Islands Folk Music Festival

July 24 

Upon arrival home I realized this was the weekend for the annual music festival at Providence Farm so I decided to take it in since it was a hot sunny day and I needed an excuse to stay outside rather than unpacking and sorting for my next trip. Some of the highlights were Roy Bonneville, Oh My Darling and Alpha Ya Ya Diallo.

Homeward bound

July 23

Awoke early to finish packing, down a coffee and some oatmeal before going out to the parking lot to meet our guide by 0800hrs. By 0845, Chris was a no show but the local van/bus showed up to pick up someone. David turned out to be the friendliest, most cheerful and informative driver you could ever want to meet. He was raised in Hagensborg, a Norwegian community outside of Bella Coola and still had oodles of relatives in the area. We explained our dilemma and he offered to take us to Chris’s house after dropping off his customer. We knocked at Chris’s door but there was no answer so David took us to his dad’s house as that was the truck he would need to borrow for the tour. This was another strike out but the truck was there so we knew Chris wasn’t enroute. David had a list of pickups so asked if we wanted to go for a ride.  We went right thru Hagensborg where David pointed out the house he grew up in, his uncles house, the church his grandfather preached in, etc. The first stop was on a beautiful property near a creek surrounded by huge cedar trees. The occupant said she was flooded out last fall. A few days ago there was a landslide blocking off the town and it was just reopening today.  I took this photo near her driveway.  I was so impressed by this door to door bus service for $2.50 regardless of the distance.  When David pulled into someone’s driveway and they weren’t outside waiting he would go know on the door to fetch them.  We greeted everyone who got onto the bus and soon if was full. One elder woman said she moved her house over from Vancouver Island 60 years ago via a barge and has lived in it ever since. I got out at the airport as it was only an hour before my departure. David exited the bus for photos with us while I said my farewells to my fellow crew mates.  What a fabulous service for town trips, doctors visits and sightseeing.

Destination Bella Coola

July 21, Awoke late after all the hot tubbing in time to assist Seabear to the dock. They were just stopping in to introduce their onboard guests to the pools. Tatiana from Argentina and Hans from Mexico City were up in Canada on their first trip to the North Coast. They had a great attitude despite the rain. Much appreciated cinnamon buns all around for SeaBear crew and our hosts Sharon and Al.
We hiked 4km up to Nascall falls where at the end of a rugged road. Found quartz along the road is various colours and shapes. Stepped over numerous bear scat but no live ones spied. The falls were steep and pounding with mist spraying up to us about the falls.
Anne made a snack of salmon pate and I put on a hearty chorizo and bean soup for later. We left Nascall mid day for the 20km journey to Bella Coola. Sailed a lot of the way so it was nice and peaceful. Beautiful smooth rock cliffs lined the channel so we sailed very close while Dave got into the skiff to film the Irish Rose under sail. The steep mountainous shores were dotted with waterfalls and we chose a nice one to get up close and photograph. Otter were hiding in the rock crevasses as we sailed by. Once in Bella Coola bay Dave exited via skiff to check out moorage while the girls brought the ship in. Dave radioed what slip to dock at and it was a tight squeeze but Karolina did a stand up parallel parking job. Once on shore we walked into town (2-3km) in search of  cultural information and entertainment.
 Soon realized the reservation was one half of the town and the business centre the other. We had heard  we would need a first nations guide to see the pictographs just outside of town so we went on a mission to find one. The first people we saw on the street recommended Chris & Lance, twins who are traditional drummers/ dancers who are culturally aware.  Someone told us where Chris lived but it was 9pm so we didn’t want to disturb him this evening. Soon we landed in the only pub for a beverage and the bartender offered to get ahold of Chris. Soon he came back with arrangements for Chris to meet us at the dock at 0800 so we could have a tour before I departed via plane.  On the way home we stuck out our thumbs and the first vehicle gave us a lift back to the marina. They also confirmed that Chris was a good choice for a guide. Then they informed us that the local bus required 24hr notice for pickups and that there was no taxi in town which left me in a dilemma for airport  transportation.

Eucott hotspring

July 20, 2011      Ahhh, just what I needed. Dave and I were first up and headed over to the spring before the girls awoke. Dave soon bored of the hot tub and went back on board leaving me to luxuriate in the steaming bath. The girls returned with a thermos of coffee and we soaked until our skin and hair were exquisite. From the skiff, Dave pointed out bears on either side of the beach from the hotpool but we too relaxed to be concerned.  After brunch we decided to keep on moving as there was another hotspring in the next inlet.
When we got into Nascall Bay the rain was beating down hard, the anchor didn't take on the first attempt so I went over to the dock to ask for permission to dock. No one was around so I went to a shelter that housed to hot pools just up the hill. Still no sign of life. So I went into the unlocked building on the dock-nada, nunca, noone. I radioed to the Irish Rose that the place was deserted but there were 2 hot pools.
Soon the caretakers surfaced after over hearing my radio call and graciously offered us docking space and the use of the pools for a donation of our choice.  Dave and I took the skiff up river as far as we dared until the ferocious white water prevented any further entry. As this was to be my second last night onboard I made cinnamon rolls for the crew as Annes choice.

Seeking heat rain or shine

 July 19

Filled up with the best drinking water in BC and headed off out Cousins inlet. Destination hot spring. Got some sailing in Dean Channel till we turned into Eucott hostsprings. Passed the Nordic Tug, Seabear whom we met 2 yrs ago in Haida Gwaii. Skipper Jeff and first mate Georgia were also choosing the same destination. After anchoring, our fellow sailors discovered the outdoor hotspring pool was very murky and they asked for assistance to clean it. A&K went along on tub duty while I stayed back to finish baking bread. The pool formed of large boulders with concrete fill had a few pipes for filling and emptying. After the pool scrubbed the lower pipe plugged and the water ran freely to fill. The spring flows in at 150 degrees F.  At 11pm Dave and I went on a starry night adventure to see if it was possible to bathe but it was scalding so we plugged the fill pipe with a large driftwood stick to allow only a trickle to flow in and allow the water to cool enough for human submersion.

Man eating winged demons



Cousins Inlet

Martins Valley River-good fresh water fishing

Fairy Rocks where local children
come to find coins

July 18    I took a sun filled walk down the road in warm sun to Martins Valley where most of the residents live. The roadside was noticeably free of rubbish and recently weed whacked. It presented as a quaint, hillside town with an old cemetery, a small waterfront saloon open for happy hour only, a grocery store, a river and most of the homes up for sale. Walked back to Ocean Falls and only passed one person on the road. Anne and Karolina returned from a bush walk about covered with bites on all their exposed areas. They said they didn't feel them but those man eating winged demons left their savage marks.

Saloon- open 4pm-7pm only

 They soothed their wounds in the the pub till closing time talking to local historian nearly normal Norman. Salmon for supper again, no complaints from this crew. Evening walk about town for some photo ops. 

blackbirds sitting on a tree

 Over half of the liveable homes are up for sale or rent.  A bit of history:1908-first store; 1909- 1 bed hospital opens; 1911-first hotel; 1917-first roll of newsprint; 1918-first theatre; 1919- library and marine store; 1918-first school; 1924-Catholic church; 1929-swimming pool.



en the kitchen sink



cemetary

Ocean Falls



Fire Station




Dilemma: free internet or sun





Ambulance




Noone has stopped here in years

 

July 17

 Stocked up on groceries and headed inward of Fisher Channel and sailed a long way to Ocean Falls soaking up much needed sunshine along the way. Arrived in front of the dam about 6 pm and it was still comfortably warm sleeveless on the boat.  At the head of Cousins Inlet, Fisher and Queen Charlottes Sound, neath the shelter of Old Baldy Mountain where the watershed at the dam down by the safe harbor lies the town of Ocean Falls.  

Ocean Falls in view

   After dinner we walked around the abandoned town, explored the old hardware, the outdoor gym, the campground and up to Link Lake and returned after dusk.



Former marine centre



Link Lake- length-16.5; width-3/4mi.; watershed-101.4 sq.mi.; depth 540 ft.

hieroglyphics

July 16

Morning exploration of Port Johns Bay where Dave had heard there were hieroglyphics.  We saw some iron stains  on a sheer rock face and when I visualized them with the binoculars  I said ‘I see 4 guys, a 5 finned orca and a space ship’. Everyone thought I was joshing but then they had a look and confirmed. At closer inspection it could be a canoe with some sort of covering over it but ‘why’. We tied off the skiff on the steep shore and hiked up the lower cliff edges through thick brush to get a closer look and found a few more paintings. One larger simpler and more angular of a person and a shield which may represent copper ingots. Another had 2 orcas facing each other. One was an eye with a straight line going skyward to another eye and then downward at a 45degree angle.  Another was a human shape that looked like a bow legged baby or an alien.  Dave took the movie camera up to film the paintings.

In the afternoon we pulled up the anchored and went in to Shearwater, fuelled up, showered and did laundry. We were blessed with some warm and welcome sunshine. Tied up to a log boom but it seemed unstable  so while the girls went to the pub for dinner Dave anchored out. Sure nice to have a night out.

Movin' on up

July 15

Anne and I got out first thing to check for crabs in the eel grass in a nearby bay. It shallowed out so we paddles in narrow areas. No crabs to be seen but saw multitudes of colorful starfish and one large albino starfish and a few red lions mane jellyfish. By 11am we decided to head out up Fitzhugh sound.  Saw a few humpback whales blowing along the way in the channel. Made it into Codeville Lagoon and noticed prawn pots at the entrance so Anne and I immediately took ours out and dropped it in the same vicinity. I notice a dark spot on a beach inside a cove so took the skiff in close and sure enough a black bear was munching long shore grass. We passed the most beautiful cascade of water switch backing down the mountain amid lush fauna.

Back at our boat, Anne hears a radio call  from Illumine, the sailboat she is chartering in Sept.  She got excited and talked to the skipper via VHF. Within an hour the boat pulled in and anchored beside us. It was chartering a group of Bringham Young students and we had a chat with them after dinner when we went out exploring the nearby coves. Saw lots of seals drying themselves on rocks and went back to watch the black bear who had returned for some evening munching.

A brunch to remember

July 14

Spent the morning on a skiff excursion exploring outer beaches. Saw lots of fresh wolf tracks but no recent bear signs. Watched sea lions splashing and doing some sort of mating ritual. I noticed blood on the neck of one of them. They were so entwined they didn’t move till we got up close and personal.  We got some eagle photos and admired the interesting rock formations along the shorelines.  Upon return to the boat, Dave cooked us brunch of fresh salmon and eggs. Superb!

The weather remained less than desired so decided to leave the beautiful wilds of Hakai and head to Hunter Island. Anchored in Goodlad Bay just as the rain started again.  D&K set out to ‘look around the bend’ and Dave found an ancient fish stone fish trap made out of stacks of round rocks about a meter high with an opening a canoe width at the mouth of a creek.  Once again we saw no other boats in the area. Another remarkable day on the rugged coast. The only issue is sunshine deprivation at the height of summer.

Dave lands the big one

July 13 Awoke to another drizzly day so Ann and I took the skiff to the marine info centre to use internet while Dave and Karolina moved the sailboat to the outer islands where we saw all the eagles for better luck at fishing.  The marine centre was grand central station with kayakers and boaters checking in. The host of the info centre was away so everyone thought Anne anworked there and told us all their tales.    Inside  the centre was a door that had been retrieved from the old part of the building  that tourists had signed as far back as 1947. There were comments such as ‘watch for wolves on the north beach after 7pm’.       

Lingcod

When we returned to the Irish Rose Dave decided to go out fishing but couldn’t get a volunteer to accompany him due to compromising weather. Karolina got deposited on an outside beach dressed head to toe in rain gear while Dave braved the elements to go fishing solo. When he got back a few hours later I asked if he had any luck and he said just a rock fish and then held up a King salmon on the gaff hook.  I was shrieking with excitement cause it was huge.  According to the fish chart by the girth of 33 in and length of 35 in the weight was approx. 51lbs. Hooray fresh salmon for  

Anne removing bones

days. In fact he got a lingcod first so we have 2 of my favorite fish.  He took the king over to beach to fetch a saturated Norwegian who is an expert filleter and once again she did a stand up job. Anne made baggies of 4-5 steaks each, froze some and kept a few out for the first 2 days.



Karolina cutting steaks



  Dave was stoked and even made dinner forHe took the king over to beach to fetch a saturated Norwegian who is an expert filleter and once again she did a stand up job. Anne made baggies of 4-5 steaks each, froze some and kept a few out for the first 2 days.  Dave was stoked and even made dinner for  the girls with his fresh catch.



fresh salmon roe caviar anyone?



the one that got away

 

July 12

Oh No! It is raining again. What kind of a summer is this? The Norwegian on board does not believe Canada has nice weather. Karolina and Dave head out to fish after breakkie and I stay back to supervise Anne make cinnamon rolls to lift all of our weather spirits.  The fisherman and woman came back with a tale of catching a Spring salmon that Karolina managed to reel in but came off the hook when Dave was netting it as the net was too small. Dave threatened to toss the net overboard. Later we went out fishing in the skiff and landed 2 black cods so dinner was fresh.  On Starfish Island we noted 25 eagles perched on the rock and trees. Must be some great fishing.

 

how many eagles can you spot?

Pruth Bay

July 11

Headed out into Fitzhugh Sound wondering where all the humpbacks were that we saw in herds last trip. We put out the fishing lines near a rock wall and Karolina reeled in a Lingcod.  Went N. to Calvert Island and into Kwakshua Channel. The wind picked up so we put up the sails and tacked in the narrow channel. Lotsa fun to actively sail with short tacks. Dave got out in the skiff to video the action and was taking risks at the bow of the boat. Dropped the sails in Pruth Bay, a pristine bay with that houses the Hakai Conservation area, BC’s largest marine park.  Dave took us into the dock and we walked across the peninsula to West Beach a stunning, white sandy bay.



Note the beaches in the background



skiff antennae in forground

From there we hiked up to a lookout in a rock and muskeg meadow. After a fabulous dinner of fresh lingcod, Anne and I set the prawn pot outside of Keith Bay using the fish head for bait. There was a gorgeous sunset while out on prawn duty.

Leaving Grizzly Bay

July 10

Early departure as Karolina is playing skipper today. Motored out of Moses inlet into Dawson’s landing to top up fuel, water and do some laundry.  Also a quick internet stop for $10 so we all managed to log on for a quickie. 

 Then continued motoring out of Rivers inlet and noticed a small fire inside Sleepy Bay. The small fire turned into a big one with black billowing smoke. Karolina radioed for no response so Anne and Karolina hopped into the skiff to go investigate. They saw another small boat leaving the site and go up to a lodge. They voiced their concerns and the culprits said ‘we are just burning a boat’. The girls thought the guys looked guilty and seemed suspicious but returned to the sailboat shaking their heads.    Tried our luck fishing in the narrows  before anchoring at sunset in Schooner Cove.

Holy Bear Tracks

July 9

Awoke to sunshine. Sunshine! After 10 days of clouds. Dave was keen to go on another skiff adventure but there was no way I was putting on warm clothes to go out on the water, my laundry and my hair would dry readily in this beautiful weather.  The other women felt the  same so we all stayed onboard to soak up the sun while Dave went off to the end of the next inlet looking for bears and other exciting viewings.

He returned about 4pm after we all showered and I  laundered the dish towels and my unmentionables. After dinner we spotted  a grizzly bear grazing on grass along the shore immediately in front of our anchorage. It was too far to get any decent photos so we all hopped aboard the skiff and pulled in close. Karolina sat in the bow taking photos with a zoom lens and I filmed with Dave’s camera while he drove.

We got some great close ups but the bear spooked and ran off. It was late in the evening but still bright out and high tide so off we went to check out the river inlet around the bend. No bear there but some fresh tracks were identified. Heading back we spotted a grizz grazing on another shore so we pulled in close in the skiff and inched our way to a boat length(15 ft) away watching this guy graze. This made us all a bit nervous so Karoline grabbed an oar JIC she needed to use it. We watched him munch, walk logs, look at us, sniff us and even snort. After 20 min or so it was we who decided to end the encounter as we were getting chilled and headed back to the sailboat.  Cool what we wanted most was provided.

Full day at head of Rivers Inlet

July 8

Early morning wakeup call at 0600 for Kilbella River trip at high tide.  It was cool, low mist and clouds but calm, velvety water. The absence of rain motivated up to get mobile.  Saw one bear crossing a creek, eagles and birds out a plenty. Karolina was kneeling up on the bow to take a photo and when the skiff hit a log underwater she bounced overboard head first still in kneeling position.
Somehow she managed to plop her camera on board the dinghy while she was going over. We easily after assisted her back onboard but there was no continuing until we took her back to the sailboat for dry clothing, a hot drink and a warm up. I made coffee and oatmeal while she changed and after an hour we set off again. Continued on up river and a few tributaries, wary of all the deadfall below the surface. We stopped at a couple beaches which were muddy to look for  signs of bear , chewed grass, scratches on trees and footprints.

Then we headed in towards  Owakeeno  native village (spelled Wuikinuxv). Dave deposited us  3 women at the float plane dock to get permission to up the river to the lake. Turned out the village was over a km away from this dock and so it turned into an interesting and exciting adventure. Near the dock were some old prefab buildings and an old police car. The sign on one door said “First Aid- Come in and wait”. We would have waited a long time if we did. There were a lot of Salmon berries along the trail so the walk was long and leisurely.  Eventually some houses appeared and after walking by a few the first guy I spotted was carrying a weed whacker so I stopped him to ask where the band office was.  He flagged down the first vehicle and told another man to give us a lift there. The driver, Alfie turned out to be the CHR-Community Health Representative so we started chatting straight away.  He told us that a local guy had been mauled by a grizzly bear a few days ago in the very spot I was picking berries. The injured party is in critical condition in Victoria Hospital and as a result the conservation officers had brought dogs into the village to seek out the bear.

At the band office we chatted with the receptionist and met a council member named Rick Shaw who said the only way up the river was with an experience guide as the river was fast moving and many low spots and obstacles.  We discussed having him lead our skiff up river in his jet boat and then we would be able to cruise around the lake at our leisure and lift the motor to float back down.  We then met Jennifer, head of Fisheries. She took us to the cultural centre to show us some traditional handicrafts such as beaded  shawls, vests, and cedar weavings.  

Alfie offered to give us a tour of the village after lunch so we decided to head back to discuss options with Dave.  Rick Shaw was having none of us walk back with a grizz on the loose so kindly drove us back to the plane dock where Dave was wondering what took us so long.

Back to Irish Rose for lunch and back into the skiff for our village tour. Alfie took us to the new ‘Big House’ similar to a long house where totems on either side represent the different families from the village.
 The he took us to the treaty office where we met Alex and Dorothy. Dorothy explained some of the old photos to us and Alex discussed treaty negotiations and the talking stick with us.

He also gave us a tour of his office in which he had a poster size photo of his mother on the wall opposite his desk so she would always be looking over his shoulder.  Next Alfie took us by road up to the lake , passing many skinny Alder trees that were downed onto the road. He explained that the grizzlies knock them down so they can eat the leaves on the top.  

Wannock Lake was originally part of Rivers Inlet but a slide separated it a few centuries ago. It  still looks like part of the big inlet but it is fresh water. It is said there is still salt water on the bottom.

 After returning to the village, Alfie went into the band office to see if Rickshaw was busy or if he would show us his traditional cedar carvings. Rickshaw was still in a meeting so while we waited on the outside deck we saw 5 conservation officers walking up the road. They were in looking for the attacking grizzly bear but it was such a unique site in this remote village.  Soon locals were pouring out of the meeting for a coffee break unto the upper deck and since we had met a lot of them by now they were looking down and asking us how our tour went. One guy we hadn’t met yet seemed confused as to why everyone seemed to know us and asked “Who are you?”. I replied “ Just three women off a sailboat in the bay”.

Radioed Dave for a pick up when we had finished our tour and a group consensus decided to move on to Moses Inlet. Cruised down the inlet on bear watch for Karolina as she has never seen a bear. Voila, I spotted a black bear in some thick brush on the steep hillside.  We cruised alongshore in the sailboat and photographed the guy. Continued to the end of Ingrid Bay where we anchored easily near a grassy flat surrounded by snow scattered mountains.