Dave through the Americas - 8.29.02 Tow Hill

I woke up to a “good morning” from Salal. I had good sleep. Pam made some coffee and delicious mango muffins before preparing for another day of work on her house. I prepared for a ride up North Beach and a hike to the top of Tow Hill. Jewel came over to watch Salal and I took off on my bike. I stopped at the Moon Over Naikoon Bakery to say hi to Wendy and also saw Sunnay with her two children and Shannon’s two children as well. I moved on towards Tow Hill, enjoying the scenery of tall old growth trees along the roadside with their branches covered in thick green moss. I worked my way up the unpaved road, stopping once to check out some huge bracket fungi growing on some trees. I tried to pull one off but it was anchored in too tight. I thought I might break it in half, so I settled for a smaller one. I made it to the Tow Hill trailhead and started on the short hike. I enjoyed being in the damp moss covered rainforest with old trees all around. I passed by many varieties of mushrooms along the way and wished I had a mushroom guide with me. I reached the top of Tow Hill and took a photo of the amazing lookout facing South. I sat on the edge of a cliff and enjoyed the sound of the ocean and light breeze as I caught up on some writing. Before heading down, I munched on a fat Chinook salmon salad sandwich with basil on fresh baked bread that Pam made for me this morning. Delish! I walked down the wood plank trail to the blowhole on the rocky beach. The blowhole is an area where the tide pushes the ocean water up on rocks and there is a little cave with a hole on top. The water spray escapes the hole in a geyser as the water slaps against the rocks. Unfortunately, the tide wasn’t high enough so there was no blowhole activity. But the sun was out, so I climbed some rocks and enjoyed the warmth as I looked out to calm seas and crab pot buoys. I rode back South and stopped at the bakery to relate my experience of Tow Hill. Kynan and Jeff were there waiting for pizza. I met Rich, also know as Rapid Richey, who was talking about a trip to Ecuador he was thinking about taking. I told him about my experiences in the country and a little about what to expect. I stopped by Pam’s new place to see their progress. Erin and Pam were stackwalling and had come far. Jeff was there cleaning up some wood and invited me to dinner later on. I cruised into Masset to get some wine and meet David Phillips at his Bed and Breakfast on the Harbor. I told him I’d like to exchange some ideas about the community and would also like to work out a work trade situation for a roof over my head for a couple nights. He was open to it and I said goodbye and cruised back to Masset for dinner with a smile on my face about the good day. I dropped off ingredients for a fat Spanish omelet at Pam’s for tomorrow morning and headed to Jeff’s. Jeff and I had a great meal and some great conversation about the community, social philosophy, and about his past experiences and current Haida Gwaii surfer lifestyle. I thought it was a great rap session and enjoyed the fine herb as well. We talked until about midnight after enjoying a great pasta dinner and then I crashed out horizontal style on his couch pillows. What a day! (34 miles)

Peace

Dave

Pic: North Beach with a view north at Tow Hill. This nice beach was only a couple hundred footsteps from my tent.

Pic: Tow Hill Road. The moss covers the tall trees and forest floor.

Pic: Rose Spit. Although a bit obstructed, I got a nice view north on my way up to the top of Tow Hill.

Pic: At the top of Tow Hill, the view of the island south was amazing.