Canoe Camping trip (August 20-25, 2012)

In Port Alberni buying our camping food.

Went camping for the first time in over a decade this August 2012. It was a trip that although intriguing I was not too keen on doing. I like the idea of camping but am not really into going out in the bush and not being able to bath for days on end. I would also miss my books, television, my bed, etc. I am a city boy, give me my amenities and I am happy.

My partner on the other hand was all excited about the adventure and he could not wait for it to happen. He loves living off the land, traipsing through the bush, cooking on a campfire, hunting,etc. He is a small town boy that wishes we still lived in the pioneer days.

The night before we were going through our things and getting it all ready. I was taking my time and he was rushing around to get it all done. We had a argument about how to pack stuff. I told him to leave me along as I would do things my way just as I have always done. He wanted me to do things differently as he felt his experience would be more beneficial as he had gone on a trip like this before. I was tired and cranking due to having worked all weekend and didn't want anyone telling me what to do. I told him to that I didn't want to go on the trip and was only going because it was something for US to do together, so if he didn't leave me alone to do it my way I would not be going. Typical Dan, he left me alone for all of 10 minutes. I had to tell him in stronger language to back off. He left me alone for the rest of the evening that time. I was nervous and uncomfortable with the upcoming trip as it would entail doing a lot of what I am not really in to doing and his whole demeanor towards me was not helping.

Canoe with spray skirt

Our friends in the sea kayak.

In the end we were packed and ready to go bythe next morning. We left around 8am Monday, picked up our camping buddies and took off to Tofino. The plan was to go camping for the week in our canoe as we paddled our way around the islands north of Tofino. The goal was to see if we could make it to Hotsprings Cove which is about a distance of 2-3 days paddling by canoe. We didn't get into the water until about 3pm that day. We had a 5hr drive to Tofino with the various stops along the way for gas, food, and beverages (a staple for any camping excursion). Dan and I had our canoe and our two friends rented a 2 person sea kayak. One of our concerns was the possibility of the canoe rolling over due to waves from other boats or high winds. Our canoe had ballasts built into its structure so it would not sink but we would need the kayak to help us turn the canoe upright in what is called a "T maneuver" in the event of us being swamped by a wave. The first day paddling we did take on water and thanks to a hand pump we were able to clear the canoe of water plus we improvised a spray skirt using a tarp and good ole duct tape. The spray skirt helped keep me dryer and warmer as I was up front. As you can see in the picture we even cut out a hole for me to slide into. The "spray skirt" even helped to keep our stuff dryer as well.

Breakfast the first morning

The first campsite was on Vargas Island which is only a couple hours paddling from Tofino. Since we left later in the day we didn't want to paddle too far as we didn't know where we could beach ourselves in the limited paddling time we had that first day.  We set up camp, collected firewood, got the fire going and prepped for dinner. Our menu for the week was as follows:

• Night #1 : Marinated pork ribs with rice/veggies
• Night #2 : Maui ribs with rice/veggies
• Night #3 : Smokies with mac & cheese
• Night #4 : Ham steaks with rice/veggies
• Breakfast every morning was bacon, eggs & toast.

We brought a cooler that held all our food with two ice blocks that lasted five days. We brought camping dishes and a grill from our BBQ to cook on. I did all the cooking, Dan made the fires, Friend #1 chopped the wood, Friend #2 did the dishes. With assigned duties it worked well. 

Posing with the canoe during our explorations

The second day was fun as we leisurely paddled around and made a stop on an island that looked interesting and spent some time exploring. After a few hours paddling the arms are tired and the legs are cramped so any kind of break is nice. We ended up finding a really nice beach on the southern part of Flores Island that second day to make our campsite on. That day was so hot and sunny that after everything was set up and dinner was being made Dan and I took turns bathing in the ocean. The water was a little chilly but it felt so good washing off all the sweat and grime from the day. The beach at site #2 was the nicest of all the sites visually. The sun, sand, sea shells and kilometres of open ocean with islands all around was gorgeous. I picked several sand dollars and a couple handfuls of ocean polished shells from the beach. They would be my souvenirs and also part of a future craft project. Dan found a neat shell that had some amazing purple color to it and was pitted so much it looked like coral, that was his souvenir. 

Late afternoon at site #2

The next morning I woke up to find animal tracks around our tent and the whole campsite. They were small tracks probably from a smaller critter like a fox or small canine. Nothing to concern ourselves with as they did not attack or take anything. Probably just checking us out.  Just as the the previous morning we woke, had breakfast, made plans for the days worth of travel/paddling, broke camp and loaded up the canoe/kayak. Along the way we did see some wildlife. We witnessed an elk swimming from island to island, eagles, hawks, seals, dolphins, jumping fish and jellyfish. It was quite the experience to see so much wildlife as we paddled the ocean and around the islands.

Beautiful beach on Flores Island

Dan built a windbreak at campsite #3

By the end of day 3 we had made it to a more northern part of Flores Island where there would be some hot springs, not the ones we wanted to see but small lesser known one. We realized along the way that at the pace we were going in our canoe we would not make it to Hotsprings Cove in the time we had. We would need to set aside another day or two to make it that far. At the 3rd site where the smaller hot springs was located at we discovered some trails that criss-crossed the island. As a group we wandered the paths trying to find the hot springs but were unsuccessful as there were no signs or markings to show us where they were, our map wasn't too helpful. We met others that were wondering around too and they didn't find them either. We also found a native reserve with a store so if we needed to we could restock our supplies. After setting up camp Dan and I explored a bit more and we found a smaller off-shoot of the springs. The water was warm and made for a nice bath. We felt so good after that. The only real down side to our campsite #3 was the wind. As you can see in the picture to the right we had to build a wind break to prevent the fire from going out. It worked well. 

Paddling through a kelp bed on way back

The following morning we were checking the weather reports (we actually had cellular service out there) and were told that there was a storm brewing with 10-20 knot winds coming our way. When you are in a kayak or a canoe that is dangerous as the waves and wind can capsize you quickly. The weather report was contrary to the weather we woke up to. Clear skies, sunshine and the water was almost as calm/smooth as a mirror. Dan and I decided to keep going. We had reached the halfway point of our trip and we wanted to make our way back in the same manner as we did to get where we were. One of our friends was overly cautious and refused to go back in the kayak so he and his companion (who wanted to continue as Dan & I were but there was no room in the canoe and someone needed to help paddle the kayak) paddled quickly to the native reserve and took a water taxi back to Tofino. Dan and I continued on and had fun. 

Slightly rough waters

Sand flats near final campsite

The weather report didn't pan out, we had amazing weather. We did have some slightly rough waters but it wasn't difficult for us to paddle through it. We had such nice weather on that day that Dan and I were able to paddle all the way back to our first campsite in one day. We left site #3 at 8am and by 12noon we were near our final camp spot for the trip and the weather through the whole morning was nothing but sun, some wind and full of beauty. The picture to the left shows you the worse that we truly had to deal with during the whole trip. So while our friends took the water taxi back to Tofino and lounged in a hotel, the two of us enjoy more of our trip. We even found some nice sand flats to beach ourselves at to explore some more. At our final campsite (same as the first one) we set up and then relaxed for the afternoon. We had paddled non-stop for 4 plus hours and deserved a break. We laid down on the sand and tanned for awhile. The day that was supposed to be stormy with up to 20 knot winds and 3-4ft waves never materialized. Our overly cautious friend missed out on more adventure. Of course Dan and I were taking our chances. We wanted more adventure and we went for it. We had a plan in place, we would contact our friends via cell phone (there was service) every 6hrs to let him know where we were and if he did not hear from us in 12hrs he would send the Coast Guard out to find us. We felt we would be fine.

Final campsite

 Our final campsite was only a couple hours paddle back to Tofino so we knew that all would be fine with us. The last morning was as beautiful as all the previous ones. Our leisure paddle back to Tofino was nice. We saw many others in kayaks on their way out on day trips and more wildlife. It was so nice. Once back in Tofino we packed up the truck, did some souvenir shopping for friends/family, had a coffee & lunch with ice cream (I love civilization!) made our way home arriving in good time that evening.

We really enjoyed our trip that week. The storm we were threatened with did not happen as the sunshine stayed with us the whole time, we had no issues with wild animals, and the scenery was amazing. A trip that I didn't want to go on in the first place was one that I am glad I did. I told my sweetheart that I was thankful he planned it and pushed me to go.  The plan now is to do an excursion like that every year. Next year we will take a full week and plan a little better. We did have some minor problems along the way but they are ones you learn from to make the next time better.

Back in Tofino before we went home

This city boy still loves the city but he also loves to explore the great outdoors too.