I used to think that kayak trips would magically take us deep into the wilds of British Columbia. That illusion has been thoroughly debunked. My first hint should have been when the vessel Lady Rose dropped off about 30 of us on a 10 person floating platform, and we had to sort through the mountain of gear and paddle to shore. That was my maiden voyage. One time, Mike and I were camped on an outer island in the Broken Group. Excellent campsite with a small gravel beach from which to launch. Suddenly, a tour boat came motoring into our little harbor, disgorging a beau coup bushel of humanity onto our beach. The visitors then gathered around our campsite, and Mike and I became another roadside attraction. I believe some of them had come all the way from Dallas, Texas, just to watch Mike and I camping. Fortunately, they didn't stay for freeze-dried dinner. If I recall correctly, some of them had brand new rain gear and boots, purchased in Dallas. On another occasion, a group of us paddled all day to get to an island on the edge of the Pacific ocean. It was a hard day of paddling. Upon arriving at the cherished sandy beach with excellent tent sites uphill, we were shocked to find an airplane parked in the middle of our anticipated spot. We ended up paddling several more miles in our search for solitude. On still another occasion, we were paddling towards the Brooks Peninsula from the south, feeling like explorers of olde, when suddenly a tour boat motored right past us, fully loaded, with all passengers dressed up in bright red outfits. Talk about deflation. So it appears that we can not expect to have Vancouver Island, B.C. all to ourselves. The days of total isolation from the outside world are done. But at least kayaking is still a kick. I plan to keep paddling as long as possible. Brad Crain Portland, Oregon *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 9:45 AM, Bradford R. Crain <crainb_at_pdx.edu> wrote: > I used to think that kayak trips would magically take us deep into > the wilds of British Columbia. In 1979 my wife and I and our (then toddler) daughter spent a week at Hot Springs Cove. There were no other sailboats, no kayakers, but lots of BC salmon trollers who treated us royally by tossing shaker salmon (they had to toss back anything under 22 inches but we, with our sport fishing license, could keep anything over 19 inches... so they gave us all that were in between that would not have survived) onto our decks. We ate broiled salmon, bbq'ed salmon, fried salmon, baked salmon, and salmon cakes for the next week. But I digress.... Every day at 10am a Cessna 185 on floats arrived from Victoria with 5 paying customers. Since most people then went into the hot springs nude it could be a fun encounter. One time it was a group of evangelical Christians who tried their best not to look down. I bet they're still talking about that. But even 30 years ago we could not expect complete isolation on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Until oil has run out, it will be thus. Take heart... oil is bound to run out. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
--- On Sat, 3/7/09, Bradford R. Crain <crainb_at_pdx.edu> wrote: > One time, Mike and I were camped on an outer island in > the Broken Group. Excellent campsite with a small gravel > beach from which to launch. Suddenly, > a tour boat came motoring into our little harbor, > disgorging a beau coup > bushel of humanity onto our beach. Dear Bradford, Now you know how the island's animals felt when they saw you and Mike coming ;-) All the best, Harvey *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 2:21 PM, Harvey Golden <harveydgolden_at_yahoo.com>wrote: > > Dear Bradford, > Now you know how the island's animals felt when they saw you and Mike > coming ;-) > All the best, > Harvey > > There should be some latitude for paddlers utilizing the beaches as camping areas. After all, at least Brad and Mike weren't shooting at the critters. :) Craig *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Yes, there definitely was an intricate web of life occuring on that island in the Broken Group. Tourists hunting whales and kayakers, kayakers hunting critters, critters hunting smaller critters. It was definitely a happening place. I got the feeling the sea lions could have turned us into sushi or sashimi had they been so inclined (not sure what the correct Japanese word for raw sliced kayaker would be, perhaps easyriderushi?). The water in our little bay was the color of tomato soup...is that a bad sign? We avoided eating oysters or selling them to tourists. Brad Quoting Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>: > On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 2:21 PM, Harvey Golden <harveydgolden_at_yahoo.com>wrote: > >> >> Dear Bradford, >> Now you know how the island's animals felt when they saw you and Mike >> coming ;-) >> All the best, >> Harvey >> >> > There should be some latitude for paddlers utilizing the beaches as camping > areas. After all, at least Brad and Mike weren't shooting at the critters. > :) > > Craig *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Says Brad: So it appears that we can not expect to have Vancouver Island, B.C. allB to ourselves. The days of total isolation from the outside world are done.B But at least kayaking is still a kick. I plan to keep paddling as longB as possible.B Why not go up to Alaska? Get a folding boat and fly from Portland to Sitka or Petersberg or Ketchikan and strike out in any way you wish. We saw people up there, fishing boats and such, but really, not too many. Cheers, Rob G *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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