Pacific North West Advice

[ja62]

Originally Posted by rbk

Well I stayed in the north and SE Alaska for the last 40. No deterrent is 100 % effective. I've also watched a bear take a 338 275 gr nosler partition center mass, destroying heart and lungs only to watch it run a half mile through a wall of coastal brush. A griz can cover a hundred yards in 6 seconds, what do you think will happen when your little red ball lands behind a changing bear? Then you have to reload, aim and hope you get it in front of him, same goes for a gun. That is of course assuming you can even see it charging through thick underbrush. Watched plenty of coastal griz shake off a 12 gauge rubber bullet at 20 yards and the occasional slug to the head, adrenaline is an incredible thing, but you can keep illegally firing off flares in heavy wooded areas.

Only a fool would light off a flare in a dry, heavily wooded area....
flares are legal in a marine ( beach/shoreline/coastal ) environment in times of distress or danger.......yeah, signalling that hungry bear to stay away.....

[rbk]

Originally Posted by ja62

Only a fool would light off a flare in a dry, heavily wooded area....
flares are legal in a marine ( beach/shoreline/coastal ) environment in times of distress or danger.......yeah, signalling that hungry bear to stay away.....

And yet you encourage people to wander around in bear country using flares as protection? That right there smells of total BS that you are a guide. And whatever company certified you to do downtown juneau bike tours doesn’t count, as the concept of duty of care completely escapes you. Making that recomendation is reckless at best, borderline criminal for impersonating a professional, experienced individual in their respective field (I know that’s a big stretch) while completely ignoring any code of ethics of which you MUST be aware of if in fact you are a certified guide... Ever wonder why lawyers, doctors and other professionals don’t offer up free advice? I’ll give you a hint...it rarely has to do with money.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by rbk

And yet you encourage people to wander around in bear country using flares as protection? That right there smells of total BS that you are a guide. And whatever company certified you to do downtown juneau bike tours doesn’t count, as the concept of duty of care completely escapes you. Making that recomendation is reckless at best, borderline criminal for impersonating a professional, experienced individual in their respective field (I know that’s a big stretch) while completely ignoring any code of ethics of which you MUST be aware of if in fact you are a certified guide... Ever wonder why lawyers, doctors and other professionals don’t offer up free advice? I’ll give you a hint...it rarely has to do with money.

wrong it always has to do with money . They don't do free advice it causes money to flow the wrong way with the courts getting their cut.

[exMaggieDrum]

Bring your passports. Leave your guns in the US (except for the few that Canada is OK with). E.g. no handguns. Understand that the Canadian officials are very polite but they are very strict and tough. Bear spray is OK, personal defense spray is not. Bring a crab pot is you have room for it. Dungeness crab is the best crab you can get.



You will absolutely love it up here although understand that you will be motoring more than sailing. And have good ground tackle for when the winds are strong and you are not in a well-protected anchorage.

[Scout 30]

Recommending shooting flares in a forest is insane! I sure hope nobody following this thread is dumb enough to take this advice.

[ja62]

Originally Posted by rbk

And yet you encourage people to wander around in bear country using flares as protection? That right there smells of total BS that you are a guide. And whatever company certified you to do downtown juneau bike tours doesn’t count, as the concept of duty of care completely escapes you. Making that recomendation is reckless at best, borderline criminal for impersonating a professional, experienced individual in their respective field (I know that’s a big stretch) while completely ignoring any code of ethics of which you MUST be aware of if in fact you are a certified guide... Ever wonder why lawyers, doctors and other professionals don’t offer up free advice? I’ll give you a hint...it rarely has to do with money.

rbk...(does that mean reel brite kanuk??) I never encouraged or suggested for anyone to go wandering around in bear country or forested areas....sorry to have pissed you off---I will go turn myself in to the authorities immediately...I hope I get banned from Canada.....................

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by rbk;

And yet you encourage people to wander around in bear country using flares as protection? That right there smells of total BS that you are a guide. And whatever company certified you to do downtown juneau bike tours doesn’t count, as the concept of duty of care completely escapes you. Making that recomendation is reckless at best, borderline criminal for impersonating a professional, experienced individual in their respective field (I know that’s a big stretch) while completely ignoring any code of ethics of which you MUST be aware of if in fact you are a certified guide... Ever wonder why lawyers, doctors and other professionals don’t offer up free advice? I’ll give you a hint...it rarely has to do with money.

Originally Posted by ja62

rbk...(does that mean reel brite kanuk??) I never encouraged or suggested for anyone to go wandering around in bear country or forested areas....sorry to have pissed you off---I will go turn myself in to the authorities immediately...I hope I get banned from Canada.....................

And there goes the thread. I was just explaining to my SO last night that once it gets past 5 pages it is just a matter of time before a thread blows up...at least it was vaguely gun-related

To bad because it was cool hearing from my fellow PNWsters...

[basssears]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

And there goes the thread. I was just explaining to my SO last night that once it gets past 5 pages it is just a matter of time before a thread blows up...at least it was vaguely gun-related

To bad because it was cool hearing from my fellow PNWsters...

Aww, thread can't be over, we haven't even discussed anchors or multi vs mono...

Unfortunately you are very very right... there goes previously useful thread...

[Lost Horizons]

Thanks to everyone who contributed local knowledge in this thread. I am looking forward to exploring the area starting this summer.

[Eder]

Originally Posted by rbk

Or ones that go around shooting off incendiaries in the forest. Ja62 is right though, when the forest is a raging inferno there is a very low risk of a bear attack

I lived most of my life in grizzly country...if you use common sense there will be no need for weapons.


Make noise...play music...step on twigs if in the thick etc.

Stay away from food sources especially berry patches, salmon streams, dead animals.
Don't bring your poodle.




If you must buy the bear bell & bear spray...our economy needs the money and they'll make good souvenirs.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

And there goes the thread. I was just explaining to my SO last night that once it gets past 5 pages it is just a matter of time before a thread blows up...at least it was vaguely gun-related

To bad because it was cool hearing from my fellow PNWsters...

I couldn’t care less about the name calling but when it can possibly affect people’s lives and an area as sensitive as the PNW I can’t stand it. If someone starting suggesting dumping their used oil overboard in your local area it’d prob piss you off too. Maybe I was a little hard on him but to defend an idea that puts people and the environment at risk is not cool.

Chances are the OP won’t go any further north of Mc Neil or Hardy as there is a lot to see south of that. If they want to do the inside passage and see most of the coastal highlights check out the cruise ship itineraries and try your hardest to avoid being around when they’re around. You will have many many oportunities to anchor alone in complete isolation so don’t avoid the touristed areas just for that. Cruise ships are loud, full of people and over run towns and sites but they’re there for a reason and they usually leave around 7pm. Mountains and glaciers don’t really start until Petersburg IMO and you can still find something new thats not listed in guide books if you look hard enough and explore, whether it’s old ruins, caves, hotsprings, fishing/crabbing/shrimping hotspots you name it.

[exMaggieDrum]

Compliments to Bill at WRWakefield for clarifying and providing a link to the Canadian regulations regarding firearms brought to Canada. I don't see bringing this up to the OP as good advice since the Canadian officials go bat-s**t over handguns. They ask you at checkin and sometimes (rarely from what I have seen) will come down and inspect your boat for excess wine and other "forbidden" items. It could ruin an otherwise excellent trip.


This bit of advice is not blowing up the original thread as you will also see it in all of the guidebooks.



South of all the stronger and very interesting whirlpools and rapids farther north, anyone who has gone through Deception Pass at anything but slack with out a strong motor will find it very challenging. Also there are a few passes where fast, and very large, BC ferries go through various passes around corners where the unsuspecting boat could have a major surprise. The BC ferries will give a warning on Ch 16 but you have to know where the name of the passes are to look the right way and get prepared. No issue if you are paying attention and all the ferry routes are on paper and electronic charts and the guides highlight them as well.



We had to do a U-turn in a hurry going north through the narrow pass just south of Nainamo. We got in and could not see the tug with a big tow coming through the pass going south at the turn in the pass where you can't see around. It was too narrow to go between the tug/tow so we went back and waited for him to get through.



One of the best trips we have ever had was up through the inside passage through the Broughtons and then around the outside of Vancouver Island. Not as scenic as the inlets, glaciers, grizzlies, and such farther north on the mainland, but a very nice trip if you have the time. We took 2 months and felt that was just right. Others will take a month or so and enjoy it too but you will have to pass buy some great places and be on more of a schedule.


And besides always needing to be on the lookout for crap pots you also need to lookout for deadheads and floating logs as you go, especially in the wide open areas between the islands.

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by rbk

You're probably one of those people who think you're supposed to spray it all over yourself before you go out into the woods aren't ya? (yes this happens) Study after study proves spray crushes EVERYTHING ELSE, look it up! and I have literally watched dump bears walking around with smoldering fur from garbage fires. Always wet in the PNW? Maybe all that smoke in the air this summer has clouded your thought process.

Agree. A few summers ago the smoke from burning forests was so thick I was getting asthma while cruising the Gulfs. Flare gun is NOT a good idea.

[freshalaska]

I have had a young grizzly come into my tent camp and shot a flare at its feet and the bear had no reaction to the flare as far as I could tell.
Southeastern forests most of the time you would be hard put to catch them on fire with a flare.
Starting to see that common sense is not all that common here with some of these forum posters. False information is worse than no information.
Properly regulated grizzly hunting does not hurt bear population in the least.
Any idea how many cubs an old male grizzly has killed in his life. I guided a German hunter that watched a grizzly kill a small cub by banging it back in forth between its paws while the mother looked on. Nature in most cases is not what we would think of as kind and humans are part of the food chain.

[EngNate]

The Douglas 'Exploring...' series is in my vote the best encyclopedic reference, and is especially most useful when conditions make you want to find a place to stop that you hadn't planned on. The editions are thick and the coverage thorough, it's the one I'd have (for an area) if I had only one. That said, about all of them contain gems of info. The one Dreamspeaker edition I perused had eloquent and detailed write-ups on a small number of apparently favorite spots. Waggoner is about 25% advertising, and I think surely the reviews of marinas and resorts are submitted by the property owners. There is some good info in there though on areas needing consideration like transiting the rapids, Seymour Narrows and Johnstone Strait, Cape Caution, etc. Have up to date tide and current info, whether its electronic or paper. Almost everywhere you go tidal current will add or subtract quite a few miles to your days depending on planning.

The kind of experience you're after has a lot to do with everything, especially where you go. In the summer season in the south there's not much wilderness solitude to be found, and that means on up through Desolation Sound. That changes a bit as getting there takes more effort. The bar for the really dedicated is Cape Caution, for the hard core Hecate Strait or Vancouver Is NW coast, and the really hard core the Haida Gwaii west coast, where "a radio call, if even heard, could bring help only in time to verify your demise."

For a first time trip up here if you want to have some wilderness and some dockside social and not too complicated a journey getting there I would go to the Broughtons area and then maybe a side trip to Chatterbox Falls on the way back, after Sept 1.

CAPE CAUTION
Rounding Cape Caution means crossing in front of Slingsby Channel, where it gets exceptionally rough when the outflowing tide meets a westerly wind or swell. The current stream and rough water extends miles offshore and remains out there for hours. That is well known but the fact is overlooked that when the tide turns to flood a relatively smooth run can be found right off the beach. Of course, sailors won't want to do this, but I'm in a power boat. If I can plan it this way, I'll catch an ebb tide out of QC Strait, but it has to turn by the time I'm in Ripple Passage so the current has turned in Slingsby before I get there about 1-1/2 to 2 hours later. On the approach, if it doesn't look ok I can hang around McEwan Rock and wait a bit, or go anchor in nearby Miles Inlet.

JOHNSTONE STRAIT
It can be horrible if the conditions are against you, but if you've got the tide and little opposing wind then you can really fly westbound. Usually the ebb current has an hour extra and the flood an hour short because of the freshwater runoff.

CRAB TEST
If you can pinch a leg and it gives you're going to be disappointed, the meat will be thin and watery. If you're hungry for crab and that's all you're getting ok, but otherwise choose specimens with hard shells - the legs don't give when pinched. These have had time to fill their bodies after molting, it takes quite a few weeks. The males mostly molt in late spring, so there are many soft shells through the mid summer. IMO, except that you can always keep them, crab and prawn bait pellets are worthless. Crushed clams and mussels will catch crab. If you're getting sea stars and/or rock crabs in your trap it's on rock bottom, find mud. If you're getting rock crab and dungees together mud must be nearby. The larger males are usually in deeper water. I often set in 100ft, sometimes 150 when I haven't found them shallower.

COOL WEATHER
Up to Desolation Sound it's about the same as Seattle. On the central coast I usually haven't put away my long johns and thermal tees until after mid July, and they're out again in early September. (I'm not very cold hardy.) It's considered full-on summer up there when it's anywhere near 15C/60F at daybreak.

PROVISIONING NANAIMO
Budget Car Rental downtown has cheap weekend deals and is walking distance from marinas. Big shopping - Costco, Canadian Superstore, Wal Mart & more is at the north end out of town. Check out Cob's Bread and Nesvog's Meats, for Asian stuff Man Lee Market a block or so from Budget. Harbour Chandler is a well stocked marine store. Although a car is needed, Nanaimo is your best and easiest stop for a good stock up. There is regular scheduled seaplane service from the harbour to YVR and downtown Vancouver.

In Campbell River a shopping plaza with Canadian Superstore fronts the marinas.

On Dec 7, diesel at the fuel dock in Nanaimo was $1.37 Can/L. At Shearwater on the central coast it was 1.71. At some of the small outlying resorts it was likely $2. The lowest price fuel you can get is delivered by truck in Sointula, usually on Thursdays - order at the gas station in town.