Kayaking the Inside Passage, we experienced the wild coast and are raising awareness of environmental issues effecting the coastal ecosystem and communities and along the IP.

The Lower Stikine

On July 15th we starting paddling down the Stikine river from Telegraph Ck in Northern British Columbia. Boats were loaded until gear was strapped all over the rigging on the decks and we set off after reading a quote from John Muir about this section of the Stikine “A Yosemite 100 miles long”. What a treat we were in for!

However to get to the put in we had about a 12 hour drive from Smithers so were getting pretty stoked when we drove the final section from Dease lake, to Telegraph Ck. The road here follows the infamous Grand Canyon of the Stikine, the tight canyon walls compress the enormous river for 72km and so we stopped at ever opportunity trying to get a look in. As well as looking into the river canyon I couldn’t help but be astonished by the amount of fire damage that has occurred through this valley.

The small community of Telegraph Creek sits on the surrounding hills of Stikine river some 260km from the Ocean. We arrived earlier in the afternoon and had time to meet some of the locals and visit the new Stikine Museum. Pictures lined every square inch of wall space and there was an animated story behind every photo and artefact if you asked. What intrigued me most was seeing the past collection of paddle steamers that navigated the Lower Stikine river, it gave me confidence that the river coudnt be too technical for my sea kayak. One of these paddle steamers was how John Muir first explored the watershed and gave me the first look into how towns along the Coast must have been real bustling towns 100 years ago when Salmon ran thick and logging was in full swing.

It was also shocking to see how many of the town buildings had been caught in the fire, apparently 33 structures were burnt to the ground. Clearly it will be a long time before they are back on their feet. Those wanting to support the rebuild can do so here https://telegraphcreekrebuildingfund.com

The Stikine Museum

Easy Miles

Paddling the Stikine was an absolute joy, the first day we paddled almost 100km winding our way through the coast mountains peaking hanging glaciers and enjoying the easy miles. Highlights include catching fish, Chief Shakes hot pools and meeting locals with great stories and great recommendations for our next camp. Just by chance the day after soaking in the hot pools we ran into my buddy Brendan at Kakwan point! He had been working on the river with three others counting King salmon coming up the river and also building a new Parks hut for the summer. They treated us to a hot meal and we had a healthy pancake breakfast to start the next day, our final on the river.

The smell of coastal air

I didn’t realise that I missed the smell of coastal air until the first day we spent paddling up to Leconte glacier. It is truely a special thing to be surrounded by the smell of a rainforest, gigantic Spruce, Hemlock, Cedar scents mixed with the salty ocean and DMSP (dimethylsulfoniopropionate created by phytoplankton). There is a feeling of being at home in this living part of the planet, it’s soaking up carbon and pumping out fresh O2.

High pressure days - starting with fog banks and clearing to an absolute smoker!

Glaciers, Salmon and head winds

Getting to the coast was an incredible moment, the scenery completely changed and the water came to life. We initially paddled up to Leconte glacier, tide pushing bergs past us, seals resting upon them. Camping that night close enough to hear the sounds of ice moving was a special moment. Although we no longer have the river pushing us along we knew that timing tides was going crucial to enjoy winding ourselves through passages and inlets over the next month.

Leconte glacier is the southern most tidewater glacier on the coast and is rapidly retreating. Our charts showed the glacier terminus probably 5km from where we saw it. Ice constantly flows into the ocean and as the tide ebbs a river of ices exits the bay and is deposited onto dry flats, the delta at the end of the Stikine. This creates a beautiful natural ice museum at low tide.

We then set the compass to South and headed for Wrangell for some ice-cream and peaches.

From Wrangell we again, pointed south and started paddling on a beeeeautiful sunny day with tail winds and fresh veggies in the boat, but alas it wouldn’t last long. For about the next 12days it was low pressure system after low pressure system swinging up at us from the south. We started to think maybe there is a reason most kayakers paddle the inside passage South to North… The joke became, a morning headwind wakes you up more than that shitty Costco coffee. Still we had many great days on the water and it always seemed to clear up as we pulled into a bay to set up camp. We caught more fish and really perfected the pancake breakfasts.

During this couple of weeks of bad weather we dialled in waking up early and finishing before the wind peaked in the afternoon. It took a few goes to find the optimum time to be paddling but we started aiming for wake up at 3:30am for a 5am start. We met a couple of legends along the way, kayakers who had spent many summers on the coast exploring as well as fishermen who had been doing the same. Although we only ran into about 5 other kayakers until we reached BellaBella. This fish came as a gift after probably 10hours of paddling around Dixon Entrance, we had been towing our lure for the last couple of hours with nothing but seaweed jumping on so while Tim was trying tow in another piece of giant kelp a Seiner pulled up to us an passed down this monster!

A tough job eating all that salmon but we managed it.

Back in Canadian waters

Things really improved for us weather wise once we made it into Canadian waters. A high pressure system rolled in and foggy mornings were followed by blue bird days and tail winds! Once again easy miles.

We had two epic side trips while in the BC central coast, firstly up in the Fiordlands park. This park is remote, wild, and has very few spots to camp that aren’t beside salmon creeks… and salmon = bears. We had glorious weather in Fiordland the waters cascading down gigantic granite walls was incredible reminding me so much of New Zealand’s own Fiordland National Park. We saw our first brown bear of the trip while exploring Mussel Inlet. He quickly disappeared to the forrest and we were left walking up a creek feeling like we were walking uninvited in someones home.

Secondly after refuelling in Bella Bella we paddled in the Hakai region. Calvert island and the island chain to the north is an absolute gem of the central BC coast. We started seeing more Sea Otters, Killer whales and a diversity of sea birds we had not seen anywhere else. Wolf prints were left on the vast sandy beaches making us feel a deeper connection to wildlife.

Cape of conclusion

After exploring the Hakai region we had one final obstacle before the final stretch to Hardy. Cape Caution, this spot had been built up in our minds after hearing about it from other kayakers and reading in guides and accounts from other paddlers. This stretch of coast is notorious for waves building to three times normal heights because of the shallow bathymetry and how open it is to pacific swells.

We stayed two nights a beautiful paddlers cabin waiting for light winds and smaller swell. Checking the radio for weather again and again set off at sparrows fart through morning fog and then the day opened into a beauty for the crossing!

This was the final challenge of the voyage and once past it we truely felt like it was all down hill from here. We are going to finish this thing! It was an incredible feeling, we started getting a little nostalgic and paddled a little slower remembering the diversity of landscapes we have passed.

This is just a short trip report and many more photos and memories need to be shared soon!

-Blake