We woke up Sunday morning to blue skies and sunshine, the first we’d seen in five or six days, and decided to motor up to Mussel Inlet, the western boundary of Fiordland Recreational Area. So we left Bottleneck Inlet and continued our way north up Finlayson Channel.
First up was Oatswish Bay where Lizzette Falls, one of the best waterfalls along the BC coast, crashes down into the sea. The bay itself is also stunning with more of the steep, snow-capped mountains and alpine scenery that Fiordland is famous for and would be the ideal place to drop the hook and spend the day paddling around in kayaks, but it’s too deep for anchoring so we had to be satisfied with bobbing alongside the falls while taking in the view. We could have stayed forever, but it was getting late so we carried on to the head of Mussel Inlet.
Lizzette Falls
As you continue up inlet, the snow covered peaks and ridges with vertical granite walls rise over a thousand metres (3,500 feet) before disappearing straight into the sea below. Because of the park status, the area hasn’t been logged and appears as it has for hundreds of years – a humbling fact. Layer after layer of snow-capped ridges and densely-wooded mountains line the inlet, waterfalls marking the curve of time along their steep faces. Just when you think you’ve seen the most beautiful view, another one even more spectacular comes into sight. The word amazing falls well short.
Mussel Inlet
But as incredible as it is, nothing compares to the first time you experience an area, whether it be an anchorage, an inlet, a channel or an entire cruising ground. What was once new and exciting becomes more familiar with each encounter: You no longer have to wonder what lies beyond the next corner, because you know. And for us, that knowledge can bring about a lack of motivation to continue down the same path, which is exactly the situation we’re finding ourselves in now. We clearly need more. A new adventure. So we left the park boundaries to anchor in Windy Bay off of Sheep Passage where we spent the next several days waiting out weather and considering our options.
At this stage, we still haven’t decided exactly what to do next and are thinking continuing north – perhaps even circumnavigating Princess Royal Island. But one thing we do know: We’re not going anywhere near the west coast of Vancouver Island until the Pacific High sets in and starts keeping these lows at bay. So any quest to for a new adventure will have to be sought here along the Central Coast. At least for now.
Two humpback whales visiting the boat in Windy Bay, reminding us that sometimes new experiences can happen in familiar places
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