July 8, Out of Prince Rupert

Carl headed out early in the morning for the ferry to Port Hardy--we said our goodbyes the night before, but I was sad to see him gone in the morning. Always a pleasure, Dr. Salk!

Near Metlakatla, BC

Moved without much urgency to clear out of the room, got breakfast and coffee, and loaded up the kayak. At one point, realized I had accidentally thrown out the replacement gaskets for my new paddling jacket, so, embarrassed, had to go back and ask to rummage through the hotel's trash to retrieve them.

Once on the water, made slow progress towards Metlakatla, BC, due to a headwind and a lot of commercial and sport fishing traffic. Had to spend a lot of time dodging boats, which kept me out of a favorable current Westward.

Once out in the open, however, the wind died down and vessel traffic headed further offshore, and I was able to make pretty good time.

Ended the day on a beach to the Southwest of Lax Kwalaams, probably at a location used by Dennis Dwyer on his inside passage through hike. The site was not ideal--beach camping with no easily accessible upland sites that I could find--but kept me mostly warm and dry in what had by then become a steady rain. If the tide had been higher, it would have gotten more complicated.