As canoeists launch today from Port Gamble and the Suquamish Reservation to complete the last leg of the 2003 Paddle Journey, many are looking ahead to next year.
The 2004 Paddle Journey will be hosted by the Tsawataineuk First Nation on Vancouver Island.
Many local tribes, including the Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, Makah and Lower Elwha Klallam, hope to travel hundreds of miles to reach the village located within Kingcome Inlet.
“It is a small village — only about 150 people live there,” said Tsawataineuk Chief Frank Nelson. “It is a beautiful, beautiful place.”
Nelson said the Canadian tribe accepted the challenge to host the 2004 Paddle Journey in 1998.
He said the journey will occur in mid-July, with specific dates to be announced at a later time.
It is still to be decided if the final destination will be at Kingcome Inlet or across Queen Charlotte Strait in Alert Bay, where many Tsawataineuk First Nation members live.
It will take between three weeks and a month for North Olympic Peninsula tribes to reach either Kingcome Inlet or Alert Bay.
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