I kayak into Klemtu, a small native village. It is amazing the difference between Bella Bella and Klemtu. As I walked down the dock everyone smiled and said hello, I ended up talking to a local fisherman for 40 minutes. As I walked around town taking pictures of Totems everyone waved or greeted me. Ended up meeting Roy who teaches woodworking at the school and does some carving as well. Roy and I talked carving for over and hour and went to see his Totem at the Gas Dock.
I met Frankie the Fisherman on the dock, he was from further up the coast, a village called Port Simpson. There were about 20 commercial fishing boats tied up to the dock. It turns out that the fishing season had been closed for the last week and the Government was to broadcast at 2 pm if it was to open again. It turns out most of the fishermen were from port Simpson and if the fishing season was going to stay closed that they were going to go home. I was up on the hill near the Big House, kind of a native community hall when I saw many of the fishing boats heading North up the Fraser Reach. It was just past 2 pm and I guess the Government had bad news. It must be hard to make a life fishing, never knowing if there will be enough fish to even open the season and pay for even the fuel of the trip.
From Klemtu I go North and camp on Sarah Island.
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