Hardy Bay to Ft Rupert Trail

A family of common mergansers has taken over the harbor. I liked the blue background in this photo.
Mo's been battling a bit of the crud, but we took advantage of a rare rainless day and hiked across to Fort Rupert, a little community on the other side of the penninsula. A local pointed out the trailhead off the highway - definitely needs a new approach.

The trail is raw, but passable. Some tree trunks are too big to clear out of the corridor, and if cut right can become part of the tread.

This "Jaws" tree was a cool touch.

Mountain bikers had obviously got a hold of this trail and the "skinnies" were interesting.

Their unique use of roofing paper to increase traction on old log corduroy was creative.

At the end of the trail, we popped out at the beach in Ft. Rupert's park. Chance made some friends, but never did go swimming for the ball with the retrievers.

Nice place for a break before turning around to Pt. Hardy again.

We will be heading out on a ski trip at some point soon, and hope to be in the states come Dec. We're keenly looking at snow reports. How's the snow in your neck of the woods?

Sointula - A Place of Harmony - I swear I didn't write that.

Chance's first ferry ride. Blain and he took one for the team, particularly on the way back in rain and gales. Dogs aren't allowed on the upper decks, so we stood around with the cars. Wild ride. Mo said the inside of the passenger cabin was cool. Hmm.
Sointula - A former Finnish utopian community on Malcome Island. They have an interesting and unique history. http://www.sointula.com/

See, I didn't make it up...

Sointula reminded us of close-knit Homer, AK set in Seldovia, AK.

Lots of artists, boatbuilders, fisherman, and Finns. This fence looks like all four built it.

The food co-op is the oldest in BC, and celebrated their 100 yr milestone. Many great old buldings like this old boathouse.

Chance, however, was impressed with the doghouses. I bet they've had a whole bunch of dogs named "Mack".

Sointula is also home of the recycled gillnet shag rug. Something everybody needs.

The Winter Fest was a bit of fun, and seemed to be the biggest social event of the year. A little (quite good) bluegrass and a fogged-up lens on the camera gave it a smoky bar look.

The social/food hall was old and purpose-built to feed an army.

We got to meet inspirational environmental heroine Alexandra Morton. Go here to see her plight and fight to save BC's wild salmon. We hope to, in some small way, help her and Billy Proctor bring back the lifeblood of the Northwest coast.

Remembrance Day and a memorable scramble

A rainy but touching Remembrance Day memorial service at Port Hardy. These Korean War vets laid a wreath and smartly saluting reminded us all of their integrity and pride.


The First Nations contingent was in full regalia, and added a wreath of their own. We learned many of them have dual citizenship with the US, hence both flags.

The mounties in full shine.

And a large group of Pt. Hardy citizens showed their support.

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This carved sign welcomes residents and visitors to the waterfront park in Port Hardy. It says at the bottom "Fishing Logging Mining". Copper Mining was fairly short-lived up here in the 1980s-90s, and no longer adds to the economy. We wonder how long until they have to add "Tourism" to it.

They also have the world's largest statue of a wooden carrot with a bite out of it, as far as we know. Please let us know if you know of any larger ones. We'll alert the proper authorities. After the service, and comraderie at the local Canadian Legion Post, we took a local's advice and checked out a new trail. We'll plagarize:

"If you’re up for a bit of adventure, why not take advantage of the hiking trail that begins on the shore of Storey’s Beach. Tex Lyon Trail is a challenging hike that wanders through a tough wilderness route. Enjoy making your way through rugged paths, and around challenging obstacles like roots, stumps and changing tides. "

Challenging is one word for it. The Canadian Rangers helped rebuild the structures and added ropes to the steep sections (though they might want to check the spelling on their bridges). It is an interesting design adhering to absolutely no sustainability or accessibility standards. It is an up and down game of Chutes and Ladders. Truly fun. The white shell beaches across the bay were inviting. Maybe with the kayak.

Chance actually climbed this ladder with a little butt support at the end. He gets so excited.

The notch through the rock at the beginning of the trail was really cool.

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So we mentioned rain. We've found we need to empty the dinghy about every three days. This was just one storm.

We stayed in during the rain and worked on insulating some of the compartments and hatches that were getting condensation in them. This displaced the dog from his beloved bed. At one point, he refused to move, so we used him for a workbench.

Tight accomodations require great flexibility from crewmembers. Of course, we all deal with our frustrations in different ways. Sometimes, toys simply must die to assist in this process.