Kayaking Adventures In Beautiful British Columbia: True Stories of Adventure While Kayaking in BC

By Jennifer Hellings

Kayaking Adventures in Beautiful British Columbia is a collection of true, wilderness adventure stories by renowned author Jennifer Hellings. Join her as she paddles and camps along the coast of BC, encountering the diverse wildlife which make this area their home. From kayaking with killer whales to having bears visit her campsite, her adventures are both thrilling and sublime. Illustrated with the pictures she took along the way, this memoir will appeal to any reader who has an interest in kayaking, wilderness camping and wildlife. Illustrated with unique photographs of B.C.'s coastal environment and wildlife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer Hellings
• Release date: Aug 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9780228814153

Book preview

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Kayaking Adventures In Beautiful British Columbia

Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer A Hellings

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-1414-6 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-1413-9 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-1415-3 (eBook)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1:   Kayaking with Killer Whales

Chapter 2:   Warm Water Kayaking and Wild Foods

Chapter 3:   The Trip That Almost Killed Me

Chapter 4:   How to Get Voted off an Island

Chapter 5:   Coastal Wolves

Chapter 6:   Magical Moments

Chapter 7:   Gale-Force Winds and a Rising Tide

Chapter 8:   Watch out for Your Friends

Chapter 9:   What Island Is This?

Chapter 10:   The Runaway Kayak

Chapter 11:   The Bear Who Came to Breakfast

Chapter 12:   Too Sick to Paddle

Chapter 13:   Touring the Salish Sea

Introduction

Kayak camping is my thing. I love to get out on the ocean and mingle with the abundant marine life of coastal British Columbia. I love to slow down and take my time, floating on the pristine waters of the Pacific Ocean. I love to observe the curious creatures that sometimes come in close to check me out, as well as those that prefer to keep a natural distance as they go about their lives, foraging for food or gently swimming past. I have had the pleasure of paddling up-close and personal with a multitude of marine life, including three types of whales (humpback, orca and grey), Dall’s porpoise, harbour porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphin, seals, sea lions, and even one elephant seal. I have also paddled with river and ocean otters and such a variety of sea birds that I have lost count.

My kayaking experience started in Alaska, where I paddled primarily in Kachemak Bay and Prince William Sound. Stories of my adventures in those waters can be found in my book Twenty-Seven Years In Alaska. In 2002, longing for a warmer climate, I immigrated back to my native British Columbia, Canada, where I have continued to explore the coast and commune with the wildlife. In this book, I share some of my adventures, which have ranged from the sublime and peaceful to the absolutely terrifying. I have made blunders and mistakes, some of them comical and others life-threatening. I have been spellbound by experiences of such grace and beauty they are almost indescribable. I have slowed down until the rhythm of my heart and my breathing synchronize with the gentle movement of the ocean. I have been blessed, and I have been disappointed, but all in all, it has always been an adventure. So sit back and reminisce with me as I explore the waters of beautiful British Columbia.

Chapter One

Kayaking with Killer Whales

There are many different types of kayaking adventures available in British Columbia. One can choose sheltered, warm waters in such places as Okeover Inlet near Powell River, located in an area called the Sunshine Coast because of its warm and clement weather. One can choose the wild western coast of Vancouver Island near Tofino and Uclulet, where conditions often include wind, waves and fog. One can even island-hop between the islands of the Salish Sea, close to Victoria. The possibilities are endless, and a trip can be tailored to the skill, athleticism and desire for adventure of the people involved.

One of my favourite places for kayak camping is Johnstone Strait, located off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, just south of Port McNeill. This area is a favourite for two reasons. Number one is the fact that it is still possible to enjoy wilderness camping there, which means camping with no amenities: no tent platforms, no pit toilets. All a person needs to do is to find a suitable beach where the tide will not wash his or her tent away in the middle of the night. I prefer to find a small beach that I can have to myself, sharing it only with the one or two people who accompany me. The second reason I love the area is because it is full of whales, primarily orca (also known as killer whales) and humpbacks. I originally discovered the area because I wanted to go kayaking with orcas. I searched on the internet for places where I was most likely to have this experience. The pretty little town of Telegraph Cove has tour companies which boast about their guests having the opportunity to kayak with orcas. After my years of kayaking in Alaska, I decided I did not need a tour guide; I would go into the same area and hope to get lucky, and get lucky I did indeed.

Orca

Looking at a map of B.C., one can find several places named Telegraph Cove, due to the fact that the telegraph was previously an essential form of communication up and down the coast before the advent of modern phone service. The town I am referring to on Johnstone Strait is normally stuffed full of tourists and adventurers visiting from all over the world during the short summer months. After summer is gone, the town is then abandoned by everyone except for a few hardy locals who stick it out during the long winter, which extends from mid-September through mid-May. The short summer season helps to keep the place wild, and for that I am grateful. Nature is left to her own devices for most of the year, without the interference of humans, our noise and our garbage.

On my first trip to Telegraph Cove, I traveled with my boyfriend of the time, Frank. We were using a two person Necky Amaruk, a 21-foot kayak made of plastic. I called her Big Red. We planned for a five night trip, which we thought would give us enough time to explore the area and hopefully see some orcas. Launching from the Telegraph Cove harbour, we paddled south down the coast. It was the first week of September, just after Labour Day, which is one of my favourite times to go camping. The kids are back in school, and the volume of tourists dramatically decreases. With the fall salmon runs still underway, I knew that the orcas would remain in the area, feasting on the salmon that comprise a large part of their diet.

After paddling for a couple of hours, we found a small pocket beach in a tiny cove. Checking the tide tables, we figured we would have just enough room to escape the high tide by placing our tent above the logs left on the beach during the previous winter’s storms. We planned to paddle farther the next day, towards a place called Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, a spot frequented by the pod of Northern Resident Orcas who make the area their home. This area is protected, and kayakers and boaters are not allowed to enter. We hoped that if we camped nearby, we might see the orcas as they swam past. Our experience exceeded all of my expectations.

We set up camp and enjoyed a leisurely evening on the beach, watching as different types of marine life swam by. We found we could easily distinguish between seals and sea lions by the fact that the seals were silent, peering at us with their big eyes