Vancouver - June 2007

The largest city in British Columbia, and the second largest city on our route, about 2 million people live in the greater Vancouver area. The city lies on the Strait of Georgia, separating the mainland from Vancouver Island, and is near the mouth of the Fraser River (the longest in B.C.). Vancouver is known in the region for its transit and land use planning that make more compact, walkable neighborhoods, and decreaste the reliance on cars.

Vancouver Island passage - July 2007

The southernmost end of the Inside Passage, these waterways include the Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait, and Queen Charlotte Strait. Inlets and islands abound in these convoluted waterways, bounded by the Coast Mountains on the east, and Vancouver Island on the west. The tides rushing around Vancouver Island create some of the fastest tidal currents in the world, reaching up to 16 knots in narrow rapids. This passage is important for commercial boat traffic and popular with cruises, kayaks, and other pleasure craft. Originally a rainforest ecosystem, most of the forests in the area have been heavily clearcut. Salmon farms are also a growing threat here - polluting the water and threatening wild fish stocks.

Great Bear Rainforest - July and August 2007

Extending along the B.C. coast from Bute Inlet to Alaska, the Great Bear rainforest is one of the largest old growth temperate rainforests remaining in the world. Named for an abundance of grizzlies and black bears, as well as the rare white variant of the black bear known as thte "Spirit Bear", the forests are notable for their enormous cedar trees and streams full of salmon. As most of the southern B.C. rainforests are already logged, logging companies have been doing more and more cutting in the north. A February 2006 agreement sets aside more protected areas of the forest and promises more sustainable forestry for other areas. Visit Raincoast to learn more about this awesome forest and the threats facing it.

Tweedsmuir Park - August 2007

No longer on our route
The largest park in British Columbia at 981,000 hectares, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park is composed of Tweedsmuir South and Tweedsmuir North. Tweedsmuir is an oasis of green in a sea of clearcuts, as you can see in this Google Earth Image of the northeast corner of the park.

tunnel portal entrance

Kemano - August 2007

No longer on our route
Kemano was built in the 1950s to service a hydroelectric plant run by Alcan Aluminum. Alcan bored a ten mile tunnel through the Coast Mountains from the Nechako River to Kemano, diverting roughly half the river's water, and flooding 170 miles of valley. From Kemano, high tension powerlines were strung over the mountains to Kitimat, where Alcan used the power to run its electricity-hungry alminum smelters. In 1979, Alcan put forth a proposal for "Kemano II", which would have diverted the rest of the Nechako's water. But opposition was intense, aluminum prices dropped, and the Kemano II project was canceled in the 1990s.

Prince Rupert - September 2007

Our last stop in Canada, Prince Rupert is a town of about 15,000 people on the northern edge of B.C.'s coastline. Prince Rupert is actually on an island (Kaien Island), though it's connected by a bridge to the mainland. As one of the few spots along the coast that can be driven to (it's the terminus of Trans-Canada Highway 16), Prince Rupert is a hub for ferries serving both B.C. and Alaska. Though it's the wettest city in Canada, with 2500mm (98 inches) of precipitation per year, it's only 2/3 as much as we'll get in some of the wetter spots in Southeast Alaska.

Dixon Entrance - September 2007

The Dixon Entrance is the body of water at the Canada - U.S. boundary between B.C. and Alaska. At about 80 km (50 miles) long and wide, this strait is the first really open body of water along the route, exposed directly to the Pacific Ocean's storms and waves. Luckily, we should be able to walk around most of it, using the rafts only to cross bays and inlets along the way. Part of the maritime boundary in Dixon Entrance is disputed by the U.S. and Canada, primarily as it relates to territorial fishing disputes.