A leisurely morning eating fresh bing cherries, real milk, bananas and yogurt on our cereal. The sun is shining brightly as we depart the Pioneer Hostel. It was a great overnight and we feel refreshed and ready to continue our northward journey.
Does not look like he has been on the water for a month!
Don has talked to several people in the hostel.(not kayakers.) A big difference between this trip and our hiking trips of the PCT is the numbers of people we have talked to and learned their stories. We have only met 4 other kayakers in the month we have been out. On the PCT we met new people everyday. It was fun staying here and talking to some of the travelers passing thru. We called the US border office which is located in Ketchikan. The next city that we will visit is Ketchikan, but we will be in American waters before that and to be legal they need to know that we are coming. The border officer that we talked to was quite enthusiastic about our trip and is looking forward to talking to us when we arrive to Ketchikan. We head down to where are gear and kayaks are stored and begin the process of loading. The very helpful Amanda who works at the Rowing and Yacht club sends us on our way. She tells us of the wind that may increase today.
Amanda
It looks like we will be on target for catching the ebb tide as we leave the docks. First though we have to wait for a tug boat pulling a large barge of logs.. There is a pulp mill here and looks like the tug is heading in that direction.
Here comes the tug boat.
Logs on the move has been a common sight.
It has been a good stop here and would be a good dropping off point in the future as one can drive to this port. We get a good view of the town as we cross over to head up Venn Passage with the ebb tide now occurring.
Prince Rupert.
When we got over to the other side and were setting ourselves up for the approach to Venn Passage, Don called his Dad with the satellite phone and wished him a Happy Father's Day. His voice sounded a little stronger. He is back at home after a short stay in the hospital and is adamant about not returning to the hospital. The wind has not picked up as predicted and with the current flowing with us, we easily move thru the passage. A decision to continue on is easy to make. As there are numerous places to camp which is a change from areas south of Prince Rupert. There is an increased amount of kelp beds that we are passing. If possible we try to go around them, but at times we just need to push our way thru them. Today was a push thru day, but with the lighting, they made beautiful patterns in the water.
Kelp bed slow us down.
Beautiful
The underwater camera worked!
We are glad that we did not heed the wind warning. It is a good day to paddle and we are taking advantage of it. Don is able to take a photo of another bird that is quite common in the area. With its white wing patch and bright red feet, it is easy to identify.
Pigeon Guillemot
We decide to stop at Burnt Island and take advantage of the sun to do some repairs and dry some gear. The tide is close to low and the beach we choose will have a rocky carry, but the campsite looks good.
Would have rather landed at high tide.
Not a bad place for a tent site.
Home for the night.
Nautical miless traveled 16.2
.