2022 Paddling Photo log

[AlphaEcho]

We were self guided - 13 days on the water. We were dropped off near Rose Harbour, and our plan was to paddle back to Moresby Camp, preferably via the 'outside' route. We were able to complete our route as planned.

We had a pretty knowledgeable group, and we did a lot of leg work/research beforehand, but even so we were surprised at how often our proposed campsite either didn't exist or was completely unsuitable. There were sites that were probably fine at one time, but had been rendered uninhabitable by extensive blowdowns. Other sites that appeared in literature or on maps just didn't seem to exist. You can spend a lot of time bushwacking around a beach, trying to find something that isn't there. I think a lot of the literature out there is dated and hasn't aged particularly well.

Our best campsite intel came from conversations; we were put on to a couple of great sites through chance encounters with other paddlers. We also found a few hidden gems completely by chance. At the end of the day we always found something, but it can be a bit disconcerting when you pull in after a long day to a site advertised as 'large open site, room for 10+ tents", only to see a tangled wasteland of blowdowns and overgrown brush. Well, all part of the fun, I suppose!

I like this because it means that even though we have all kinds of technology and social media, there are still wild places to find.

Also, I recommend you take site descriptions on the BCMT map with a small block of salt -- unless you have a 1st hand scouting report or it is noted as updated by SCR or BCMT volunteers within 12 months. I state this having worked on the BCMT site database myself. "Site requires brushing" generally means with a chainsaw and small excavator.

I hope you turned in SCRs for your visits. It is only through diligent reporting by site users that any of that data gets updated.

 

[a_c]

A little closer to home (Victoria), this one is a recent paddle and landing at Cabin Point, near East Sooke Regional Park. A great stretch of coastline but the swells can make the beach landing a bit dicey. This one was definitely 'spicy'!

 

[JKA]

Getting a shower from a blow hole, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. February 2023.

 

[AlphaEcho]

@JKA - that's absolutely thrilling!

 

[Philip.AK]

How'd you decide when to paddle and when to hike?

Good question. It's very local-conditions specific. But in general:

Hike:

• When there are headwinds greater than about 10 knots, or sloppy beam seas, or tail winds greater than about 15-20 knots when packrafting gets dicey
• Making an overland shortcut to avoid a long paddle around a headland, etc, that I don't want to visit
• Or hiking around a headland because I see more animals from that vantage point
• When a tidal current is not flowing in my favor

Paddle:

• Paddling is faster and more efficient so I will do this when possible
• Avoiding dense brush or difficult terrain
• Cutting across bodies of water like the mouth of a bay to avoid a long detour
• Hopping between islands
• When tidal currents are flowing in my favor

Here is a map of a pretty typical lap around Shuyak Island for me. The yellow is paddling and the red is walking.

 

[Tongo-Rad]

Random assortment of kayak camping pics from 2022:

Helliwell Provincial Park, Hornby Island on a very hot summer day

East Quadra Island. Raindrops show the mountains in the distance.

Sea Urchin skeleton, Read Island

iPhone underwater shot of a sea cucumber, near Penn Islands.

Post rainy afternoon near Sonora Island

Hole in the Wall (West of Quadra Island)

Curious bee-fly (Bombylius major)

Unknown type of bird skull.

Cooling down on a 30° day, near Penn Islands.

Near Raza Island

 

[AlphaEcho]

@Tongo-Rad - great photos; my home waters right now