Paul Grant wrote: >> Is any one familiar with the Port Alberni Inlet? I'd like to paddle >> from Port Alberni to the broken group [snip] Fereira replied: > It's been a long time since I was in the area but I believe there is a > old mail boat that runs between Port Alberni and the Broken group (and > Ucluelet). When I took the trip they dropped a group of 8 people and > four canoes off at a dock in the middle of the broken group on the way > out and picked up a couple on the way back. I spoke with the guy they > picked up on the way back and he said the'd been there for four days and > only saw a handful of people. John, times have changed since you were in the BG: During the high season (late June-early Sept), the popular campsites are heavily subscribed in the BG. Some of the less popular may provide occasional solitude. At its peak (August), the Brokens run to about 200+ souls camped over the 8 sites. On the shoulder, at times it is lonely, for sure. Shoulder is May-early June and late Sept-Oct. In winter, it truly is lonely out there. Best whale watching in March near the herring spawn time, I was told. The old mail boat is now a pair of steamers, disgorging dozens of paddlers or gawkers: the former, at Sechart (the float on Gibraltor you recall has been gone for at least 10 years), where there is a first class B and B, hot tub, bar, showers, a fleet of kayaks to rent, and a water taxi in case you want to be _delivered_ to your campsite of choice; the latter, at Bamfield, to stroll the Boardwalk, lay over for a salmon charter or whalewatch or Zode cruise through the islands (Deers and/or Brokens). Ucluelet is an alternate destination. Fees to camp are about CDN$10/night/person for adults; I think there is a break on kids; wolves moved through the islands, decimating the deer population on most islands, except for Clarke and Benson, last I heard ... leading to a precipitous rise in browse vegetation at some campsites. It now costs to _park_ at Toquart Bay, the launch of choice for folks who drive to Barkley Sound. What you saw was bucolic; now we get mostly colic. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue May 08 2007 - 03:17:57 PDT
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