WxMan
Adventurer
This spring my wife and I finally got a chance to visit a place we've always wondered about, the Queen Charlotte Islands about 120 km west of the outer islands of the northern BC coastline.
On Friday the tenth of May we set out from our home in Edmonton and drove west. After a long day of driving we found ourselves west of Prince George looking for a place to camp. There are many BC Forest Service rec sites out this way but most were inaccessable due their location on unused, and hence unplowed logging roads. After being foiled a few times we finally found a place to camp at Cobb Lake.
Cobb Lake Rec Site mud hole.
All the melting snow had turned this site into a mud hole. The whole area was gently sloped towards the lake and it was extremely difficult to maneuver the truck and trailer around. After shoveling the snow out of the fire pit I found that there was about eight inches of ice at the bottom. We lit a fire on top of the ice anyway.
The road down to the lake was quite steep and snow covered. That and the mud had me a little concerned about getting out in the morning. When we awoke the next morning things seemed just a little too quiet. When I stuck my head out of the tent I found out why. It was snowing heavily, great huge flakes. Fortunately it had just started and we quickly got ourselves together and headed out. Temperatures just around the freezing mark had solidified the mud just enough and we trucked up the snow covered hill without any difficulty.
Leaving Cobb Lake
From Cobb Lake we headed west again towards Prince Rupert where we would catch a ferry to Skidigate on the Queen Charlotte Islands. We arrived in Prince Rupert late and spent the night in a hotel as there was no where handy to camp. Sunday we spent the day around Prince Rupert where it rains a lot so we were fortunate to have a decent weather day. By the time we got on the ferry though it was pouring with rain. The ferry to Skidegate takes about 6 1/2 hours and on this day didn't leave until 11pm. We got ourselves a stateroom to sleep in on the ferry but sleep didn't come easy. That ferry we found out later was had been in service for 29 years and 5 months and everything rattled like you wouldn't believe. Fortunately the seas in Hecate strait were fairly calm so it wasn't too bad a ride.
We were off the ship at about 6am Monday morning and immediately headed through the village of Queen Charlotte on our way to the one road that accesses the west side of Graham Island. Rennell Sound was our goal but it wasn't to be.
Rennell Main FSR
The Rennell Main Forest Service Road started out fine but as we gained elevation quickly became snow covered. I thought that snow might be a bit of an issue at this time of year but I didn't expect there would be that much still around. Eventually the snow became too deep and the tracks that we were driving in turned from vehicle to snowmobile. It was at that point that we gave in and turned around. It was also raining steadily which was a fitting compliment to my disappointment at not being able to make it over the pass.
Plan B saw us retrace our tracks and then head north to Tlell. There we set up camp and went for a walk on the beach. The weather on the east side of the island was improving but the wind remained very cool.
Tlell Beach
Tuesday morning we packed up and headed north to Agate beach on the north coast of Graham Island. What a spectacular location. We had the best weather of the trip here and were very thankful for that. We set up camp and then set out to hike Tow hill.
Agate Beach Camp.
View from Tow Hill.
The Blow Hole.
At the base of Tow hill we checked out the 'Blow hole'.
Sunset at Agate Beach.
Wednesday we headed south with plans to take a small ferry to Moresby Island. The wife was getting antsy for a shower so we stopped at a laundromat that advertised hot showers in Skidegate but their hot water wasn't working so no go. We tried again when we reached the town of Sandspit on Moresby Island but that wasn't happening either. We made our way along many km's of logging roads to our next camp at Gray Bay. I pulled out the Zodi Extreme portable shower but the wife wasn't willing to strip down and shower in 20kts of wind with a temperature not far above freezing. So we settled on staying clothed and just washed our hair.
Thursday morning we make our way a few km's north and hiked a short trail to Secret Cove. It was a nice spot but the weather wasn't great so we didn't hang around long.
Secret Cove Trail.
In the afternoon we took the little ferry back to Skidegate and that evening we got in line for the ferry back to Prince Rupert. It was supposed to leave at midnight but was delayed because of high winds in Hecate strait. Incidentally we found out that we were going to be on the last ever sailing from Skidegate of the Queen of Prince Rupert. She was being retired after over 29 years of service. They even had a little party for her and many of the locals came out to wish her well. Unfortunately due to the inclement weather we ended up pulling away at 3:15am, and since we weren't able to get a stateroom had to sleep on the floor in the lounge. Despite the rough seas it wasn't that bad a ride. It was pouring rain again in Prince Rupert when we arrived at 9:30am the next morning.
We spent the next two uneventful days driving back to Edmonton.
On Friday the tenth of May we set out from our home in Edmonton and drove west. After a long day of driving we found ourselves west of Prince George looking for a place to camp. There are many BC Forest Service rec sites out this way but most were inaccessable due their location on unused, and hence unplowed logging roads. After being foiled a few times we finally found a place to camp at Cobb Lake.
Cobb Lake Rec Site mud hole.
All the melting snow had turned this site into a mud hole. The whole area was gently sloped towards the lake and it was extremely difficult to maneuver the truck and trailer around. After shoveling the snow out of the fire pit I found that there was about eight inches of ice at the bottom. We lit a fire on top of the ice anyway.
The road down to the lake was quite steep and snow covered. That and the mud had me a little concerned about getting out in the morning. When we awoke the next morning things seemed just a little too quiet. When I stuck my head out of the tent I found out why. It was snowing heavily, great huge flakes. Fortunately it had just started and we quickly got ourselves together and headed out. Temperatures just around the freezing mark had solidified the mud just enough and we trucked up the snow covered hill without any difficulty.
Leaving Cobb Lake
From Cobb Lake we headed west again towards Prince Rupert where we would catch a ferry to Skidigate on the Queen Charlotte Islands. We arrived in Prince Rupert late and spent the night in a hotel as there was no where handy to camp. Sunday we spent the day around Prince Rupert where it rains a lot so we were fortunate to have a decent weather day. By the time we got on the ferry though it was pouring with rain. The ferry to Skidegate takes about 6 1/2 hours and on this day didn't leave until 11pm. We got ourselves a stateroom to sleep in on the ferry but sleep didn't come easy. That ferry we found out later was had been in service for 29 years and 5 months and everything rattled like you wouldn't believe. Fortunately the seas in Hecate strait were fairly calm so it wasn't too bad a ride.
We were off the ship at about 6am Monday morning and immediately headed through the village of Queen Charlotte on our way to the one road that accesses the west side of Graham Island. Rennell Sound was our goal but it wasn't to be.
Rennell Main FSR
The Rennell Main Forest Service Road started out fine but as we gained elevation quickly became snow covered. I thought that snow might be a bit of an issue at this time of year but I didn't expect there would be that much still around. Eventually the snow became too deep and the tracks that we were driving in turned from vehicle to snowmobile. It was at that point that we gave in and turned around. It was also raining steadily which was a fitting compliment to my disappointment at not being able to make it over the pass.
Plan B saw us retrace our tracks and then head north to Tlell. There we set up camp and went for a walk on the beach. The weather on the east side of the island was improving but the wind remained very cool.
Tlell Beach
Tuesday morning we packed up and headed north to Agate beach on the north coast of Graham Island. What a spectacular location. We had the best weather of the trip here and were very thankful for that. We set up camp and then set out to hike Tow hill.
Agate Beach Camp.
View from Tow Hill.
The Blow Hole.
At the base of Tow hill we checked out the 'Blow hole'.
Sunset at Agate Beach.
Wednesday we headed south with plans to take a small ferry to Moresby Island. The wife was getting antsy for a shower so we stopped at a laundromat that advertised hot showers in Skidegate but their hot water wasn't working so no go. We tried again when we reached the town of Sandspit on Moresby Island but that wasn't happening either. We made our way along many km's of logging roads to our next camp at Gray Bay. I pulled out the Zodi Extreme portable shower but the wife wasn't willing to strip down and shower in 20kts of wind with a temperature not far above freezing. So we settled on staying clothed and just washed our hair.
Thursday morning we make our way a few km's north and hiked a short trail to Secret Cove. It was a nice spot but the weather wasn't great so we didn't hang around long.
Secret Cove Trail.
In the afternoon we took the little ferry back to Skidegate and that evening we got in line for the ferry back to Prince Rupert. It was supposed to leave at midnight but was delayed because of high winds in Hecate strait. Incidentally we found out that we were going to be on the last ever sailing from Skidegate of the Queen of Prince Rupert. She was being retired after over 29 years of service. They even had a little party for her and many of the locals came out to wish her well. Unfortunately due to the inclement weather we ended up pulling away at 3:15am, and since we weren't able to get a stateroom had to sleep on the floor in the lounge. Despite the rough seas it wasn't that bad a ride. It was pouring rain again in Prince Rupert when we arrived at 9:30am the next morning.
We spent the next two uneventful days driving back to Edmonton.
