HAIDA GWAI KAYAK TOUR

Haida Gwai Kayak Tour June 3-10, 1996

June 3,4. – Drove Castlegar to Prince Rupert. 18 hours. Stayed in a motel.

June 5 – Ferry to Queen Charlottes – 11 am to 5:30 pm. Ferry to Sandspit on Moresby. Stayed at Seaport Bed & Breakfast.

June 6. Up at 05:30 to be picked up by Harbour Air at 06:20 but they couldn’t land in Rose Harbour due to fog. Eventually, we took off at 11:30 in a Beaver and flew along the east coast of Moresby Island to Rose Harbour. Met our guides Ian and Goertz who took us by boat to the beach and lunch. Rose Harbour is an old whaling station in a very protected harbour. We had lunch and paddled over to Fanny Bay with very nice sites in trees, a creek and deer. Camp.

June 7. Up at 6 am, had breakfast at 8 and were paddling by 10 to the very protected harbour on the north side of Skung Gwai. We walked to the Watchman’s cabin. It was like an original longhouse (skylight in a hole in the roof, a long open kitchen/dining/sitting room, and 2 small bedrooms). There was Shirley (Capt. Gold’s sister), two other Indians plus 5 Park’s people. Eventually, we hiked to Ninstints by the new trail back to the beach, and explored the NW corner and views to the west. We returned to Ninstints at 6 pm, all alone, with nice photographs.
Late paddle over to Louschsone Point, a south-facing long inlet. We camped on a midden, large, mossy, beautiful, almost full moon, pink clouds.

June 8. Paddled to Gordons. Rain +++, nice beach on the opposite side with short table and campsites, arch, neat tide pools of green anemones and mussels in rose background.

June 9. Paddled around south Gordons and Ross Island, Rain +++, good tarp system.

June 10. Late start. Paddled up to the end of Rose Inlet – old fishing wier, big cedars, culturally modified trees. Lunch at the old camp. Camped at Ross Island.

June 11. Dinner Susan’s. Fly back to Sandspit.