Ellen
Once again, we got to sleep in. John got up before I did, but I somehow managed to sleep until 8:20! It was foggy when I got up, as usual. We had breakfast out on the point: oatmeal with fruit puree, peppermint tea. Slack tide began about an hour later around 12:20. The whole wheat tortillas I brought to make almond butter banana wraps molded, so I had to pack a freeze-dried meal.
Early in the day, it looked like the fog would burn off early, but it gathered again by noon when we got ready to leave.
Fog was perpetual on this trip, and it never really left the water completely. It would begin to gather again in the late afternoon before it could clear away.
We headed for Swanson Passage, which to our surprise, had a really strong current that we had to paddle against. We had our usual mix of fog and sunshine, both of which linger throughout the day. Once through the passage, we had a much easier time paddling to what the chart called a "good beach" on Creasy Island. It was a gorgeous beach with nice campsites just inside the treeline and a granite pebble beach. There was a tour group their with their guide who came over to chat with us. He gave us some good information about various campsites in the area, which we made note of for next summer's trip.
As we emerged from Swanson Passage, we saw several small islands, one of which was called Lone Tree and another Dot. They were like ghosts in the fog.
After having a lunch of freeze-dried Turkey Thyme (which was quite good), we set out across Knight Inlet to head up a passage to Cedar Island. We wanted to check out the campsite there for next summer's trip. Again, the current in the passage was strong, but moving slower meant we could enjoy the incredible scenery more! We finally emerged and located the campsite, where a few paddlers seem to be taking a rest. Directly across from it on Owl Island was another campsite. We waved hello and continue around the west side of Owl. Once back in Knight Inlet, we cross again to enjoy the close-nit islands, Twist and Whirl. They were one of my favorite spots. The white rocks of the island came right down into the water, and the blue-green water was so clear, I could see the rocks underneath. It was really beautiful.
We headed back for Swanson Passage, thinking the next break in the trees was it but it turned out to be a small cove. Just a little farther along was the passage. We had a little current to contend with, but not like before. We quickly made our way back to Flower.
Once again, we hustled our kitchen and dinner out to the point, though this time we stayed on the rocks out of the wind because I was a little chilled from paddling in neoprene all day. We had our best dinner of the trip: chicken enchiladas verde. Definitely good and definitely easy! Our movie that night was OK: Blood Type Unknown. It was an intriguing idea but not very well executed.
I took a selfie at the dinner site.
John
While Ellen slept in, I moved my attention to the west side of the island. I had heard the whale early in the morning and thought it was really close to our campsite. It was. It was fishing about a hundred yards north of our site. It would come up for air and clear it's spout and go back under the surface. It continued the short dives three or four times and then did a deep dive with the tail going up in the air. While it was under the surface, I spotted a pod of Orcas moving north through Blackfish Sound. I love their sound. There were four or five smaller ones surrounded by two or three larger ones. Another one was off to their west side and treading water as it was diving. It must of had a school of fish in that one small area. Another group followed and were more spread out than the first group. They were moving slower through the sound. With all of them in the same general area I could heard their distinct breathing repeatedly. It gave life to the fog. The humpback whale appeared a mile or so south of it's last dive. It seemed to be keeping its distance from the Orcas.
When the Orca show was over, Ellen joined me with breakfast in her hands. We ate and enjoyed watching the fog lift and thin here and there and thicken in other places. The whales continued to be heard but not seen in the fog. It was a relaxing morning. We made our way slowly back to the campsite and our neighbors had already left. I caught a glimpse of one of their doubles heading west alongside Swanson Island.
Our launch time was scheduled for the ebb slack tide which was at 12:22 pm. The fog rolled out, the fog rolled in as we waited. I took a photo of the island east of us as it sat covered in fog. I checked the NOAA weather channel for the latest forecast. They were predicting fog until noon and gale force wind warnings for Johnstone Strait later in the day.
We returned to camp at 4:25 pm after a 13 mile paddle. We averaged between 3-4 mph. We need to boost that to 4-5 mph. Reading and riding the currents correctly in that area would go far in helping us cover move water in less time and effort.
The return paddle from Cedar Island was beautiful. We hope to camp there next summer.
Our neighbors returned about an hour later. They told us they had paddled west along Swanson Island's south shoreline and watched the many whales off the far western point. They described one whale as having a respiratory problem. They completed their paddle by going through the West Passage.
The evening was beautiful from our place on the rocks. We had discussed the day's paddle and felt good about our findings as we listened for the whale. As we talked about future trips to the area we saw two singles making their way down West Passage and they pointed their bows toward our campsite. More neighbors, I thought. We continued with our wine and discussions about the day and what we should do tomorrow. The two paddlers suddenly appeared standing on the rocks to our left. They maintained a certain distance from us as if they respected our space. They asked about the site and how many campers were already set up. We replied with short answers.
They seemed tired from being on the water all day. They were college age and fit. They both had their PFDs on as they made their inquiries. One was shirtless and was tanned around his PFD. The other, the spokesman, looked like he had been weathered from being outside 24/7. Nice people. They would have made good neighbors. They needed a place to rest and sleep. We didn't encourage them to stay, nor did we discourage them. They left the rocks and we both thought we would find them set up in the campsite when we returned from our rocks. We soon saw them back in their kayaks and headed south to the next campsite.
As I watched them paddle slowly away, I felt like I had let them down as well as myself by not encouraging them to stay with us. I thought back to how many people helped me and encouraged me on my five-week paddle on the Missouri. Once, at Cascade, MT, I had to portage my single and gear two miles. Trucks and pickups zipped by me without a one stopping and offering me a ride. I promised myself at that time to help any hiker, biker, or kayaker that I ever came across who looked in need of a helping hand. I missed my opportunity with those two kayakers. Darn it. I must be a slow learner.
We went to bed early in order to break camp and catch slack tide for the Blackfish Sound crossing early in the morning. It had been a very enjoyable day. The movie was weird.
The red line shows our route out of Swanson Passage to the developed campsite at "good beach" and then to the east side of Jumble Island and into Providence Passage to Cedar Island. The two small islands we paddled between are Whirl and Twist islands.
Summary:
Start paddle to Cedar Island at 12:22 pm 2-3 mph
Lunch at Good Beach at 1:00 4.1 miles
Left Good Beach at 2:05 pm 3-5 mph
Arrived at Cedar Island at 2:48 pm 3-4 mph
Arrived at campsite at 4:25 pm 3 mph 8.9 miles from Good Beach for a total of 13 miles.
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