Hello from the Nass Valley! I've missed you! Whether you're a longtime follower or tuning into my travels for the first time, this vicarious experience promises to be like no other. For one thing, I've gone north this time. I'm on a co-op placement with the Nisga'a government in the village of Gitlaxt'aamiks (pronounced git-LAHT-ah-miks) for seven weeks helping to develop a legislative project.
Gitlaxt'aamiks used to be called New Aiyansh, and maybe you know it by that name. It's about one and a half hours north of Terrace, BC. Getting here in the winter from Vancouver is an adventure all on its own. Many people fly, crazy people brave the blizzards and road closures on the Coquihalla and Highway 17, and I opted for the ferry up the Inside Passage. It was by far the best choice, since I needed to bring a car. It's a few hundred dollars (the price changes depending on the season, BC Ferries has the rates), but it's the cheapest cruise you'll ever take.
I hit the road early on Saturday morning in order to catch the 8:30 ferry to Vancouver Island, which would have landed me in Nanaimo at 10:30. That would have given me plenty of time to drive up island to Port Hardy, where you catch the Inside Passage ferry to Prince Rupert. But of course, it didn't happen that way. The 8:30 ferry was cancelled due to electrical problems - the first time in that's ever happened in all the years I've taken that ferry. So I had to catch the 10:30 ferry along with half of the lower mainland, and we left late because the ferry workers squeezed every last body and car onto the boat. When we landed in Nanaimo it was almost 1:00 and I was supposed to claim my reservation at Port Hardy by 4:00. Google says that it takes 4.5 hours to drive from Nanaimo to Port Hardy, but Google lied. You can do it in under 4 hours if you're motivated.
The ferry ride up the Inside Passage is so beautiful that it's one of the things you have to do in this lifetime. It's a 22-hour trip and you can book a cabin for about $85 for the night, or you can sleep on the passenger deck. I brought a sleeping bag and air mattress and passed out between two rows of chairs. A lot of people do that; the crew just kind of work around you. The sun shone all the way up the coast and the view took my breath away. I sailed through steep fjords, heavily forested mountains plunging into the sea. The water was calm, the sky was blue and the air was so fresh it tasted good. It was warm too, around 0-5 degrees. I thought about all my friends gripped by the polar vortex in Toronto, and smiled. They say schadenfreude is the best freude ;).
The weather held as we docked in Prince Rupert and I drove to my guesthouse, the Black Rooster. After a couple of days on the road all I really cared about was the shower, but after I felt human again I also appreciated the comfortable bed. I stayed at the Black Rooster for two nights waiting for my co-op supervisor to be able to drive with me to Gitlaxt'aamiks. It's only about a 3 hour trip, but there was no point showing up in Gitlaxt'aamiks without her as I wouldn't have been able to get into my home for the next 7 weeks.
We drove an hour and a half to get to Terrace, where we fuelled up because there's no gas between there and Nisga'a Lands, and then drove up Highway 113 to Gitlaxt'aamiks. It snowed hard and the road was twisty, icy, and dark. At times I could only see a few feet ahead. I would definitely recommend doing this drive in the daylight, and preferably in the summer... We arrived safe and sound, however, and I got settled into my cute little place.
There's lots to do around here, so stay tuned for lava beds, hot springs, and the upcoming Nisga'a new year (Hoobiyee) celebrations!
Thanks for the interesting description of your journey.
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