Journey to Princess Louisa - Day 8 at Chatterbox Falls & Princess Louisa

I'm so glad we are here for two days! There was so much to do today and we made the most of every minute. We woke to a beautiful morning and the sound of rushing water from Chatterbox Falls. My grandchildren have “oceans” they play at night to provide white noise to help them sleep. The sounds coming from the waterfalls created the same calming atmosphere.



 

The history of this area is interesting. Betty Wright tells in her book that in 1927 James Macdonald purchased the land (292 acres) around Chatterbox Falls from the Canadian government for $420. It was seen as valueless because it had been logged off, burned over, and the soil was not worth anything for farming. Mac Macdonald felt strongly that this land should never be commercialized so when Thomas F Hamilton, a boater and an inventor of the variable pitch propeller, wanted to purchase the land for $5,000 he turned it down. Years later he was offered $400,000 for the property but he still turned it down. In 1953 he deeded his land to the boating public of the northwest. Mac and boaters formed the Princess Louisa International Society and later turned it over to the government of British Columbia as a marine park with the guarantee that it will be preserved for future generations.



 

Bob and I took our dinghy and made a quick run around the Inlet to explore what was there. We went back to the boat and offloaded our kayaks and quickly discovered that they were the best purchase we could have made for our trip. Sue is an avid kayaker and we have done it a couple of times but to paddle around Princess Louisa, discover tinkling waterfalls, look up at towering cliffs from water level, and to hear nothing but the sounds of nature gave us a whole new appreciation for kayaking. It was so beautiful and we were able to get in behind rocks to see waterfalls we would have otherwise missed. I had hoped to see a lot of wildlife but we only found one little seal that curiously followed our kayaks. Each time I’d try to get a picture he would either dive or come up too far away. As we kayaked in this beautiful setting, I was reminded of Psalm 23:2b-3a, "he leads me beside quiet waters,he restores my soul."



 

 



 

In the afternoon, we ran our dinghies the four miles back to Malibu Club, a Young Life summer camp for teenagers. The staff and kids were very friendly and welcoming and greeted us with a yell to the ice cream store to stay open a little longer for the guests that had just arrived. After buying our ice cream cones (the many flavors are churned at the camp), we were given a tour by a couple who were volunteering a week of their time to assist at the camp. This is their fifth year helping out at the camp even though their children are now grown.

 

Malibu Camp has its own interesting history. The entrance to Princess Louisa was purchased in about  1900 by Herman Caspar, a German who obtained his Canadian citizenship.  Many years later, when Thomas  Hamilton was unable to purchase the land around Chatterbox Falls, he did purchase the inlet entrance for $500 from Caspar. He created a luxury resort for the rich and famous (guests included Bob Hope). The resort was not successful and Hamilton walked away from the property leaving behind all assets – including a 120 foot yacht that eventually sank and currently sits at the bottom of the inlet.

 

In 1954, Young Life purchased the entire resort from Hamilton to use as one of its 26 non-denominational Christian camps.  Jen Reynolds of Young Life Malibu states, “Each summer thousands of high school students from across the U.S. and Canada journey into the wilderness with their Malibu leaders for the best week of their lives. The goal of Young Life at all their camps for kids is to give teenagers the opportunity to meet Jesus Christ and follow Him. Kids develop relationships with their leaders, discuss with their peers and have nightly messages from a camp speaker. It’s a safe place to ask questions and explore topics of faith and life.”


 



 



 



 

After dinner, Al and Sue joined Bob and I as we went to look for some geocaches. One was simply to find Chatterbox Falls and take a picture in front of it. The second one was hidden under the roots of a large, gnarly tree. When we got ready to find the other three that I knew were in the area we discovered that they all have to be accessed by dinghy at low tide. I wish I had checked earlier but it was getting late and we had already loaded the dinghies and kayaks so we can leave in the morning.

 

 

 

 In closing, I must show the following picture of what we were greeted with this morning. The condensation on the windows gave us a beautiful image of our grandkids hands! So fun to have them with us!

 

 

Journey to Princess Louisa - Day 7 at Chatterbox Falls & Princess Louisa

We've arrived! We are now in Princess Louisa Inlet, traversed the Malibu Rapids and cruised the four miles to Chatterbox Falls. The first three pictures show our route up the narrow passages and some of the scenery. You can see our location indicated on the map with a black boat-shaped spot in the middle of the chart. The various channels we have traveled are fairly narrow and very picturesque. The third picture shows the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet and at the bottom between the lighter and darker green. Right at that corner is Malibu, the well-known Young Life camp. 



 

We arrived at Malibu Rapids about 2 hours 15 minutes before slack tide (no current). The current was running about 6 knots. One cannot see straight through the entrance to the inlet because of a right dog-leg turn and then a left dog-leg turn. That combined with a strong current made for an exciting ride and some heart-pounding moments. The group thought it was a really good idea for Bob to go first! Before entering Malibu Rapids, it is a courtesy as well as good seamanship to warn oncoming boats that you are preparing to enter from the opposite direction.  An example of Bob’s  transmission over the VHF radio was “Securite’, securite’, securite’. This is Nordic Tug Stargazer and three other vessels. Inbound through Malibu Rapids. Any concerned traffic contact Stargazer on one six”. We ran through the rapids just fine. It took a lot of power but once we popped through into the inlet, it was calm and beautiful. Someone once said it was like going through a crack in a teacup and we thought that was an very apt description. The walls of the inlet are about a mile high and the depth at the sides averaged 500 feet deep; sometime within feet of the shore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we traveled the length of the inlet, we were blown away by the beauty of the area. A good description taken from the Waggoner Cruising Guide 2013 states:  “Princess Louisa Inlet, 4 miles long, is the “holy grail” for cruising people from all over the world… Entering Princess Louisa Inlet is like entering a great cathedral. The author, Earle Stanley Gardner, wrote that no one can enter Princess Louisa Inlet and remain an atheist. It is one of the most awesome destinations on the coast. What words can describe this place? All the superlatives have been used up on lesser subjects.” 

 

 

We were able to run through the rapids sooner than some boats because we were able to go faster. Others had to wait until slack tide. For this reason, we found plenty of space on the dock and tied up our boats. We decided it was the perfect place for a photo of each couple so we posed for our first photos at Chatterbox Falls.  

 

After we were settled, we took the short walk up to Chatterbox Falls and took pictures at the foot of the falls. We had to make sure that all of us were ready to either pose or snap the picture quickly because we all got rained on by the spray from the falls.

 

 

A special treat this evening was to discover Betty Wright had arrived for a visit with friends. Betty spoke at the Nordic Tug Rendezvous we attended in June. She is the author of "Adventuring to Princess Louisa Inlet" in which she tells of her adventure traveling with her husband in 1957 in their 16' wooden boat with a 35 hp Johnson outboard. She was happy to see us and seemed to remembered some of us from when she spoke at the Rendezvous. She is a total delight and was so gracious as we all asked to have our photos taken with her.