Cumshewa Head / Gwaii Haanas National Park Thursday, July 19, 2007

Justine called tonight and all is well. The circumnavigation of Moresby is underway and the weather and winds continue to be favorable. Yesterday they got a late start and paddled only a short distance of about 4 nm. Today they paddled 24 nm to a camp on Cumshewa Head. The day started out misty and foggy but later brightened. Along the way, they stopped at Sandspit which is known as the gateway to the Gwaii Haanas National Park and the only settlement on Moresby island. They are already beyond the point where the 30 km of roads on the island reach. Today they saw their first bear and gave it a wide berth. There are mostly/only black bears on Moresby but they are generally big. Justine didn't think this one was that big but then again they weren't all that close either. Included is a couple of photos taken at the Haida heritage center where they were introduced to the park and its rules. Also courtesty of John Gamba, here is a link to a Haida language website which even has MP3 sound files of the correct pronunciations: http://www.haidalanguage.org/

Mike