Nuchatlitz

Ever since we started spending summers in Bellingham, I've tried to take a couple of extended kayak trips each year. The first one in 2013 was in July to the west coast of Vancouver Island exploring the Esparanza Inlet and Nuchatlitz group of islets.

It would be hard to live anywhere in the US and have it be easier to get to Vancouver Island's west coast than Bellingham but it still requires a full day of travel involving Border crossings, 2 hour ferry rides lots of 2 lane driving and 40+km of gravel roads over the central spine of the island to get to the salt water. As a result we camped in Zeballos and saved the 11 mile paddle to the open Pacific for the next day.

Previous west coast trips had reinforced the need to get on the water early so no one needed a wake up call the next morning. Diurnal winds start blowing up the inlets late morning and make for choppy to ugly conditions by mid afternoon. We curtailed lunch and made it across the well named Rolling Roadstead to Catala Island before the worst conditions hit. Typically by 8pm that evening the wind calmed, the sea flattened and we could look back to the main island shaking our heads!

After yesterday's early start, breakfast was a leisurely affair and our circumnavigation of Catala island was a relaxed one. We hung with sea otters, worked our way into caves and paddled under arches and past seastacks. We wisely returned to camp as the winds got up to 20mph in the lee of the island. The Roadstead was once again rolling!

We left Catala early next morning and crossed the long open stretch to Belmont Point sneaking inside the outer skerries of the Nuchatlitz group as the wind and swell rose. The last mile with steep swells on the stern quarter made for a fun approach to Belmont and kept us pretty much confined to camp for the rest of the day. The fishermen did get out to the kelp beds to fish and I lived up to my reputation as a bear magnet with an encounter on some just offshore islets. We nodded politely at one another and continued in opposite directions!

Belmont proved to be a perfect camp for the windy conditions with sheltered camp sites and a semi hot spring.

On the following day we paddled further up Nuchatlitz Inlet exploring caves on our way to Benson Point but conditions quickly deteriorated and so after checking out the huge camp it was back Belmont in conditions that did not allow for photo taking!

This shot of the outfitter camp at Benson gives barely a hint of conditions on the water. A fairly good rule of thumb is "the clearer the weather the stronger the wind". The open nature of the Inlet funneled the swell and the return journey involved losing sight of paddlers ahead in the troughs.

Our final full day saw us return to the main Nuchatlitz Archipelago and camp on island 40, secure inside the reef but with winds gusting over 30 mph on the Kestrel wind gauge further exploration proved impossible.

Next morning our earliest launch of the trip got us safely back to the vehicles by noon and a midnight return to Bellingham; windburned, sunburned, tired but happy.

Back to the Broads

After a gap of 37 years I made it back to the Norfolk Broads this October. The last time was in 1976 on a Broads cruiser with high school friends before heading off to college. This time, my wife, Helen and my brother, Colin were on board along with one of the originals from high school, Hugh! The Broads are in eastern England and are made up of seven rivers and wide, shallow areas known as "broads". There are no locks, the rivers are tidal and the bridges low. 

By far the best part of the Broads is the multitude of small villages and hamlets that line the river banks. Better still, each one has at least one riverside pub! The surrounding countryside is flat and reclaimed marshland similar to Holland and intensely farmed. The whole area is a National Park though somewhat different to how we classify NPs in the USA, since they have permanent settlements, farming and even industry. The designation is there to "freeze" the area as is and restrict development. The vast majority remains rural and is a very important wildlife preserve.

Over a period of a week we probably motored no more than 60 miles and stayed on the Northern rivers. A similar paced week could be spent south of Great Yarmouth on the Yar and Waveney rivers. We fished, 

visited Medieval churches,

 hiked along footpaths 

and  spent some time drinking beer, Woodforde's Wherry Ale.

Wherries were the 18 wheelers of their day, transporting bulk goods to and from the coastal towns of Gt. Yarmouth and Lowestoft. There is a large interest here in wooden craft and several wherries still sail the rivers

So 37 years later I finally got back and enjoyed myself more than ever, probably because I was sober this time! Helen loved it and wants to return so maybe a couple of years from now we'll get to the South side.

Stehekin

In the eight years that we owned Starfish, our 22 C-Dory, I always wanted to trailer it over to Lake Chelan, a fifty five mile lake on the east side of the Cascades. Never did.

 This last June, Helen and I along with friends Kayleen, Nels, Nell and Andy boarded the Lady of the Lake for the 4 hour trip up to Stehekin a small community at the head of Chelan where we would hang out and explore for four days.

Stehekin can only be reached by water but once there ten miles of road gives access to homes, attractions and a gateway for hikers and climbers in to the Cascade Mountains. The cabin we rented was 3 miles from the boat landing and came complete with rental vehicle for our stay. That vehicle turned out to be a school bus and was a true highlight of our stay!

For such a small community, Stehekin has lots of things to do. Eating at the Stehekin Pastry Co. was our first but not only visit. Over the next few days we wandered up and down the valley in our bus and on foot; 

hiking,

 horseback riding,

and mountain biking.

Other activities include rafting the Stehekin river, kayaking on the lake and flyfishing. Maybe next time!

The Stehekin valley has been settled since the late 1800s and a visit to the Buckner Homestead and orchard is a great way to get a sense of the history here.

And while you are visiting the Buckner homestead don't forget to walk up to Rainbow Falls. My photo doesn't do it justice and it's way beyond visual. Figure on getting wet and deafened too!

This place really worked for us and led to talk of coming again. The quiet, laid-back atmosphere combined with the multitude of things to do is a good mix but mostly the Bus!

We rented a cabin and brought food with us. There is little in the way of groceries and restaurants. There is an all inclusive ranch option but for us the cabin was the way to go.