– B. Harker
– B. Harker
– B. Harker
– B. Harker
– H. Harbord
– H. Harbord
– H. Harbord
– H. Harbord
– H. Harbord
Princess Louisa Inlet
by Heather Harbord, 29 September 2016.
Nine out of ten members enjoyed our trip up Princess Louisa Inlet. The tenth was too sick to come, and the only person on the waiting list was also unable to fill in. Bryce Christy’s boat, the B-Line, was very comfortable. Everyone could be inside in the well-heated cabin. John Dafoe identified the sea birds we passed and pointed out geological and other interesting natural history features.
No humpbacks showed but, on the way up, we saw lots of Marbled murrelets, Horned, Red-necked and Western grebes, Steller’s sea lions and Surf scoters. The highlight, however, was three Pacific White-sided Dolphins chasing something hiding under the boat. Everyone had a good look at them.
Bryce showed us several pictographs and related the stories told to him by the Sechelt elders. The flush toilets and tour of Malibu Camp were a much appreciated preliminary to the wondrous sight of Chatterbox Falls at the end of Princess Louisa. Without a snow pack up above, the falls were not in full spate, but were still spectacular.
We were the only boat at the dock when we landed. After viewing the falls up close from different angles, we ate lunch in the big gazebo and then marveled at the industriousness of what John thought was likely a grizzly bear. He or she had had a good feed after digging up cow parsnip roots all along the trail beside the shore.
On the way back, we stopped at the spigot of Soda Creek which falls directly into the ocean with much white froth. There were no goats on the heights likely because they were all sheltering under the trees. “This kind of drizzle is pretty normal for here,” John told us. Just as we approached Saltery Bay, three Steller’s sea lions put on a big show of waving their salmon catches above the surface in the manner of Excaliber.
At the end of the trip, John pulled out a basket of pine mushrooms gathered yesterday and gave us all a sample. A great finish to a fun day in the rain.
