Broken Island Odyssey
The Broken Group Islands is an archipelago
of over 100 unique islands and islets in
Barkley Sound, off the west coast of Vancouver
Island. Each island is unique in terms of
terrain, beaches, and campgrounds. To protect
the fragility of the island’s flora
and fauna, there are designated campsites
and totally funky composting toilets. Some of the
campsites are located right on the sandy beaches, while
others are nestled under towering red cedars
and Sitka spruce. Paddling in this area
is incredible and includes a bit of everything
- open coast, protected passages, warm lagoons,
and narrow channels all teeming with intertidal
organisms, seals, sea lions, porpoises,
and whales. Barkley Sound was the most densely
populated region on the west coast prior
to the arrival of Europeans. Your guides
will help you discover evidence of ancient
villages and defensive sites, stone fish
traps, and canoe runs that make the life
history of these early inhabitants more
tangible and inspiring.
» This is a relaxing and enjoyable adventure for anyone with a passion for
wildlife and an interest in casual kayaking and hiking. It is suitable for
all skill levels. No paddling experience is necessary.
General Itinerary
Day 1
We'll met in Ucluelet at 8:00 am and then
travel to Toquart Bay which is a wonderful
50 minute drive through
the rainforest along Kennedy Lake. At Toquart Bay, your guides
will direct you through boat packing and
safe paddling techniques and soon you'll
be on the water heading out to the Stopper
Islands. After a short warm up paddle, we'll
stop at a beautiful sandy beach to stretch
our legs and have the first of many gourmet picnic lunches. After lunch, we're back on
the water and paddling across Loudoun Channel to the
Broken Group where we'll choose an island
to serve as our base of exploration. While
you set up your tent and get comfortable,
your guides will serve appetizers followed by a wonderful dinner
with fresh local ingredients, organic veggies,
and homemade desserts. After
dinner, there will be plenty of time to get
to know each other and make plans for tomorrow's
odyssey.
Day 2 – 4
The next three days will allow us plenty
of time to explore the islands, take a hike,
relax on beautiful beaches, and get to know the secrets
of the archipelago. On calm days, we'll head
to the "outside" and explore the
marine life on dynamic, wave-swept headlands
and beaches of the open coast. We often
check out the tide pools and scan the horizon looking for grey
whales and humpback whales. On
other days, we'll explore among the more
sheltered islands and waterways, navigating
through small passages, islets, and hidden
channels. Each day, we'll stop at a new beach
for a gourmet picnic lunch and perhaps a
hike or even a nap. In the afternoons, we'll
do a bit more paddling and exploring before we
head back to our base camp where we'll have
dinner, lounge about the campfire, and share stories.
Day 5
On the final day of our trip, we'll pack
up and have one of my favourite breakfasts before making
our way back to Toquart Bay. Often people are
so comfortable paddling at this point
that they quietly reflect on their natural
surroundings and accomplishments, while
soaking up the last yummy goodness of their island odyssey. Almost too soon, we're loading
the kayak trailer and heading
back to warm showers, and soft beds in Ucluelet.
Wildlife Sightings
Throughout the summer we often see resident
grey whales swimming by the outer islands
as well as California sea lions, Steller
sea lions, and a plethora of intertidal
life - many species of barnacles, mussels,
anemones, molluscs, crabs, sea stars, algaes,
etc. Among the inner islands we often see
humpback whales as well as harbour seals,
river otters, and many intertidal species
that inhabit the calmer shorelines. We also
see bald eagles, cormorants, loons, harlequin
ducks, black oystercatchers, pigeon guillemot,
common murres, herons and kingfishers.
Directions
The town of Ucluelet is approximately 201
km (125 miles) from the city of Vancouver,
excluding of ferry travel. Whether you take
BC Ferries to Swartz Bay or Departure Bay,
head north on Provincial Route 19 N (also
called the inland Island Highway). Take
Exit 60 to Highway 4 and follow the signs
approximately 136 km (85 miles) to Ucluelet.
More travel and accommodations information for our Broken Island Odyssey.
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