Port Hardy, at the end of Vancouver Island

We made it to Port Hardy after SO MUCH WIND! This blog post we are going to alternate days writing, starting with Casey. 

Leg 2: Powell River to Port Hardy. 175 miles, 12 days. 

Day 11: We left Powell River around 9am and headed north. A few miles in we passed a massive paper mill plant with many old rusty WW2 ships that were anchored as their breakwater. Pretty eerie to be paddling through a graveyard of 300 foot long vessels. But the excitement of our day was just beginning. 

About 1 hour later, we stopped to watch a pod of 8-10 Pacific White-Sided dolphins careen by us. They were leaping fully out of the water traveling at breakneck speeds, only about 100 feet from us. But as if that weren’t enough, we looked up to see a pod of Transient Killer Whales chasing the dolphins. However, where the dolphins looked panicked and hasty, the orca were calm, cool, and collected. They didn’t seem to be traveling exceptionally fast, but they weren’t moving slow, either. 

Once the cetaceans we’re gone and the moment passed, we continued on. We hadn’t made it too far when Brooke gasped and pointed to shore. “Casey I see a bear!!” And sure enough, a lone black Bear was on shore looking out at us. He watched us for a minute then sauntered back into the forest. Brooke shed some tears of joy as that was the first bear she’s ever seen and they’re her absolute favorite animal. 

We were headed just past Lund today. Lund is a very small town but has a “famous” bakery (among Inside Passage travelers) called Nancy’s Bakery. The Bakery closed at 4pm, and we made it into Lund at 3:55. The Bakery was still open! We grabbed some delicious pastries and a couple of beers and sat on the deck talking to some locals and to each other about what we’d seen. From there we paddled another hour or so to the Copeland Islands for camp. The park had made beautiful tent platforms so we were able to have a perfect view of the sunset as we went to sleep. 

Day 12: Casey had been dreaming of entering Desolation sound for a long time, and I was able to learn why today. We left the Copeland’s around 8:30am that morning to calm seas. Our goal today was to get to Teakerne Arm and see Cassel falls. The first 3 miles to Sarah point flew by. As we came around Sarah point the scenery significantly changed. Layers of islands with snow capped mountains came into view. Both Casey and I were ecstatic. We kept thinking about how lucky our friends William and Hannah have been to spend weeks up here in a family cabin. After a quick snack break we hopped from Kinghorn island to Martin island, and then to West Redonda Island. Once in Lewis Channel we started to fight the flood current and our speed slowed down significantly. The winds picked up around the entrance to Teakerne arm as we screamed “This better be worth it!” To our 2.5 mile detour to the falls. An hour or two later, it was worth it as we marveled at the crashing waterfalls. Cassel falls comes down from Cassel lake at the head of Teakerne Arm. It’s a crazy site to see, freshwater water falling into the salty sea water with such force. We played around taking pictures awhile until we felt we needed to find a campsite. We were told there were some camp sites around the arm, but were worried they wouldn’t be protected much from the winds. Luckily we found one on the northwest side of the arm, flat, protected, and even with a freshwater source! We set up camp, had dinner, and settled in for the night. 

Day 13: We woke up early with the anticipation of a long day ahead of us. Heading out of Teakerne arm we continued up Lewis Channel. As the day progressed, it started to heat up and we were able to paddle in t-shirts and really work on our tans. We saw a handful of boats, but other than that we hardly saw any sign of human activity. During a snack break on a beach on the mainland, we were greeted by a humpback - our first of the trip! The sound of its blows were the only thing breaking the silence while we sat in the sun. It was happily swimming and feeding in the channel, and briefly came very close to the beach so we were able to have a good look at it. 

Onward! We crossed over to Stuart Island, where the we start the third Crux of our trip - the Discovery Island Rapids. First up was Yuculta Rapids, the worst of the 4 Rapids we would encounter. We reached Stuart island at 4pm but couldn’t pass through Yuculta until 7:45, when it was slack. So we sat on the dock of a super private resort we won’t name, and we weren’t even allowed to leave the dock. So we played cribbage and napped and almost 4 hours later we hopped into our boats and rode the end of the ebb current to Big Bay. 

What a different world it is up here. We’ve been paddling in serene solitude for a few days now, and we’re amazed to see around 8 or 10 MASSIVE high-end fishing lodges. These places charge $900 per person per day. Luckily for us we were able to camp on the lawn of the General Store. 

Day 14: After sleeping almost 12 hours, we got up and made breakfast under the pavilion of the general store. We still hadn’t met anyone here in Big Bay, when Tara, one of the owners of the general store came to open up the store and the post. She was so welcoming and kind. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and relaxed as we couldn’t leave until 2:30pm because of the current. 

After showers, walking the docks, a nice phone call to my mom, and conversations with locals, we finally packed up and headed off. As said before, we couldn’t leave until 2:30pm because of the current. 

Our next rapids, Dent Rapids, we’re 2 miles away and we had to hit them just right or we would be in for an adventure. We started off going though the last part of the Yuculta Rapids on the tail end of a flood which turned out to be difficult. The eddyline to get into the current was super strong and both of us, when we finally made it through, said it was the hardest we have ever paddled. In the San Juan’s, we might have to paddle hard if caught in a rip or current around a point, but you can usually get through it relatively quickly. This time, I questioned if I was ever going to make it after paddling hard for 4+ minutes and barely moving. But after about 8 minutes of paddling we were able to see the forward progress and headed towards Dent Rapids. Dent Rapid has a nice little sneaky way between Dent island and the mainland. For a bit it looked like we were paddling in a shallow river. But we made it through and could relax a bit knowing that two out of our four rapids were done. 

We kept paddling for 15 more miles in windy windy weather reaching Lorte island at dusk. We couldn’t find a decent spot in Lorte, so we opted to check out the broken down resort and restaurant next to Lorte. It was very creepy knowing the resort had been a happy place back when our guidebook was published. Parts of the docks were now sunk and there was a lot of damage everywhere. We decided to pull our boats onto the heli landing and camp there for the night. I personally was freezing making dinner and pretty sketched out as we laid in our sleeping bags. The waves moving the dock made it seem like someone was walking toward us on the dock. Thankfully I had my Casey to tell me it’s all good and that no one was there. We both ended up sleeping soundly as the waves died down pretty quickly. 

Day 15: A slow morning on the docks allowed us to explore the ruins of the Cordero Lodge. Seeing it in daylight was less creepy than at night, but was still pretty eerie. Our date with the Green Point Rapids wasn’t until 2:30. Conveniently for us, the winds picked up right on time at 2:15 so we had a solid headwind all the way through the rest of Cordero Channel and up into Welborne Channel. The ebb current helped us but paddling against the wind is never easy. 

Here we encountered our fourth and last rapid of the leg: whirlpool rapids. We hit it near the end of the ebb and enjoyed a 3 knot push full of boils and eddylines to our camp at Althorp Point on Hardwick Island. We were cruising! We camped just above the previous high tide line and set the alarm for 1am to make sure the high tide wasn’t going to flood our tent. The water got a couple feet away but didn’t touch us, so we went back to sleep. 

Day 16: Another day of wind had us pretty low energy as we packed up our stuff and heading around Althorp point. The winds had been steady 15-25 knots for the last few days and it was really affecting our mental game. Our goal for the day was only 11 miles, to Tuna Point. We slogged along and almost gave up a few times because of the wind and waves. A few hours in, Casey, a little ahead of me stopped and said “Bear!” So I paddled up to him and we saw the CUTEST little bear family. There was a momma and two cubs who were looking for food on the beach. The cubs looked about the size of a full sized domestic cat! So teeny!! It really brightened our day.  We got into Blenkinsop bay around 1pm and searched for a decent camp spot. After finding nothing and continuelously being hammered by the wind we decided to go to the other side of the by looking for a site. Still having no luck, we decided to push on to Port Neville in hopes of finding somewhere to hide from the wind. 

We pulled into Port Neville after some huge waves and lots of wind and Casey constantly trying to reason with the wind (sounds a bit like “I know wind, you’re having a lot of fun and you are totally in control, but it’s okay if you want to relax a little bit. Doesn’t have to be a lot! And don’t feel pressured. But naps are great and you know what? You deserve a nap!”). We found the Hansen homestead property and wandered around a bit. We didn’t see anyone around, and despite the private property signs we set up our tent in a sheltered spot. Our hope was if anyone came by they would understand our need to hide from the wind. The wind was blowing very hard. Plus, our next known campsite was 10 miles away.

 We set up the tent, found lots of bear scat, made dinner, and just as we were done saw a black bear eating grass on the property! I stared and stared, awestruck at how cute it was while Casey packed up dinner and bear proofed our stuff. Around that time a boat came up to the docks and two people started unloading their bags. Up came Steve and Bernie Hansen, whose great-great grandfather first homesteaded in Port Neville in the late 1800s. They welcomed us to their property and invited us to stay as long as we needed to to hide from the wind. It was late, so we didn’t chat much and instead went to bed, dreaming about black bears and tiny bear cubs. 

Day 17: Woke up at 5am to check the wind and weather forecast. It’s common for the wind to lull in the early dawn hours, but that was not the case today. Gale warning in effect for the day, so back to bed we went. During the day we napped, read, and had some coffee with Bernie, Steve, Ron (Steve’s brother) and Ron, a gentlemen who lived nearby and had about 10,000 stories to tell- some of them are even true. 

We were able to learn all about the Hansen Property and see inside the old General Store/Post Office. The first building built by Hans Hansen in the 1800s served as his house and business. 

That evening Bernie and Steve invited us in for a delicious warm dinner, and opened up a cabin on the property for us to stay in. We got to sleep indoors that night on a real bed in our sleeping bags. The cabin was built in the 1920’s by Steve’s grandfather, Olaf (Ollie) and even had a flush toilet! 

Day 18: Hoping for a more calm morning, we again woke at 5am and looked out the window. The forecast said northwest winds 15-25 knots increasing to 25-35 in the afternoon. Gale warning in effect. We could see white caps in the Strait, but we got up and got dressed anyways. We went back and forth a few times but ultimately decided that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Not moving at all the day before had us feeling like we should try and move, even 10 miles to the Broken island. After a text to my mom (who said it’s okay not to move another day and to listen to the feeling saying not to go out if it’s too windy), we crawled back into bed and slept a few more hours. 

Once we woke up again, we had ample time to study the charts and read. We wandered the property and bumped into Bernie who had kindly asked the neighbors if they would be up for a visit from two staranded kayakers - mostly to give us something to do. We had heard about the artwork done by an artist on the other side of the bay and were interested in seeing her work. Around 1:30pm we kayaked to the other side of the bay (about half a mile) and had coffee and cookies with these kind residents. They moved to Port Neville 30+ years ago and have been perfecting their homestead ever since. Casey and I tried to memorize the property in hopes of building something similar for us in the future. After seeing the beautiful art, exploring the huge garden, and having pleasant conversation, we headed back with some fresh produce grown from their garden. My favorite were the Shitake mushrooms. Yum! We made a fantastic pizza for dinner and apple rubarb cobbler for dessert and hoped for better seas in the morning. 

Day 19: Forecasts had only improved a little, wind 15-20 knots during the day, and they weren’t forecast to increase a ton in the afternoon. We set out early and by 7am were headed towards the Broken Islands. The stretch from Port Neville to the Broken Islands are considered by some to be the windiest stretch of Johnstone Strait, a Strait that is already characterized by the frequent westerly winds it sees. 

Before reaching the Broken Islands, being helped by an ebb current, we were surprised to hear and see a humpback momma and calf surface between us and shore, they were pretty darn close! They were much faster than us and we paddled through the waves with occasional views at their backs and the mist from their blows. 

From the Broken Islands we decided the waves were manageable enough to cross Johnstone. A two mile crossing and five miles along shore put us at Naka Creek Campground on Vancouver Island, a user maintained campground that is road accessible. Later that evening we were joined by 6 or 7 guys that were camping at Naka. They worked for environmental non-profit organizations and were out here checking out clear cut forests and old growth forests. One of them was working on a documentary to show the effects of logging in BC. They seemed like our kind of people and were excited to learn more about what they were doing. 

Day 20: The forecasts today said 25-35 knots pretty much all day, so we knew we weren’t going anywhere. We slept in, had a good breakfast, and started to wander around. The winds were blowing hard and we had all of our layers on. We started walking out to the road, a forest service road used almost exclusively by massive logging trucks, and walked up and down the road for a couple of miles. We hoped to get a view of the water, but the road was only there to be able to cut down more trees, so we never really got a chance. It’s crazy how many trees they are clear cutting on Vancouver Island right now. Massive 600 year old growths are being cut down, slamming into the ground, and shattering. The whole trip we were seeing big clear cut areas and wondering how the forest must have looked without the impact of humans. Now we were up close and personal with the forests that had disappeared. It left some uneasy feelings that we were able to process more by talking to the guys back at the site. 

They had spent 10 hours wandering around the logging sites where they saw the carelessness of the logging crews letting trees fall the “wrong” way which makes the trees unuseable. They said themselves that the feelings of the day weighed heavy on them as we stood around a nice fire and cracked Game of Thrones jokes. The forecast for the next day was a little better than today’s and we were hoping to move forward again. 

Day 21: The winds had calmed down considerably and were only blowing about 10 knots against us as we packed up and left our friends and Naka Creek. As we left a Steller sea lion scared us again (they are known to come straight for you and then stop inches away). The ebb current helped us crank out some miles and we were making great time. The wind even died down for a while. 

18 miles later, around 3pm, we arrived in Telegraph Cove, a very small little cove lined with a boardwalk and restaurants and shops. It’s still early in the season so all but one restaurant was closed. After checking out an extremely well put together whale museum (for the northern residents) we sat down for a burger and beer at the one open restaurant. 

Full of food we didn’t cook ourselves, we left Telegraph Cove and headed 3 more miles to Alder Bay, a private campground with showers. 

Day 22: We left bright and early hoping to get to Peel island, an island 6 miles away from Port Hardy and known for a beautiful white sand beach. We made the first 11 miles to Lady Ellen point in just over 2 hours. We were flying! The water was glass and it felt so nice to ride the current with no wind. We pushed the next 14 miles to Peel island in one go- the longest we had sat in our kayaks with no stops. I even was able to call my mom while paddling, using my headphones. We chatted for a half hour while on that 14 mile stretch. Our bums and legs were pretty mad at us when we stopped in Deer Island (right next to Peel) for lunch. By that time, we figured we might as well push all the way to Port Hardy, making it a 31 mile day! As we came around Dillion point we encountered our first real winds of the day. We had been fighting the flood for a bit so it just added to the fight. I kept reminding Casey of the glass we paddled through earlier in the day to keep his mind positive. 31 miles is a long way. 

Nearing Hardy Bay, we saw a critter that I thought was a seal... but it was actually our first Sea Otter! Boy are they cuties. We saw 5 of them in our way into Port Hardy. My favorite was one who came up pretty close to us, swimming in it’s back with an urchin. It kept swimming closer, not knowing we were there until it noticed us - about 5 feet from our bows! 

Knowing the hostel we were staying at was by the government wharf, we paddled to it, unsure where we were going to keep our kayaks. We talked to the Coast Guard a bit before learning that our Hostel had space for the boats. 

Anne and Rob (owners of the hostel) met us by the water with a dolly for our kayaks and trucked our gear up to the hostel. What treatment! We plan on staying here in Port Hardy for 3 nights before starting the next leg of our journey. 

Thanks everyone for the support and for reading our long rambling posts! Special shout out to Bernie and Steve Hansen and the Port Neville crew. Our hearts are full with happiness thinking of you all. 

We will post again when we get to Shearwater! (If we find service) Send hope of calm seas while we navigate this next section, some big cruxes in our future! 

-Casey and Brooke