July 21, 2013 Sunday
Day 14

Rained all night and on and off during the morning. We expect this will be our weather for our time in Prince Rupert and the southeastern portion of Alaska.
We didn't let that stop us though because this morning we planned to hike the Butze Rapids/Grassy Bay Trail. It was just about high tide when we made it to the observation point overlooking the rapids. Butze Rapids is a natural occurrence which is due to the ebb and flow of tide around Kaien Island (where Prince Rupert is located). The tides cause the narrow body of water to reverse direction at low and high tides. It's cool to see the swift moving waters.
Our hike took us through a rain forest with giant trees and plants, magical and enchanting at first but becoming a dark, almost wicked place as we walked deeper into the forest. Huge, fallen trees, covered in moss took on the shapes of creatures lunging towards you. Michael went on his merry way, all up in his element, having been a forest ranger. He was enjoying himself, pointing out various species of trees and plants. I, on the other hand, let my imagination run wild. If I wasn't seeing giant moss creatures, I was feeling the presence of wolves, possibly stalking us. There were numerous signs warning of wolves along the trail. But we made it safely through the forest, picnicked at the Rapids overlook, watching the tide rush in, then completed our hike through a boggy area where bonsai type shore pines are stunted due to poor growing conditions.

During the afternoon, we took a guided tour at the Museum of Northern BC. Our guide was a member of the Raven Tribe and from him we learned about the culture and traditions of the Tsimshian First Nations of the Northwest Coast. The museum has awesome rare exhibits & it was great to have such a knowledgable man guide us through.

We drove around town for a short time, looking at the murals painted by local artists on buildings. Fresh caught local halibut fish and chips and Caesar salads at Dolly's Fish Market was the perfect late lunch before heading back to camp to veg out.