. It offers a small-town ambience with a charming sea-side appeal.

Then we drove north towards Masset located about 110 km from QCT, and stopped about half way in Port Clements and bought ice cream. Port Clements was the dream of Eli Tingley when arriving here in 1907.

Masset is Haida Gwai's most northern village, and was the first European settlement of Haida Gwai since the 1800s.

In Masset we shopped for groceries and ice for the fridge (read: cooler), and then made our way another 15 km west to the North Beach Cabins. Half of the way the road was paved, the other half of the way was a dirt road, but easy to drive on in a normal car.

Moon Shell Cabin - The Surf is our Pulse
We had booked the Moon Shell Cabin, as it was located on the beach, and it certainly lived up to our expectations.

Nestled in a fringe of young mossy rain forest in the majestic Naikoon Park, this beautiful and very private cedar-shake beach cabin retreat sits directly on the dunes.  The cabin has two large decks, one of the facing directly in to the breaking surf 100 feet away, visible from the living area through nine foot  glass doors. This private and pristine wilderness is an ideal rustic retreat for a remote vacation.

The term “off-grid” has many definitions, however we define it as a lifestyle of self sufficiency able to operate completely off all traditional public utilities. Here we experience alternative energy sources to provide the conveniences most of us are used to in their daily lives. For example; gravity-fed rainwater for washing from kitchen faucet; bottled drinking water is provided in water dispensers; solar lamps, candles, battery operated lamps and lanterns for lighting. Propane fuels lights, heat and cooking. Wood is provided for cabins with wood stoves. Private composting outhouses and outdoor solar shower.

The ocean is one minutes walk from the cabin, and we can easily hear the waves when in the cabin. What a wonderful sound.

The tide was out, so we went for a walk on the beach after dinner.

Here life is lived slowly, at a pace that is rich with unique experiences.

Tadswii'! Kaats'ii Hla! Come in, sit down and be humble.