Spider Anchorage to Cultus Sound

We woke up in Spider Anchorage - a pristine environment unlike any I had seen before. I had to go for a Kayak and see more - never mind that it was raining! The previous day (purple on the map) we paddled west to see Breadner Point and hopefully the World War 2 gun implement (which apparently was fired in anger). We were held up by the lack of suitable landing location and me getting sick. I was determined to get a long kayak in today. Mike agreed to go with me while Ruth (the on board naturalist) took most of the guests to the Edna Islands to look at Tide pools.

We started the paddle at low tide with lots of visibility. The whole Spider Anchorage area seems to be made out of solid granite so there were lots of exposed walls which life was clinging too. As we paddled up Spider Channel we would stop at the rock walls to marvel at the life that was exposed by the load tide. The giant green sea anemones are very vivid and attract your eye. The star fish are everywhere, trying to squeeze themselves into the smallest darkest wet cracks available.

The paddle was long but invigorating. We would see birds flying overhead (good luck photographing them in a Kayak with 50mm lens in a waterproof bag and a gentle sprinkling of rain. Beyond the wildlife, the geology of this area really took my eye.

After a good long paddle we were back at the ship and looking for the Dingy. The captain had gone fishing and everyone else was on shore on a declining piece of beach. Mike called for the Dingy and we were soon enough back on board the Curve Of Time.

Cultus Sound

By now it's got to be lunch time! We pulled up anchor and set sail north to Cultus Sound. Cultus Sound is about 2 hours north at 6 knots but the geography and wildlife is noticeably different. We arrived in Cultus Sound in the early afternoon and surveyed our new surroundings. We weren't the first people here! On the beach (and this was one of the rare sandy beaches on our trip) there was a massive double Kayak with the contents disgorged and a nice camp nestled in the woods.

First we went for a hike (the first time I had walked on solid ground in more than a day). Mike took us into the beach on the Zodiak and we marveled at the cool formations the water had carved into the multi coloured sand. On the eastern side of the beach we found (and then ignored until Mike urged us on) a rough trail that goes over the point to the beach on the other side.

Half way between the beaches we found a tree coved with Fungus. This particular tree (a hemlock I think) sports two Artist's Fungus on the right hand side and Angel's Wings on the right.