The enthusiastic Ethan was up extremely early this morning. Because my tent was pitched just a few feet from the picnic table and trip prep area, so was I. We were all amped to get started and paddle our way through the Broken Islands in search of our first destination, Hand Island.
I should back up a moment: The Broken Islands Group is one of three regions included in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island's west coast. The group is made up of over 100 islands and islets and is located within Barkley Sound. There are around 10 different campsites on the different islands. The area is accessible only by watercraft and is especially popular with kayakers.
Throughout the day and over the course of the trip, Kook helped me expand my vocabulary:
Gripper: (n,v,adv,adj,etc) - Something especially challenging or engaging, exhilarating, and oftentimes scary. "Dude, that channel crossing was a gripper."..."Yeah, dude, I was totally gripped by those swells."
Epic: (n, adj) - Monumental in relation to our adventure. "Dude, are you ready for an epic day of paddling?"..."Yeah, dude, our hunt for Clarke Island may turn out to be an epic."
Buck wild: (n, adj) - Frolicking sans clothing in the general vicinity. "Dude, this little inlet may provide a good opportunity to go buck wild for a bit."
The team rallied and organized and somehow managed to pack a whole lot of supplies into not a lot of room in the beaks and tails of our kayaks. There would not be any fresh water available to us, so we needed to bring it with us for the 4 days we would be paddling and camping. The team had also carried in A LOT of alcohol, including supplies for gin and tonics and a lot of cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon. (Ethan, Kook, and Matt - if you are reading this, how much alcohol was it in all?, please comment.)
Several of the Canadian campers at our Toquart Bay campsite had been collecting oysters in the area and had a few pointers for us prior to our departure from Vancouver Island. We carried the kayaks to the water and pushed off. We expected an epic and gripping day of paddling to get to Hand. We stopped several times on our way to hand to eat, stretch and pee. At one stop, our ankles were attacked by small crustaceous ankle biting things that actually drew blood! Fortunately, they weren't on every island. The weather was fantastic - clear skies and warm. There was a bald eagle on nearly every island. At one stop, I discovered a bumblebee flailing legs up in the water. After I picked him out of the water, bees seemed to follow me everywhere for the rest of the trip.
We reached Hand Island much quicker than any of us expected. With a forest and white sand beaches, it was gorgeous - Blue Lagoon-esque. I hoped Brooke Shields would show up. We set up camp. I would have liked to set up my tent on the sand beach with the rest of the group, but I needed to stake it on harder ground in order to erect it (plus, I needed a good night's sleep), so I set it up in the forest. The bold Ethan and Kook did not bring tents. Kook carried a wing (like a flexible, stake-able tarp), so he was "winging" it. Ethan brought a small waterproof bag to wrap around his sleeping bag while he slept. Poor Kook experienced a couple of sleepless nights due to scampering creatures and insects. As we considered dinner, a solo kayaker, Randy showed up. He was extremely knowledgable about the area and he prepared for his trip by packing a slingshot with glass pellets to ward off the bold and pesky crows that would prey on the scraps of food left out in the open by campers. It seemed to me to be sensible, yet a little crazy. But I can understand that when you are by yourself in the wild, you need to be more creative as far as entertainment is concerned.
Dawn and I worked on dinner while Matt and Ethan collected oysters. They were going to try them! Risotto was the main entree. Once again, dinner was delicious. Matt and Ethan went for an evening paddle while the rest of us relaxed at the campsite. Matt reported seeing a whale, so I was determined to not miss these evening paddles in the future.
I should back up a moment: The Broken Islands Group is one of three regions included in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island's west coast. The group is made up of over 100 islands and islets and is located within Barkley Sound. There are around 10 different campsites on the different islands. The area is accessible only by watercraft and is especially popular with kayakers.
Throughout the day and over the course of the trip, Kook helped me expand my vocabulary:
Gripper: (n,v,adv,adj,etc) - Something especially challenging or engaging, exhilarating, and oftentimes scary. "Dude, that channel crossing was a gripper."..."Yeah, dude, I was totally gripped by those swells."
Epic: (n, adj) - Monumental in relation to our adventure. "Dude, are you ready for an epic day of paddling?"..."Yeah, dude, our hunt for Clarke Island may turn out to be an epic."
Buck wild: (n, adj) - Frolicking sans clothing in the general vicinity. "Dude, this little inlet may provide a good opportunity to go buck wild for a bit."
The team rallied and organized and somehow managed to pack a whole lot of supplies into not a lot of room in the beaks and tails of our kayaks. There would not be any fresh water available to us, so we needed to bring it with us for the 4 days we would be paddling and camping. The team had also carried in A LOT of alcohol, including supplies for gin and tonics and a lot of cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon. (Ethan, Kook, and Matt - if you are reading this, how much alcohol was it in all?, please comment.)
Several of the Canadian campers at our Toquart Bay campsite had been collecting oysters in the area and had a few pointers for us prior to our departure from Vancouver Island. We carried the kayaks to the water and pushed off. We expected an epic and gripping day of paddling to get to Hand. We stopped several times on our way to hand to eat, stretch and pee. At one stop, our ankles were attacked by small crustaceous ankle biting things that actually drew blood! Fortunately, they weren't on every island. The weather was fantastic - clear skies and warm. There was a bald eagle on nearly every island. At one stop, I discovered a bumblebee flailing legs up in the water. After I picked him out of the water, bees seemed to follow me everywhere for the rest of the trip.
We reached Hand Island much quicker than any of us expected. With a forest and white sand beaches, it was gorgeous - Blue Lagoon-esque. I hoped Brooke Shields would show up. We set up camp. I would have liked to set up my tent on the sand beach with the rest of the group, but I needed to stake it on harder ground in order to erect it (plus, I needed a good night's sleep), so I set it up in the forest. The bold Ethan and Kook did not bring tents. Kook carried a wing (like a flexible, stake-able tarp), so he was "winging" it. Ethan brought a small waterproof bag to wrap around his sleeping bag while he slept. Poor Kook experienced a couple of sleepless nights due to scampering creatures and insects. As we considered dinner, a solo kayaker, Randy showed up. He was extremely knowledgable about the area and he prepared for his trip by packing a slingshot with glass pellets to ward off the bold and pesky crows that would prey on the scraps of food left out in the open by campers. It seemed to me to be sensible, yet a little crazy. But I can understand that when you are by yourself in the wild, you need to be more creative as far as entertainment is concerned.
Dawn and I worked on dinner while Matt and Ethan collected oysters. They were going to try them! Risotto was the main entree. Once again, dinner was delicious. Matt and Ethan went for an evening paddle while the rest of us relaxed at the campsite. Matt reported seeing a whale, so I was determined to not miss these evening paddles in the future.
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