Breaking news...

We were just informed that the water pump has arrived! We didn't expect it until later this week so this is great news. Although we will be sad to leave Prince Rupert, we are excited to continue on. Next major stop will be Ketchikan to check in with U.S. customs, that will be in a few days.

The Spell of the North

Who can tell me the state capitol of Alaska? If you answered Juneau, then you also have just answered the question of what our big destination for the summer is. Originally our plan was to go no further than Prince Rupert, then hang a left and head for Haida Gwaii and more southerly latitudes. But the spell of the North has been cast, Alaska is beckoning and it is useless for us to resist. We agonized over this decision for days, but we are mountain people at heart and making a detour to Alaska just feels right. We've done some jaunts to Alaska and Yukon, and we figured we'd always go back, just like that poem by Robert Service, The Spell of the Yukon.
Currently the plan would be to winter over in Juneau and try to work. There is a ski area close by, and better yet, glaciers! So after some major mental rearrangements we are completely excited to try to give this plan a go. Stay tuned!

Our vacation in Prince Rupert

View from the lookout, the Fairview shipping dock below (Prince Rupert is a deep water harbor capable of handling the largest cargo vessels)

The lookout

Robust skunk cabbage (biggest leaves I've seen on this plant, 3 to 4 feet long and about 1.5 feet wide)

A few weeks ago our galley water pump (manual foot pedal style) broke. Matt was able to repair the broken lever, but when we put it back together it didn't work. Both of us proceded to take it apart and reinstall it several times, but to no avail. The gaskets looked fine and we just couldn't figure out why it didn't work. So, we ordered a new one on the internet while we were in Kitimat and had it sent to Matt's mom in Bothell, with the instructions to get it shipped to Prince Rupert where we planned to stop next.

To make a long story short, the part did not arrive on schedule and we have so far spent five days in Prince Rupert, and expect to stay a few more. But the real suprise is how much we like it here and how relaxed we have been. It's been a wonderful unexpected vacation. Prince Rupert may not be on the main cruise ship route, but there is something very fun and cozy about the place. Highlights have included: a great Japanese restaurant, lots of internet time, a hike to a lookout (we haven't been above sea level in a long time), lots of walking, lots of great friendly people and dogs, and a night spent at a cozy bed and breakfast (thanks Bobbie!) where we watched oodles of tv (including a re-run of the Deadliest Catch - Bering Sea). It's been a good place just to slow down and regroup. I think we'll be a little sad to leave.

Muskeg revisited

My desire to see muskeg up close was fulfilled. The weather was nice so we rode the bus from Prince Rupert to a nearby park and took a short walk. To my delight the trail took us right to an opening of muskeg. The ground was very springy, and the plants were quite diverse.

Matt took a photo of me pontificating about the plants I was attempting to identify. An additional bonus of this outing was that it was warm enough to wear just a t-shirt. I haven't been this lightly dressed in ages. The 70 degree heat left me feeling a little wilted.

If you look close you'll see a plant that looks a bit like a venus fly trap. I believe that is a round-leaved sundew, which does eat insects. It was very small, no larger than the tip of my little finger. The small light pink flower looked like a shooting star (Dodecatheon) but amazingly tiny. I'm sure it's a related plant, but I was not able to identify exactly what it is.

Log entry

Date/Time: 6/23 0850

Position: 53 59’.349. 130 12’.643 - SE of Kennedy Island

Speed: 6 knots

Course: 353 T

Wind & Weather: partly sunny, cumulus, calm

Barometer: 1013

Remarks: Currently listening on IPod – Matt, Fleet Foxes, Julia, Kings of Leon

Ah, muskeg

A little before the vicinity of Principe Channel we started to notice some peculiarities in the landscape that were unfamiliar to us. At first we just thought they were old clear cuts – scrappy areas where either there were no trees, or very stunted ones. But on closer look we didn’t see the usual tell tales signs of clear cuts – stumps, uniform newer vegetation growth. So we just dismissed them as less fertile patches where nothing grew well.

The other day however I was looking through my copy of ‘Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast’ (Pojar & MacKinnon) and the mystery of these odd vegetation zones was solved. I’ll just quote from the book: “The colloquial term ‘muskeg’ is used to refer to the complex mosaic of fens, bogs, pools, streams, exposed rock and scrubby forest that becomes increasingly common as one proceeds north. Muskeg is widespread over the north coastal lowlands and foothills, which feature an unusual landscape of low rocky hills covered with scrub forest and peatlands. You can see these areas from ferries and boats travelling north to Prince Rupert and southeast Alaska as you thread your way through the archipelagos and fjords of the Inside Passage.”

Now that I know what it is I am kind of fascinated by muskeg, and the amateur naturalist in me would love to take a walk through it rather than just view it from the boat. Muskeg may look dull but actually is home to a diverse variety of plants.

Dinner has never looked so ugly

The above was the first fish I've caught on this trip. It's the first fish I've caught without a dad around to tell me what the heck to do with it once it's caught. Matt's really good at a lot of stuff, but he was no help with this. He hid below while I dealt with the practical matters of how to turn this fish into dinner. I just sort of made it up as I went and reminisced about high school biology dissections. It was a pretty ugly fish for my first catch, but it actually yielded some yummy bits of fillet. It was some species of rock fish.

This was my second fish caught. I dealt with this one with a bit more confidence than the first. It was also exactly what I was trying to catch - a nice flat fish. This one I jigged right from Wecantu at anchor, and it bit within five minutes after I dropped the lure down. This one was even tastier than the rock fish. I've never really had to go hunt down my own dinner so this has been an interesting process to learn.

I am hoping to catch a salmon soon. It hasn't been for lack of trying. Bottom fish are just easier. (PS Brian & Richard - thanks for the fish book!)

Dainty visitor

In a place called Rescue Bay where we anchored for two nights we were visited by several rufous hummingbirds. We have a lot of red things on our boat (mainly lines) and they kept coming by to check them out. I fed hummers year round at my old house and loved it. So seeing all these hummers inspired me to try to make a feeder. It took some variations, but I ended up using a little spice container with a red lid. A hole in the lid wasn't enough to entice, so I took some surgical tubing that happened to be on the boat and fashioned a flower out of it by cutting four slits and tying them back with some fishing line. This little gal in the photo figured it out and became a constant visitor for the day. It's the closest I've been to observing these birds - she was just feet away from our companionway.
Unfortunately we had to leave, and as we raised anchor the next morning it broke our hearts to see her flying around our boat. We rationalized that one day of feeding wasn't enough to make her dependant, but it was still tough to leave her wanting more! I figure she's a tough little thing though. I doubt I could fly the migration route she does to Mexico and back every year!

More Gardner Canal

Can you spot Wecantu? (She's at the base of the avalanche chute in the middle.)

The cliffs were fairly vertical - we were impressed that trees could grow to these heights here.

Gardner Canal

We were intrigued by a few sentences in a guidebook regarding Gardner Canal so we decided to go take a look. We're glad we did - it's by far the most scenic place we've seen from the deck of our boat. Lots of waterfalls, this photo is just the very lower portion at the base of a several thousand foot peak.

Other peaks were in the 5000 foot range, and snow covered.

Best Scrambles and Climbs of the Inside Passage

Our latest project besides fishing is doing research for a book we plan to call 'Best Scrambles and Climbs of the Inside Passage'. Here Matt does some class 4 moves on some grippy rock with bomber handholds near Fury Cove.

The approach entails a dinghy landing on a sandy beach with a short walk over a boulder field. Vertical gain is minimal, about 15 feet, but climbers must be knowledgeable of tides and plan accordingly.

Speaking of planning accordingly, we sure didn't. The other day we checked our propane level and it was shockingly low. We only have one tank, which is something which will change in the near future.

However, when we bought the boat the previous owners left a lot of goodies on the boat, including many cans of sterno. This enabled us to do some simple cooking until we got to Shearwater to re-provision. Thank you Kathy and Dick!

Since we had no propane, I haven't fished. But tomorrow the pole is going back out. Watch out fishies.