July 7, 2023

Prince Rupert is a port city in British Columbia, Canada. It is on an island that is linked by a short bridge to the mainland. It sits on the very edge of the wilderness and the main attractions revolve around the outdoors. It is a central point in the Inside Passage, a route of relatively sheltered waters running along the Pacific coast from Vancouver, BC to Skagway, Alaska. It was very foggy when we arrived but the fog lifted and it was a perfect day.

The tide rises about 15 feet in a day and here are the exposed pilings when we left for our excursion. at low tide.

Our trip today was the North Coast Waterfall Hike. We were met by 4 very youong tour guides and taken by bus for a short ride to the beginning of the trail. We had to go down a long metal staircase to reach the first part of the trail, the Omenica Trailhead connector. The guides gave us walking sticks and said we would need them. An understatement for sure. The trail through the forest was moss covered and slippery with many tree roots and fallen logs. There were some boards over areas but they were often rotted or off kilter. It was a challenge. Then we came to a dirt road that led us most of the rest of the way up the mountain. It was steep and also a strenuous climb. About half of the group opted out at that point, including Norm.

Our guides were not quite the caliber we were expecting and while they did explain things, they weren’t consistent and not everyone could hear what they were saying. There was lots of skunk cabbage along the way, which we also had in NJ where I grew up, but this was much bigger. We saw Queen Anne’s Lace – this is the flower we used to cut and put the roots in food colored water to watch the flower change color. Memories!

We did see small waterfalls along the way, but I guess when it rains they get bigger. Not quite what we were expecting on a “waterfall hike”.

I did go on the entire hike and we were rewarded with a lovely view from the top. We had a trail bar snack given to us at the start and sandwiches from a local store at the top. Plenty of water too. I loved the sandwich with no meat – it was on home baked whole wheat bread with tahini sauce, a type of green grown here (yaga) and sliced beets and apples. Not a combination I ever would have thought of but will certainly try at home.

After the hike, I was pretty sweaty and hot, and smelled of insect repellant, so I met Norm back at the ship and took a shower, then we went out to explore the town. The first stop was at a local artists cooperative where we could have spent the rest of the day. We bought a gift for a friend and two very unique items for our homes. They are wrapped for travel so I can’t take pictures. I will add them (if I remember) when we get home. It was a picture perfect day and we enjoyed the scenery and the walk.

On our way back to the ship we saw this deer right next to the non functioning railroad tracks. We were on the wrong side of the fence, so doubled back and lucky us, that was where the Wheelhouse Brewing Company was, overlooking the water. Norm had a dark beer and I had a hard cider, both were delicious. We enjoyed our conversation with a fellow passenger from Switzerland and decided to have dinner with him and his girlfriend tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow we will be in Victoria, BC, Canada and we are so excited that we got permission to have my sister Deb and her husband Mike come on the ship for the day. We will do a long catch up since we haven’t been together in person since early 2020, like much of the rest of the people in the world experienced during that time.