Dear Reader, if you feel that is has taken an inordinate amount of time to to get all of my thoughts down regarding my visit to Outer Shores Lodge, I’m with you! I have been sifting through hundreds of photos and so many incredible memories and struggling to figure out how to transfer them to Ye Olde Blogge such that a reader who has never been to this extraordinary place will feel the magic and, well…I am not that talented, I fear. And that has kept me pondering instead of writing. However, it is past time to put this one to bed so here is the final post about my 2024 stay at Outer Shores Lodge, imperfect though it will invariably be. So here are the last few things I want to write about.
The Meals
Five star dining at every turn! Chef Jeanne Rankin, ably assisted by fellow staffers Sara and Abi stunned me at each meal – first with the beautifully set table, and then with the unbelievably delicious food and free-flowing wine. This is not what I had previously experienced from other lodges I have been to. Yes, I was expecting good, tasty food but not of this calibre! Out. Of. This. World.
At every meal we were treated to a beautifully set table.The evening’s menu was up on the screen in late afternoon, to get the taste buds salivating. At each meal, I thought nothing could possibly top that night’s menu, and at each subsequent meal I was delightfully proved wrong. I want to be able to add this trifle to my repertoire, and Chef Jeanne generously shared how she created it with me. I still have some rhubarb in the freezer too! I didn’t want to take pictures of every dish (for varying reasons) but I did take a shot of this dessert to send back to my daughter. Another example of a nightly dinner. On the admitting paperwork, guests were asked if they were going to the lodge for any special reason, and this particular meal was to celebrate those reasons.Celebration cake for my 65th and for a lovely couple of guests’ wedding anniversary! Photo kindly taken by Sara Ellison. The dining was always 5 star and we made sure to dress in our best flannel and fleece shirts for dinner ๐. The cake was astounding btw, and I don’t even like chocolate cake normally.
Our Last Evening and Wrap Up
The sun came out on our last afternoon and everyone naturally migrated to the front deck to bask there after the day’s activities.
Sara Ellison took this photo of us enjoying cocktail and appie hour on the deck on our last afternoon. She and Jon were staying in a cabin on the upper part of the property.Sea urchins were harvested so Scott could prepare uni for us to try, on the last night. It doesn’t get fresher than this, folks!Scott holding a sea urchin, while already prepped uni is awaiting the lodge guests. Photo by Sara Ellison.The last evening’s meal. It absolutely blew my mind. I didn’t think anything could top rack of lamb for me, but this meal certainly did.The wonderful staff of Outer Shores Lodge: our gracious host Scott, with Chef Jeanne, Sara, and Abi. Watching the sun go down on our last evening at the lodge.Cheers to an amazing stay, experiencing spectacular nature, and meeting so many vibrant and interesting people! I can’t wait for next year.
Scott, Jeanne, Sara and Abi – I can’t thank you enough for the magic that you do and I can only hope to experience it again next year.
To my fellow guests in this special moment in time – thank you for your open-heartedness, warm support, and all of the exhilarating, stimulating conversations I was privileged to be a part of. Extra special thanks to Sara and Jon, for being so giving of their vast knowledge and experience of the “Stars and Sea Stars”!
Welcome to Part Three of this series about my recent visit to Bamfield, to stay at Outer Shores Lodge. You can find Part One here, and Part Two here.
While our days were spent in and on the water, the clear nights were for observing the skies while listening to Sara and Jon talk about the universe and point out what we were seeing. Fascinating stuff!
Crappy night sky photo taken with my phone, to give you an idea…Using the Stellarium app on my phone, and pointing it at the sky to show me what stars I was looking at.
Another option for guests at Outer Shores was a tour of the local waters, hosted by Scott. I was lucky enough to get to experience 2 of these rides! During our tours, Scott shared his knowledge of the area including showing us ancient village sites, and of course the local flora and fauna. Including whales! Humpback whales were spotted on every boat ride!
Scott took us to see “Moan-ah”, the whistle buoy we can hear (faintly) from the Lodge. Fun! Love his sense of humour.
We spent a lot of time observing the hundreds (if not thousands!) of sea lions hanging out on the rocks and cavorting in the water.
Pardon the blips in the video. I was trying to zoom in closer. Listen to Scott sharing his knowledge of these massive creatures.Scott took us through stunning rock formations.For my 2nd tour, the sun was out! An example of the stunning views.Scott, Jon and I were talking about kayaking through this natural hole in the rocks. They were only joking though, right? Right??? ๐ฌ I mean, there were some serious waves happening!View from the other side of the hole.
Another activity I really enjoyed was exploring West Bamfield. Scott took me on a walk to Brady’s Beach the first day there and I enjoyed it so much I went back on my own later.
Brady’s Beach is well-signed and easy to find.Sea stacks on Brady’s BeachHeron and gull on sea stacks.I was obsessed with capturing the heron.Heron preening feathers, on the rock.While I was exploring the beach, a group of my fellow Lodge guests came kayaking by.
I also visited the West Coast Magic Park.
Including a phone of the wind. I had never heard of this before, but I can see how this would provide an outlet for people experiencing grief and loss.
And the tiniest artist’s studio I have ever seen.
I spotted beautiful fungi on my walks.
I also enjoyed walks along the boardwalk along on the east side of West Bamfield, facing the inlet.
Always a good idea to be reminded of the neighbours. Every type of neighbour!West Bamfield quirk and humour.In one little garden was this sign. I wonder if the cougars and bears had any part to play in the length of these cat’s lives. This is just one example of the multiple signs along the boardwalk, detailing the history of West Bamfield.
Whew! This post turned out to be quite a long one, and if you made it this far I hope you enjoyed the visual tour of West Bamfield and surrounding waters.
Shortly after arriving at Outer Shores Lodge, I asked Scott if there was an agenda or schedule that would be followed each day and he answered that each morning at breakfast he would come up with a list and time for activities based on the day’s weather, tides and people’s interests. We would be free to join in or do our own thing. A show of hands was needed for certain activities that were limited by gear availability or space and those were repeated throughout the day so all 13 of us could partake if we wanted (e.g. kayaking, boat outings). I really appreciated the easy-breezy and casual-ness of it all! It immediately relaxed me.
Each day went something like this:
6:30 am Cold breakfast (granola, yogurt, fruit bowl) was set out by the beverage station (always stocked with coffee, tea, cold beverages and 3 jars kept topped up with homemade cookies!).
8:30 am Hot breakfast is served.
Morning activities
12:00 pm Lunch is served.
Afternoon activities
At some point in the afternoon, delicious snacks (like Outer Shores Lodge’s flapjack bars!) magically appeared at the beverage station.
5:00 pm Appetizers were laid out. Did I mention the cold drinks at the beverage station included beers and coolers as well as soft/non-alcoholic drinks? Wine was also available upon request.
6:00 pm Dinner is served, with a choice of two wines. Usually accompanied by Scott entertaining us with some of his vast knowledge of the area and its history, plus some suggestions for our group as to how the following day could unfold, activity-wise.
Evening – various activities depending on weather, availability of people (e.g. outdoor talks on the night sky, musical entertainment or subject experts brought in, etc.).
Some people started their day at the property’s natural cold plunge pool (bottom left corner), followed by a visit to the Lodge’s steam shower or hot tub.
Shore Walk – the first morning Scott took us on a low-tide walk right outside the lodge, showing us the natural wonders at our feet and explaining the tidal eco-system in funny and immediately graspable ways.
We saw so many beautiful sea stars on this walk, as well as many crustaceans and other sea life.
Kayaking – The Lodge has 6 kayaks for guest use. A guide must accompany you if you want to leave the inlet (insurance requirement); otherwise you can take them when you like and explore the inlet on your own.
The Lodge supplies its guests with 12 foot Delta kayaks, for our kayaking pleasure!Some of my group getting ready to leave the inlet and go exploring. We saw a mama black bear and 2 cubs when we visited a salt marsh! I didn’t take any more photos as I’d forgotten my waterproof phone case for this trip and was getting a bit nervous I could drop/lose my phone.
Snorkelling – the Lodge provides a full range of gear for snorkelers who didn’t bring their own. All 13 of us geared up and went into the water at the same time – from the youngest among us up to the octogenarians!
Here is a photo of (almost) all of us, ready to explore the underwater world just a few steps away. Sara Ellison is in the front wearing the red weight belt (her husband Jon Willis – fellow astrophysicist and snorkeler – is behind her). Photo by Scott Wallace
Here’s some underwater footage I shot with my GoPro. There was a bit of wave action pushing me around!
Still smiling at this point – started to feel queasy from all the wave action shortly thereafter so I headed to the nearby kelp forest, where it was a bit calmer (next video).
Some video of the crabs hanging out in the kelp.
Lucky me! Sara Ellison photobombed my video. Maureen Scott took this gorgeous photo of a nudibranch. Note to self: need better camera and free-diving gear!!!
As this post is getting a bit long, I will stop here. To be continued in the next: Night skies, boat tours, hiking etc.!
How indeed? Literally and figuratively. After all, I have never gone away on a experiential vacation like this alone before – I’ve always had a friend (or two) to join me. See here and here for my last one, with my friends Joanne and Judith.
It started with this book….no wait…it actually started waaaaay back in my ocean-deprived childhood in southern Ontario. When I would read picture books about exploring the tidal pools of the sea shore, and the gorgeous, strange (to me) sea life to be found in and around those waters. That led to me trying to replicate the experience in the many lakes and rivers in my home province. It wasn’t summer unless I was in the water somewhere, exploring the shoreline with my kiddie-version mask, snorkel and fins. Mom had presciently signed me (and later my sisters) into swim lessons as early as humanly possible, so she could rest easy while I disappeared into the water for hours on end, only to come back ashore when my stomach begged for food.
Now that I’ve gotten settled on Vancouver Island I’ve been thinking about how to explore the rich (and cold) ocean waters of my new home, safely and year-round. Snorkelling in Barbados is great fun, but what about the other 50-ish weeks of the year, hmmm?
As I was saying, earlier this year I came across this book one day at my local grocery store:
Can you hear the choir of angels singing? I can.
If you are at all interested in exploring the rich waters surrounding Vancouver Island without having to invest in uber-spendy scuba lessons and gear, this is THE BOOK you need. Sara covers gear, safety and destinations around the island in a way that is easy for even a relative beginner to this type of snorkelling like me to understand.
In the summer (I think), I came across a Facebook page in my online travels, called Snorkellers of BC and immediately signed up. I’d been living vicariously through enjoying seeing what people were posting about locations and their underwater finds. I’d done a few snorkels with the grandkids at local beaches and a river by this point, but none of the locations from the book as my garden chores (amongst other things) were keeping me ashore. Note to self: design Garden 2025 to be better able to withstand my absences!
Then I saw a fabulous post – loaded with stunning underwater pictures of marine life – from someone who was staying at a place called Outer Shores Lodge, in Bamfield. I googled Outer Shores Lodge so fast I didn’t even register that the poster was THE Sara Ellison until much, much later. And that is when I came across the description of the upcoming Stars and Sea Stars featured lodge stay, and I was hooked! Snorkelling AND learning about the night sky?!? Yes, please!
After a few email conversations with the lodge’s very personable owner and host, Scott Wallace, I was booked. And counting the days until my departure in early October. I had decided that this trip was going to be my 65th birthday gift to myself – after all, it is kind of a momentous birthday, isn’t it? ๐
The drive from Port Alberni to Bamfield was pretty spectacular, and I only came across a couple of other vehicles on my journey along this newly-paved logging access road. I felt like I had it almost entirely to myself. No cell service, and my GPS had no idea this road existed… but it was well-marked and the day was fine so I wasn’t worried. Only a short couple of weeks later during an atmospheric river event, 2 people lost their lives on this road when they were swept (in their vehicles) into the then-raging Sarita River – a sombre reminder to respect the weather because Mother Nature ultimately rules, especially on the remote areas of this land.
View of the Alberni Inlet from the Bamfield Road.
After a relaxing 90 minute drive (3 hrs in total from my house), I arrived in East Bamfield and brought my luggage and gear to the dock, as instructed. Here I met most of the other guests (aka my new best friends!) for this stay, as we awaited Scott’s arrival with the Zodiac, to take us to the lodge. You might notice in these posts that I tried to take pictures that didn’t include my fellow guests whenever possible as I didn’t want to encroach on anyone’s right to privacy or make people feel otherwise uncomfortable and I wanted to use the photos for my blog later, natch!
Bamfield Map, at the dock. The lodge is located at the the tip and left side of Aguilar Point.Captain Scott pointing out West Bamfield as we head to the West Bamfield dock and then the short walk to Outer Shores Lodge.My first view of my home for the next 4 nights.
I was paired with a very lovely lady from Chemainus as my roomie for our stay. Our room was large and consisted of 2 parts. Upon entering the room, there were twin beds in a little nook directly across from our bathroom.
Dark and cozy sleeping nook. The beds and bedding were top quality.Well-appointed with heavenly-smelling soap, shampoo and conditioner from Saltspring Island Soap Company. Plenty of hot water too!
A step up from the sleeping nook led to this amazing area of our room!
My roomie decided she wanted to sleep in one of the bunks (Can you blame her? They are magical!), and I decided to take over the twin bed area.This was the view from our room.
I’ll end this post here. Stay tuned for the next one(s)! I promise they will be much less wordy and much more visual as I show you some of the wonders of the lodge and area.
When your oldest friend calls you up and says “Whatcha doin’ the end of August/early September?”, the only acceptable response is “Nothin’. What are WE doin’ then?”. Thus the fabulous road trip to PEI (Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province) began, in our heads, at least.
Cath (aka CJ – my friend since Grade 2 and my Barbados buddy) had purchased an RV about a year ago. It was only a matter of time before either she showed up at my door in it, or I joined her for a road trip. Here is what happened. First things first – the itinerary Cath drew up for us:
The basic sketch of our adventure, which was followed for the most part. Catch-22 is a fabulous restaurant in Wasaga Beach – had the best halibut meal of my life there, that night. We didn’t go to the Big Apple store/bakery/restaurant (too crazy busy) but we did go to Reid’s Dairy and Taste of Country in Belleville, ON. We did not end up at Richard’s for lobster rolls, instead it was the Lobster Barn (delicious food) – in Victoria-by-the-Sea. Nearby Hampton Beach is where our friends Brenda and Ted have a beautiful place, on PEI. What’s not on the calendar is an amazing show we saw Sep 7 at Harmony House (Hunter River, PEI): The Leonard Cohen Songbook, which blew me away….even more than seeing Lennie Gallant (and that’s saying A LOT.) More on my experience at The Table, in my next WOYP post!Cocktail hour at McLaren campground, on the Long Sault Parkway, Ontario. That’s Mini Winnie, in the background.Cath’s miniature poodle and our traveling companion: the lovely Miss Juliette. St. Lawrence sunrise.Miss Juliette can get a little barky ๐คฃ. Especially if she is missing her mommy. At a Walmart parking lot on a supply run, in Rimouski, Quebec.Stopping to take in the views of a covered bridge – Routhierville, Quebec.More great views – Tide Head, New Brunswick.Standing on the dock in Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick. Admiring the views AND the kayak ramp. Kouchibouguac means River of the Long Tides, in Mi’kmaq. This is where the Kouchibouguac River empties out to the Atlantic Ocean.A very quick exploration of Kellys Beach in Kouchibouguac National Park as the rain begins to pelt us.(Miss Juliette stayed in the RV as dogs are not allowed here.)First view of the Confederation Bridge (12.9 km, links PEI to the mainland). The last time I visited PEI (at least 2.5 decades ago) this bridge was only a dream. We had to take a ferry, back then. The home of our wonderful hosts, just off the beach.It was our hosts’ birthdays while we visited. One day after the other. Two separate celebrations were planned and executed so each had their special day. Cath whipped up a joint chocolate birthday cake per request (one of her many culinary specialities) for them. I even had a (very small) piece and it was delicious, although chocolate cake is not my thing. Some of Cath’s family was on the island at the same time (staying nearby in a beachfront rental) and they joined us several evenings for meals, cards and general merriment.Most days involved at least one walk on the beach!Sunset on the beach in front of Ted and Brenda’s house, with the Confederation Bridge in the distance.Going for a hike at a local park. Ted is holding onto Juliette’s grandmother: Chloe. Ted and Brenda are also parents of another poodle – the aptly named: Ginger. Who can be pretty spicy, for her size! ๐คฃLittle Miss Ginger. Our hair colouring kinda matches, I just realized.Waiting for Lennie Gallant at the Souris Show Hall. Lovely, intimate show.Trying the capture the beauty of the night sky in Souris, after the show.Early morning walk along the shore, Red Point Provincial Park in Souris.Typical red cliffs (and sand, soil) found on the island – Red Point Park, Souris.Interesting sea weed growth on a rock – looks like it’s wearing a wig! Red Point Park, Souris.
One thing I didn’t remember to photograph and wish I had: I had a reunion with an old friend who lives on PEI. Kim and I started out as pen pals many decades ago – before the internet, even – when you actually had to write out your thoughts on a piece of paper and mail them to each other. Can you imagine such a primitive form of communication? ๐ It was truly heart-warming and inspiring to see her IRL – and to take in all the beauty of her home and gardens and all the gorgeous artwork she has created. Seeing her creations on Facebook is one thing, but seeing those pieces hanging around her cozy home is quite another!
As foretold in the itinerary, the adventure had to come to an end eventually. After an informative and exciting last walk on the beach with a geologist where we looked for (and found) the fossilized remains of 330 million year old trees and plant life, Cath, Juliette and I headed back over the bridge to the mainland. We revisited our route and campsites for the way back to Ontario: ending in Wasaga Beach for the first two, and the airport for me.
Another gorgeous morning at McLaren campground, waiting for the sun to rise.Our last cocktail hour. My big goal for this trip was: that we are still on speaking terms at the end ๐. Achieved! ๐คฃ
My flights were blessedly uneventful. Which is about the best thing one can say about air travel, anymore. The airline did not give away my seat on the plane and deny me boarding; no one parted me from my luggage; nothing was stolen from me; no one asked me to give up my window seat so they could have it instead because of their poor planningclaustrophobia ๐ (Really, girl?!?! Uhhh, NOPE.)…see here for my woeful previous air travel experience, if you care to.
Last weekend I hit a major milestone birthday – well, according to our government that is! I turned 65, which is the traditional “age of retirement” still, here in Canada.
Woohoo! I can look forward to my Old Age Security cheque every month now, starting in August. It’s not near enough for a person to actually live on, but it will be something for those of us who no longer garner a paycheque. When I retired from my career officially at age 60, I opted to take my Canada Pension Plan (a benefit available to all Canadians who have paid into the plan during their working lives) early because of a few good reasons – the main one being that my early CPP plus my existing survivor benefit (for being a widow of a working Canadian) meant I was pretty close to my maximum payout already, so why not?! And I have not regretted for one minute my decision to retire early!
My daughter had made plans to treat me to High Tea at the Empress, in Victoria, on my actual birthdate so I had a girly splurge at the local mall the day before – purchasing a new silk top, a new lipstick at the MAC counter, and some new jewellery. Happy birthday to ME, LOL!
Interestingly (to me, anyways), this statement necklace is made from recycled aluminum. Which makes it quite lightweight and thus easier to wear.My beautiful daughter.Getting ready to enjoy our tea tray and extra special tea blend (more on that later!)Close up of some of the sweets.Complimentary glass of prosecco rosรฉ delivered by our waiter, Raymond.
Because the hotel knew it was my birthday, I was given some very special gifts including a sachet of their Empress blend tea (to take home), a delicious glass of bubbly, AND a pot of very premium tea – all on the house! The tea (regularly $18 a pot, on top of the cost of the High Tea itself) was absolutely wonderful – beautifully fragrant and a delight on the tongue – so of course I headed to the Fairmont Store right afterwards to source some to take home. Imagine my shock when I found out it was $99 for 2 ounces of Madame Butterfly!
Luckily (?) I can get over a shock quite quickly and easily ๐ so in the true spirit of YOLO: YES – I bought the damn tea! I reasoned it was the equivalent of buying a very fine bottle of wine or spirits, so out came the credit card. I also purchased the other blend we selected for our high tea – Lady Londonderry (at $18.95, a veritable steal…).
This is looking more and more like the equivalent of a very fine wine, indeed! (The flowers described on the label are jasmine, which gives the tea its heavenly fragrance as well as contributing to the taste.)To be opened and enjoyed the next time I host Book Club.Lady Londonderry ingredients. I have lemon balm and calendula growing in my garden…hmm, getting ideas ๐ค.
As if I wasn’t spoiled enough already, my good friend and fellow blogger Donna wanted to treat me to a day at Butchart Gardens including THEIR high tea! Who am I to say no to two high teas only 3 days apart?!
We got the best outside table in the place, overlooking the owners’ private garden.Another guest kindly took our photo.This tea started with individual trifles! Photo by Donna.The Butchart Gardens tea tray.Including a special chocolate birthday medallion!
After that delicious meal, Donna and I valiantly tried to walk some of it off around the gardens.
View looking down at the Sunken Garden.One of many spectacular dahlias that took my breath away.
In comparing the two teas, they were equivalent in terms of quality of ingredients in my opinion. The Butchart Gardens tea tray seemed to give you more in terms of quantity as well as cost – the Empress high tea cost was almost double per person – but in the wise words of our waiter, Shane: Yes, but you had to pay to get into the Gardens in order to eat here…
The Empress provides a different sort of ambience – including a piano player tinkling away throughout our tea, and a gorgeous view of the Victoria Harbour and Parliament buildings…as well as the history of that grand hotel itself. Meanwhile the Gardens provided spectacular vistas and blooms everywhere you looked while enjoying their tea and later walking their paths. I couldn’t choose just one over the other, and luckily I didn’t have to!
If you are ever on the island (and celebrating a special occasion…or not!), I can highly recommend either of these venues. After all, YOLO!!!
And if you can’t find anyone to treat you, there’s always this wisdom from the Parks and Rec crew:
Longtime readers may remember that I took a Basic Kayak Skills course almost a year ago. You can read about that, here. Even though I gained much in knowledge and confidence from that course I knew there was still much more I needed to learn, and further training was definitely going to be on the agenda.
After all, my aim as I am aging and adventuring is to “Be an inspiration, not a cautionary tale!” ๐ ๐คฃ
To that end it was a no-brainer to go back to Caroline Ross and her company CrossCurrents Kayak to grow my sea kayaking knowledge and skills.
Caroline Ross, owner of CrossCurrents Kayak – ready to school us in trip planning via a marine chart. Photo taken at Brickyard Beach Community Park in Nanoose.
After Basic, the next rung on the Paddle Canada ladder for skills certification is Sea Kayak Skills – Level 1. In this weekend-long course I practiced all the rescue skills and strokes learned in the first course plus I learned the basics on how to read a marine chart and navigation, where to find weather and tide information and what it means to paddlers, and even more rescue techniques and strokes (including the all-important self-rescue).
All photos from this point forward were taken by Caroline and generously shared to our group.
First day of practice and I am heading to my boat – At Westwood Lake in Nanaimo.Our group rafting up, including someone you may know on the far left – Jude of the North aka Dr. Sock Writes Here. As you can see, the weather was not ideal (or was it, since we were going to be wet anyways? ๐ค). Rain, rain and more rain. Look at how comfortable Greg and Kirsten look in their matching drysuits…hmmmm.Practicing edging my boat.Practicing pivot turns.First of many planned capsizes of the day, while Jude looks on.Practicing a self-rescue using a paddle float.Beginning a heel hook re-entry. Thankfully Caroline stopped snapping at this point, leaving the graceless heaving of my carcass back onto my boat to your imagination ๐.
By close to the end of that day, I was a shivering, teeth-chattering mess. And I was starting to think that a dry-suit might not be that fuckingdamnprohibitively expensive after all.
Second day – Brickyard Beach, Nanoose Bay
Marine chart on deck for navigation, I am heading to Southey Island with our group, for a lunch stop. If I remind you of the Michelin Man, it is because I am wearing a merino t-shirt under a Farmer Jane wetsuit, topped with long-sleeve merino base layer and followed by a full wetsuit topped with a paddling jacket. I did not want a repeat of the previous day’s shivering!Practicing a contact tow rescue maneuver with Jude.Going in to rescue Greg.Securing mine and Greg’s paddle before he practices using a “stirrup” to get back in his boat.Securing Greg’s boat with my body while he works with stirrup (the yellow band) set up.
As you might have noticed, the weather was much more favourable on Day 2. Even though we were in the colder ocean, I stayed warmer due to all my layers and the rise in ambient temperature.
Once again, I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and confidence in such a short period of time. I also learned that I’m going to stop at Level 1 Certification. Level 2 involves building skills for activities that I don’t anticipate ever doing – such as choosing to kayak in rougher waters than I’d ever be comfortable in. Level 1 was plenty hard enough on my body and I have the bruises to prove it!
Thanks to this course, on my shopping list as if I didn’t already own enough gear is:
Kayak school, that is! Last Saturday I partook in Basic Kayak Skills – a Paddle Canada course taught by the talented and friendly instructor Caroline Ross of Crosscurrents Kayak. Although I’ve been using a kayak for almost a decade, I’ve never had formal instruction in how to use one properly. In my former life in Ontario kayaking only in the flat waters of lakes and the Speed River, I could get away with this. But now, with so much ocean coastline to explore (and a brand new sea kayak), I decided it was time to get serious about improving my skills assuming I actually have any and my safety.
We started the day with on-shore instruction about the kayak itself and then it was time to head into our boats to learn and practice basic kayak strokes.
Practicing my reverse stroke. This and all subsequent photos taken by Caroline. Working on a pivot turn. Notice the laser focus ๐
After lunch came instruction on how to make a controlled wet exit. Caroline led us through each of the actions we’d have to perform upside down and under water in order to let our companions know we were fine and going to free ourselves from our boats using the controlled wet exit process. I declined the profferred goggles and nose plugs, figuring if I capsized one day I wouldn’t be wearing them at the time so best to experience what that would be like.
Practicing the steps I will need to complete underwater in order to exit my boat.Over I go!
And wouldn’t you know it – I got water up my nose and came up sputtering and coughing, but hey! I came UP!
The next item on the day’s agenda was to learn and practice the Assisted T Rescue. Something strange happened to me while Caroline was teaching this part – I began to panic. All I could see in my mind was a flashback to the Broken Islands Lodge: watching 2 young staff struggling (and failing) to get back into their kayaks from deep water while they practiced. Never mind that they weren’t doing what we were going to attempt – my mind was racing with thoughts like: I’ll never be able to get back in the boat; if those young people couldn’t do it, how could I possible do it?; I’m going to hold up the whole class; how do I get out of this?!?!?! Those of you who know me know I don’t panic easily, if at all. I was free-falling (in my mind) and I didn’t know how to get out of this spiral of negative thinking.
Thankfully, both Caroline and my rescue partner were so supportive and encouraging that I didn’t head back to shore in defeat retreat like I desperately wanted to, and instead successfully completed both parts of the rescue TWICE!
Playing the part of the “swimmer”. Hanging onto Jane’s boat in koala pose, while she empties the water out of my boat.Attempting (successfully I might add ๐) my first heel hook re-entry, while Jane braces my kayak. This was the part I was most freaked out worried about. All the way in and getting ready to turn around and re-seat myself.Putting the spray skirt back on. Jane continues to brace until I am ready to accept my paddle back. What a feeling of relief and empowerment! Woohoo, I DID IT!!!My turn to rescue Byron. I approach his boat.I ask Byron if he is OK and let him know I have his boat and can accept his paddle (after which he can flip the boat over for me).Byron is in koala pose on my boat and I can now empty his boat by raising it over mine and turning it upside down.In the process of emptying his boat.Bracing his boat as Byron is using the heel hook to re-enter.
I’m so happy that I was able to successfully complete this course and can’t thank my instructor Caroline and the rest of the participants enough. The instruction and support I received made all the difference and helped me to get past my sudden-onset bout of panic.
Now I’m excited to go for my Paddle Canada Level 1 Certification in 2024!
Have you ever been overcome with panicked thoughts, like I was? What did you do to get past it?
As mentioned previously, Joanne and I were invited to partake in a 3 day/2 night ocean kayaking trip by Jude. This happened the first weekend in August and we had a blast! Other than us 3 (who knew each other through blogging and are now fast friends), there were 5 others on the trip – all friends of Jude, who knew her from her academic life. Those folks, and our two fabulous guides made a contingent of 10 kayakers on this adventure.
Our two amazing guides from Majestic Ocean Kayaking: Jeff and the aptly named Marina! Learned so much from them. ๐
Captain Gary dropped us, the kayaks and all of our gear off at Moon Snail Beach on Dodd Island.
Moon snail on its namesake beach.We each received a laminated map of the area, to carry with us while kayaking. X marks the spot we were dropped off (and later picked up) at Moon Snail Beach on Dodds Island. In the upper right (under Crawford Lake) is the location of the Broken Islands Lodge. Broken line indicates Captain Gary picking us up at the lodge and depositing us on Moon Snail Beach for our last day of kayaking.Joanne and I in all of our kayaking gear (including spray skirt). I think Jude took this picture of us. One of our first stops, at the tiniest of the Tiny Islands. That’s Marina (L) and Joanne (R) in the shot. Joanne in her trusty boat (with Jude in the background).Eventually we made it to our cozy, comfy lodge for the next 2 nights. Where we were amply fed and watered. Our boats in the foreground, awaiting tomorrow’s adventure.Apres kayak. View from my Muskoka chair.A young black bear came to forage at the lodge’s beach every morning.Our mornings started out calm and foggy.But soon enough, the fog lifted to reveal stunning views.We took many breaks, allowing us to explore different islands and their beaches.Jude and Joanne (and one of Jude’s friends) relaxing during one of our lunch breaks on yet another island.Guide Jeff made sure we made it to Willis Island, to experience a giant cedar tree growing there. Jude in front of it. I used panorama mode to try to capture the whole tree (and Joanne) in this shot. I think I took this shot just before we headed into the roughest waters experienced yet, on this trip. On the last day. Some of our group were quite shook up by this experience (especially the newbies). Guide Jeff had said it was nothing we couldn’t handle, so I felt quite safe and enjoyed being tossed on the waves. Was I too stupid to be scared?
I used my happy-birthday-to-me new GoPro camera to take some video and GoPro made me a short highlight reel. Yay!!! The clouds and fog started rolling in on the afternoon of the last day, and it was perfect timing to load the kayaks (and ourselves) back on the boat and head “home”: to Majestic’s headquarters in Ucluelet.
And I wasn’t home too many days before this happened. Many thanks to our guide Jeff for giving me great advice on what type of sea kayak to look into.
Meet “Libelle” (lee bell uh). Dutch word for dragonfly.
I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride on this fabulous adventure of mine (and Joanne’s and Jude’s). It was challenging and thrilling and contemplative and awe-inspiring and, and, and….it was a wonderful experience that I feel so grateful and privileged to have been a part of.
It all started last January, when Jude casually mentioned in a Zoom call that she was booking a 3 day/2 night ocean kayaking trip in the Broken Islands for August with some friends and would I like to join their party? WOULD I?!? Is the Pope Catholic? Do bears poop in the woods? And most importantly: is it OK if I ask Joanne if she wants to join us?
The answer to all of the above was a resounding YES! (And a resounding HELL YES! came from Joanne as well ๐คญ.) Who immediately started researching flights to the island.
We had to be at Majestic’s headquarters in Ucluelet the night before, to get sized for our wetsuits and lifejackets so that meant booking an overnight stay in town.
Actually, we could not find a hotel, resort, AirBnB etc., that would allow us to book only one night so we had no other choice but to book for 3 nights at the Black Rock Resort. As one does.
It was quite the hardship ๐, but we screwed up our courage and made the best of it (including starting our visit with a trip to the Drift Spa, visiting the Ucluelet Aquarium, noshing at the iconic Tacofino, AND enjoying the most delightful restaurant meal I’ve ever experienced at Pluvio). Making lemonade out of lemons, ya know? ๐
Morning view from our balconyFull moon view from the balcony (right before I scared Joanne to death as she independently decided to ALSO step out on the balcony at 2 am ๐).We brought provisions to sustain us.We explored the local trails…View from the Wild Pacific Trail as the fog was lifting.Joanne snapped this beauty from the side of the road in Ucluelet.We visited the beaches.
We made friends with the locals:
And then (in a heartbeat, or so it seemed), our time at the resort was over…and we were departing for the Broken Islands.
All of our group’s gear on the tarp, waiting to be loaded onto the boat.
