As we make our way north, we keep experiencing wonderful landscapes of British Columbia. Today we woke up in the vicinity of Princess Royal Island. Our morning was a calm one, with wonderful weather, perfect for spending time out on the bow. We entered a protected bay, where the old Butedale Cannery is located. The morning light was ideal for photography, or to simply contemplate the ruins of the old buildings, which blend beautifully with the forest.
We kept sailing north through Grenville Channel. The channel is located between Pitt Island and the mainland of British Columbia. Here, we found a nice inlet to explore for the afternoon activities. Klewnuggit Inlet is a scenic and well protected detour, surrounded by majestic mountains. The steep walls still show on their surface the evidence of unimaginable glacial forces, were a good introduction to the geologic history of entire area that we will continue to explore all the way up to Alaska. We spent the better part of the afternoon exploring by boat, by kayak, and by foot.
On our walks we found our way through the bushes, learning about the different plants that live in this area. Surrounded by western red cedars, western hemlocks and Sitka spruces, we learned about ecological successions and the secrets of the temperate rain forests. By kayak, we spent moments of relaxing solitude, contemplating the steep rocky shorelines that quickly turned into deep forests. We listened to the newly arrived songbirds, and had sporadic views of pacific loons, western grebes and bald eagles.
We picked up the anchor and got underway to continue our explorations of Canada. We all look forward to the extraordinary cultural experiences that we will have in the next few days at Haida Gwaii.
