Captain's Log - What a Great Year!
2023 - Another spectacular year! Lots of family and friends, new equipment, massive woodpile, big salmon, helicopter rides, significant 2 BRNR 40th anniversary cruise, and more!
April 21st - 24th 2023
Heidi and I took the BC ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
On our way north we stopped at the Kubota dealer (North Island Tractor, Courtenay BC) to see examples of the excavator and mini 4WD I ordered. We spent the night in Campbell River, got up early next day and met Tyler and his boat taxi at Eve River. I love taking the taxi at this time of year when making short visits - it's much easier and more relaxing than having to deal with getting 2BRNR in and out and driving back and forth to Port McNeill.
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| I ordered same size and model with a 6 way blade. |
When we arrived on Hull the morning of April 22nd, we encountered three significant failures.
The rainwater tank was empty, the solar system batteries were dead, and the woodpile had toppled over and was uncovered and wet. So no water, no electricity and no dry fuel! These problems were a healthy reminder not to take life on Hull for granted.
Fortunately we had left a reserve of clean drinking water to get us through the next 3 days.
I spent a couple hours checking the rainwater system, pouring water into the collection area and looking for leaks. I dug all around the lower perimeter to look for leaks. It all looked good.
The fault was probably the lower outside shutoff valve was not closed tight enough, or a bear knocked it open and the water leaked out through the hoses that weren't shut off. Rookie mistake on the hoses. I mention the bear possibility as six feet up on the outside rim of the tank, right above the valve, were deep bear teeth marks. So maybe it was the bear and not me? Another unsolved mystery.
The solar system failure was likely due to the batteries and the inverter getting wet. The large rock (~ 10 lbs) I left on the cover was apparently not enough to hold it on. Was it blown off by the wind or maybe bumped off by an animal? Either way it was kaput and would need replacement.
We re-stacked the woodpile and covered it more securely. Unfortunately there wasn't enough firewood to get through the season and in the three days we used about 1/2 of it to heat the cabin at night.
Mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed the sunny spring weather.
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| Heidi relaxing in Matt's Chill Zone |
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| Liz's art - well placed and well balanced by Steve |
May 2023
When my friend Jan Hulej moved to Arizona he left me with a bunch of 4" by 6" fir beams. I used several of them to make a new enclosure for the solar system batteries. I also bought an Anker "energy pack" that uses lithium ion batteries and has an inverter for AC and DC power outlets and a solar panel controller so I can use our 4 solar panels to charge the batteries. A fun project made mostly from wood on hand.
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| Lithium Ion batteries - compact size |
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| Wood inventory - still lots left |
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| Prefab pieces for frame - leftover plywood on Hull for the rest |
June 7th - 13th
Liz and I loaded up the truck in Woodinville and headed to Hull. We brought with us the new battery pack, the pre-fab wood enclosure and a new three burner gas grill. Tyler the boat taxi driver met us at Eve River to haul us and our provisions to Hull. The weather was beautiful and dry, which meant we could stain the last of the cedar siding and get it screwed on. After 4 years, including two years idle due to Canada's COVID tyranny, we finally got the siding 100% done. What a relief to cross that off the list! Lots of people helped on this effort, and I give a huge thanks to all! Next time we'll just hang the siding then stain the exposed wood instead of staining all 6 sides before installation. That was more time and effort than necessary, although I sleep much better at night knowing we did it well.
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| Cabin siding 100% done! |
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| Liz installing the metal roof on energy shed |
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| Liz preparing lunch - new 3 burner stove |
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| Fancy sandwiches - delicious! |
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| The last pieces of siding... stained and ready. |
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| Here's to Steve and the insulated Hull mugs...saves a lot on ice! thanks bro |
We also assembled the solar battery shed and hooked the system back up. We used left over tin from the kitchen to add a matching green roof. All systems are now back to normal operation.
As usual, we ate well, got a lot done, and enjoyed a very peaceful 5 days together. I really appreciate all of Liz's help and encouragement on Hull and love spending the time together. What a great sister!
July 11th - August 8th Launching the Boat
I'm still learning the ropes.... after 2BRNR was off the trailer and floating by the dock, it wouldn't start. Crap. I pressed the start button several times and the motor turned over but didn't catch. The batteries seemed ok, there was plenty of fuel and I even pumped the fuel bladder to prime the motors. After a few tense minutes wondering what was the problem, Thor Rosback from Shoprite Marine asked about the kill switch. Had I activated that?? Well I'll be darned that was it. Easy fix and the 2 motors immediately started.
When Heidi and I arrived on Hull later that day we were psyched to see the new Kubota KX040-04 excavator and the RTX/900 mini 4WD had been delivered. The first excavator project was two new tent pads and start clearing the Highway trail. Getting used to the equipment took some time but wasn't too difficult. I did have a problem changing the bucket. After trying for almost an hour I realized that the chain hook I asked to have welded on the outside of the bucket was interfering with the locking mechanism. Fortunately I had an electric grinder and was able to cut the hook off. If only I had seen it earlier I could have saved a lot of frustration.
For our 40th anniversary Heidi and I planned a cruise along the inland waters north, to try living aboard on a long distance adventure. Over the next 10 days we motored over 900 miles to Bella Bella, Banks Island, Daajing Giids on Haida Gwaii Islands and Port Rupert and back. The boat didn't miss a beat and worked flawlessly.
We left Hull at 8:15 on July 13th and drove for about 8 hours, northwest up the Queen Charlotte straits to the Shearwater Marina, near Bella Bella. We spent two nights there. One day we took the boat taxi to Bella Bella and looked around. A small town with no restaurants and a small but solid local native culture and museum.
On July 15th we left Shearwater and headed for the north end of Banks Island where Don Wilson suggested we spend the night before crossing the straits. On the way to Banks Island we stopped at a small Indian village to get gas and look around. Several really nice totem poles and wood carvings on doors. We were happy to have stopped here.
In a small bay on the North end of Banks Island 2BRNR set anchor for the first time. We hadn't seen any other boats or people for the entire day which felt a bit weird yet enjoyable. We dined and slept in the most remote place we've ever been, no people, no lights, and 360 degrees of incredible views. It was so beautiful!
We left around 9 am to cross the Hecate Straits to the Haida Gwaii Islands, previously know as the Queen Charlotte Islands. Hecate Strait is roughly 80 miles across so about three hours of driving, and with overcast skies we were out of sight of land for about half the journey. Fortunately the sea was fairly calm with 3' to 5' swells. It was pretty scary though to be out there in the wide open ocean with no other boats around in case of trouble. It had been two days since the last time we had seen another boat so we were really alone.
On Haida Gwaii we stayed in a great lodge run by some native Haida Indians. The archipelago of islands encompasses about 10,000 square miles or approximately 1/3 the size of Vancouver Island. It's population is small, ~ 5000 people, compared to ~ 900,000 the population of Vancouver Island, so very sparsely occupied.
We rented a car and drove to our lodge, visited a fabulous Haida Museum in Skidegate (definitely worth a visit) and ventured to the very northern tip of the Island to Old Masset. Old Masset is home to the Haida Indians and had some fantastic totem poles and art on display. We stopped at a small gallery and bought a decorated paddle for the Hull cookhouse. As we were chatting with the store keeper I complimented the beauty of the huge totem poles across the street, to which he said "Why don't you go visit the carver and his studio, it's my wife's brother." Great idea, so off we went! The head carver gave us a tour of his workshop and gathering hall which contained awesome totem poles, masks and a 30' - 40' dugout canoe. It was a very special visit and perhaps the highlight of our trip.
On July 19th we left Haida Gwaii and crossed back through the Hecate Straits for Fort Rupert, the northernmost city in British Columbia. I later read a great book, The Golden Spruce, that claimed Hecate Straits is one of the most treacherous bodies of water on earth. We were lucky again to have a calm sea and made it across both ways without problems.
On our journey we saw Humpback and Orca whales almost every day - by our count over 50 in 10 days, as well as a couple of pods of dolphins. We slowed down for one group of about 15 dolphins that had fun playing in the water and waves off our bow. The scenery and wildlife were truly spectacular. Massive forests that came down steep banks right to the water line and very few people. We drove for hours without seeing any other humans. Very cool part of the world. Apparently the forests and fauna that span from Northern California to Alaska constitute the largest biomass in the world. Much bigger than the Amazon forests in south America.
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| Shearwater Marina, BC. 2BRNR fits right in |
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| Don't be crazy... prices are a ripoff |
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| Community center, gathering hall in Bella Bella |
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| Cocktail Hour on 2BRNR... anchored off North end of Banks Island. super remote. |
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| Totem poles outside museum at Skidegate |
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| ~80' Totem pole in State park on northern tip of Haida Gwaii |
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| Dungeness crab washed up on Northern beach - apparently this is normal death during molting season? |
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| Cool native art gallery where we bought our paddle |
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| High end cabin, super comfortable. epic beach, great food, expensive, worth it. |
When we returned to Hull, we swung by Len's to ask if he could deliver water to Hull. His daughter Allison had just filleted a large salmon and waved the two pieces while dancing around laughing.
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| Len and Allison, tow boat and barge full of fresh water from East Cracroft Island (in background). |
I set out alone, in the dark at 4:50 am to catch the 7:45 ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo . Then a 4 hour drive though mostly beautiful scenery and then aboard 2BRNR already in the water at Port McNeill. Woodinnville to Hull in one day, not that difficult if you're willing to get up early and miss the traffic. Plus, almost no one at the border at 6:30 am. It was important that I get to Hull and prepare for tomorrow when the CHAMBERS arrived. My "welcome home" was a good size animal turd near the cookhouse. Until I'm convinced otherwise, it was a cougar. First time I've seen this poop on Hull. The real apex predator was back.
(For the record: Several years ago Ward found a leaf with blood on it, a few weeks later Audrey and Catherine found the remains of a small deer. Mostly bones with some sinews. It's certainly safe to expect that cougars visit Hull.)
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| This looks kind of fresh. I thinks it's cougar. I'm alone. |
August 26th 2023.
I'm so excited, John Chambers, John's wife Sarah, and Matt Chambers are arriving today. This is the first time visit for Sarah, and second for John who was part of the initial "pioneers" in 2015. Matt of course, is a seasoned veteran and huge source of enjoyment on Hull. This will be fun.
The last message said to be ready in Lagoon Cover for a 1:00 PM arrival. I tied up at the floatplane dock in Lagoon Cove and hung out for about an hour before deciding to walk the trail to Lagoon Cove where they have a wifi connection. When I got connected I saw a note from Matt saying they had just left Nanaimo and were probably going to land near Hull, in 30 minutes, instead of Lagoon Cove. Hmmm. I wonder what the "probability" was? I returned to Hull at full speed and got there just as the float plane was landing. Next message "You will have to pick us up by boat as your dock is too high." OK, no problem... except when I got close to the floating airplane the pilot waved me away. "Your boat is too tall." Now what? Fortunately Dick and Elaine Boss were close by in the area they call "the internet cafe," about 100 yards east of the north tip of Hull where cell reception is often available. Dick and Elaine came to the rescue and shuttled Sarah, Matt and John, plus luggage, from the plane to the Hull Island dock.
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| Happy Campers! Brothers in Arms. (photo Sarah Chambers) |
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| Dick and Elaine Boss on the scene to shuttle passengers. Hull Island behind. |
What better project for the Chambers than a massive woodpile. The late Big John Chambers loved to cut and stack wood and the enthusiasm has been passed down. Together we rebuilt the wood frame holder on top of a layer of new rock, then added another rock base to add another 20 feet of storage. About double what was there before. Using chainsaws and the "Bota" (mini 4WD) we cut, transported, split and stacked about 2 cords of wood. It is a huge relief to now have enough for heating and cooking. Lots of sweat equity from the 3 Chambers!
Sarah drove the excavator and removed rocks, dirt, rotting logs and stumps for the new hazmat shed. Later Sarah and John built 3 stone steps connecting the highway trail to the cabin entrance. Sarah spent several hours raking smooth, leveling and removing hundreds of rocks from the new tent pad area. When you sleep easy in the tents, you can thank her.
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| Sarah - a qualified equipment operator. |
After a few days of hard work, great food, a long hike into the older growth forest and lots of progress, we decided to take a sightseeing cruise...
High on the list were whales and bears. After stopping for gas and ice at Lagoon Cove, Kelly suggested we head west through Clio Channel. 30 minutes in we saw a couple boats about 1/2 mile away, floating near the shore. I thought they were looking at bears?? Instead, in a quarter mile wide channel a beautiful pod of Orcas. We turned off the motors and floated closer. We ended up about 80 yards away. Close. We counted about six whales of varying size, swimming together, surfacing and heavy breathing. The largest dorsal fin was huge! What a fortunate encounter! Beautiful animals! Spectacular.
Next cruise stop was Port McNeill to replenish our critical bar supplies, and coffee and pasties at Muggz... which I used to pronounce as "mugs", until the fellas schooled me. It's "muggsies" like their nickname for BIG John Chambers. Got it!
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| Sarah and John in Port McNeill |
After leaving Port McNeill about half way to the entrance of Knight's Inlet, with Matt at the helm, we nearly ran into a large humpback whale... we got within about 60 yards. Strangely, it stayed in one position with its tail stuck way out of the water and then slapping it down. The whale did this about 23 times before swimming off and resurfacing about 1/4 mile away.
We headed up Knight's Inlet and after a couple of hours turned off the motors at "the first bend". We floated with the tide in the calm, glacial silt-greenish blue waters. Great tequila and lime cocktails, cigars, coffee, fresh fruit and cheese and crackers, all in the peace and quiet, with close family.
In 4 or 5 hours we were in Knights Inlet we saw only 2 or 3 boats. We had this majestic fjord, one to two miles wide and ~ 200 miles long all to ourselves. I'm definitely going to do this again.
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| Jon, John, Sarah, Matt |
John and Sarah left a day before Matt, which meant the two of us were out of the tent and back in THE BARN. In the evening we opened the large doors, stoked the fire and partied like it was 1999. Live guitar, top singers, food and drinks - Barn parties, shaaaaa.
In the morning Matt thought it was funny that I locked the side door and yet we left the large doors wide open. Old habits are hard to break. Maybe the snoring kept the bears away? We drove to Lagoon cove to meet the seaplane and Matt's ride home.
August 31st - Alone on the frontier.
I was alone for 10 days after the Chambers left and before Audrey and Catherine arrived.
I had a very relaxing week. Slept in late, got coffee and sat quietly for an hour or so each morning. Sometimes on the northern point, sometimes in camp or down closer to Hull's Kitchen on the rocks. There are so many beautiful places for contemplation or meditation. Generally I ate light lunches and dinners and had just enough food to last. Nothing too fancy.
I used the excavator to get some larger rocks out of the camp area and used them to extend the woodpile foundation even further. I also left a few big rocks in the camp for later use. I figured Chris and Liz would have some ideas.
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| New equipment |
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| Extending the woodpile |
One afternoon Dick and Elaine invited me to dinner. Elaine made one of the best butter chickens I've ever had. It was nice to be inside a house having a comfortable dinner. Before dinner Dick and I sat on his deck and smoked cigars and drank his hooch cocktails. Delicious concoction! The Bosses house is about 200 feet above the water, so the view north up Havana Channel and east to Hull Island is glorious.
September 10th - Audrey and Catherine arrive.
I arrived in Port McNeill early so I could do laundry and shopping before Audrey and Catherine got here. In the afternoon I drove about 2 1/2 hours to Campbell River Airport to meet them. Unfortunately their flight was delayed until early evening, which meant an overnight stay at the Haidaway Inn.
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| Audrey - I got this! |
Early in the morning we stocked up on provisions at the IGA and Muggz and headed home to Hull. Having both daughters together with me for a week on Hull was paradise. Both girls are great cooks and creative with food. We ate very well, as usual! Freshly pickled kelp, fresh caught salmon cooked over the fire and more fresh salmon smoked for 4 hours, fresh caught shrimp, fancy tins of snails, cheeses, BBQ steak, chicken and ribs... Yummy!
Audrey and Catherine took turns learning how to use the excavator and became quite proficient. Audrey stripped some bark off a cedar tree, using the native method and started drying it for a future basket. Audrey carved a wooden whistler for the teapot. We will need a better one next year.
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| Audrey collecting bark the original way |
Audrey really wanted to go salmon fishing, so off we went early one morning at the tide change. With Catherine driving the route Dick Boss recommended, and using the set-up Dick described and lures that Dick gave me, we dropped two lines in the water and trolled as slowly as we could on one engine. Within about 30 minutes we caught a ~10 lb, beautiful Coho salmon. Audrey grabbed the pole and reeled it in. The smile on her face was priceless! Audrey immediately and expertly processed the salmon on the aft counter of 2BRNR. The salmon yielded two large fillets, one that was flattened with sticks and hung over the campfire to smoke, and the other cooked over the fire on a grill. Both super tasty!
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| First salmon caught on 2BRNR and the largest ever for our family |
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| Audrey - all smiles with the big catch |
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| set up for salmon smoking and salt processing in large pot |
The next day, instead of stopping by for cocktails as was planned, Dick and Elaine showed up on the Buttle Shuttle. "Get on board, get on board," yelled Mike as he lowered the loading ramp. "New plan, we're going for ride over to Eve River to drop off Dick's truck. Grab a beer and get on board." So off we went on an evening cruise with beer and friends on a comfortable ferry boat with Buttle's new helicopter set on a small building on the stern. We brought along cheese and crackers and smoked salmon as an appetizer, beer, sausages and ice-cream were already on board. Also on the boat were two other neighbors, plus Lynda Buttle and Ronnie. Ronnie is Mike's new helicopter pilot who grew up in Geneva Switzerland. We had lots to talk about!
Without needing any convincing Mike insisted we go with Ronnie for a helicopter ride. OK! Ronnie climbed up a ladder to the helipad and then, with the ferry underway he took off from the stern and landed on the front loading ramp of the ferry. Ronnie flew us around Hull Island, then up and over the top and up into the mountains due east of Hull to look at the pristine mountain lakes. Landing on such a small ramp on a moving ferry was a bit nerve wracking but Ronnie did it flawlessly. And when we thought it couldn't get any better, Buttle insisted we come back at noon tomorrow and go for a much longer ride up Knights Inlet and over the glaciers and mountains into the plains of central BC. "You're going to see shit you've never seen before, amazing scenery and more shit that you've never seen before. Just bring a credit card so you can pay for fuel on the way back!" OK! And then on top of everything else, Buttle gave Catherine the helm of the ferry boat and helped her navigate through a narrow channel between some small rocky islands. The channel was narrow enough that I don't take 2BRBR through and here we were on an over 100" long ferry with a Catherine driving like a pro!
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| Audrey unloading with Ronnie at the controls |
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| Catherine Geiger |
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| That way between those rocks...Catherine driving The Buttle Shuttle |
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| ~ 80 mile long glacier (photo Audrey) |
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| Massive glaciers |
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| Stopping for lunch and hiking |
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| Smoke from forest fires - high in the mountains |
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| Audrey (photo credit Catherine) |
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| Catherine selfie |
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| Knights Inlet - interesting water colors and swirls |
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| Above Knights Inlet, heading west on way home. |
On our last two days, we used the wood acquired last year from Doug's place to build a new cookhouse table. We biscuited, glued and joined 3 planks for the top and milled and screwed the base together. It came out really well and now replaces two of the plastic folding tables. A huge improvement!
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| Joining the planks |
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| Catherine working on new counter/table, Audrey processing cedar bark |
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| Stargazing and testing the strength of the table |
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Flannel Friday on the new table Catherine on the excavator |
September 20th - 27th Closing week
Audrey and Catherine, per plan, left the truck keys hidden in the tailpipe. Unfortunately Chris and Liz's hands were too large to retrieve the key so they had to find a stick to retrieve the keys.
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| Liz and Chris arrive on the scene - Campbell River Airport 09/20/2023 (photo Liz) |
When Chris and Liz pulled into town they saw a big homeless guy walking in the rain and pushing a grocery cart full of junk. They were in stitches when they realized it was me with groceries and laundry cutting through the parking lot on the way to the marina.
We had a busy week together closing up camp. Liz had fun moving big logs and stumps with the excavator. The three of us cut down even more trees and cut and split even more wood. We also worked on the west coast trail, although it was mostly Liz who extended it 100 yards or more. Chris worked for hours with a hand saw, cutting and dragging wood off the hillside, smashing stumps, burning, poking and consolidating the fire. The hillside looks so much better! Chris soldiered on in the pouring rain while Liz and I hung out undercover.
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| Liz checking out some of the logs she moved |
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| Rain doesn't stop Chris from clearing and burning |
One night there was a heavy wind and rain storm so we fired up the stove, warmed the cabin up and relaxed inside. We heard a tree snap, followed by a crash on the roof that absolutely startled us. Fortunately there was only minor damage to the top of the chimney. We woke up to see a ~100' fir tree from the dock trail had fallen across the camp just missing the fireplace and the shower, and coming to rest on the woodpile. While I chainsawed it up, Chis dragged and burned the branches. It was a big clean-up operation and thanks again to a huge effort by Chris, we turned all the branches to ashes.
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| Kelp chips and pickles, cheese, sardines and crackers! Thanks Audrey and Catherine (Liz photo) |
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| Slightly bent chimney cap |
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| Plenty of firewood for next season (photo Liz) |
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| Big tree falls and just misses shower, fireplace and kitchen. Woodpile holds! |
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| Uprooted tree - just missed all the traps |
On our last day Dave and Amy stopped by to visit. They live in a newer house on West Cracroft Island that looks west down Havana Channel and sits near the water on a rock outcropping. Dave helped me get the battery out of the excavator and after we sat around for a beer and some appetizers. It was fun to show then around our camp and I enjoyed practicing my Mandarin with Amy from Beijing.
We used a large tarp to cover the excavator and then removed the battery and parked the Bota in the cookhouse / garage!
With the camp secure for another winter we headed to Port McNeill and our drive home. It was another great week made so much better by having Chris and Liz there.
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| Rainbow behind Triangle Island. Dave and Amy's boat (photo Liz) |
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| Winter parking |
Excellent recap.
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