[Paddlewise] Trip Report - Paddling in the PNW (long)

Doug Lloyd has been needling me to write this ever since my wife Robin and I
returned from paddling in his neck of the woods. I've been putting it off
because of demands from work and family, and because I am nowhere near the
writer that Dave Kruger or Rev Bob Carter are. My writing style is usually
from the school of Dragnet - the facts, just the facts mam. 

 

When an advertisement arrived in our mailbox for a mothership supported
kayaking trip in BC, Canada and the San Juan Islands from a company we had
travelled with previously, I suggested to my wife that we ought to do this.
She readily agreed since we had gone on their first kayaking trip last year
in Baja, California. At that time, she thought the other travelers would be
very much like the guys I paddle with every week - testosterone loaded,
adrenaline junkies ready to challenge every wave, tidal race, etc that we
could find. Robin was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case. We
were probably the two best paddlers on board the ship, and even though Robin
has been paddling for 10 years, she only gets out about 6 times a year and
can be considered an advanced beginner. Practicing strokes and skills is not
her cup of tea but even still, we picked up the nickname of "The Kayakers".

 

Robin wanted to arrive in BC a few days early so that we could visit
Victoria Island. Unfortunately, she wanted to stay at the Empress Hotel and
I quickly said no when I saw the prices. However after a few tears about how
marriage is a compromise and we are going to "Kayak Mecca" for me, I
reluctantly agreed. After all, what's a couple of more months payment on a
Visa Card really matter.

 

We landed at Vancouver International Airport and picked up our rental car.
Fortunately my personal car's GPS worked in Canada and we had no trouble
finding the ferry. After an enjoyable ride on the ferry, we arrived on
Victoria Island and drove to the Empress where we were offered an upgrade to
their "Gold Suites". With what the room was already costing us, what was
another $100. Now I know why I want to become rich----I like the way they
live. 

 

We spent an enjoyable 2 days on Victoria seeing Butchart Gardens (we found
you can kayak to it and we'll do that next time), having High Tea at the
Empress, and just relaxing. Then we drove back to the Ferry, turned the
rental car in, and grabbed a cab to our waiting boat, the MV Sea Bird. She
carried 37 passengers, a fleet of zodiacs, and a fleet of tandem and single
kayaks.

 

After leaving the dock, we arrived at Jervis Inlet and explored that area by
ship. In the afternoon, we went to Princess Louisa Inlet, where we found the
entrance guarded by a very narrow channel called Malibu Rapids. It can only
be traversed at slack tide as there are large standing waves there the rest
of the time. I wanted to stay and play in it from a kayak, but the itinerary
was for the paddlers to paddle about 5 miles to the end of the inlet.

 

As we paddled, we passed underneath lots of western red cedar. Being a GP
paddler, all I could think of was how many GP's there were waiting to come
out. Having travelled with this company before, we knew that if we wanted to
use comfortable PFD's, lightweight paddles, and have skirts, we would need
to bring our own with us. I carried a two piece Feathercraft Klatwa GP while
Robin carried her favorite lightweight Swift paddle. We both had Gore-Tex
skirts that would fit most boats and we wore our own PFD's and not the ones
supplied.

 

As we paddled Princess Louisa Inlet, we saw an elephant seal . When we first
heard someone say they saw one, I thought they were mistaken. They are not
know to be very common in BC. However, the photos we got made it a
certainty. It really was an elephant seal.

 

The next day saw us at Desolation Sound (BTW see my  Last Glance Photo in
the current SK Mag from there). We paddled in some interesting fog that made
it difficult to see where the water stopped and the sky began. The water was
flat and calm and everyone had a great time just sort of communing with
Nature. Although I usually prefer lumpy water, this was a nice break. We saw
some interesting moon jellies swimming. The jellyfish we get at home in
California, just drift with the wind. These guys were actually swimming and
changing directions. Our attention was kept by watching the gulls in the
area and also lots of harbor seals.

 

The next morning found us still at Desolation Sound. We explored two arms of
the river system and paddled as far inland as we could before we ran out of
water. Robin had never paddled in a river and was a little nervous about the
very calm whitewater we paddled through.  We found an eddy by a waterfall
that we were able to park ourselves into and watched to see if we could see
any salmon or bears. We saw neither, but there was a bald eagle to provide
us with some entertainment.

 

The other arm of the river was in an even shallower part. We barely got in,
but as the morning wore on, the incoming tide made it possible for the
non-paddlers on the trip to venture in by using the zodiacs. The rest of the
day was spent motoring and we spotted our first whales - 4 Orcas, that
quickly hid behind an island that we could not get around.

 

During the night, we made a quick stop at Nanaimo on Victoria Island to take
on some supplies and then headed out to the Discovery Islands. We spent the
afternoon paddling around the most beautiful spot I've ever paddled. I got
to do this one solo, because Robin asked me to take a particular picture.
While I was fiddling with the camera, she and another couple we were
paddling with, kept going. When I was ready to join them, they were nowhere
to be seen. I guessed wrong and turned the opposite way that they had gone.
After searching for about an hour, I finally decided that I would just enjoy
paddling by myself. We finally met up about an hour and a half later.
Knowing that my wife hates when I solo paddle (especially since my friend
Len Goodman died last March while doing a solo trip), I asked why she left
me. She said she hadn't seen where I went and rather than looking for me, it
would be safer if she stayed with the other couple. She figured I'd be able
to handle paddling alone much better than she could. The boats did not have
paddle floats with them and if one capsized the only options were to roll-up
or do an assisted re-entry. Since Robin doesn't roll, she figured she needed
the company of others more than I did.

 

We saw lots of river otters on the shore, but we did not see any sea otters.
I expected to, but I've since been told, they're more likely to be found
along the California coast.

 

Our final day found us clearing customs at Friday Harbor and going ashore
for a couple of hours. We were surprised to learn that the customs officer
who boarded the ship, knew some friends of ours that moved to Friday Harbor
about 5 years ago. That's the beauty of a small town.

 

After lunch, we left the harbor and sailed along the west side of San Juan
Island in search of killer whales.  After searching long and hard, we came
across a super pod that had gotten together to breed. There were over 30
whales in the group and I managed to finally get a photo of an orca spy
hopping, and then got one of one breaching. Those are a couple of the best
shots I've ever taken.

 

All in all, we had a great time and Robin and I have already talked about
the possibility of my coming up here with a couple of my paddling friends
and camping from our kayaks. That kind of trip doesn't interest Robin but
she knows I'll love it. Next summer, we are planning on flying to the East
Coast to join the couple we met on board the ship that were about the same
sort of skills that we have. We are planning on kayaking in the St. Lawrence
Seaway with whales. Robin is looking forward to it, because we'll use a
condo as our base camp and she loves whales - especially from a kayak.

 

Steve Holtzman

Southern California
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