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ALASKA
2004
For a month in May and June of 2004 I paddled a
giant 42 ft canoe with ten companions through part of the Inside Passage
of southeast Alaska. We set off in mid-May from Prince Rupert BC, arriving
at Ketchikan a week later. Already behind schedule, we managed to get
our fiberglass replica of a Montreal style voyageur canoe onto the Alaska
ferry and get ourselves taken to Petersburg. From here we paddled all
the way back to Prince Rupert BC. Highlights were the stunning scenery
(including Le Conte Bay and the Stikine delta), the great weather (two
weeks of unheard-of sunshine), the canoeing experience itself, and the
heartwarming and very generous hospitality and helpfulness of everyone
we met in Alaska and BC along our way. In particular, we were hosted by
the First Nations communities of Lax KwAlaams (Port Simpson) and Metlakatla
in BC and by the First Nations community in Wrangell Alaska. Their welcomes,
feasts and celebrations were a unique and important experience for us
all. |
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With
a group of youth paddlers from Lax KwAlaams we paddled from their
village to Metlakatla near Prince Rupert. What a fun day we had, finishing
in bigger water than expected! |
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Rick
C enjoys a break during a lunch stop. The giant canoe, with undeployed
outriggers (each of which is a plastic double kayak), is in the background. |
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