Port Hardy

Wednesday July 11 Port Hardy, BC Yesterday, Tuesday, I made my way to the Prince Rupert ferry terminal at 6.30 for a 7.30am departure to Port Hardy. The ferry Northern Expedition is a 150m vessel built in Germany in 2009 and is by far the most impressive Ferry I have sailed in. BC Ferries sure know how to run a ferry system and compared to the Alaskan Marine Highway Ferries, they are the best.

On board the Northern Expedition. Note! All of the life rafts are built in Australia.

The 450km journey south passed through waters varying from narrow channels to open sea but still with many islands on the horizon. We stopped once at a small Native community,Klemtu, for one hour and enjoyed the sun while a couple of people came aboard.

Klemtu Indian village port.

 The weather for most of the trip was cool but pleasant and the visibility excellent so I was able to get many photos of thickly tree'd coast line dotted with water falls cascading directly into the sea. 

At one point we came across a helicopter logging operation which allows selective logging instead of the often used method of clear felling. The helicopter hovers over the newly felled tree while riggers engage a line to the log which is then lifted and shuttled over the water then dropped to join an ever growing log boom.

Helicopter logging.

 The journey was punctuated by many whale sightings, both Killer and Humpback but the simply surfaced to blow stale air from their lungs to be replaced by fresh. No breaching with huge splashes, this happens later in the year.

An abandoned cannery.

The Canadian flag.

We docked inert Hardy at 11.15pm and I bussed the 10km to a Backpackers hostel I had booked while on the ferry. That was an interesting experience as I have never had cause to book one before but I enjoyed it and met a couple of interesting people, one, a German lad with whom I shared a room. I could see no point in paying $120 for a room I would only be for 6 hours when $22 did the job.

The Backpackers lodge in Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

Today, Wednesday July 11 Port Hardy was cloaked in a thin shroud of mist when I ventured out at 7.00am but I could tell it was going to be a pleasant day. After taking advantage of a few photo ops. I returned to the Backpackers lodge to retrieve my somewhat heavy load of two bags and make my way to the bus terminal, well bus office actually.

Port Hardy Totem Pole.

Canada Customs vessel, Port Hardy.

 Greyhound lived up to their reputation and departed right on time. The road led south through thick forest with the occasional glimpse of channel running up the east side of Vancouver Island. It an otherwise uneventful 400km journey and at 4.00pm I was met by Michael Booth in Nanaimo. My gratitude to Michael and Darlene knows no bounds as they are always ready to help out when I am in Nanaimo. I will stay with them until July 20 when I plan to visit my friends near Enderby in central BC.