The trajectory I had ahead of me was clear. The previous evening I felt compelled to trade Agate Beach for Bonanza Beach, to travel from Naikoon to the Rennell Sound.

I knew that I wanted to make the most of my day and see as many beautiful sights as I could near Graham Island’s rugged west coast. I also knew that I needed to make my way to Sandspit by the following morning for a tour of Gwaii Hanaas.

And so I meandered back from the Rennell Sound, towards Dajing Giids and Kagan Bay.

Bonanza Beach (The Morning After)

The beach was spectacular at sunset, but it was no slouch in the morning light.

But, soon enough it was time to depart, to carry my things across the short forested walk back to the car.

The Way Back

Along the way back, I pulled off wherever I felt like pulling off, wherever something caught my eye.

I felt torn between lingering as long as possible at various spots, and feeling the nagging sensation of hunger in my stomach. I could also tell that clouds were coming in, and I knew I would prefer driving on a dry forest road to a wet one.

Riley Creek Trail (Partial Hike)

The Riley Creek trail is not maintained, and indeed, would have been somewhat difficult and wet to continue along. It leads to actual old growth trees, but even just the quick traversal of the initial section of the trail offered me some calm and tranquility. I would have wanted to be better prepared (and equipped) if I was going to go further than a scant 0.25 miles in.

Misc. Stops (Continued)

I stopped by an area that looked like it was used to load logs onto barges.

And I stopped by a small, trickly waterfall.

Kagan Bay (or, The Storm Before The Storm)

I emerged from the forest service road sooner than I expected, and headed past Daajing Giids to get some gas. I would have loved to have gotten some food in town, but nowhere was serving any.

So, I checked out the nearby camping options. Kagan Bay had plenty of sites and was free. So, I set up my tent, grilled some sausages (#GrillingInTheRain), and tucked into a well-deserved nap.

After two hours of solid sleep, I awoke to a landscape transformed.

The sun was lower, the clouds had lifted.

And, I met a few campground-mates: a couple visiting the islands from 100 Mile House (a place I could now say I’ve driven through) and a Croatian who had been living and working in the north. It took a while for the gears to turn in my head and “Mislim da hrvatski je najlepši jezik” (“I think that Croatian is the most beautiful language”) to come out of my mouth, but it eventually did.

It was nice to chat with fellow visitors, and to share my excitement for the days ahead.

Stay tuned, because it will take me a good while longer before I continue with my next Haida Gwaii post…