July 6 and 7, To Prince Rupert

Sadly, my final day paddling with Carl.

The sixth was supposed to be a short day--only about 9 nautical miles-but turned into a bit of a grind due to strong contrary tides and wind. We also spent a fair bit of time worried about incoming cargo traffic; Rupert has several bulk cargo facilities, including a coal facility and a bunch of grain elevators, as well as a container port and a great deal of commercial and sport fishing traffic. Fun to listen to the harbor traffic on the VHF, but a little nerve-wracking, too. Wouldn't be much fun to end the leg in an unpleasant encounter with a bulker.

Sorry to see you go, Dr. Salk!

We made it to the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club by midafternoon. There, we were able to store our kayaks for about ten dollars/day, and store a few things temporarily as we made our way up to Prince Rupert's excellent youth hostel, the Cow Bay Pioneer Guesthouse. We had made a reservation the night before, from Kitson, where I was able to get a cell signal. This was the second time I had stayed at the hostel, the first time also with Carl, two years earlier, after our epic rail journey from Jasper. Certainly more enjoyable to arrive by Kayak. And given our experience with Via Rail Canada, possibly faster as well.

Once in Prince Rupert, we were able to connect up with Skeena Kayaking. Joe, the proprietor, had agreed to hold a package for me, and had expressed some interest in buying Carl's kayak. Ultimately, was able to grab my package and Carl got a fair price for his kayak. We also ate a few meals out, picked up a food box at the post office, and did some grocery shopping, among other errands. Carl also bought a ferry ticket back to Port Hardy, from whence he planned to take a bus back to Sidney. Happy to be in Prince Rupert, but sorry to see an end to a very enjoyable leg of the trip.