A Kayak Journey

Jay and Charlene planned to get away for a kayak adventure. They had a week off in July and their kids would be staying with grandparents. One of the joys of kayaking for the couple was the complete separation from work and their busy list of daily responsibilities – now they just needed a place to get away to.

“Where should we go?” Charlene asked.

“Somewhere on Vancouver Island,” Jay suggested.

Charlene pulled out her phone and started searching. “Tofino comes up a lot. Looks beautiful … and popular.”

“That’s funny,” Jay said. “When I told someone we wanted to get away for a kayak trip, they asked me, ‘Have you been to Tofino?’ They were very enthusiastic about it. However,” Jay continued, “if we go to a destination, I’ll have a checklist in my mind of where to go and what to see. For me, this trip needs a different mindset. It needs to be about slowing down and not having a checklist. I want scenery in a destination that doesn’t involve hustle or bustle.”

“You’re right. Let’s do our own thing.” Charlene pulled up a map of Vancouver Island, which they started poring over.

“Lots of jagged, interesting-looking coastline,” Jay said. “Lakes on the island too.”

“We can make it a multi-day trip,” Charlene suggested, “since we’ve got a week.”

They narrowed it down to two locations, one freshwater and one saltwater, and decided to spend a couple of nights at each spot. The first was Buttle Lake, roughly in the center of Vancouver Island, in Strathcona Provincial Park. The second was Telegraph Cove, in the northern portion of Vancouver Island along the Johnstone Strait. Both offered “aquatic campsites” accessible only by water; Jay and Charlene would drive, then kayak to camp.

Getting an early morning start, the couple drove to Strathcona Provincial Park, and found a place to launch on the southeast side of the lake. They got in their kayaks; the lake was calm, the sky partially overcast. “Perfect weather,” Jay said.

Buttle Lake is a lengthy waterway: fourteen miles long and about a mile wide.

They spent the morning exploring the lakeshore, eventually settling on a campsite with an appealing beach. Jay strung up a tarp as rain slowly began to fall, then got their burner stove going and made coffee.

As experienced backpackers, Jay and Charlene were accustomed to traveling light. The extra room in the kayaks however, allowed them to camp with far more creature comforts, enjoying gear like collapsible camp chairs.

Snug under the tarp, they sipped coffee and watched the rain gently pepper the water. The remote sandbar they camped on provided the perfect view.

“This is the pace I was looking for,” Jay said, watching the clouds move across the mountains.

They didn’t see another person for two days.

On the next leg of the trip, Jay and Charlene drove to Port McNeill. After stocking up on provisions, they parked close to Telegraph Cove (a community of about 20 inhabitants), where they launched. They were comfortable with their kayaks, but their previous experience had all been freshwater, so they approached this new leg respectfully.

“Do we have the skills to handle this?” Charlene asked. “I mean, we’re basically advanced beginners, right?”

“We can test ourselves,” Jay answered, “but we need to be ready to ditch out and go get a hotel if conditions aren’t right.”

“As long as we don’t push beyond what we’re capable of …

Prior to launching, they took time to go over the weather forecast – especially checking the wind – and looked over the tide table. Jay and Charlene started off from Telegraph Cove in morning fog, which tended to burn off by late afternoon. Around here it’s called ‘sea smoke,’ because it can be seen moving up hillsides, like smoke from a brush fire, dissipating as it travels.

They launched in still, flat water with almost no visibility. “It’s like paddling over glass,” Charlene said, as two curious harbor seals glided beneath them.

They paddled into Cormorant Channel Marine Provincial Park, cruising through the Pearse Islands. Small islands greeted them with beaches that were pretty rough – mostly sharp basalt or granite among scattered logs. They paddled around the islands until they found a beach that had space for a tent, settling on one in a relatively protected bay.

After stowing their gear, Jay and Charlene explored the shoreline. Again, they felt as if they had the island to themselves; they wouldn’t see anyone else until a fishing boat passed by the next day.

When they got in their kayaks again, they stayed close together, paddling side by side and listening for a boat’s motor or a ship’s bell. “I’m impressed with the strong tidal current,” Charlene said.

“Knowing about the current is one thing,” Jay called out, “but experiencing it is another.”

They plotted their course to go with the tide, riding it out in one direction, then crossing back to camp on the slack tide. Timing was crucial – a point reinforced later in the day on another, more random paddle. The fog cleared. The water remained crystal clear.

“Let’s go visit over there.” Charlene pointed across the water to some nearby islands. They could see salmon jumping and, if they looked beneath the surface, bullwhip kelp all the way down to its roots; however, try as they may, they were unable to paddle against the strong current.

“We can’t leave the island!” Jay said in disbelief.

They didn’t mind staying put. They saw seals, sea otters, and whales. From camp they watched ravens wheeling overhead, as bald eagles squawked in their peculiar language. Once again, they shifted gears and focused on enjoying their surroundings.

Jay and Charlene spent the rest of the day exploring the island on foot. Wind ruffled the water as the sun danced in and out of the clouds. They got comfortable and agreed that by slowing down, they were meeting their needs.

After two very relaxed days, Jay and Charlene kayaked back through Cormorant Channel to Port McNeill. On the drive home, Charlene said, “Buttle Lake and the Pearse Islands offered just the right balance – remote, but not totally isolated.”

Jay smiled. “We’ll do Tofino another time.” This trip had been more about slowing down.

“My biggest takeaway,” Charlene said, “is don’t worry, take your time, nothing is improved by hurrying.”

We all know the phrase it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. This time, Jay and Charlene successfully embodied that.   X