• We apologize for the somewhat convoluted sign-up process. Due to ever-more sophisticated attacks by chatbots, we had to increase our filtering in order to weed out AI while letting humans through. It's a nuisance, but a necessary one in order to keep the level of discourse on the forums authentic and useful. From the actual humans using WCP, thanks for your understanding!

Bella Bella to Prince Rupert, July 2017

Wanted: paddling companions for a North Coast paddling journey

We are looking for some new friends to join us on a big summer paddling trip. We’re putting word out through our networks: do you know anyone who you think would be interested in joining us, and be a good fit?

Our plan: To paddle from Bella Bella to Prince Rupert over three weeks in July. Distance ~250 nautical miles.

About us: We’re two friends who’ve been paddling together for five years (plus skiing and hiking). Genders/ages F/30 and M/36. We both work professional scientific jobs in environmental fields (in government and UVic) and are green/left in our politics. We live in Victoria, BC.

What we’ll paddle and how we paddle: With the distance and time we have, assuming 1 weather day out of three, we’ll be paddling 20 nm per day. In the right conditions, we want to be able to paddle the open coast - we’re looking for companions with appropriate skills and experience for that. We’ve both got our Paddle Canada level 3 certificates. Being a team on the water matters; we paddle our crossings is a tight pack and generally take care of each other. We wear drysuits and will carry helmets. We’ll be paddling a few times a month until the trip, to be comfortable in our boat and in shape.

And the rest: Equally important is enjoying our journey on the coast: having calm and peaceful time immersed in nature, respecting all that we share the environment with. We share our cooking (and one of us is mostly vegetarian).

Who we’re looking for: we’re looking for one or two new friends to share this trip with us. The right companions will share our love of the coast, have good paddling skills and experience, and (obviously) get on well with us. If this all sounds awesome to you, please PM and tell us about yourself and we will get back to you :)
 
Hey Jon - Yes, we'd seen your blog and got some info from it, thanks!
Guess I'll shoot you some questions as we get nearer if it looks like you'll know the answers :)
-Colin
 
colin, I am giving some thought to your trip. I have long wanted to do this section and have all the paper charts (marked with info from folks who'd done it). I'm older than you guys (53), but also have a scientific/environmental background, practice LNT, and enjoy a slower pace so I can enjoy my time in nature. My biggest obstacle is finding time for all of the multi-day river trips, sea kayaking trips, and backpacking trips I hope to do this spring/summer/fall.

I will say that I think your plan to share food among a group of 3 or 4 people is not to your benefit. For starters, everybody has different food needs these days... she's vegetarian, he's paleo, the third is gluten-free, and the fourth has a nut allergy. Best to let people bring the food that works for them.

Also, there are many good safety reasons to break up the food teams. A second or third stove means redundancy if one breaks down and can't be repaired in the field. Plus, cooking for 4 people requires big pots and pans, but the tiny backpacker stoves we all use for kayak camping have small diameter bases. A large pan will tip over the whole set up unless it is centered perfectly on the stove, so the food in the center of the pot burns while the rest gets no heat. Try to stir it and the whole thing tips over. Unless your entire cooking set up (stove, pots, pans, cooking utensils) and meal plan is designed for large groups, it's better to have multiple food teams and cooking set ups. This also helps in case one food team suffers food spoilage or a loss of food to critters or some major mishap at sea like the loss of a boat. Redundancy in gear is a good thing on a long wilderness trip. On multi-week open coast trips I've done in the past, it was common for every single boat in the group to be outfitted with all of the food and equipment that paddler would need if they were paddling solo. That is the ultimate in redundancy!
 
Redundacy in cooking is wise on extended trips. We always take two stoves, one a barn burner and the other a backup micro butane unit. Had to use the backup a couple times, over a period of 20 seasons.
 
jamonte said:
On multi-week open coast trips I've done in the past, it was common for every single boat in the group to be outfitted with all of the food and equipment that paddler would need if they were paddling solo. That is the ultimate in redundancy!

I agree with this philosophy. On the trips that I take with partners we are are each outfitted the same as if we were going solo. Everyone has their own stove/fuel, food strategy, ditch gear, plan, etc. that works for them. The only item that we take on group trips that is completely unnecessary is a large MSR Parawing. Takes up a lot of space on two boats and is totally a nice-to-have item.
 
Hi everyone,

I'm the other member of this paddling team. To be clear, we absolutely ascribe to the philosophy of having cooking (and other) redundancies on trips as well. Colin and I have done many paddling trips together and have always brought our own sets of stoves/fuel/pots etc which is defintely a safer option and also often makes cooking fancier meals easier. What was meant in the post is that in the past we have shared food (dinner) which has worked well for us and we will continue to do so, but if we find others to join us, we will absolutely have a group conversation about food.

For what it's worth, I've done food many ways in the past: share cooking duties amongst groups of 3-4, have potlucks, make your own, etc. Ultimately this is something the final group can discuss and work out.

Anyone reading this: let us know if you're potentially interested in joining such a trip!

Cheers,
Rebecca
 
Back
Top