We’re heading for Prideaux Harbor in a couple days, but in the mean time we’re meandering – just enjoying the scenery.  Since we’re in Desolation, the scenery is magnificent?

So today, Galley Bay, tomorrow, Tenedos Bay and then by Thursday we hope to be in Melanie Bay, Prideaux Harbor.  It’s a spot memorialized in the famous (at least up here) book, “Curve of Time” by M. Wylie Blanchet.  Set in the 1920’s, a widow and her three children cruise in a small powerboat in this same area.  Amazing story how they pioneered some of the tracks we’re taking – but without GPS, and so many other modern conveniences.

Once thing we have in common is the ability to live off the land – at least to some extent.  When we’re hiking, we have been enjoying the wild berries.  Right now that means salmonberries.

Love those fresh berries.

A little later in the year huckleberries, wild blueberries and blackberries will come in season as well as apples and other fruit.  We’re also setting crab traps, prawn traps and fishing for salmon and other fin fish.  The challenge in todays’ world is the commercial value of these things.  We haven’t caught any of the above and the story so far from locals is the commercial fisherman are stripping the place bare.  We need to get further north before the commercial impact is less felt.  Cross fingers on that.

In the mean time we did score some fresh Pacific Oysters today.  A half dozen raw, fresh oysters for Charisma time (yes, they are safe – at least for now.  The government puts out regular reports of closures due to red tide, etc).  Maybe tomorrow we’ll get some more and have a fried oyster dinner.

Yum!

And, much of this area hasn’t changed much since the ’20’s.  It’s pretty remote.  So the hiking is awesome, although like Wiley Blanchet, more commonly known as “Capi” we have to beware of bears.  In California, black bears are pests and when I’ve encountered them in the high country while backpacking I throw rocks at them to keep them away.  I’ve been told in no uncertain terms, you DO NOT do that with the bears up here.  So…we make noise and have now added bear spray to our arsenal.  I’m not sure what good it will do since the instructions note that you deploy it at 12 feet!  Measure out 12 feet and think about using a pepper spray at a charging 1000 lb bear at 12 feet…well, you get the idea.  But it’s something, eh?

Our new addition to hiking - Bear Spray!

The butterflies practically dive bomb us when we wear red.

Lovely trails...

Galley Cove, where we're spending the night.

One of the things we heard we would love in the Pacific Northwest was the fishing. Prawning, crabbing, oysters, salmon, lingcod….people have led us to believe it was like picking apples from a tree. I use this analogy because we have really enjoyed walking along dense forest paths and finding salmon berries to enjoy along the way…they are everywhere…kind of like the fish….right?

I should correct the title of this blog…we, especially Bob, has thought about fishing a lot. Who doesn’t love catching their own food. We caught lots of Mahi on the Pacific; we know how great it feels. We did some catching the other day coming into Desolation Sound.

The spinning reel twanged and the line started zipping out of the reel. Bob quickly slowed Charisma and grabbed the rod from its perch. In the process of balancing himself for a good fight against a salmon, Bob’s deck shoe fell off. And into the water. Oops. No time to be concerned as we focused on our catch. Unfortunately whatever hit the line had escaped by the time Bob got it reeled in.

When fishing, a shoe is better than nothing. Especially when it's your own. Thanks Ann!

So now to our catching….yep…we went after the shoe…and with excellent driving by the captain and swift movement by the first mate using the previously unused fishing net we successfully scooped it out of the 350 ft deep water. Good thing it floated!

Bob talks to lots of people about the best places to fish, the best lures, techniques, etc. Still we are 0 for 2 on prawning and 0 for 2 on crabbing. Bob did catch some kind of rock fish in Maude Bay that was just a bit too small so he released it. But we think our catching days are just around the corner…and here is why.

Last night as we finished dinner in the cockpit, really nice weather right now, we heard a small engine and saw a small vessel come around the island we are anchored off. The guy looked directly at us which in Ann’s vernacular is the same as a hearty “hello”. So we went up to the cabin top and he came over to chat. Our new Canadian friend, also named Bob, lives across the channel on one of the last pieces of property that is not part of the Marine Park.

Canadian Bob shown here building us a new lure. And it only cost a cold beer! Good trade.

And Canadian Bob knows fishing! Canadian fishing! For about an hour the two Bobs discussed all that stuff. Canadian Bob made us feel much better about the prawning (the professionals have been out hot and heavy and things are over prawned) and crabbing (there hasn’t been crabs around this sound for a few years). He also confirmed that the oysters were okay to harvest and where to best find them. We have seen warning signs all over indicating they should not be harvested.

But the magic of the evening was when Canadian Bob went to work fine-tuning Bob’s fishing set up. He opened up his own fishing tackle box and gave Bob a few lures as well as adjusted some of the ones we had. And for fair trade we gave him a cold beer. Mostly he gave us a renewed confidence….look out fish, we are coming after you!