Prince Rupert

Paddling to Prince Rupert
Paddling to Prince Rupert

As we left our campsite and paddled our kayaks North not more than 50 yards down the beach we spotted a wolf stalking three seagulls that were standing on a log. It looked to be a yearling and was out to have some fun. But instead of charging after the birds it caught site of us paddling not more the 10 yards off shore and decided to find out what we were. I have never been so close to a wolf.  It sauntered slowly down toward the water. It made me feel like there are still places in this world untouched enough by humans that we are an oddity, something to be curious about, not something to be feared.
As we rounded the bend of Kennedy Island we saw a gigantic cargo ship just bobbing out in the open waters. 
Fog was setting in all around us so we took a bearing as we made our way toward Prince Rupert. Its funny how fast fog can roll in and then be gone in no time. It makes your surroundings so small but endless at the same time.

After two weeks without seeing a town we look across the Skeena River at Port Edward and Prince Rupert. It is the deepest harbor in North America. So good that they have filled in between two islands to make more room for goods to be loaded and unloaded. As we paddled past the massive ships I look at all the cargo containers. I wondered what is in them and where they will go.

The port and docks seem to stretch on for miles, all together we passed 7 large cargo ships all with there own distinct names. Dodging boats and punching through large waves created by all the traffic makes me think that this might be our most dangerous situations we will have, not wild animals or natural waves and storms but all the boat traffic zooming back and forth. It’s like we are in the game Frogger. 

We finally find our way to Cow Bay Marina and find a place to dock our boats and called around for a place to stay. We settle in on a B and B close to our boats and central to everything which is really nice since we don’t have to make too many trips back and forth. We decided to stay two nights and enjoy the town and wash and dry some gear and clothes out. It had been 5 straight days of rain and a couple of or things were starting to mildew and stink. Also having a proper shower was a luxury after almost three weeks without. 
Wandering around we find great seafood restaurants, a coffee house and small gift shops of all types.

Bob’s on the Rocks for great fish and chips

They also have all the normal town stuff like Safeway, Walmart and McDonald’s. Not sure if people were driving fast or we were still feeling like we were moving at 2 mph, but I think I enjoyed the slow pace we had. Prince Rupert not only has a great shipping port but is known for sports fishing and sightseeing. They offer tours out to a bear sanctuary, whale watching and first nation art/petroglyphs. Many people get on the BC ferry from Vancouver to come up for a weekend. It also has a great museum with lots of first nation exhibits for you to look at. As Anna enjoyed her Vanilla Iced Latte and we were glad we had a dry roof over our head, we talked of how much we missed our tent and solitude. Prince Rupert is a nice town but we can’t what to see what’s around the next corner.

Heading north
Heading north

0 comments

  1. Paddling past those large cargo ships sounds daunting! Totally understand wanting to get back to your tent and the wild. How do you like your Big Agnes tent?

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