working coast

"Oh, the gallant fisher’s life, it is best of any, ‘tis full of pleasure, void of strife, and 

‘tis beloved of many"

--From Piscator’s Song, found in Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler

Walton wrote these words in 1653 about fly fishing in Britain. Somehow though, 361 years later and half a world away, it still seemed a fitting quote for these photos. I know full well that being a fisherman is no longer a life "void of strife", but while I watched this seiner work in the mouth of Portland Inlet last month, the joyful side of being a fisherman was so evident. The crew repeatedly waved and gave us the thumbs up as they brailed in their huge set. Contrary to the concentrated looks on their faces in these photos, they were mostly smiles, almost showing off as we watched for a moment.

The days of 40 million salmon being landed in B.C. sometimes seem as far away as Walton's 17th century England. This year, however, with strong returns, there was an active fishery up and down the province. Weaving between gillnetters and passing seiners while working on the water this July allowed me just a hint of what salmon season must have once been like along this working coast. 

wee paddle

Whine and you shall receive?

My last post was admittedly a bit of whinge about how summer has whizzed passed and I hadn't done many of the things that I'd wanted to do-- including getting out in the canoe (aka "The Red Dragon"...haha).  But just after my online pout, Ty patched the canoe and we had a chance to go for a short paddle last weekend out of Kloiya Bay.

Kloiya is just a few minutes out of town, with an easy to miss turn off just after the Galloway Rapids Bridge.  If you don't have a boat of your own, Skeena Kayaking rents rough and tumble plastic kayaks there during the summer time. We had Ty's siblings and another friend with us who all rented without any issue (though apparently the paddles were extremely heavy).

We headed out later in the afternoon than we'd hoped, so we weren't out for long -- just a couple of hours. Despite the overcast skies with rain off and on throughout, it was really lovely. Nothing nicer than being out on the water.  

We had a few seals following along, and the kayaks could easily tuck in close to the rocky shorelines to scope out the intertidal life.  We hung a right heading out of Kloiya Bay (northeast), taking us up Denise Inlet.  If you go left, you'll head into Morse Basin which leads you either to the Galloway Rapids and the Wainright Basin, or towards Butze Rapids and Prince Rupert.  

It was a great spot to spend the afternoon.  If we go again I'll pack a picnic and maybe a crab trap and spend a bit more time out there exploring.  Fingers crossed September is a beauty month and summer holds on a little longer...

not-so-restful summer

And just like that...it's the middle of August.

I am not sure what I was thinking when I spent the spring dreaming of a restful, beautiful summer in the north.  I somehow pictured our first summer here would be filled with lazy afternoons in a hammock, mid- lake naps in our little red canoe, picnics on the beach, exploring new parks and hidden camping spots, late-nite campfires after glorious sunsets, meandering adventures with no real timeline... Apparently I forgot what summer is actually like: BUSY. Plus we bought a house.  That needs work.  Lots of work.  More busy.

And busy is the exact reason that it's the middle of August and much of my summer wish-list is not fulfilled. July was full of work, including 10 days on the boat and then a crazy whirlwind trip south for a family event, which while fun, was chaotic with a side of too-much-driving.  Throw in a few weekends of work outreach and house renos and voila, here we are.  Sadly, I didn't get to Khutzeymateen or a northern musical festival.  I haven't caught a halibut and no huckleberries have been picked.  There have a been a few beauty sunsets, like the one above, and a few campfires in our new backyard, but our little red canoe has been land-locked due to a small hole, my picnic basket is empty and I haven't done any north coast camping since June.

I'm not complaining though.  Summer always seems to go by too quickly and it's usually not until mid-November that I remember all the glorious stuff that occurred.  We've also been so lucky to have a ton of wonderful visitors, and more are still on their way.  I love sharing this place with people.

And...summer isn't over yet.  Perhaps this blog is a reminder to live up these last few glorious weeks.  To seek out a few more of those moments that will sustain me come winter time.

Summer, I'll make the best of you yet!