On to Ketchikan

Ketchikan Harbor

We left Haida Gwaii at ten o’clock in the evening.  As the ferry left dock, we were delighted to have hot showers and a berth for the night.  We arrived in Prince Rupert at seven the following morning.  The only restaurant we could find for breakfast opened at nine, and the visitor’s center didn’t open until ten.  So we strolled Cow Bay, enjoying the sunshine. 

After a great breakfast at Prince Rupert’s local institution, the Smile’s Café, we took a 3-1/2-mile hike around the Butze Rapids interpretive trail to see its reversing tidal rapids.  Then we visited the quite informative and well-worth seeing Museum of Northern BC.  Having exhausted what we could do in a single day, we arrived at the ferry nearly three hours prior to departure.  We again met the Australian couple we had seen on the ferries since Vancouver Island.  This time we sat and shared stories while waiting.  It felt like a friendship was beginning.

Butze Rapids' reversing tidal rapids near Prince Rupert

Our ferry to Ketchikan left at 7:45 pm and was scheduled to arrive at 1:45 the following morning.  We decided to forego a cabin and simply snooze in the lounge area… our mistake.  We should have booked a cabin… lesson learned.

We sailed on the Alaska marine ferry Matenuska, an old and worn ferry in comparison to Canada’s Northern Adventure.  By the end of the evening, we decided that the lounge chairs must have been designed by a masochist… they were much like seats on an airplane only with more legroom and much less padding.  It was impossible to find a comfortable position. 

Bleary-eyed and exhausted, we arrived in Ketchikan around two in the morning and, along with a half-dozen other rigs, drove straight to the Walmart parking lot to spend the remainder of night. 

Bright and early, seaplanes taking off woke us up, but the sunshine certainly brightened our day.  We headed downtown to the visitor’s center, found a parking spot, and walked to the visitor’s booth.  

Downtown Ketchikan was already buzzing with two cruise ships in port.  As we walked toward the visitor’s booth, the Disney Wonder cruise ship docked.  Soon the boat was alive with people, boiling out of its decks and onto the docks like the end of a college football game.  The streets of Ketchikan began to overflow.  Hawkers peddled their wares.  Tour buses thundered and belched their way through town.  Ducks (amphibious vehicles), filled with tourists, rumbled towards the harbor.  Seaplanes soared overhead, taking tourists to the fjords and other sights.  It was simply too much after being ten days on a small, remote island.  We also discovered that we had arrived in Ketchikan on Memorial Day weekend, which only added to the chaos. 

Ketchikan's cruise ship harbor

We ducked into bookstore to find more reading material.  Shortly after we arrived, the Australian couple, Liz and Walter, walked through the door.  We laughed and told them that we were spending too much time together.

Our new Auzzie friends were having refrigerator problems with their rented rig, so they had opted for the last remaining spot at the RV park.  We left them and drove to Totem Bight, a wonderful state park that displayed a variety of replicated totem poles.

Toten Bight State Park, Ketchikan

Toten Bight State Park, Ketchikan

Afterward, we drove to the campground on lovely Ward Lake, figuring we needed to find a camp spot early because of the holiday.  It was already full.  We drove to Settler’s Cove at the end of the island.  It was also full, but we took a lovely hike there.  Then we drove up Brown Mountain, expecting to find a pull out or some secluded road for a camp.  We found none.  Ultimately, we found a pullout on the lake road and spent the night there.

We spent much of the following morning trying to find potable water.  The visitor’s center was no help.  A ranger suggested the dump station next to the water department.  They had water, but it wasn’t potable.  Go figure!  We called the only campground, but they were full and unwilling for us to fill up with them.  Ultimately, we bought five gallons of drinking water at Walmart.  Obviously, Ketchikan is set up for cruise ships… not campers.

To our surprise during another drive into Ward Lake campground, we noticed several campsites open.  Of course, we immediately grabbed one and set up camp.  That night, we discovered why so many spots were available… several nearby campsites were filled with large groups of folks who were extremely loud and had no problems chopping wood at two in the morning.  These folks were so loud that someone must have complained.  Law enforcement came to chat with them the following day.

Monday we drove into Ketchikan early, hoping to avoid the deluge of cruise ship travelers.  We visited several small museums and walked along Ketchikan’s infamous Creek Street.  The street is well known for its history of brothels and speak easies but is now a destination for souvenir shoppers.

Ketchikan's infamous Creek Street

When the crowds began to grow, we headed north.  Now that the holiday weekend was over, the campground was empty, except for a few campers also bound for tomorrow’s ferry.  We strolled along the lake, drinking in the sunshine and quiet.

We left Ketchikan Tuesday morning on the 11:45 am ferry.  I admit that we were very happy to do so, particularly with two more cruise ships scheduled to arrive later that day, each bringing another 5,000 visitors.  Under fair skies, we set our sights for Wrangell Island, hoping for a bit of serenity.

About Haida Gwaii

Haida Gwaii Eagle

Because of ferry scheduling issues, we had a choice to spend four or ten days on Haida Gwaii.  We chose ten.  We have certainly found beauty and wildlife here.  We have, however, also found an island in recovery.  We expected to kayak along tidal pools brimming with sea life.  We also expected to hike among old growth forests.  They do not exist on Haida Gwaii... or if they do, we certainly could not find them.

As I mentioned in our first Haida Gwaii post, the fur trade took a tremendous toll on these islands.  It decimated sea lions to less than ten percent of their breeding population and exterminated sea otters from these waters   Unsustainable logging stripped the mountainsides.  Today the Haida Gwaii people work in concert with the Canadian government to protect these animals and islands.

While logging is still a major industry on Haida Gwaii, it is carefully monitored.  In many places we saw tall white pillars amid clear cut logging areas.  Inside each of the pillars was a tiny cedar seedling.

Cedar seedlings protected on Haida Gwaii

Cedar seedlings amid clear cut logging area on Haida Gwaii

Cedar seedling grows on Haida Gwaii

Ecosystems have been ravaged with the elimination of some animals and the introduction of others.  As an example, without sea otters keeping the kelp-eating sea urchin populations in check, sea kelp forests are now underwater deserts, eliminating habitat for sea stars and other marine life.  Additionally, land ecosystems have been radically altered with the introduction of several destructive species, including the Sitka black-tailed deer, raccoons, red squirrels, and rats.  

Deer were introduced for human consumption but because they have no predators, their numbers continue to increase.  Adding to the issue, deer can swim and now inhabit every island in Gwaii Haanas.  The deer strip the forest floors and change plant ecosystems. 

Pelt traders introduced raccoons for fur.  Foresters introduced red squirrels to collect spruce seeds from their cone caches.  Rats were accidentally introduced.  All three species eat songbird eggs and have vastly reduced their population.  These stories are stark reminders of the vulnerability of delicate natural balances.

We have also pieced together the history of the Haida Gwaii peoples.  Their cultural museum in Skidegate spoke about their artwork, their mythology, how they see themselves as part of their natural world, and how they are working to reclaim their land.  Surprisingly, it did not speak about their culture, including wars, religion, and burial practices. 

The Prince Rupert museum seemed to present a more balanced history of the northern coastal tribes than many of the other museums we visited.  As a result, we were able to piece together some of the missing components. 

The Tlingit, Haida Gwaii, and other tribes of the northwest coast were in intense competition with each other for political and economic dominance, often escalating into war.  They took slaves and burned the villages they conquered.  They were a very hierarchal society, with a class system determined by status and wealth.  Their religion was animism.  We learned that the Haida Gwaii burial practices were to take their dead into caves or special areas, leaving the animals to render carcasses to bones.  About a year later, the bones of prominent people were buried in bentwood boxes atop memorial poles.  Commoners had much less elaborate burials.  The Prince Rupert museum indicated that the bodies of slaves were often mutilated. 

Because of their focus on wealth and political dominance, tribes saw European fur traders as an opportunity to increase their status.  We read a timeline that included Haida Gwaii traders delivering over 1,800 otter pelts to the Russians.  In forty years (1770 to 1820), sea otters were hunted to extinction.

Between 1890 and 1920, a radical shift came to the coastal tribes. Colonization brought disease, education, and a monetary economy.  Diseases such as influenza and small pox took a terrible toll on native populations.  Children were often sent to government schools where they were forbidden to speak their native tongue.  Rather than dependence on the land, the peoples of the northwest coast tribes relocated to towns for stationary livelihoods.  Traditional ways of living and identities were on the verge of being lost. 

Today there is a cultural resurgence within the Haida Gwaii and other northwest coast tribes.  Once again their potlaches, songs, and dances are being passed down.  They teach their children to speak their native tongue.  They work to repatriate their dead from museums around the world. There is now cooperation between governments and the native tribes to protect the lands and revitalize ecosystems.  Their cultural artwork flourishes, along with their inherent stories and identity.  We wish them and their islands our best.

Haida Gwaii, Part Two

Rennel Sound, Graham Island, Haida Gwaii

The beautiful weather that greeted us when we arrived on Haida Gwaii dissolved into six straight days of rain, with only a few sporadic lulls in the deluge each day.

While waiting for the ferry back to Skidegate, the fellow in front of us suggested we go to Rennel Sound on the west side of the island and even told us his best camp site.  He also cautioned us about logging traffic.

We stopped at the Forest Service office to ask for advice.  They suggested we park along the entrance to the road, wait for a logging truck, and follow them up the road.  About fifteen minutes into our wait, a logging truck pulled up beside us and parked.  The fellow walked over to us and asked if we were headed to the Sound.  He suggested that we go ahead of him so he "wouldn't dust us" and that he would call ahead to let others know that we were on our way.  His generous offer certainly made the drive feel much less perilous!

Rennel Sound is on the Pacific side of Graham Island.  We set up camp in misty rain.  Thankfully by evening there was a break in the clouds, and we were able to see a lovely sunset.

Rennel Sound at sunset

A family of eagles with two fledglings fished near us.  Later, folks in our neighboring campsite gutted their freshly-caught fish and tossed the entrails along the beach.  The young eagles were quick to swoop down for a meal.

The next day we hiked to Bonanza and Gregory Beaches.  Each hike led us through dense forests of Sitka Spruce, cedars, and hemlock.  Moss clung to the trees, rocks... everything.  As one local lady told us, "If you stand still too long here, moss will grow on your legs."

Bonanza Beach

Gregory Beach

From Rennel Sound, we drove to the northern tip of the island and camped at Agate Beach.  Whenever the tide was out and the rain slowed, local folks combed the beaches for the agates that washed ashore.  One lady was kind enough to show us what kind of rock to look for.  We ended up with several translucent rocks that seemed to fit her description.

The rain continued.  One night the wind buffeted the camper while rain pelted the top so hard that it sounded like a dozen or more elves were pounding the roof with little hammers.  We finally gave up waiting for the weather to break the next day and, instead, did laundry.  Of course, during the first wash cycle, the rain quit until all the clothes were dry.  Then the rain began again.

We visited a great little museum in Masset, home to most of the European settlers.  The neighboring town, known as Old Masset, is home to many of the indigenous families.  Their streets were lined with totem poles.  

Totem pole in Old Masset

An outcropping of rock named Tow Hill rests on the end of Agate Beach.  We tried for three days to climb it.  Most of the time great clouds circled the top.  Our last day, we finally had a bit of a break in the rain and decided to take a chance.  The hike is short... barely 1.5 miles round trip... but it quickly gains over 450 feet in elevation.  The entire trail built with boardwalks and over 200 stairs.  

Tow Hill trail

With so much rain, we noticed as we hiked through the forest that every dimple or depression in the ground caused puddling and the puddles turned into little streams, then into small creeks.  Water dripped from the trees and shrubs and squished under our feet.  By the time we reached the top, we were in misty rain again.  We did, however, manage to take a photo...

Looking up to Tow Hill, Graham Island

From the top of Tow Hill, Graham Island, looking towards Rose Spit

We left Masset the next morning, camping at the Misty Meadows campground.  After another night of rain, we awoke to clearing skies.  What a welcomed sight!  Unfortunately the wind was far to heavy for us to rent kayaks. Instead we visited the Port Clements museum and drove back to Queen Charlotte.

Haida Gwaii museum entrance

Our last day on the island, we visited the Haida Gwaii museum, took a hike up Spirit Trail, and basked in the sunlight.  Before catching the evening ferry back to Prince Rupert, we sat along the shoreline and watched whales spout near Tree Island.  Our spirits were buoyed by the sunshine.  Our next ferry stop will be Prince Rupert, then on to Ketchikan.  Hopefully the sun will lead us.

Moresby and Louise Islands

Gray Bay, Moresby Island

Although we had just arrived on Graham Island, with the boat tour scheduled for Wednesday, we took the twenty-minute ferry ride across Alliford Bay to Moresby Island.  We then drove to the town of Sandspit and took a logging road to a primitive campground right on Gray Bay.  The bay was exceptionally beautiful, and we were the only ones there.  We hiked the beach a bit that evening, admiring shorebirds and shells.  A pair of eagles flew overhead. 

Plovers on Gray Bay

The next morning was sunny and crisp.  We took a long walk along the beach, then decided to take advantage of our down day and reorganize the truck.  We pulled almost everything out, consolidating and rearranging.  A dozen persistent bumblebees and several opportunistic ravens tried to help.

Late afternoon, we drove to Moresby Camp, further along the logging road.  As we crossed a bridge just outside our campground, we spotted a black bear in a meadow in the distance.  The black bears here are said to be the largest in North America because of their largely salmon diet. 

Haida Gwaii black bear

We were to meet our boat tour at Moresby Camp the following morning.  We were surprised to find that the small campground was in an abandoned logging camp, strewn with rusting, heavy equipment.  Signs posted at the boat landing informed us that the area was extremely active, particularly during World War II, and had once had thirty homes and a school.  Loggers had harvested huge amounts of Sitka spruce from these islands to make wooden war planes because of the lack of steel.  It was soon discovered that these planes, known as mosquito bombers, were undetectable by radar.  As a result, they soon became the backbone of reconnaissance missions for British, Australian, and Canadian air corps.

We found a camp spot nestled in the trees… and also found a multitude of biting bugs!  Mosquitos and no-seeums engulfed us.  We quickly put up the screened tent and crawled inside.  After supper, we decided to take a stroll.  Thankfully, the breeze blowing along the shoreline was stiff enough to keep the bugs from overwhelming us.

We weren’t sure what to expect on the tour, particularly since we had to sign a waiver releasing liability from any event including “hypothermia, temporary or permanent paralysis, or death.”  What had we signed up for?

Our Moresby Explorers tour group arrived around 9:30 the following morning.  There were twelve of us, including Brian our guide.  We had been advised to dress warmly... and we needed every layer.  The temperatures were in the 40s when we boarded the boat.  Thankfully, in addition to our own clothes, we all donned rubber boots, heavy raincoats, and life jackets (provided by the tour company), before boarding the Zodiac boat.  The boat was equipped with ten seats to straddle... or you could opt for sitting on the edge of the boat and hanging on (we chose the seats).  Soon we were bouncing along the waves, headed toward Louise Island.

Abandoned dock from a logging camp

We spent nearly ten hours on the tour, making two landings along the way.  Our first stop was an abandoned logging site and missionary settlement.  Our guide Brian beached the boat so that all of us could disembark.  He loaded a small kayak into the boat, then trolled out into the bay, anchoring, and kayaking back to shore.

Our guide kayaks to shore from the Zodiac boat

We strolled into the forest while Brian told us about the abandoned logging site.  Nature had absorbed the old machinery, making it an eerie, rusting graveyard.  Everything from steam donkeys, skids, wagons, gears and wheels were covered in thick layers of moss.  Trees, ferns, and shrubs grew amid the rubble.  

Abandoned logging machinery has become part of the forest

Brian explained some of the original logging practices.  He said that the logging industry grew from a war effort into a frenzied, uncontrolled, and unsustainable rate of stripping and clear cutting the island in the 70s and 80s.  In 1985 the indigenous peoples of these islands, called Haida, led a standoff on Lyell Island to stop the clear cutting.  The standoff drew international attention.  As a result, the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada now work together to protect the Gwaii Haanas. 

A little further up the path, we walked through a Haida cemetery and were asked not to photograph the area out of respect.  The area had been a missionary settlement around 1920.  The headstones were draped in moss and scattered among the trees.  We strolled back along the beach for lunch. 

When it came time to leave, Brian again kayaked out to the Zodiac.  As we lined up to crawl back into the boat, he knelt in the frigid water, offering his knee for a stepladder.  I certainly considered that well beyond the call of duty!

Brian was our stepladder back into the boat

Our next landing was the abandoned Haida village of K’uuna Llnagaay, also known as Skeedan.  During the late 1800s, the village had around 30 longhouses and housed around 150 people.  Today, the vast majority of these ruins have been overtaken by the ever-encroaching vegetation and are mostly decayed.  Only the largest long houses were perceptible… and those were simply depressions in the earth. The once more than fifty memorial, mortuary, and frontal house poles had either been taken from the island or had fallen and were disintegrating. 

View from Skeedan

Disintegrating memorial poles on Skeedan

Brian explained that the Haida people had been on these islands over 12,500 years.  At one time about 20,000 Haida lived here.  During the late 1800s, however, several of the Haida people sailed on a ship with Europeans who were unknowingly infected with small pox.  With no immune system for the disease, small pox ravaged through the Haida people, killing nearly 90 percent of their population, and leaving less than 600 to carry on with their lives and traditions.  Today the Haida are still a nation in recovery.  Only nine remain fluent in the original Haida language.  Together they are working to preserve their art, culture, and history.

We returned to the boat and continued around Louise Island.  At one point on the Pacific side, Brian slowed the boat to idle.  Far in the distance (unfortunately much too far away to photograph), he pointed out a humpback whale breeching.  Brian said that the whale was probably launching himself completely out of the water to knock off barnacles from his skin.  We watched the whale for a few minutes before moving on and stopping again in a small inlet to see a banding station for the endangered Ancient Murrelet, a small seabird who nests in burrows along the rocky cliffs.

The boat ride back to camp was cold in spite of the sunshine.  To block the wind, I huddled behind the man sitting in front of me.  When we docked, I think everyone was happy to be on shore again.  David and I were so glad we had camped near the boat landing.  We were able to crawl into our screened tent for a meal and relaxation.  All the others had a 45-minute drive up a logging road to the ferry landing and another half-hour shuttle across the bay.

We awoke to rain and decided to break camp and return to Graham Island for more discovery.  

Sunset at Moresby Camp

TO BE CONTINUED…

Arrival on Haida Gwaii

Several years ago we met a couple on the Cassier Highway who had just come from Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands), an archipelago of islands in the Pacific, west of Prince Rupert.  They spoke of its beauty and wildlife.  We determined when the time was right that we, too, would make the journey.  Now, here we are…

We were off the ferry onto Haida Gwaii’s Graham Island by 5:30 am.  The only restaurant we found in Queen Charlotte didn’t open until seven.  The visitor’s center didn’t open until ten o’clock.  So we drove through the towns of Queen Charlotte and Skidegate, then along the coast to the small town of Tlell.  The shoreline was much different than expected, filled with rocks and large boulders, a rolling surf, and very little beach. 

On our way back to the visitor’s center, we saw several vehicles parked along the roadside.  We, too, puled over and discovered at least a half dozen whales swimming along Hecate Strait, not far offshore.  David and I grabbed cameras and climbed down the rocky ledge to the shoreline.  For the next hour and a half, we watched whales. 

The water along the shore in this area is extremely deep.  Amazingly, two whales and their calves came within 15 yards of the shoreline.  You can see in the photo below how close they were to us... and they came even closer...  

The mothers would roll on their sides, perhaps nursing their calves.  First we would see a baby’s small fin, then the mother’s larger fin.  A bit later, the mother would roll, spray, and take a deep breath.  We were so close that we could hear her blow.  

David took this photo of a whale nose...

Several onlookers told us they were probably gray whales feeding on herring.  What a welcome-to-the-island party for us!

We finally arrived at the visitors center.  The ladies were extremely helpful and suggested that we take a marine tour with one of the expedition groups to better see the islands.  We thought that a two-day tour might be fun, but they were sold out.  So we opted for a one-day tour of Louise Island.  The best part was that the weather forecast called for sun on Tuesday… perfect for a boat ride.