- Wavelength Magazine

Transcription

June/July 2005
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
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June/July 2005
K AYA K E R . C O M
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require sweeping landscapes and tales of overcoming
Adventure doesn’t always have to be big. It doesn’t
THERE’S AN ADVENTURE IN EVERY BOAT.
CAROLINA 13.5
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June/July 2005
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June/July 2005
EDITORIAL
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Alan Wilson
A Natural Adventure
A
s we take our first few strokes away from land in a kayak or canoe, we discover
the ease of propelling ourselves with a paddle. We smile at the simplicity of our
vessel, its balance, our control, the quiet efficiency of our passage, the surprising
fluid energy and delight we feel.
Talk about getting off the beaten track—we get off the track altogether. The ‘trackless
way’ is on the water. It turns out that real freedom is getting free of the land.
No longer do the terrestrial rules apply. We experience highly fluid realities, patterns
of tide, wave, wind. In this ever-changing realm, we rejoin the flow, rediscovering the
liquidity in ourselves. We’re largely water beings, after all, so it all comes naturally
to us.
And as the shore recedes, the whole, vast, complex beauty of the ocean opens
up to us as never before. We see freshly into the depths and shallows from our new
vantage at water level.
The whales, eagles, salmon fill us with joy. These are our cousins. We remember
them. It’s good to be back.
And it all makes perfect sense. In a confusing and frightening world such as ours,
when we don’t know who to trust, we can believe in the power of a whale, the
chittering call of an eagle, the silver flash of salmon.
These amazing creatures survive and thrive here. It’s more their world than ours.
They have their own purposes, ranges, offspring, prey, predators... all the challenges
of living. And now they face new threats of toxic contamination and climate change
posed by us.
We are lucky to meet them, by their choosing, on their terms. As we breathe in
the spirit of their world, we resolve to take better care of this Commons. Our ocean.
Ourselves.
Being here is a start. The next step is to become an advocate for nature.
***
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Volume 15 Number 1
INSIDE
6 Alaskan Odyssey
JAMES MICHAEL DORSEY
10 Sea Otters Revisited
LYN HANCOCK
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June/July 2005
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14 Spirit Journey
ROB ZACHARIAS
16 The Why of Wilderness Trips
GLEN STEDHAM
604-980-3980
COVER PHOTO
by Alan Wilson for the Georgia Strait Alliance
33 Bears are Busy People
DAN LEWIS—COLUMN
36 Grizzly Fate
CHRIS GENOVALI
38 Something Squidly
KIM SHORTREED-WEB
39 Acoustic Impacts
MARSHA L. GREEN
18 Marine Mammals of Johnstone Strait 41 Florida’s Shifting Shores
BRYAN NICHOLS—COLUMN
MARY BORROWMAN
20 Add a Little Salt to Your Diet
SCOTT BAXTER
22 Resurrection Bay
BARB ROY
25 Arctic Journey
BILL STINSON
27 Idaho’s Whitewater Jewel
IAN KRAMER
29 Eyes Wide Open
ADAM BOLONSKY—COLUMN
31 There’s Life in the Mud
44 Mother’s Day Blessing
ALEXANDRA MORTON—COLUMN
46 Two Person Tent Review
ALEX MATTHEWS—COLUMN
50 Great Gear
52 Books
DIANA MUMFORD—COLUMN
54 News
59 Calendar
60 Unclassifieds
NEIL SCHULMAN
5
Alaskan Odyssey
by James Michael Dorsey
I
S
outhern Alaska is an archipelago. Thousands of tiny
islands dot the coastline forming a natural corridor
known as the Inside Passage. On the eastern side of
Chichagof Island, a bony finger of land pokes into the
passage at Point Adolphus in an area known as the Icy Strait.
This natural barrier rises out of the depths at the confluence of three
great tidal flows, causing a massive buildup of fish, krill and amphipods.
This giant food source has also made the Icy Strait a natural feeding
ground for humpback whales. That is why we have come here.
ALASKA
www.homeshore.com
[email protected]
1-800-287-7063 (01)
6
© Suzanne Steel photo
Your Personal Sea Kayak
Mothership
have paddled or sailed most of the coastal
waters from Alaska to the tip of Baja,
seeking whales of all types. When I am not
paddling, I am usually on a catamaran off
the coast of Southern California working
as a naturalist for the American Cetacean
Society. But I prefer the kayak. It has
allowed me unprecedented access to the
private lives of these special creatures.
I frequently lecture about whales and
constantly try to update my photos and
knowledge by kayaking in areas where they
congregate. I have paddled with orca and
greys, and now am seeking humpbacks. The
Icy Strait is humpback central.
My wife and I have chartered a small boat
out of Gustavus to cross the treacherous
strait between Chichagof and the entrance
to Glacier Bay. Even from shore we can
see ten-knot currents colliding from every
direction and have no desire to attempt
paddling through this vortex. We are left
with our boats on a rocky beach that is cut
off from the rest of the island by a solid wall
of flesh-shredding devil’s club, a vicious
plant that grows wild here. We immediately
see bear trails cutting through the spiny
devil’s club. The thick fur of a brown bear
(grizzly) is oblivious to thorns.
These trails are an instant reminder that
nothing smelly can be left in our boats
or tents at night, but must be suspended
from the trees. Brown bears will eat
anything they can smell, from sun block
to toothpaste. Chichagof has one of the
highest concentrations of brown bears of
any area in Alaska. We must co-exist for
the duration of this trip.
Because of the extreme currents and
tides, we will stay at a base camp and
make day paddles through the area rather
than trying to move each night. Our main
purpose is to see and photograph the
wildlife and it is so abundant we do not
need to travel far.
We have rented fiberglass kayaks for this
trip. The boats are light, stable, and easy
to paddle with only a day’s necessities
on board. They also have flotation in the
front and rear bulkheads to assure us an
unsinkable boat should we capsize.
But these frigid waters are no place to
capsize. Hypothermia will kill in minutes
and our only hope would be to get ashore
fast. We are dressed in layers of Capilene
and fleece, which I much prefer to a
wetsuit no matter how cold the weather,
for fleece keeps one dry even when wet
and dries quickly in the natural breeze
while paddling.
As soon as camp is set up, we decide to
take a short paddle through thick forests
June/July 2005
of kelp, hugging the shore. Within a mile we pass several small
whirlpools that could suck a kayak down in the blink of an eye.
We use the coastal kelp as a shield and stay within its welcoming
embrace. The kelp here is full of sea otters. Once hunted almost
to extinction, the otter has made a significant comeback in recent
years. These particular animals are very skittish and dive long
before we get anywhere near them. I attribute this behavior to the
large number of predators around us, for normally otters are quite
friendly and often approach kayaks.
We are surrounded by blows, and doing a quick count, decide
there are at least twenty humpback whales within a mile of us. Their
distinctive heart shaped blow gives them away.
Humpbacks get their name not from a physical deformity but
rather from the unique way they arch their backs into an almost
perfect half circle before bringing their flukes up for a dive. They
are the only whale that dives like this.
Humpbacks are among the most beautiful and active of all the
whales. They can be found in most of the world’s oceans and tend
to spend winters feeding in cold waters while migrating to warm
waters to breed in the summer. These are the singing whales, but
only the males sing and only when in warm waters. They also hang
upside down while singing. The reason for this still eludes biologists,
but most believe it is a way of attracting females.
Their long pectoral fins may be a third the length of their body,
which makes for a spectacular display when they frequently breach,
turning and spinning. The undersides of their pectorals and flukes
are distinctively marked with black and white variations as unique
as human fingerprints, making identification of individual whales
possible.
They seem to be quite curious and will approach a kayak, but
usually make a quick pass, have a look and then leave.
We always honor the Marine Mammal Protection Act that
prohibits approaching these animals closer than 100 yards, but we
often have them come to us. When they do this, we quit paddling
and sit perfectly still, allowing them to control the moment.
This first morning on the water, several large males zip by within
twenty yards of our boats, allowing us to take good photos.
We have whales to starboard and a crystal clear littoral shore to
port. We silently glide over purple spiny urchins as numerous as
stars in the sky. There are giant orange sea stars everywhere and
solid walls of baitfish flash under our keels. This is a twenty-four
hour fast food place for the whales and they are busy feeding.
We travel about four miles north this first day and can hear the
barking of a sea lion colony up ahead. This is a well-known haulout
spot for Steller sea lions and we decide to make it our destination
for the following day.
Returning to camp, we fall asleep under a canopy of twinkling
stars and the countless blows of humpbacks barely a stone’s throw
from our tent.
In the morning, I find fresh scat steaming where a bear trail joins
the beach and am thankful we hung our food out of reach the
previous night. Our tent is on such a rocky beach that we should
be able to hear any approaching bear, but this is little defense if
one of these creatures should become curious. We also have a boat
on each side of the tent as a pitiful barrier. I have often camped
among bears and have never had any problems, but I always sleep
lightly in their presence. Our best defense here is that they should
be well fed in such an abundant wilderness.
A thick fog covers the coast. We can only see as far as the kelp
beds but can hear the whales, at least as numerous as the day
before. We get an early start and in just over an hour of paddling
are hit with the stench that signals a sea lion colony.
These are Steller sea lions. Bulls weigh well over a thousand
pounds and they are very protective of their females. A large harem
and maybe a few younger males lower in the pecking order usually
surround a bull.
We can barely make them out through the fog when a terrific
commotion breaks out. Suddenly there are dozens of panicky sea
lions charging directly at us. Before I can react, I see the first black
dorsal fin cutting through the water behind them. A pod of orca is
looking for breakfast and we are in their way. I begin to smack the
water with the flat of my paddle hoping to frighten the sea lions away.
They will climb on anything to escape and I flash on an image of a
thousand-pound sea lion capsizing my boat in freezing water right
in front of a hungry carnivore.
But in a few seconds all is quiet. The sea lions are gone and the ➝
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June/July 2005
206-310-2309
7
pod has disappeared. We have avoided catastrophe and I have
enough presence of mind to grab my camera. Suddenly the orca
blow right next to us and I get a wonderful shot as black and white
saddle patches flash by us. I have had these magnificent creatures
around me many times and never felt in danger. They are not known
to attack people or boats, but they do get the heart pumping.
With orca hunting in the area, there will be no more sea lions to
see today. We decide that was enough action anyway, and return
to camp to discuss what we have just witnessed.
On day three we head south and know the orca have left, for once
again humpback blows surround us. We can hear sounds like gun
shots, but on the water we can’t tell from which direction they are
coming. Then out of the corner of my eye I spot the source about
half a mile out to sea.
Several humpbacks have formed a giant semi-circle, hundreds
of yards across. They are standing on their heads, smacking the
water with their flukes.
They are using this technique to drive a school of baitfish in the
direction of the rest of the pod which is about a half mile away,
lying on the surface with their enormous mouths open, taking in
the frightened fish. Humpbacks are rorqual whales which means
they have serrations in their lower jaws that allow them to open
and expand their mouths much like a pelican’s pouch when
feeding. They also unhinge their mandible, allowing the mouth
to open unbelievably wide. An adult humpback with mouth wide
open could literally swallow a grown man whole. (Do not try this
at home!)
Unlike the orca that have teeth and eat flesh, humpbacks are
baleen whales. They have a bushy plate of carotene hanging from
the roof of the mouth through which they suck in their prey. Mostly
they feed on krill and amphipods, but will also eat herring and
small fish, swallowing them whole. And this is what they were
doing at the moment.
We watch this pod as they feed for several minutes and then
reverse their roles. When the feeding whales are full, they begin
to smack their flukes, sending the remaining fish back to their still
hungry pod mates who are now waiting with open jaws. We witness
a perfectly choreographed hunt, proof of the intelligence and social
abilities of these wonderful mammals.
I have never entered the wilderness without being awestruck
by its natural inhabitants. In three days of paddling the Icy Strait
we have seen countless whales and witnessed two distinct and
fantastic hunts. Just when I think there is not much more to see, a
new surprise awaits.
On day four we are paddling leisurely, perhaps a half-mile off
shore in unusual calm. The normal currents have slacked off and
we take advantage of this to venture further afield. I see a small
dorsal fin break the surface several times but cannot identify it.
Finally a familiar gray form flashes under my boat. It is a young
bottlenose dolphin. These animals are quite common near my
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8
June/July 2005
fish. I consider this a fair and final farewell to
another wonderful experience in one of the
last great wilderness habitats on earth.
HOW TO GET THERE
Several major airlines offer daily flights into
Juneau, the capital city of Alaska. This is the
only state capital with no road access. You
must either fly or take a boat to get there.
There are also many ferry services from
Seattle and Vancouver. From Juneau, there are
at least two public ferries running to Gustavus
each day from the main harbor pier.
There are few services in Gustavus—it is a
place to paddle and witness nature.
FROM GUSTAVUS
For the first time visitor or even an
experienced paddler, I highly recommend
using a local guide. The waters of the
Icy Strait are very treacherous, full of rip
currents and whirlpools.
© Text and photos by James Michael
Dorsey, a US writer and photographer who
has traveled extensively in 31 countries.
James is a volunteer photographer for
the National Wildlife Federation and the
International Cetacean Society, and guides
whale trips in both California and Mexico.
[email protected].
home in Southern California, and have
a wide-ranging habitat, but I have never
heard of one this far north. Pacific white
sided dolphin do range this far north
and different dolphin often tend to swim
together. Perhaps this youngster simply took
off with the wrong pod?
Whatever its reason for being here, it is
curious and approaches our boat several
times. Bottlenose dolphin are extremely
friendly and active, as this one appears. It’s
obviously a juvenile, free from scarring that
normally marks an older animal. It’s most
likely an orphan and many miles from its
home turf. But it seems to be healthy and
well fed, so I can only hope it’s old enough
to fend for itself. It follows us for about a
mile before venturing on to its destiny.
Back in camp that afternoon, our
attention turns to the eagles fishing just
offshore. Eagles have incredible eyesight
and can spot a fish near the surface from
a mile away. Because of their enormous
wingspan, they always nest at the outer
edges of the tree line where they have room
to maneuver. These eagles are diving at
high speed, snatching fish with razor sharp
talons, and returning to their nest to feed.
A particular eagle lands in a large
hemlock directly above where I am
standing. It is so intent on its catch, it fails
to notice me, or I doubt it would have
landed here.
It is about fifty feet above me and when
it hears the click of my shutter, drops the
fish, which falls nearby, almost striking me
on the head as the eagle takes off, shrieking
at the top of its lungs.
Obviously upset with me, it continues
to circle high overhead, calling me various
names in eagle-speak. I take the fish down
to the water and float it out in hopes of
appeasement, but the eagle will have
nothing more to do with it.
It dives swiftly and evacuates its bowels
in my direction as a final comment on what
I deserve and takes off in search of more
June/July 2005
9
Sea Otters Revisited
Lyn Hancock
S
“
ea otters to
starboard,” I shouted
exultantly. My eight
shipmates grabbed their
cameras and binoculars,
squeezing onto the
foredeck of Voyager,
our chartered 32-foot
aluminum water taxi.
Skipper Leo Jack grinned broadly as
he pointed the bow of his boat towards a
glistening forest of kelp lying off the verdant
shore of Vancouver Island just five minutes
north of Kyuquot. Blending into the kelp
was a ‘raft’ of some 70 to 80 sea otters,
the goal of our expedition. The sun glinted
on their shiny heads and framed the sea
around them in sparkling diamonds. I was
in heaven.
They bobbed up and down in the slight
swell, some stretching their heads upwards
in spy-hopping mode, others lying on their
backs holding their stubby forepaws stiff
and upright like mittens. With fore and
hind limbs protruding from the water, they
looked like upside down coffee tables.
From a distance, their straw-colored
heads resembled balls of kelp, but as we
got closer, there was no mistaking their
irresistible, toy-like faces. They looked
almost artificial, as if someone had painted
on their pudgy bewhiskered cheeks, beady
black eyes, triangular nose patches, and
pert, prissy mouths.
Everybody is charmed by the baby face
of a sea otter—except perhaps an abalone,
sea urchin, crab fisherman, or in the past, a
hunter lusting after a valuable pelt. It was
human greed for the fabulous fur of the sea
otter that determined the course of history
along the Pacific Northwest coast of North
America. In the ruthless pursuit of this one
animal, Russia colonized Alaska, Great
Britain claimed the west coast of Canada,
and British Columbia was born.
In 170 years of unregulated mass
hunting, the sea otter became commercially
extinct. In BC, Washington and Oregon,
extermination was complete, but in the
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most inaccessible storm-lashed reefs of
Alaska’s Aleutian Islands (and the rugged
surf-swept coast of central California), a
few survived. During the 1950s and 1960s,
a total of 412 animals were successfully
transplanted to southeast Alaska from
the Aleutian Islands, and it was from this
population that Alaska agreed to allow
British Columbia to transplant sea otters
to a suitable area off the west coast of
Vancouver Island.
My own interest in sea otters goes
back a long way. In 1967, my husband
accompanied Karl Kenyon of the US Fish
and Wildlife Service and Don Blood of the
BC Fish and Wildlife Branch on a survey to
choose the best location for the transplant.
The Bunsby Islands in Checleset Bay, a
few hours paddle north of Kyuquot, were
selected because of their shallow waters
which harbored an abundant supply of
choice invertebrates, extensive kelp beds,
little development or pollution.
However, it would take two years of
political intrigue, government bureaucracy
and a change in plan (from collecting otters
near Anchorage to collecting them from
Amchitka Island prior to its nuclear blast)
before otters reached the Bunsbys. (See my
book There’s a Raccoon in my Parka.)
Finally, in 1969, Alaska flew 29 sea otters
to British Columbia from the blast site but
very few were ever seen again. In 1970,
Alaska promised additional otters from
Prince William Sound, and this time I was
lucky to be aboard the Federal Fisheries
research vessel, the G.B.Reed, which
conducted the transplant.
I joined the Reed in Prince William
Sound and watched while 45 sea otters
were captured in nets and placed in holding
tanks aboard ship. Unfortunately, due to a
storm in the Gulf of Alaska and inadequate
June/July 2005
experience in keeping sea otters alive in
captivity, only 19 animals survived to be
released in the Bunsbys.
In 1972, 46 more Alaskan sea otters were
flown to the Bunsbys and released with only
one casualty. Now, the original otters from
these three transplants have increased their
numbers to something between 2,500 and
5,000, expanding their range as far north
as the Queen Charlotte Islands and as far
south as Barkley Sound.
So I was thrilled to be aboard the Voyager
bound for the Bunsbys where I had watched
the 1970 release. But not everyone shares
my affection for sea otters. Fishermen
complain that they have cleaned out all
the invertebrates and some locals have
reportedly taken to shooting them.
Like other predators, sea otters affect
many layers of the ecosystem they inhabit.
Sea otters prey on sea urchins, which in
turn consume kelp, which in turn provides
habitat for near-shore species. Some
researchers believe that when sea otters
were extirpated, the urchins devoured
vast native kelp forests, and that sea otters
could help return marine ecosystems to
a more complete state. (See Northwest
Environment Watch’s April 2005 Cascadia
Scorecard, www.northwestwatch.org/
scorecard/)
The base camp chosen for our trip by our
leader, Joan, was idyllic, situated on the
northeast end of Gay Passage in Big Bunsby
Provincial Marine Park.
The hot, tropic-like sun blasting down
from the cloudless sky lulled us into
believing that this impeccable weather
would last forever. But Joan warned us
that gale-force winds had abruptly aborted
her trip with the Nanaimo Paddlers the
year before and could do so again. Except
for pessimistic but practical Ray and Ian
who dragged their gear through head-high
thimbleberry bushes to set up their tent in
the forest behind, we sun-loving optimists
chose campsites in the open along the
crescent beach of pure white sand where
Leo had unloaded us. Joe and Sally set up
a solar shower for us all.
Wi t h i n m i n u t e s , d r i f t w o o d wa s
transformed into furniture and uprooted logs
into pantries and closets. Veteran campers
Joan, Joe and Sally prepared a communal
kitchen between a massive, conveniently
flat-topped log and an abundant back wall
of salal bushes. We picked big, juicy salal
berries and stirred them on the stove for
dessert. Sharon had started a tradition of
adding brandy to our berries and now no
Nanaimo Paddlers trip is complete without
Fruit Flambé on the menu.
We spent the rest of the day in swimsuits
exploring the picturesque eastern end of
our island at low tide. We collected shells,
June/July 2005
identified many colorful wildflowers—
Indian paint brush, blue harebells, yellow
asters and white false lily of the valley.
We snorkeled, paddled logs and bathed
in incredible emerald tidal pools as if we
were kids again. Everywhere we looked,
the sculptured rocks and logs onshore and
the medley of islets offshore begged to be
painted or photographed.
“Time for a paddle,” called Joan the next
day, when high tide made it convenient to
launch the kayaks. We followed our leader
across Gay Passage to Upsowis Point and
circled the innermost of the three main
Bunsby Islands in a counter-clockwise
direction. Homeward bound, we poked
into all the crevices of a bay that almost
bisected the island. While Gloria and I
stopped by some geoduck divers to learn
the best way to prepare these mammoth
clams for dinner, our paddlemates watched
as a black bear ate berries behind a log on
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the shoreline and played peekaboo with
them, alternately lifting its head to look,
then ducking down out of sight.
But the climax came as we paddled
into the sunset on the western side of our
campsite island and saw a sea otter lying on
his back using his chest for a dining table
and noisily jawing down his supper. The
clack of jaws opening and closing around
his prey was easily audible as we paddled
silently by. That night, Gloria and I enjoyed
such a contented sleep that we missed an
earthquake that wakened everyone else.
After the earthquake came the rain and
then a 40 mph gale which flattened tents
and sent most of us into the forest to beg
space from Ray and Ian who were too polite
to say “I told you so”. Our plan for this day
had been to paddle across open water to
Battle Bay on Vancouver Island to replenish
our water supply. I hoped to see if anything
was left of an old longhouse and two totem ➝
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11
poles, one with a sea otter carved on the top, which had intrigued
me 35 years earlier. Instead, we caught drips and collected water
that puddled along the edges of the tarps.
Joan had the right attitude. “I love this weather. The windier, the
shittier, the better. From glory to gales, this IS the Bunsbys.”
I confess I was glad when Paradise returned the next day. Our
full day’s paddle around the middle island of the Bunsbys was
sufficient compensation for the storm. We lunched at a lagoon
where the two halves of the island were cinched at its waist, then
paddled to the head of a narrow inlet to muse on the history of an
ancient stone fish trap.
The following day was even better. Heading south and west to
Chekaklis, the outermost of the three main Bunsby Islands and a
First Nations Reserve, we arrived at a channel between two sets of
low, rocky islets at the same time as a raft of sea otters. Joan waited
while I snapped off a few quick pictures as they bobbed and rolled in
the surf, then she motioned us to go left in a big circle and leave the
passage to the otters. They seemed to prefer the rugged windswept
reefs of the outer islands to more protected inner waters.
Before we reached Chekaklis Island, we stopped to lunch on
an unnamed island which could have been called Flower for its
meadows of nodding onion, yarrow, harebells, pinks and dead
nettles. And there were flowers in the sea as well—huge sun stars
so clear and colorful in the calm shallow water, they appeared
like paintings under glass. Some of us dozed in the warm sun
and wished we were camped here, but Joan reminded us that we
would have had little protection against gales from the west if the
weather changed again.
There was a better campsite island a short paddle west of an
unnamed island across the sun star-studded lagoon. The only other
paddlers in the Bunsbys were camped there. We had met them on
our first night camped in Fair Harbour while waiting for Leo. This
spot was not quite as protected or as picturesque as our site in Gay
Passage, but it was similar, having two beaches joined by a trail
through the forest, handy in bad weather.
Next morning, our last day on the Bunsbys, we planned to be
up at dawn to try again for Battle Bay if the forecast allowed. But
the weather radio promised gale force winds in the afternoon, so
instead, we hung out among the reefs of the nearest outer islands.
The many rocky islets, swirling waters, thick coils of kelp and curling
surf signaled food and shelter in abundance.
Eager to enter the serene center of this wild aquarium, Gloria
and I braved the churning waters between the channels that led
to it and were the first to see a mother and pup, two heads rolling
together, almost indistinguishable in the usual embrace. With Gloria
stabilizing the kayak, I snapped off two shots and hoped the camera
saw more than a blur.
On the outermost islet was a stretch of fine white sand, the very
beach where I had spent my last day of the Bunsby Islands transplant
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June/July 2005
years ago, before continuing down the coast to Victoria. I never
saw any other sea otters on that journey and many of us wondered
if we ever would.
Thirty-five years have passed since then and there are now
thousands of sea otters living in some of their traditional haunts
along the BC coast. I know that when I explore the west coast of
Vancouver Island by kayak I have a good chance of seeing one.
Leo and other native friends of mine tell me that people will soon
be making rugs of them again, but I hope not. I would gladly give
up some seafood to watch the endearing antics of sea otters.
Nature’s Best Tours
1-877-363-8687
[email protected]
www.wildernesstours.net
© Text and photos by Lyn Hancock, an author living in Lantzville, BC.
Editor’s note: Sea otters were relocated from Alaska to BC prior
to the Cannikin nuclear test on Amchitka Island in Alaska. The
Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimated that 300-800 of
the remaining sea otters were killed from the blast. Their skulls were
fractured by the force of the blast, driving their eyeballs through the
bone behind their sockets. Some animals suffered ruptured lungs.
For more information, see, Nuclear Flashback: Report of a Greenpeace Scientific
Expedition to Amchitka Island, Alaska—Site of the Largest Underground Nuclear
Test in US History.
Enjoy a premium “live-aboard” experience
on a Coast Guard certified vessel
BAMFIELD KAYAK FESTIVAL
September 17-26
Join us in celebrating the 7th annual
Bamfield Kayak Festival! This sea
kayak festival is held on the west coast
of Vancouver Island. There are several
race events for all ages of competitive
and recreational paddlers, including 3 to
6 mile races, a navigational race, a poker
hand event, kids races and rowboat races.
This weekend-long event also includes a
Saturday night dinner and dance. Be sure
to book your accommodations.
For more information visit www.bamfieldkayakfestival.com
email info@bamfieldkayakfestival.com or phone 250-728-3644
June/July 2005
13
Spirit Journey
Rob Zacharias
M
y first kayak trip was in 1991, an eight day adventure with
four other men to Hot Springs Cove on the west side of
Vancouver Island, BC. I had a wonderful time, so much so that I
wasn’t ready to go home at the end of the trip. A kayak seemed
the perfect way to experience the magic of the west coast
wilderness, and after a week I was just starting to feel strong!
For the next twelve years, the same
core group of guys took an annual seven
to ten day trip to some remote location
on Vancouver Island. Every year the
destination was different, but the feeling
was the same—at the end of the trip I just
wasn’t ready to break the contact with
nature in its unspoiled state. I always felt
that what I really wanted to do was restock
my food and just paddle off somewhere by
myself, without a precise destination or
timetable. The demands of work and family
being what they were, this never happened.
14
What did happen was that after returning
from trip #7, an excursion to Robson Bight
in 1997, I had a vivid dream. I dreamed that
I was circumnavigating Vancouver Island,
alone in a kayak called Whalebone. The
boat was one I had purchased a couple of
years before, but had never named.
In the dream, Whalebone had the skull
of a whale on his bow and was more than
just a boat. He was an extension of me, an
adventurous part of myself. I dreamed the
same dream every night for seven nights
until I woke up after the seventh and said, “I
am really going to do this.” The dream
stopped and I started thinking about when I
could make it reality. I realized that I would
have to wait for my two young daughters
to grow up before I could disappear for a
summer. A little arithmetic gave me the year
2004, when the girls would be sixteen and
nineteen. This also happened to be seven
years after the seven dreams, and the year
I would turn fifty, on May 7th. All I had to
do was wait and plan.
On the 24th of June 2004, I set off
from Esquimalt’s Flemming Beach for
what would be a fifty-one day encounter
with nature—and with myself. Far more
happened than I have room to relate, but
meetings with creatures of the ocean, air
and forest were some of the highlights.
Twelve days out, near the north end of
Texada Island, I noticed a large number of
small dorsal fins in the distance. Dolphins!
Six or eight of them broke off from the group
and came right at me, arcing through the
water to just off my bow before diving and
going under my boat. They surfaced astern
and took off. I thought that was the end
of it, but four or five turned around and
rocketed back at me, diving and surfacing,
then going back down, turning under water
and disappearing. One surfaced again
and came back for a third pass, this time
popping up close by and taking a good
look at me before rejoining its comrades.
Incredible animals! Their speed is amazing
and they seemed to be just playing with
me. The whole thing was over in a few
seconds—not even enough time to get
the camera out, but they left me feeling
full of joy.
Three days later, camped on the
stunningly beautiful Lewis Channel,
between West Redonda Island and the
northeast tip of Cortes, I was very surprised
to hear someone calling my name. I soon
realized that it was not a person calling, but
Raven, the one the natives call the Trickster.
Raven would appear several more times
throughout my journey, always in some
calm and idyllic spot. He would announce
his presence in a variety of voices, circle
with hissing wing tips and leave me with
a profound sense of peace.
Five days after that, while searching
for a place to sleep on West Cracroft
Island, I had my first of seven black bear
encounters. Bears and humans seem to like
similar places—bays and river mouths—for
camping and dining. We kept a wary
distance in what seemed to be a healthy
mutual respect. I kept my bear bangers
and bear spray handy, but I grew to enjoy
watching them forage, flipping over logs
and rocks searching out the tasty morsels
beneath.
It was another week, twenty-seven days
after leaving home, before my first whale
sighting. A pair of humpbacks paced me for
about forty-five minutes as I neared Cape
Scott, giving me glimpses of their backs and
majestic flukes. Their angle to my kayak was
always changing so that I never knew where
they would surface next. I gave up trying
to take a picture and just enjoyed them. I
saw whales three more times on this trip:
once a grey and twice minkes. Two minkes
followed along off my starboard side for
two hours one spectacular day as I cruised
along, ten kilometers offshore. The whales
were awesome creatures. I had a sense of
reverence in their presence and a feeling
that all was well with me and the world.
But it was a rare encounter with humans
which brought all these experiences
with wildlife together for me. Camped at
Jacobson Point on the south side of the
Brooks Peninsula, I shared a beach with
other kayakers for the first time on my
trip. Larry, Bruce and Randy: alternative
school teacher, psychologist, and dream
researcher. They fed me wonderful food
in exchange for stories of my adventures.
They were very interested in the dream that
launched this trip. We talked about many
things: the significance of dreams, the
spiritual and psychological aspects of going
on a journey, adventure, self discovery,
and the influence of nature on ourselves.
Randy wanted to know if I felt I had been
June/July 2005
influenced by contact with any specific
animals. I thought about it and named four:
Dolphin, Raven, Bear and Whale.
The men decided to do a drumming
meditation for me. They formed a circle,
and using native style drums and chants
made up on the spot, they called the spirits
of my four animals. I just sat in the middle,
meditating and allowing my mind to go
where it would. When they were done I
spoke of what had come to me, what these
animals symbolized for me:
Dolphin: Enjoying the moment, playing.
Being exactly where I am and letting the
tough times go the moment they are
done.
Raven: Soul enrichment, feeding my spirit
in the beauty and tranquility of the empty
wilderness.
Bear: Benign power. The quiet strength
to do the things I must do, deal with
whatever comes and carry on.
Whale: The spirit of adventure. The ability
to go where I choose without fear.
blessed me with her beauty on the shores
of San Josef Bay. She told me to let go of
my need to be somewhere else that day.
She reminded me to enjoy the splendor of
where I was.
This is a special place, this magical island
we call home. Let us continue to share it
with others both great and small. Let us not
destroy it with our greed.
© Text and photos by Rob Zacharias,
a recreational kayaker and father of two,
who lives in Victoria, BC.
Whether or not these animals felt any
connection with me I’ll never know, but
the strength I drew from their presence
Gateway to Sechelt Inlet
helped me immensely, both physically and
spiritually.
It was a wonderful evening, and a great
way to celebrate rounding the infamous
Brooks, leaving the dangerous northwest
corner of the island behind.
There were, of course, many other
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the chirping birds and purple wildflowers
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cousin, Humming Bird, who
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15
The Why of Wilderness Trips
I
t is 4:30 a.m. and I am sitting in a hotel
room, warm, dry and clean, after a four
day expedition—kayaking 130 kilometers
from West Vancouver to Powell River.
Last night I phoned an old friend. Why,
she asked, do I do such things? Wasn’t it
dangerous to paddle long distances alone
and miles from shore?
Good questions. Why would anyone
leave the comfort and security of an
orderly life to do these things? Why
take unnecessary risks and expose
oneself to discomfort, even danger?
Solo Arctic paddler, Robert Perkins, once
wrote that a trip was not about the places
he passed, how many miles he paddled, or
what he did each day. These were just the
details of the trip. For him the trip was what
happened between these facts. So too for
me, a trip is not about what occurs—the
specifics of places—it is about the emotions
experienced.
On this trip I took no camera. Can
anyone convey in pictures or words
what it is like to ride a motorcycle or be
in love? Real emotion is ineffable. And
so it is with wilderness expeditions. On
this trip I experienced strong emotions
throughout the trip and repeatedly faced
many decisions affecting my safety. For
these few days, I was able to throw off the
sameness of my life. I experienced as much
freedom as is possible—no commitments
to anyone other than myself, no schedule
other than my own. My central concerns
were only natural ones: When is high and
low tide? How strong is the wind? From
which direction? Will it rain? Where are the
tidal currents? Where will I find a campsite?
What will I eat?
Along the way, I experienced life with an
intensity not possible at home with all its
orderly, comfortable patterns. But I cannot
say that such trips are pleasurable. Looked
at in an entirely rational way, they are
not. In retrospect we realize that these are
peak experiences—fulfilling, satisfying and
wonderful—though not always pleasurable
as they are being experienced.
Trips are not the way they seem in a
slide show. A slide show is an idealized
trip—with good weather photos, everyone
in a good mood, nobody tired or sick or
cold or hungry. These parts are filtered out
in the telling, perhaps even forgotten.
For me, a trip is all the emotions, both the
good and the bad. On this trip, I experienced
moments of Zen-like meditation, paddling
alone mile after mile in silence—only me,
the ocean, the sky and my kayak. At times
it was tedious, paddling towards a distant
shore, towards trees that seemed to stay
the same size, not getting bigger or nearer.
I would look at my watch to check for
the passage of time, since the passage of
distance was hardly noticeable.
This time I was entirely alone for four days.
That was both a blessing and a curse. When
I am with others, the experience is more
muted—seemingly safer, more moderate,
less stressful, tending towards what is within
everyone’s comfort zone. Decisions are less
weighty when responsibility is shared. On
this trip, by contrast, there was no second
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Glen Stedham
opinion—no comforting presence, no one
to help lift the kayak or remember what
needed to be remembered. But also there
was no one who was tired, or cranky, or
afraid, no one to have to talk to when
silence was preferred.
On any trip worth doing, there is always
fear. Pushing back the patterns of everyday
life is like that. There is uncertainty. There
are unforeseen events. On this trip, there
was a day when I had winds from the
direction that every paddler hopes for—
from behind. But these were strong winds
producing large rolling waves, which lifted
the stern of my kayak and buried the bow
in the next trough. I could feel the kayak
tending to broach, which would have meant
a capsize.
Seeing wildlife is always a thrill. On this
trip, I looked out of my tent and saw a deer
pass by. When the sea grew calm, seals
followed me for miles. I looked astern and
saw a line of six seals swimming with me.
There is no getting away from the sheer
physicality of expeditions. In midsummer,
the weather is generally benign, but you
never know. So I didn’t linger in camp. Up
at 4:00 a.m. and away paddling by 6:00, I
made my distance before the winds rose. I
had to travel when nature allowed.
Oddly, in such solitude, it seemed there
was precious little idle time. Rooted in
the experience, I was busy with chores or
monitoring the shifting patterns of ocean
and shoreline. Ashore, the ocean was
always beckoning me to return. But there
were moments in the evening, when the
chores were done, and plans for the next
day fixed, that I could just sit on the beach
and stare at the sea and sky.
© Glen Stedham is a BC canoe and kayak
guide and instructor with over
35 years experience.
The Bike, Hike & Paddle Touring Co.
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THE ODYSSEY TOUR
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Toll Free 877-949-7707
[email protected]
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16
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[email protected]
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June/July 2005
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17
Marine Mammals of Johnstone Strait
Mary Borrowman
F
our populations of orca are found in
the waters of the Northeastern Pacific
Ocean: Northern Residents, Southern
Residents, Offshore and West Coast
Transients, making for a total of some 750
animals.
All four populations travel through the
Blackfish Archipelago in British Columbia,
but it is the Northern Resident orca that are
so often sighted in the waters of Johnstone
Strait. Transients are often present but
are far less predictable. Historically, orca
are encountered on over 90% of whale
watching trips.
The Resident and Transient populations
are highly differentiated, likely due to their
different diets. The Transient orca have
evolved to be cunning hunters of other
marine mammals: seals, sea lions, other
cetaceans, even birds and an occasional
swimming bear or deer make up their diet.
As such, they have secretive behaviors in
order not to alert their prey. They have
longer dives, they vocalize and echolocate
less, and travel alone or in small, fluid
hunting parties. The West Coast Transients
range from Southern Alaska to California.
By contrast, the Resident orca have a
much more predictable food source—
salmon. This has allowed them to evolve
to be highly social animals. They travel in
family units called matrilines, are highly
vocal and are far more surface active than
the Transient orca. A matriline is a tight
social association of up to three generations
of orca, descendent from one female.
Members of the 200+ Northern Resident
population frequent the Johnstone Strait
area from mid-June to January, depending
on availability of fish. An additional draw
www.harbourlynx.com
to the area are the rubbing beaches. The
Northern Residents are the only orca known
to have the social behavior of rubbing on
smooth stone beaches.
The population has three distinct
acoustic clans. The differing vocalizations
of the Northern Residents allow the orca
to recognize ‘otherness’ and thereby avoid
inbreeding.
The Southern Resident orca pass through
Johnstone Strait before the return of the
Northern Residents and travel to their
fishing grounds which are further to the
south. This population of only 84 animals
is endangered and their welfare is a source
of critical concern.
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS
Pacific white-sided dolphins come into
the area in spectacular numbers in spring
and fall. These highly acrobatic and vocal
animals are a mystery, since identification
of individuals is such a challenge. They are
often seen interacting with other marine
mammals. Their chosen interaction with
the Resident orca is to ‘mob’ them. The
raking marks of the Pacific white-sided
dolphins are often found on their Resident
orca cousins.
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DALL’S PORPOISE
The speedy Dall’s porpoise are abundant
in Johnstone Strait. They are believed to
be present year-round, with the sheltered
inland waters their preference for mating
and calving. When without young, they
often sprint towards a vessel at up to 55
km/hr, creating the water displacement
known as ‘rooster tail’, and they may
choose to bow-ride. Dall’s are the only
porpoise species known to ride the bow
wave of boats and this behavior offers an
ideal opportunity for observation.
HARBOR PORPOISE
Harbor porpoise are also abundant but
far shyer than the Dall’s. They are often seen
in the inland channels, and when feeding,
allow for good observation. They are the
smallest cetacean of the area. Recent
research has confirmed that the male harbor
porpoise will mate with the female Dall’s
porpoise. These porpoise hybrids have
been seen in Johnstone Strait, appearing
to have much lighter coloration than their
Dall’s relatives.
MINKE WHALES
The Minke Whales of the area are
frequently sighted but move in unpredictable
patterns, unless feeding. Their speed and
long dives make study challenging. They
have been seen breaching, bow riding,
surfing and interacting with Resident
orca.
STELLER SEA LIONS
While the global population of Steller
sea lions has dropped by two thirds, the
population in British Columbia is stable.
It is the male Steller that most often graces
our local waters. Their presence is less
common in the summer months when the
successful males have managed to establish
themselves among the females in rookeries
further to the north. However, from early fall
to spring, these growling giants are easy to
find and delightful to observe in groups of
up to 60 animals at a haulout.
HARBOR SEALS
Pacific harbor seals are the most
commonly encountered marine mammal.
Peak pupping is in mid-July. Their territorial
and predictable behavior results in harbor
seals making up half of the Transient
orca diet. Seal haulouts can be the site of
spectacular Transient orca attacks.
Toll Free: 1-866-206-LYNX (5969)
18
June/July 2005
HUMPBACK WHALES
Humpback whale sightings are becoming
increasingly common. It appears that these
glorious giants are rediscovering the inland
waters of Vancouver Island as a migration
route. It may be that some do not complete
their migration to Alaska but stay in the
area of Northern Vancouver Island to feed.
These humpbacks are members of the North
Pacific population which is believed to have
grown to some 8,000 animals (from 2,000
in 1965). It is thought that their numbers
may now be increasing by as much as
10% per year.
TELEGRAPH COVE
Highly conductive to the study of marine
mammals, secluded Telegraph Cove on
Northern Vancouver Island is the main
point of departure for Johnstone Strait
marine mammal viewing. Telegraph Cove
is a picturesque, boardwalk community
with a rich history. The Cove opens up
onto Johnstone Strait and Blackfish Sound.
This area has one of the richest marine
ecosystems in the world and has proven
to be the ideal location to study marine
mammals.
The Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve at
Robson Bight was established as a sanctuary
for the orca and is only 12 km from Telegraph
Cove. It is an especially important habitat
for the Northern Community of Resident
orca due to its concentration of rubbing
beaches. The Reserve encompasses 1248
hectares of marine area and 505 hectares
of landmass, all under the protection of
British Columbia Parks.
It is in this area that Dr. John Ford,
Graeme Ellis and the late Dr. Michael Bigg
conducted pioneer research into the distinct
populations of orca, their vocalizations and
social structure. Research continues here
with further insights into orca populations’
evolution and behaviors provided by the
research of Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard,
Volker Deeke and Alexandra Morton,
among others. The work of Dr. Michael
Bigg spearheaded subsequent research
after he discovered a system for identifying
individual orca by their markings.
Dr. Paul Spong and Helena Symonds have
established OrcaLab as a center of cetacean
acoustics research near Johnstone Strait.
Here, vocalization samples are collected
24 hours a day. They have had great success
in increasing global awareness about the
marine ecosystem with their ‘Orca-live’
website that relays live images and vocals
from the area (www.orca-live.net).
Telegraph Cove is also home to a unique
collection of marine mammal bones.
My husband, Jim Borrowman, has avidly
collected specimens for educational
purposes. The collection includes a fully
June/July 2005
Orca skeleton hangs at Telegraph Cove outside the whale museum.
assembled orca, Pacific white-sided dolphin,
harbor porpoise, Dall’s porpoise, Steller sea
lion, harbor seal, sea otter, common otter,
minke whale and an 18 meter fin whale
(70% complete), among others.
© Mary Borrowman is with Stubbs Island
Whale Watching, Telegraph Cove, BC.
[email protected], www.stubbs-island.com
Toll Free: 1-800-665-3066
Editor’s Note: Stubbs Island Whale Watching
is offering 4 and 5 day Magnificent Seven
Marine Mammal Tours: Sept. 11-16, 2005;
Sept. 18-24, 2005; Sept. 10-15, 2006; Sept.
17-23, 2006.
VANCOUVER WHALE WATCH
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take you on 3 to 5 hour trips to see
the majestic Killer Whales and other
marine life while travelling through
the spectacular Gulf Islands.
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19
Add a Little Salt to Your Diet
Scott Baxter
American avocets feeding on brine creatures in Great Salt Lake, Utah.
I
f you want a truly unique kayaking
experience, it may be time to add a little
more salt to your paddling diet.
It’s a long day’s drive to the nearest
ocean—over 750 miles—yet here I am
sitting in my kayak surrounded by salt water.
Great blue heron are silhouetted against
the sky on top of the higher boulders while
double crested cormorants, willets, and a
few sanderlings find their homes on other
parts of the shore. California gulls dominate
the view and the airways. Looking at the
snowcapped peaks of the Wasatch Front,
I can see the ancient shoreline of Lake
Bonneville—a lake that up until about
A willet wades in the lake.
14,000 years ago occupied 20,000 square
miles of the Great Basin. I am in Great Salt
Lake, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the
world with water that is three to four times
saltier than the ocean.
If you painted a picture of all the things
you normally experience while paddling,
and then removed each item one by one,
you would have a picture of paddling on
Great Salt Lake, a lake with no grassy banks,
shade trees, or outlet, and water so salty
that fish cannot live in it. It covers 1,700
square miles, yet is less than 15 feet deep in
most places, and has shoals that recede so
gradually that you can wade for 100 yards
and still be less than knee deep in water. In
fact, it defies all of our definitions of what a
lake should be. The famous historian Dale
L. Morgan eloquently stated what was and
still is the common feeling about the lake:
“Lake of paradoxes, in a country where
water is life itself and land has little value
without it, Great Salt Lake is an ironical joke
of nature—water that is more desert than
the desert.”
Many people define the lake by what it
is not, but some have come to appreciate
it for what it is. The high salt content of the
lake keeps most motorized craft away, so
the tranquility and solitude are incredible.
The shoals around the islands and shores
of the lake drop off gradually, making
Celebrating 35 Years
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Sea Kayaks - Canoes
Rowing Shells
Catamarans
Outriggers
Sail Rigs
Catalog Package & Video:
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since 1970
20
P.O. Box 88108 Seattle, WA 98138
425-228-3633
excellent habitat for shore birds. The lake
is host to an estimated six million birds
that use it as a stop-over on their migration
each year. Annual visitors include about
65,000 black-necked stilts, 2,500 American
avocets, and in the heat of summer over
500,000 Wilson’s phalaropes congregate
on the lake. They all come to feast on the
brine shrimp and brine flies that thrive in
this highly saline and algae-laden water. It
is one of seventeen sites designated to have
Hemispheric Importance in the Western
Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network.
The birds ignore kayaks, allowing you to
observe their natural behavior.
Oolitic sand magnified.
Unlike these migratory birds, other
interesting species are deeply rooted in
the area. Halophytes (salt-adapted plants)
grow in the marshes that surround the lake,
adapted to the salt in different ways. Some
secrete salt from special glands, others
sacrifice some leaves by loading them
with salt and letting them die and fall off.
Pickleweed and iodine bush are some of
the more common.
Kayaking is a great way to enjoy this
natural wonder. Every trip reveals a new
mystery. Even the sand is different on the
lake, actually the result of a growing rock.
It starts with the fecal pellet of a brine
shrimp or another small piece of organic
June/July 2005
matter. Calcium carbonate precipitates out
of the water, forming concentric layers of
rock around the pellet. The result is an oval
oolite, like thousands of small pearls.
For an amateur naturalist and curious
mind, the lake is a playground beyond
compare. I carry a boatload of optics,
from binoculars to telephoto lenses to
microscopes, that allow me to enjoy and
better understand this area.
The lake is hot in July and August, and
during the heat of summer, millions of tiny
brine flies emerge from their larval stage
under the water. They are thick on the shore
and occasionally can be thick on the water.
They do not bite, but for the fly-squeamish,
they are intimidating, making May and
September preferable times to paddle. Of
course, for the typical shore bird, these
insects taste great with a dash of salt.
Access to the lake is limited. A combination
of the large mud flats, protected wetlands,
and private land protect much of the lake
from intruders, including kayakers.
Antelope Island State Park is probably the
best paddling destination, with arid islands
rather like those of the Sea of Cortez. The
paddle from the marina to Egg Island makes
a nice short sunset trip. The lake generally
has spectacular sunsets typical of the desert
environment. If you want a longer trip,
continue from Egg Island across Bridger
Bay, around Buffalo Point to White Rock
Bay. Buffalo Point is a fascinating scene of
boulders and sea. White Rock Bay has an
unimproved camping area with road access
and makes a nice one-day paddle from
the marina. At the current low lake level,
the water is a few hundred yards from the
access point in the bay.
If you are up to a marathon trip, explore
the remote and rugged west side of the
island. The island is closed to landing
beyond White Rock Bay so go prepared
for a long paddle. Antelope Island is also
a wildlife sanctuary. Bison, pronghorn,
mule deer, and bighorn sheep call the
island home. In addition to the mammals,
it also has a collection of intriguing birds.
Peregrine falcon, burrowing owls and
chucker are a few of the 250 species of
birds to be found.
Other access points to the lake include
the south marina and State Park just off I-80
on the south end of the lake west of Salt
Lake City. It is the only other developed
marina, and home to most of the sailboats
that play on the lake.
For a more intriguing access point, try
the Spiral Jetty on Rozel Point on the north
side of the lake. To get there, take a high
clearance vehicle and head to the Golden
Spike National Historic Site west of Brigham
City. This is where east joined west during the
early US railroad history. From there follow
June/July 2005
Stunning desert sunsets are a feature of paddling the lake.
the signs to the Spiral Jetty and enter a truly
unique world. There is no inlet in this arm of
the lake and it is bordered on the south by
an earth fill railroad causeway, making it the
most saline part of the lake with water that is
26%-27% salt. That is as salty as water can
get. Basalt boulders reach to beaches that are
comprised of solid salt crystals several inches
thick. The water turns red from the color of
the algae that lives in it. This is not a place to
practice a roll or be caught in bad weather.
Be prepared to carry your boat about 100
yards on uneven ground.
Another fun access point is an
undeveloped boat access just north of
Willard Bay State Park on the east side of
the lake. It may be better defined as a slog
than a paddle. This area is very shallow,
generally 4” to 36” deep. It is also just south
of the 74,000 acre Bear River National Bird
Refuge. This is true wetlands with emergent
to submergent marsh rich in birds, insects,
and mud.
See www.greatsaltlakekayak.com/photos/
wildlife_013.php
© Text and photos by Scott Baxter,
who runs Great Salt Lake Adventures in Utah:
www.greatsaltlakekayak.com, 801-710-7176.
21
Loading kayaks on the boat at Seward.
Yellow Zoanthids.
Resurrection Bay
Barb Roy
I
n an effort to avoid peak season and crowded attractions, I
decided to visit South Central Alaska during the month of April
for some above and below water exploring. Although most of
the snow had melted and the days were warming up, the first signs
of spring growth had not yet appeared.
Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, became my launching pad. I
was pleased to discover several Internet cafes there, as well as
reasonable accommodations and rental cars. Almost every corner
boasted a unique souvenir shop.
Scott Anderson from Dive Alaska, set me up with cold-water
scuba gear and arranged kayaks from Kayak Adventures Worldwide
in Seward. The only thing left to do was to make the 204-kilometer
(127 mile) drive to Seward, where we would board his boat.
From the minute I left Anchorage, heading south on Seward
Haida Gwaii / Queen Charlotte Islands
Mount Moresby Adventure Camp
Facility Rental and Outdoor Adventure Programs
Home-base your group minutes from world-renowned
Gwaii Haanas National Park
Program design and staffing available
See www.adventurecamp.ca
Contact: 250-626-3494 or [email protected]
22
Highway, Potter Marsh beckoned with the lure of photographing
migrating birds. Majestic Dall sheep came next, occasionally
parading on the jagged cliffs lining Turnagain Arm, an expanse
of water branching from Cook Inlet. Turnagain Pass (elevation
296 meters/988 feet) was filled with outdoor enthusiasts on snow
machines and cross-country skis. With almost every curve wrapped
in breathtaking snow-capped mountain scenery, the two-hour
journey took four hours to complete.
Scott had the kayaks and scuba gear secured when I arrived. Five
others joined us, and before long we were heading towards Eldorado
Narrows and the mouth of Resurrection Bay. Our destination was
a vertical wall on the outer point of Cape Resurrection (1½ hours
from Seward) for the first dive.
“Most of Resurrection Bay is very deep,” explained Scott,
“over 304 meters (1000 feet) leaving us with very little current
to worry about at any of the dive sites we frequent. Places like
Mary’s Rock, Barwell Island and Cape Resurrection require good
weather conditions and are well worth the extra effort to get there.”
Fortunately our weather conditions were exceptional.
As we motored along, we donned our drysuits in preparation for
the 5°C (41°F) water. Just then a dozen or so black and white Dall’s
porpoise emerged at our bow. With ease they propelled their small,
powerful bodies through the water. After 20 minutes they got bored
and dashed away as quickly as they appeared.
“We call this site Shark Tooth,” announced Scott, as we pulled
up to a steep wall. “The wall is covered with sharp outcroppings
and uneven edges. Wide angle, close-up and macro lenses will all
work. You will find tons of life at 6-12 meters (20-40 feet) or deeper,
12-27 meters (40-90 feet).”
With underwater camera in hand, my buddy and I descended.
Immediately I began photographing burrowing orange sea
cucumbers, lemon-peel nudibranchs, tan clusters of four-inch high
staghorn and fluted bryozoan, and patches of yellow Zoanthids.
In some areas, strawberry anemones covered entire sections,
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June/July 2005
with tiny candycane-colored brittle stars
and huge shrimp crowding for cover. At
18 meters (60 feet) on a sandy, pebbly
bottom I found beach-towel size sunflower
stars in a multitude of colors, along with
tube-dwelling anemones and giant, white
swimming nudibranchs.
Once we were back on the boat, Scott
moved to another location he called
Hidden Treasure, where a huge crack
separated a portion of land from the base
of a mountain. The gap was approximately
6 meters (20 feet) wide and extended back
over 30 meters (100 feet) into the rock.
As we lowered the kayaks into the water,
a curious sea otter popped up to watch
us, eating a tasty shellfish on its belly.
Carefully I paddled closer for a photo, but
the splashing of the divers scared it away. I
followed the divers as far into the opening
of the gap as I dared, watching them travel
along the steep wall as they investigated
the colorful critters below.
Cruising along the coastline on both
sides of the opening, I was amazed at how
green and healthy everything looked. Bright
Tufted Puffin.
orange, purple and yellow ochre sea stars
added a splash of color to the shoreline.
Above me squawked noisy shorebirds,
while schools of juvenile herring silently
passed below.
After the divers were up and the kayak
back onboard, Scott headed for the
protective confines of Humpy Cove,
back towards Seward. Huge Steller sea
lions barked a complaint as we passed.
Their huge, bulky, tan bodies covered a
rocky pinnacle and one of the beaches.
Several yawned, watching us with sleepy
expressions.
Rounding another point, we came
across what the sea lions may have really
been complaining about—a family of orca.
A large male, female and a second-year
calf were happily fishing. Sparkling sun-lit
water glittered off their sleek bodies with
every break of the surface. We watched for
ten minutes before they disappeared and
we carried on.
“This is Fox Island spit,” informed Scott
as we came upon a thin stretch of land
June/July 2005
extending from a steep weathered island.
“On the northern side, in the middle, is an
old sunken barge. Not much remains of the
structure but it’s a great place to find wolf
eels hiding under wreckage near the bow,
at 18 meters (60 feet).”
I remember seeing a pair of wolf eels
there during my last visit in August of 2001.
I’d also come across an octopus on the bow,
several big lingcod next to the wreck and
beautiful giant white plumose anemones
all along the top of the hull.
We passed Kayakers’ Cove next. During
my last visit, I had stayed with a group
of divers in the two-story log cabin. Both
divers and paddlers had shared the dorm
style accommodations and fished from the
kayaks for our dinner.
Humpy Cove was just around the corner
about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from
Seward. “These are the yurts we usually stay
at during the summer months,” Scott said
as we approached a flat, open, rocky area
extending from the shore with two rounded
tent structures.
Apparently the yurts are very comfortable,
with wooden floor, stove for heating and
cooking, and beds to accommodate several
people. I don’t think they have changed
much since their invention by Mongolian
nomads, several thousand years ago.
While my buddy and I checked out the
reefs below, the others took turns paddling
around the bay.
The reef reminded me of an ancient lava
flow, fingering out from the shore to depths
beyond 27 meters (90 feet). In a panic, tiny
scallops darted upwards as we passed over,
blocking their light. Within the confines
of a small protective crevice, a curious
light brown crescent gunnel peered out.
Not far away a painted greenling watched
our moves intently. Colorful anemones
and feather stars (crinoids) were plentiful
as well.
As I stopped to photograph a section
covered in yellow zoanthids, I noticed
a skate egg casing. Looking around, I
Tochuina Nudibranch.
saw they were everywhere, and with the
embryos still inside. Gently I lowered
myself to get a closer look at one leaning
against a rock, with the light of the sun on ➝
23
the other side. A tiny dark spot within moved! My buddy and I
searched for hatched babies on the way back, but to no avail.
The rest of our afternoon was spent paddling around the cove and
keeping an eye out for the orca. Before long it was time to return
to Seward for a good night’s sleep at Edgewater Hotel.
The Alaska Sea Life Center, located on the waterfront across from
the hotel, occupied the following morning. Full of local marine
life, the center gave me an opportunity to identify some of the
underwater critters I had previously photographed.
Another sight is Exit Glacier, 16 kilometers (10 miles) from town,
off the main road. Parking is close by with several choice viewing
spots located along numerous well-marked park trails.
On the way back to Anchorage, I stopped at the Alaska Wildlife
Conservation Center. This unique facility is dedicated to the care
and rehabilitation of orphaned and injured animals, while providing
wildlife awareness and education to the public.
I have always enjoyed parks
such as this because it is not only a
good opportunity to inexpensively
photograph local wildlife, it also
minimizes the impact on sensitive
environments.
Overall, my Alaskan adventure
was unforgettable and more
rewarding than anticipated. With
satisfaction I smiled at a backpack
full of exposed film and captured
memories. By the time I boarded
my return flight, I was planning
another journey to this wondrous
last frontier to hike Denali National
Park.
TRAVEL INFORMATION:
Dive Alaska, dive store and
charter operation: www.
divealaska.net, 907- 770-1778
Paddling in Humpy Cove.
Kayak Adventures Worldwide,
rentals and tours from Seward:
www.kayakak.com, 800-288-3134 or 907-224-3960
The Edgewater Hotel in Seward: www.hoteledgewater.com,
888-793-6800 or 907- 224-2700
Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward: www.alaskasealife.org,
800-224-2525 or 907- 224-6300
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center: www.alaskawildlife.org,
866-773-2025 or 907-783-2025
© Text and photos by Barb Roy, a freelance writer and
frequent WaveLength contributor living in Surrey, BC.
24
June/July 2005
Arctic Journey
“
Bill Stinson
T
he trees get in the way of the view!”
When I first heard this perspective from
an Inuit friend of mine, I remember being
surprised. How could trees be separated
from the view? After spending two weeks
kayaking above the Arctic Circle through
Bathurst Inlet, I can better understand that
opinion.
The Arctic Coast of Northern Canada
is well above the treeline, but it hardly
deserves the label ‘barren lands’. We
identified a dozen species of low lying
flowers and shrubs. The land and ocean
were alive and prosperous during the
short growing season. Caribou, muskox,
wolves, and grizzly could be observed as
we paddled the bays or hiked the rocky
ridges of the inlet. With an around-theclock sun, we had ample opportunity to
become observers in this incredibly vast
Arctic environment.
To get there, we had to drive to Yellowknife
on the northeast shore of Great Slave Lake,
then charter a small float plane for the
1,000 km flight to the small community of
Bathurst Inlet and Bathurst Inlet Lodge. We
had reserved some kayaks from the Lodge
and we used these boats for our thirteen day
trip. But these light touring kayaks proved to
have limited storage capacity, and we were
required to pare down our equipment and
food to a minimum.
The Lodge is an interesting historical
venue catering to naturalists and nature
photographers, but our trip wasn’t about
the Lodge. We came for the kayaking, and
we weren’t disappointed. Our second day
found us ice-bound on the edge of Portage
Bay. July 6th and the ice had not yet left
this large bay! That evening there was an
unusual thunder and lightning storm, and
by morning the bay was a jumble of ice
pans, but passable close to shore. We set
out that morning and paddled through the
ice pans, some with seals resting on them.
We saw caribou feeding along the low hills,
and everywhere we camped, we found
signs of grizzly.
There was one long evening of bear
excitement, when a lanky young bear
appeared. As the bear stood up on hind
legs to catch a sight or smell of us, I was
astonished at how tall it was. We watched
it slowly make its way along the shore to
our camp, at which point Mark and I went
offshore in our boats, shouting at it till it
moved off a couple of hundred meters and
fell asleep on a snowy bank. It was a long
evening sitting and waiting for the bear
to wake up and move away. Finally a red
June/July 2005
Bathurst Inlet—no trees to block the view.
fox wandered by the bear, waking it, and
it ambled off inland. We went to bed, but
not to sleep, listening attentively for the rest
of the night.
But it wasn’t really the wildlife or the
expanse of land and water that had the
most impact upon us. Everywhere we
traveled and camped, we saw ancient signs
of earlier inhabitants. Lichen covered rocks
in a circular pattern were indicators that
caribou or sealskin tents had been set up
with rocks used to hold down the edges
against the extreme winds that occur in this
part of the world.
After reading Kabloona in a Yellow Kayak
by Victoria Jason in preparation for the trip, I
had had a short nylon skirting sewn onto the
fly of my tent in anticipation of high winds.
The thin soil of the arctic doesn’t allow for
tent pegs, and the tumbleweed effect of a
dome tent subjected to high winds isn’t a
pretty image. The skirting provided a surface
onto which we placed rocks, securing the
tent to the ground.
The original inhabitants also used large
rock slabs to create small caverns for the
storage of meat and other supplies. These
caches could be identified by inukshuks
built to mark the spots. Sometimes the
inukshuks were elaborately piled flat
rocks that roughly resembled the shape of
a person with their arms held out, while
others were merely two or three rocks
balanced in a tier.
In one camping location on a series
of gravel bars rising above the high tide
mark, we found the entire area littered with
quartzite shards. We learned later that this
was an area where inhabitants gathered to
replenish their cutting tools. The Bathurst
Inlet caribou herd migrates through this
area and with some careful observation,
we found a series of small inukshuks that
appeared to funnel the caribou into a
hunting area between some ridges and a
river. It was a humbling and overwhelming
experience to find such untouched artifacts
in the vastness of this Arctic landscape.
We were careful not to disturb the sites
we found.
We were very conscious of our
vulnerability on this journey. We didn’t
see another kayaker during the entire
trip. We carried a satellite telephone but
it would have been too little and too late
if a serious emergency had occurred. We
paddled safely within contact of each
other, ever watchful of changes in weather.
While we expressed some anxiety about
the winds when we paddled, we relished
those same winds when we camped. The
mosquitoes were relentless. Bug jackets or
headsets were definitely required. Many
mealtimes saw us walking along the beach
with plate or bowl in hand eating and
walking to avoid the bugs. We were even
forced to take refuge in our tent on at least
four evenings.
The immensity of the unspoiled land and
water, the wildlife, the ever present signs
of people traveling before us—these are
the images that we took away with us. And
yes, I can see now how trees can get in the
way of the view.
If you go there, Bathurst Inlet Lodge
can arrange for your charter to and from
Yellowknife, and your kayak rental.
Kayakers should consider air transporting
their own boats, as the rental kayaks are
not expedition level boats.
© Bill Stinson has been kayaking western and
northern Canada for a number of years. In
between trips, he plans for the next trip.
See www.BathurstInletLodge.com,
867-873-2595.
25
Welcome to our world...
Photos, Todd Curran
Experience...
the intense beauty of the
Broughton Archipelago
Enjoy...
rustic elegance,
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qualified staff
Let your all inclusive
Adventure begin!
1-866-392-8377
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Visit...
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Inspire your Spirit
Recharge your Soul
Homalco Wildlife Tours
Bute Inlet
British Columbia
32 foot vessel
Chinook Spirit
now offering kayak
transport, whale and
grizzly bear viewing
[email protected]
1-866-234-BEAR (2327)
www.bearsofbute.com
22ft. Composite Canoes
by Calvin Hunt
for 4 to 10 paddlers
Copper Maker Gallery
114 Copper Way, Port Hardy, BC
[email protected]
www.calvinhunt.com
250-949-8491
For more information on these and other First Nations eco-cultural tourism opportunities, see www.atbc.bc.ca
26
June/July 2005
Idaho’s Whitewater Jewel
Ian Kramer
C
laiming more than 80 whitewater
rapids, multiple hotsprings, abundant
wildlife, waterfalls, miners’ claims and
Indian cultural sites, Idaho’s Middle Fork
of the Salmon River excites, entertains and
relaxes those lucky enough to float on its
ancient and ever-changing surface.
Ranked as one of the top ten whitewater
rivers in the world and one of only eight
rivers to be included in the original Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, the Middle
Fork of the Salmon is the crown jewel of
Idaho’s vast river system.
Idaho is home to more floatable
whitewater rivers than any other state and
the Middle Fork alone spans more than 100
miles. The river carves its passage through
the center of the Frank Church River of
No Return Wilderness, the largest and
most remote wilderness area in the lower
48 states, with nearly 2.4 million acres of
rugged and diverse terrain.
Nestled amid the looming Sawtooth
Mountain range, the sleepy mountain
valley town of Stanley (population 70) is
the staging point for most journeys down
the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
Arriving on Thursday evening, we check
into the Mountain Village Lodge, our last
taste of civilization before setting out on the
wild Salmon River. We grab a quick meal
then head to the main lodge for an informal
meeting with our river guides.
Les Bechdel, a seasoned outfitter from
Canyons Incorporated and member of the
Middle Fork Outfitters Association, greets
and introduces us to our fellow-floaters
through a fun and informal roundtable. Les
discusses the route we will be taking, river
etiquette and safety guidelines while the
children in the group shyly scout the faces
of their soon-to-be playmates.
Strolling back up the cobbled path to our
small, rustic cabin with a little anxiety and
a lot of excitement, we settle down for a
final night of sheltered slumber before our
six-day, backcountry adventure.
After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, we
load our gear into the dry-bags provided by
our outfitter and board the retired school
bus that bounces us along the windy dirt
road to Boundary Creek, the put-in point
for the Middle Fork.
The boats are in the water and mostly
loaded as the guides welcome us and
quickly stow our personal gear. Soon, the
large sweep boat, carrying the camping and
personal gear for most of the twenty guests,
pushes off and begins its journey down the
narrow river channel.
June/July 2005
Stunning scenery makes for a memorable trip.
As the sweep boat slowly drifts away, our
guides discuss river safety procedures with
their fresh crop of adventurers. We strap on
life-preservers, hop aboard the vessel of our
choice—paddle boat, inflatable kayak or
oar-boat—and let the river carry us away.
Beginning as a narrow channel barely
deep enough to float on, the crystal clear
waters of the Middle Fork soon transform
into a mighty river that has carved the third
deepest gorge in the United States.
The scenery along the river is just as
diverse—jagged, rocky peaks unveil
gorgeous, green mountain valleys, and
a wildfire ravaged landscape gives way
to high-desert sagebrush and sawtooth
ridges. The meandering river offers plenty
of time to relax, but one simply cannot
absorb it all.
We travel nearly twenty miles daily and
camp at a beautiful, serene and relaxing
spot along the river each evening. A day
spent charging through whitewater rapids,
floating leisurely on slack water, hiking
trails to hotsprings, investigating old miners’
claims, learning about the Indian cultural ➝
WELCOME TO
HISTORIC
aU’mista Cultural Centre
aAlert Bay Ecological Park
aWorld’s Tallest Totem Pole
a’Namgis Burial Grounds
EASILY VIEWED FROM THE ROADSIDE
aAlert Bay InfoCentre - Art Gallery
aT’sasal
~a Dancers (July & August)
aChurches
aAccommodations
aCamp Grounds
aRestaurants
aHiking & Biking Trails
aBig House
aWhale Watching
aFishing Charters
aMarina/Boat Launch
aMarine Fuel
aUnique Shops
Come visit us and share our rich culture and history... all within easy
walking distance.
For all your cultural tour planning, call the U’mista at 250-974-5403.
For more information please contact the Alert Bay InfoCentre
Bag Service 2800 Alert Bay, BC V0N 1A0
Phone: 250-974-5024 • Fax: 250-974-5026 • Email: [email protected]
27
Visitors have a thrilling adventure in this unique environment.
sites and fishing for innumerable trout,
leaves us exhausted. The last thing any of
us want to do is pitch camp.
Lucky for us, the sweep boat that leads
our pack down the river each day arrives
hours before we do, and the diligent
outfitters have already set up camp for the
night. This luxury leaves us with the terribly
difficult job of continuing our relaxation—
visiting the nearby hotsprings, watching
the sunset, playing on the kayaks, hiking,
taking a fly-fishing lesson—you know, the
hard part.
Each night we enjoy excellent cuisine
and spend our evening unwinding by the
warmth and glow of the camp fire. Using a
simple Dutch-oven our guides create great
food including ginger marinated salmon
steaks, spinach lasagna and rich pecan
rum cake.
It’s nights like these that truly soothe the
soul—sipping a glass of wine, laughing
and sharing stories while the ancient river
bubbles in the background. We brush our
teeth and breathe the fresh, crisp mountain
air before retiring to the comfy inflatable
mattresses that our guides have provided.
Not only do our guides do a terrific job
of navigating the rapids and keeping us
safe, but they also pitch our tents, unload
gear, cook amazing meals, wash dishes and
entertain us with stories of the river and its
rich history. Even after all of this work, the
smiles and goodwill they project toward
their guests is genuine and constant. I
admire their unceasing energy and vigor.
The kids especially enjoy their company
and tales.
Everyone does their best to let the guides’
carefree attitudes rub off and by the end of
the trip we have transformed from a random
group of strangers to a tight-knit, boisterous
group of adventurers—exchanging email
addresses and phone numbers before
returning to our normal lives.
Trying to capture the beauty and serenity
of Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River
with words is like trying to nail a glob of
jello to the wall. The experience is lifealtering and unforgettable.
If you go, six days will not seem like
enough, and long after you return to the fast
pace of your daily routine, you will stop and
listen for the ancient voice of the Middle
Fork that now lives on within you.
© Ian Kramer is an Idaho-based freelance
writer who has traveled widely. His goal
is to share adventures and explore unique
destinations worldwide. He can be contacted
at [email protected]. Photos courtesy of
the Middle Fork of the Salmon River Outfitters
Association: www.idahosmiddlefork.com.
28
June/July 2005
Eastern Views
Adam Bolonsky
Eyes Wide Open
Adam Bolonsky
T
he first time I swam the waters off Thachers Island was probably
thirty years ago, when my high school organized a rowing trip
around Cape Ann, the rocky cape where I grew up and still spend
much of my free time. The faculty packed us into wooden dories
built by other kids enrolled in the school’s museum program. We
put in at the ramp behind the school. The staff handed us a thicket of
oars, told us to put our backs into it, and off we went. The trip took
three days—a 26-mile circumnavigation many paddlers regularly
run now in under four hours.
Rowing tediously past the island’s distinctive pink granite shores,
after having shoved off from another island in whose battered,
keeper’s cottage we’d taken refuge from a torrential downpour, I
decided I’d had enough. A classmate was absentmindedly manning
the sculling oar at the stern. I told him it was high time he gave up
that cushy job. His turn to row, my turn to steer.
The day was hot and humid. Our instructors’ boat was astern,
in a swirl of waves and confusion as they circled around a laggard
dory and shouted at the dory’s crew. With a glance at my dorymates,
three miserable teenagers who, like me, had each withdrawn into
silence, I shipped my oar and leapt overboard.
Cape Ann’s waters are always a crapshoot, shallow swaths of
warm fenced off by bars of cold. Even during August a patch of water
can differ by tens of degrees from another just a few yards off. And
when I hit the water I knew I had thrown a loser. The cold shock
was abrupt: a whack to the forehead, blunt as a watermelon.
Once I was back in the boat my skin began to tingle. The writer
John Updike (no seakayaker as far as I know) writes how physical
comfort can soothe even the most anxious, outraged child. I was
that outraged child, discovering I could soothe myself with a cold
dip if the going got rough. Some of my trips to Gloucester and Cape
Ann’s waters since have been an attempt to cure whatever hurts,
even if what hurts now is usually more significant than adolescent
orneriness.
Thachers Island has also since become for me and other paddlers
a place of refuge. For me, it’s all about the water. Although the
island’s not that far offshore (a 4-mile trip by the long route, 2 by
the short), its waters provide far more than distance from shore.
Access is provided to the top of one of the island’s soaring twin
granite lighthouses up a narrow stair which twists around like a
corkscrew. You pause on landings with curved walls punctuated
by peepholes through which you can peer at slats of land, swaths
of ocean. Finally you reach the top and a narrow door that lies
just beneath the crawl-in to the light’s beacon. You step through
Yvonne waits for me to join her to paddle to the Jade Bowl.
the door into a swirling wind. You look out, you look down, and
there it is: the portion of the world which hangs here from the
curve of the earth.
Years after my adolescent dip in Cape Ann’s waters, I am back
at the top of the Thachers Island Lighthouse. Yvonne Rosmarin is
up there with me, and when she looks down from the catwalk she
nudges me and points at the water with her elbow (for nobody ever
lets go of the railing). She says:
“I see a swimming hole.”
I look down. Far below rests a natural pool formed by a
semicircular series of rocks, a shelf, and several boulders which
bulge out from the island. There are narrow gaps in these natural
walls through which the sea sloughs in from the steady groundswell.
Numerous natural step-shelves at one corner of the pool might
hold our kayaks above the surge should we drag the boats up high ➝
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on the doorstep of the Broughton Archipelago, BC
Great paddling, Native culture, fishing, whales!
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www.CracroftOceanAdventures.com
June/July 2005
29
This time Adam stays in the boat and his friends in the North Shore Paddlers
Network go for a swim around him.
enough. We descend the tower, paddle
out around the island, and dive right into
the pool from one of those shelves. I’ve
brought swim goggles; the first creature I
see is a striped bass hovering over a hole
in the bottom of the pool, pulsing its dorsal
fins like an actor flexing the muscles in his
jaw to show how meaty is the problem his
character has to mull. I look closer; the
striper begins to stalk a crab settling into
a hole.
Thereafter, Yvonne and I go to the Jade
Bowl as often as possible, packing wetsuits,
fins and goggles into our kayaks. Just this
month I paddled out there alone, landed
on its wall, then dove into it with goggles
and a wetsuit. Through my lenses I watched
a blurred shimmer slide over a patch of
sea lettuce that had grown on the bottom.
The shifting and layered underwater prism
was a rippling occult: a freshwater flow
that had bored its way into the pool from
a vein ashore.
Our kayaks have become little more than
transportation these days. By this point, the
number of days we have spent at the Jade
Bowl, our kayaks scratched-up afterthoughts
hauled up on the rocks, are probably double
the number of hours it took me to row
around Cape Ann with my classmates thirty
years ago. Sometimes it’s not the number
of miles you paddle, but rather where your
boat takes you. With goggles and a wetsuit,
and the willingness to get out of the kayak,
you just might discover that fewer miles can
take you further.
Likely there are dozens of spots like this
in your local waters, especially if (let’s be
honest), grinding out fifteen miles every
time you paddle starts seeming dull. The
keys are a willingness to scratch paint and
gelcoat off your boat; the ability to land on
rocky places others might avoid; and the
willingness to put your fancy paddle down.
30
Just like diving into cold water off a dory
full of ticked-off kids thirty years ago taught
me how to wash the mold off my outlook,
maybe a willingness to get out of your boat
will refresh you.
P.S. For you locals, Thachers’ northern
tower is good not just to gaze from but
also to measure with. Position your kayak
on a course which places it just behind the
southern tower and you will be able to look
along a sightline that points due north and
south. Back up on the catwalk, if you center
off from the tower door by about fifteen
degrees, then look down, you will see the
shattered Londoner daybeacon’s iron pole
offshore. Look straight down and there
you’ll see the Jade Bowl, noticeable for the
distinctive color of the weed that grows on
the bottom. Yvonne, who is a swimming
hole aficionado and often regarded as
unobservant enough to get lost in her own
closet, deserves full credit for the Jade Bowl.
Time your trip there with the drop in the
tide cycle though, because at high tide the
Jade Bowl is no Jade Bowl at all but simply
a rocky patch of water.
© Adam Bolonsky, WaveLength’s Eastern
Correspondent, is a native New England sea
kayaking instructor and sea kayak fishing
guide based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He
will be helping with our upcoming Eastern
Special Issue (deadline June 20, 2005).
[email protected]
June/July 2005
There’s Life In The Mud
“
Neil Schulman
T
here’s not enough water to paddle,” says
Tina. “So I guess we should just walk out
there and see what’s for dinner.”
We put on our big rubber boots and
walk out onto the mudflats of Willapa Bay.
The mud sucks at our boots with strange
slurping sounds and we move quickly to
avoid sinking in. Half an hour later, we’re
walking back with heavy bags of oysters
and clams.
Stuffing yourself with shellfish is just
one reminder that estuaries are one of the
richest ecosystems on earth. But how many
of us know what really happens down there
in the mud?
WHAT IS AN ESTUARY ANYWAY?
Estuaries are where freshwater rivers meet
the sea. When two ecosystems meet, high
biological diversity is usually the result,
and estuaries are no exception. On the
west coast of North America, most estuaries
are shallow bays with slow-moving rivers
winding their way into the sea behind the
shelter of a protective sandbar—the legacy
of rising sea levels flooding the land at the
end of the last ice age. Add protection from
the surf, mixing of saltwater and fresh, and
the slowed movement of the river. Now put
it along the Pacific Flyway, and you’ve got
the recipe for a rich ecological stew.
GET DOWN WITH DETRITUS
If you’re not a naturalist, estuaries at low
tide can look pretty barren: sand, mud,
brackish water and some tree trunks. But
you’ll see shorebirds probing in the soft
mud at the very edge of the tide. Take a clue
from these birds—they’re crashing one of
the biggest ecological parties on the earth:
a food chain based on detritus.
When rivers flow into estuaries, they slow
down because of the flat coastal landscape
and the wedge of saltwater pushing in from
the ocean at every rising tide. As the rivers
slow, they drop whatever they’re carrying—
sediment and bits of decaying wood,
leaves and other organic matter. Such
detritus drives almost the whole estuarine
food chain. In fact, estuarine productivity
can be estimated quickly by the speed of
the river entering the sea—the slower the
better, because more debris is dropped
out of the water column to fertilize the
estuary. Estuaries with slow-moving rivers
like Willapa Bay are far more productive
than some of those which have a much
higher flow.
June/July 2005
Willapa Bay oysters.
LIFE ON THE MUDFLATS
The master chef of the mudflat detrital
salad bar is an unassuming critter most
humans call ‘bait’: ghost shrimp. Walk
across a mudflat, and you’ll see small
volcano-like holes in the mud. These are
the ends of the shrimp’s U-shaped tunnels.
Water flows into the tunnels and out the
other end at high tide, which brings roomservice nutrients to the shrimp, who never
have to venture into the dangerous world
above. A host of critters take advantage
of this conveyer belt of food, like the
cryptomaya clam, pea crab, and a fish
called goby. The shrimp keep water, oxygen
and nutrients circulating through this giant,
muddy world. Mudflats may not be sexy,
but if you want biomass, they’re the place
to be.
THE EELGRASS ZONE—A QUIET
PLACE TO RAISE LARVAE
In the 10,000 years since the ice age,
spits have built up on the outside of most
West Coast estuaries, providing shelter from
the pounding surf. Behind this protective
spit, out past the mudflats, you’ll find the
eelgrass beds: an estuarine city below the
low-tide line.
Like whales, eelgrass is a former land
dweller that returned to the sea. Eelgrass
beds host more species-diversity per square ➝
31
sight of a bay pipefish is well worth the
price of a mask and snorkel (or aquarium
admission) alone. It looks just like a piece of
eelgrass, but if you watch for long enough,
you’ll spot the eyes.
Invasive Spartina at Willapa Bay.
foot than anywhere other than a coral reef,
with their own networks of producers,
predators, and decomposers. The eelgrass
roots—their legacy from living on land—
allow them to take advantage of the rich
underwater soils like no aquatic plant can.
Eelgrass forms underwater forests like kelp
beds at sea. To sea life, eelgrass is like
the suburbs are for humans—a protected
environment and a good place to raise
young, outside the hustle and bustle of
the open sea or the rushing river. And the
eelgrass even has lots of good ‘schools’—
salmon, flounder, sole, crab larvae, herring,
and other keystone species of the river
and sea grow up in the protection of the
eelgrass beds. Nine of every ten species of
fish caught commercially spend part of their
lives in an estuary. Migrating loons, ducks
and geese, especially brant and diving
ducks like scaup and redhead, hop from
eelgrass bed to eelgrass bed on their way
up and down the Pacific Coast.
One of the strangest-looking eelgrass
residents is the bay pipefish, which sports
some of the best camouflage around. The
GROWING HUMAN IMPACT
From San Francisco to Anchorage, most
coastal cities and towns are on estuaries.
Like ghost shrimp, humans were attracted
to the natural richness, flat land, and
access to both rivers and sea. Our cities are
growing, and also growing is the amount
of pavement, water pollution, sediment
runoff, sewage, dredging of eelgrass beds
and habitat loss. The Pew Charitable
Trust’s Report on Coastal Sprawl found that
estuaries become biologically degraded
when just 10% of the entire watershed is
paved.
GRASS GONE BAD
Another threat to estuaries is more
sneaky—an invasive grass known as
Spartina, which is invading bays from
California to BC. Also known as cordgrass,
three species of Spartina hail from North
America’s East Coast and from Britain. Their
nasty habit is colonizing the open mudflats
and turning the giant detrital salad bar into
a far less productive monoculture meadow.
Spartina is also threatening to take human
enterprise—like the oyster industry in
Willapa Bay—down the ecological tubes
with it.
STAND UP FOR YOUR FAVORITE
MUDFLAT
Paddlers, along with commercial and
recreational fishermen, are one of only a
few natural constituencies for estuaries.
Mudflats and eelgrass beds don’t have the
charismatic appeal of high mountains,
coral reefs, or rain forests. Find a way to
put your paddle down for a few days and
do what you can to protect estuaries. One
example is the WAKE club in Bellingham,
Washington (Whatcom Association of
Kayak Enthusiasts) that has helped in
mapping Spartina’s spread in Puget Sound.
It’s critical to become active out of your
boat—to advocate for protecting estuaries,
better treatment of wastewater and runoff
and better land use by us pesky humans.
It’s the right thing to do. And somewhere,
silently, a lowly ghost shrimp will thank
you.
© Text and photos by Neil Schulman,
a paddler, writer and photographer in Portland,
Oregon. A former coastal ecology instructor,
he keeps a pair of rubber boots
in his car at all times.
32
June/July 2005
From the Rainforest
Bears are Busy People
B
ears are everywhere on the coast.
In fact, while at home writing about
wolves for last summer’s Wildlife issue, I
went for a walk to stretch my legs and reconnect with Nature. Imagine my surprise
when I spooked a young bear right up a
hemlock tree! I had been writing about
wildlife occurring in ‘wilderness’ areas,
and was simply not thinking that I might
encounter one by our little island home
near Tofino. As he scrambled up the tree,
I spoke out loud, letting him know that I
would be leaving immediately. I headed
back to the beach with my heart racing—
definitely back in touch with Nature!
Another time, we were camped on a
small gravel beach with lots of big, barnacle
covered rocks, the kind bears roll over
to find shore crabs. I was taking care of
business, squatting near the water’s edge
with my pants down around my ankles,
gazing out to sea.
Suddenly I heard a large snort, like a sea
lion surfacing. Except it was coming from
behind me, in the forest. Spooked, I looked
around me but could see nothing. I carried
on, and again the snorting and sputtering
June/July 2005
began behind me. Twisting around, I saw a
huge black bear rousing itself in the forest,
about 6 feet up an embankment, close to
the edge of the beach.
I hadn’t finished doing what I had come
to do. Specifically, the paperwork. Quick
decision time. Scoot back to camp with my
pants around my ankles, hoping the bear
would not chase after me? Or plead for
time, trying to get the job done and return
with my dignity intact.
Dan Lewis
I chose the latter, explaining to the bear
in a calm voice what I was doing, so he
could figure out that I was human. I called
out to Bonny to get the kayaks ready (we
were about to leave on a day-trip), as we
might need to make a quick exit. She could
not see the bear from camp, and later told
me she thought I had gone nuts, talking
to myself.
I finished my task quickly, pulled up my
drawers and began slowly walking towards ➝
33
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June/July 2005
camp, still talking to the bear. No sooner
had I turned to go than the bear tumbled
down onto the beach. Bonny began to
get the boats ready as she saw what I had
been raving about. The bear immediately
began rolling rocks and eating crabs as if
to say, “I knew you were there and you
didn’t surprise me at all. In fact, I was just
thinking I’d get up and forage for some
shore crabs.”
Not all encounters with bears are real.
One night in Haida Gwaii, I was awakened
by Bonny. As I surfaced groggily, I thought I
heard her say there was a bear outside the
tent. “A bear?” I asked. Now it was Bonny’s
turn. “A bear?” she replied. “Is there a
bear?” I demanded. “A bear... is there a
bear?” she repeated.
This conversation quickly escalated
into full-blown panic, neither of us awake
enough to understand exactly where
this rumor of a bear had originated, or
indeed, whether it was fiction or fact. I
could hardly breathe in the confines of
our nylon cocoon. My leadership training
kicked in and I flipped over onto all fours
and began breathing deeply to get myself
under control.
Calmly now, I asked Bonny, “Is there a
bear?” “I don’t know,” she said. “I heard
something.” Zipping open the tent door,
we scanned around with a flashlight and
confirmed that if there was a bear out there
in the darkness, it was not about to rip our
tent open. We decided it must have been a
mouse running up the inside of the tent fly,
and promptly fell back into a deep sleep.
Bears are busy people, and don’t like
having to deal with distractions. A human
appearing on their beach is kind of like a
paper jam when you’re multi-tasking—
something they really do not need in their
day. If you don’t invite one into camp with
delightful aromas, it will most likely detour
around you if possible.
My approach with bears is to speak
calmly to them, explaining what it is I’m
up to. Something like, “Hello Bear, it’s just
me, Dan. We’re camping here for a couple
of days, and then we’ll be gone. Sorry to
bother you. Nice place you have here.”
It doesn’t really matter what you say, the
bear will figure out that you are human,
and at that point will take off. Try not to be
rude by throwing rocks, yelling, and such.
Singing works as well, and leaves the bear
with a better impression of our species.
Remember, the main thing a bear wants to
do is get away from you, assuming you’re
not wearing the pants you wiped your
hands on while cleaning the salmon.
There are basically two kinds of bears—
wild bears and spoiled bears. Spoiled bears
have been conditioned to associate humans
with easy food. There is not much that
June/July 2005
can be done for a bear at this point—why
would anyone forage around in the woods
for grubs and bugs when there are so many
humans running around in the backcountry
with food?
There are some simple things you can
do to avoid having problems with bears.
Separate your tent site from your kitchen
site by at least 100 yards if possible. Don’t
ever cook or store food in your tent. Wash
dishes immediately after meals, keep your
kitchen clean, and store food in airtight
containers, away from the tents. Avoid
camping on game trails or in prime bear
habitat such as berry patches. And never
make food available to them.
Our over-riding goal with bears must be
to not contribute to the problem. The sad
truth is that spoiled bears typically end
up being killed. There is our own safety
to think of, for sure, but the fact is that
humans kill far more bears than vice versa.
Let’s do what we can this summer to avoid
spoiling bears.
© Dan Lewis and Bonny
Glambeck operate
Rainforest Kayak Adventures in
Clayoquot Sound.
1-877-422-WILD,
[email protected],
www.rainforestkayak.com.
Mark Hobson photo
35
Grizzly Fate
Chris Genovali
H
aving emerged from their winter
hibernation, spring should be a time
of renewal for British Columbia’s grizzly
bears. Instead, these icons of wilderness
will be subject once again to being shot
for sport. Since BC’s Liberal government
overturned the grizzly hunting moratorium
in 2001, approximately 1000 grizzlies
have been killed, close to 75% by trophy
hunters.
The recreational killing of grizzly bears
throughout most of the Great Bear Rainforest
on BC’s central and north coasts began
again on April 1st. Proposed land use plans
for the Great Bear Rainforest will do next
to nothing to address the trophy hunting
of grizzlies and other large carnivores. In
fact, the land use plans for the central and
north coasts would institutionalize grizzly
hunting across the landscape, as well as
trophy hunting within parks and protected
areas.
Equally troubling is that the kill quotas are
based on the government’s wildly inflated
grizzly population estimates in which
virtual bears predominate and statistical
uncertainty is conveniently ignored.
Given that the land use plans will likely
leave over 70% of grizzly habitat in the
36
Great Bear Rainforest unprotected from
logging and other industrial activity, the
unnatural mortality represented by trophy
hunting becomes even more problematic.
Habitat protection and species protection
are inextricably linked; artificially separating
these issues is an outdated approach to
conservation that ignores the ecological
impacts associated with the killing of top
predators.
The trophy hunting of coastal grizzlies
is not much of a sport as it consists of
blowing away bears primarily at their two
main feeding grounds—estuaries in the
spring and salmon spawning streams in
the fall. In the spring, grizzlies are often
in full view on the estuaries where they
will be shot by trophy hunters. According
to wildlife scientists Dr. Brian Horejsi, Dr.
Barrie Gilbert and Dr. Lance Craighead,
the coastal grizzly hunt resembles a
‘search and destroy mission’ with trophy
hunters employing aircraft, electronic aids,
and motorized transport along rivers and
logging roads. They point out that guide/
outfitters with foreign clients, and resident
June/July 2005
Photo © Ian McAllister/Raincoast
hunters, charter float planes, fly along the coast, land at road staging
areas, and drive roads or take boats up rivers; some use permanent,
illegal, elevated stands overlooking salmon spawning sites.
The economics of continuing the grizzly hunt don’t make sense
either, particularly on the coast. Dean Wyatt, owner of Knight Inlet
Lodge, has said, “There is no economic justification for the grizzly
hunt. In fact, it pales in comparison to the tourism values of saving
the grizzly bear.” A 2003 report by Raincoast Conservation Society
and the Centre for Integral Economics bears that out: grizzly bear
viewing generates approximately twice the amount of annual
revenue as the grizzly hunt.
© Chris Genovali is Executive Director of the Raincoast
Conservation Society: www.raincoast.org.
Editor’s Note: We suggest that readers support grizzly bear viewing through
organizations like the Homalco First Nation (www.bearsofbute.com) and
Tide Rip Tours (www.grizzlycanada.com).
Nanaimo, BC
June/July 2005
37
Something Squidly
I
t has eight arms, 24,000 teeth, can weigh
over 300 kilograms, and is normally a
southern Pacific resident—the Humboldt
squid (Dosidicus gigas). A small example
of this cannibalistic cephalopod (just 1.5
metres and 20 kilograms) was recently
found vacationing off Vancouver Island’s
west coast. Accidentally longlined by a
couple of local fishermen, the squid was
about to be turned into calamari before
pleas from local scientists had the important
specimen preserved at the Royal BC
Museum in Victoria.
If you’ve seen 2,000 Leagues Under the
Sea, then you’ve seen the Humboldt squid.
Disney modelled the dummy creature after
this real life monster. The vicious attack of
the Nautilus is a reasonable display of its
temperament. Often dozens of squid, some
more than four metres long, surface from
depths of over 750 metres to hunt together
in moonlit waters. The squid’s eight arms
have a total of 1,200 suckers. Each sucker
is lined with 20-26 chitonous teeth, sharp as
broken glass. With its oversized parrot-beak
mouth, the Humboldt is like a speeding,
car-sized blender.
The Humboldt squid gets its name
because it lives almost exclusively in the
Humboldt Current—a broad swath of warm
South American water. This is why the squid
had never been seen this far north. Finding
a Humboldt squid in BC is like finding a
penguin in Hawaii.
As to how it got here, Kelly Sendall,
senior collection manager of invertebrates,
fish, and herpetology for the Royal B.C.
Museum, offers some answers. He says
changing global weather patterns have
contributed to warm water migration and
changing ocean environments in general.
Local offshore water temperatures have
increased by two degrees in just six years.
This may not seem like much, but in terms
Kim ShortreedWebb
of the ocean, it’s like suddenly turning a
cold pool into a hot-tub.
Ocean data-collection buoys, bobbing
145 nautical miles off Vancouver Island,
recently recorded water temperatures as
high as 19 degrees Celsius. Sendall suggests
such sudden gains are outside the usual
spikes and drops of regular ocean changes,
such as those brought by El Niño. It may
seem farfetched to think that driving your
car may be driving sea monsters here, but
according to Sendall, global warming has
dramatic effects on ocean ecology and
species distribution. “If the currents they
feed in head north, then these critters will
head north with them,” he says. Recently,
Humboldt squid were even caught snagging
snacks off Alaskan fishermen’s bait lines.
Sendall says the Humboldt squid is a
charismatic example of several new species
spied in local waters recently. Pelagic, or
open-ocean, feeders like blue-fin tuna,
yellow-fin tuna, and certain types of
mackerel have all been spotted.
Battles in southern waters between
sperm whales and giant squid won’t
likely be mirrored here between orca and
Humboldt squid, but with steady changes
in ocean climates, comes a steady influx
of new species, all hungry for new prey.
As Sendall points out, “There is a lot more
diversity of animals in the ocean than on
land.” Since the Humboldt squid is already
a free-roaming feeder, we may start seeing
them here more often. “They live in large
groups,” says Sendall. “They’re constantly
roaming for food sources, sometimes
you’ll have one group feeding on another
group.” He continues with a hint of a smile,
“We are talking about invertebrates here,
cannibalism is not uncommon.” In part, this
is how the squid acquired its Mexican name
of ‘El Diablo Rojo’ (The Red Devil).
Kayak Repair & Refit
Vancouver Island South
Dr. Sendall holding our recent eightarmed arrival: Dosidicus gigas
Sendall is not too worried about them
though, as most don’t grow big enough to
be a real threat. However, he is quick to
add, “They’re fast, like a wolf in the water.”
And like wolves, Humboldts have the nasty
habit of hunting in packs. They descend
on whatever they can find, quickly ripping
their prey into bite-sized pieces.
But Sendall’s real concern is that the
presence of this creature locally reflects
worrisome global climate changes. And if
such warm-weather trends continue, we
could be seeing a lot of changes in our
backyard.
© Kim Shortreed-Webb is currently working
on his degree in English and Writing at the
University of Victoria. A coastal boy all his
life, he’s fascinated with all things
aquatic, especially cephalopods.
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38
June/July 2005
Acoustic Impacts
n the past decade, marine mammal strandings have occurred in
Greece (1996), the Bahamas (2000), Madeira (2000), Vieques
(1998, 2002), the Canary Islands (2002, 2004), the northwest
coast of the US (2003) and Hawaii (2004). Each stranding has
been correlated with the use of high intensity military sonar. These
sonars—both low frequency and mid frequency—can have a source
level up to 240 db, which is one trillion times louder than the
sounds whales have been shown to avoid. One scientist analyzing
underwater acoustic data reported that a single low frequency sonar
signal deployed off the coast of California could be heard over the
entire North Pacific Ocean.
Necropsies performed on whales stranded in the Bahamas and
the Canary Islands revealed hemorrhaging around the brain and in
other organs most likely due to acoustic trauma from the use of high
intensity sonar. It appears that the sonar exercise in the Bahamas
may have decimated the entire population of beaked whales in
the area. In December 2004, 169 whales and dolphins died on
beaches in Australia and New Zealand after military exercises and
air gun use in the area.
In January 2005, 37 whales stranded on the US coast of North
Carolina after high intensity sonar was used in a naval exercise.
In March, 2005 almost 80 dolphins stranded on the US coast in
Florida after the use of naval sonar. Though still too recent to link
definitively to sonar, these last three strandings have triggered
official inquiries.
Intense noise generated by commercial air guns used for oil
and gas exploration and oceanographic experiments, underwater
explosives, and shipping traffic also pose a threat to marine life.
Air gun use was correlated with whale strandings in the Gulf of
California and Brazil in 2002. The global magnitude of the problem
has not even been determined, as many fatally injured animals
are likely to sink in the deep ocean, and not all injured whales
strand.
The effects include death and serious injury caused by
hemorrhages or other tissue trauma, strandings, temporary
and permanent hearing loss or impairment, displacement from
preferred habitat and disruption of feeding, breeding, nursing,
communication, sensing and other behaviors vital to survival.
High intensity sonars and air guns affect not only marine
mammals but also have been shown to impact fish, giant squid
and snow crabs. In a study by the British Defense Research Agency,
exposure to sonar signals caused auditory damage, internal injuries,
eye hemorrhaging and mortality in commercially caught fish. Air
guns caused extensive damage to the inner ears of fish and lowered
trawl catch rates 45–70% over a 2,000 square mile area of ocean
(Norwegian Institute of Marine Research). Catch rates did not
recover in the five days surveyed after air gun use stopped.
This presents the possibility that increasing production of intense
underwater noise can significantly and adversely disrupt food
supply, employment and the economies of maritime countries.
Recent studies show that ocean background noise levels have
doubled every decade for the past six decades. As a result of the
masking effects of human-produced ocean noise pollution, the
possible communication range of blue whales has decreased
from greater than 1,000 km to only 100 km in the noisy Northern
Hemisphere. We don’t yet know how this affects their ability to
find food and mates.
© Marsha L. Green, PhD, [email protected].
For more, see page 40.
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The North American Ocean Noise
Coalition (NAONC) is a group of
c o n s e r va t i o n a n d a n i m a l w e l f a r e
organizations in North America that are
concerned about the ocean noise issue,
including the NRDC, Animal Welfare
Institute, Humane Society, Earth Island
Institute, Seaflow, Ocean Mammal Institute,
and the Acoustic Ecology Institute. The
coalition works with the European Coalition
for Silent Oceans (which has about 54
member organizations) and is headed by
OceanCare in Switzerland. Elsa Cabrera
in Chile has recently organized a coalition
in Latin America. This global approach is
especially important at the UN. For updates
see www.oceanmammalinst.org and http://
tinyurl.com/6ev7d.
The Oil Free Coast, a Canadian coalition
of scientists, environmental groups and
fisheries organizations in BC, is critical
of the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans’
draft Statement of Canadian practice on
the Mitigation of Seismic Noise. “The
Statement of Canadian Practice makes
claims that are scientifically indefensible
and irresponsible given our current
knowledge,” says Dalhousie University
whale researcher Dr. Lindy Weilgart.
“It makes a mockery of science-based
stewardship and fails to adequately protect
the marine environment.” The Oil Free Coast
coalition, made up of 105 organizations, is
calling on Fisheries and Oceans Canada to
abandon its draft Statement and initiate an
independent evaluation of the impacts of
seismic testing. See www.oilfreecoast.org.
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open Pacific. Large open plan on the main floor
with 4 bdrms above. 2 bdrms with queen beds.
2 with twin beds. Propane stove, fridge and
hot water. Non smoking. $1200 per week.
250-337-5180 [email protected]
June/July 2005
Know Your Neighbors
Bryan Nichols
Florida’s Shifting Shores
F
lying low over the Northwest, one gets
the sense of a very solid wilderness.
Below you lie massive mountain ranges,
towering volcanoes, desolate snowfields
and rocky coastlines. It is both imposing
and reassuring, the solidity of the land
helping to offset the unsettling clearcuts
that creep up most of the valleys. I live on
Vancouver Island, but I’ve spent the last
couple of years in Florida, and while there
is still some wilderness left here in the
Sunshine State, solid it is not.
In many ways, Florida typifies the best
and worst of Americana. Though it’s a
relatively large state with unique subtropical ecosystems, it can appear to be
nothing more than Disneyworld ringed
by a huge beach. Yet Marjorie Stoneman
Douglas lived here, and had the passion
and foresight to help save one of the world’s
most remarkable rivers, the Everglades,
where fresh water oozes across vast
expanses of grass, gradually morphing into
the shallow, salty and productive Florida
Bay. Farther north, clear springs from a huge
underground river flow up to the surface
and head towards the sea, providing cool
June/July 2005
summer swimming holes for people, and
warm winter refuges for manatees. Above
the whole state, the sun shines—a lot of it.
The weather really is splendid for much of
the year, though summer thunderstorms
provide more than enough rain to keep it
from becoming a desert.
But unlike the rocky Northwest, Florida
itself isn’t solid. Beaches and barrier
islands shift with the prevailing currents
and storms, while soggy mangroves or
marshes define the shore in other areas. The
Everglades are mostly mud, the interior of
the state is sandy and even the rare rocky
outcrops are soft limestone, riddled with
caves and sinkholes.
WILL BUILD TO SUIT
What do you do with a place where
the air is warm and sunny but the ground
is swamp or marsh? Well, the Calusa
Indians built their villages on heaps of
shellfish remains, raising them up into
the sea breeze—at least they did until the
Spanish exterminated them. Subsequent
immigrants used the shell mounds for building
as well—new structures went up on top of
some, and many others provided material for
road beds. Eventually it wasn’t enough, and the
newer arrivals had to deal with mud. Mud might
be unpleasant initially, but unlike bedrock,
it’s relatively inexpensive to move around—
especially after you invent bulldozers.
So you dig up some places, thereby
making lakes or canals. Then you take the
goop you dug and pile it up in other places,
to raise the ground enough to keep it from
flooding. Before you had a ‘useless’ swamp
(actually highly productive wetland); now
you have a valuable subdivision with plenty
of ‘waterfront’ property (sending polluted
runoff straight to the bay).
If you study a map or marine chart
of the Florida coastline, you see this
everywhere. It’s disturbing how easy it
is to change something as important as ➝
41
the shoreline. Networks of canals riddle
peninsulas, shipping channels are dredged
deep into bays, unnatural chains of islands
are created from the dredged soil and
yards are cemented into place. Beaches,
which naturally want to move, have to
be continually replenished because those
beachfront condos need beach in front of
them.
BULLDOZING A BETTER TOMORROW
Don’t like the shoreline? Move it. Beach
disappearing? Add some more. Bay isn’t
deep enough? Dredge it. Your house isn’t
close enough to the water? Dig a canal.
The entire state of Florida is malleable
and made to order, thanks to aggressive
real estate developers and the Army Corps
of Engineers, both of whom seem to live
by the philosophy that if you can change
the landscape, then you should change
the landscape. In Florida, the ocean
doesn’t crash against solid bedrock, and
subdivisions aren’t set against the rocky
spines of formidable mountain ranges. In
Florida, a bulldozer can easily rearrange the
landscape, and rearrange it they have.
Development has changed Florida’s
wilderness so much that people don’t even
realize what came before. It might have
been swamp once, but long ago they dug
here, filled in there, and paved all of that.
Of course, many of the people in Florida
arrive late in life, and have no idea what
wilderness in Florida might have looked
like at one time.
THE TERRORS OF THE WILD
What about wildlife? Once again,
Florida is a confusing mix of good and
bad. Though wild flamingos are mostly
mythical, suburbanites can easily see
white ibis picking through the grass in
their front yard, a small gator on their golf
course, or roseate spoonbills at the edge of
a containment pond near work. But what
about the big land predators, the ones
notorious for really needing wilderness? In
the Northwest, at least in some of it, there
are still mountain lions, wolves and even
grizzly bears, animals that inspire a mix
a fear and admiration when we slip away
from civilization.
Well, Florida never had grizzly bears. It
did have wolves, red wolves, but ruthless
extermination and habitat loss left them
extinct in the wild by 1980 or so. A
subspecies of mountain lion, the Florida
panther, still exists here—barely. They
are critically endangered, both inbred
and crossbred with western stock, and
barely hanging on. Florida still has black
bears, some small ones anyway, in a few
of the more wild spots—you hear about
them occasionally when they are struck
by vehicles. It would seem the remaining
bits of Florida’s wilderness are not wild
enough to maintain big predators—on
land that is.
Now get into your kayak. The birdwatching
is great, but on the water Florida’s wilderness
still has some ‘bite’. Freshwater everywhere
in the state can have small alligators, an
interesting wildlife success story. What
happens when you stop massacring a
prolific and adaptable predator that still
has habitat left? It can come back. In the
wilder places, you might paddle past big
gators—scary and very impressive. Move
to salt water and there are sharks—not
huge numbers of them, but they are there
all right.
THE BEST AND WORSE
Kayaking the coast is a great way to
sense the disparity of Florida. On one day,
you’ll start at a breathtaking beach, squeeze
through mangrove tunnels, pass feeding
dolphins, nesting seabirds and enter an
estuary alive with fish, turtles, manatees
and alligators. On another day you’ll start
from a polluted bay, go past endless rows
of condominiums, navigate a maze of
stagnant canals, pass rows of houses with
their entire back yards screened in, and
nearly get run down by an assortment of
high speed watercraft when you reach the
shipping channel.
When I drive out to visit the small town
where my girlfriend’s parents live, there’s
a billboard along the interstate. Actually,
there seem to be thousands of billboards
42
June/July 2005
along that forty minute stretch, but this one in particular stands out.
It’s for a cement or asphalt company, and boasts they’re “Paving
Tampa Bay’s Future”. I’m pretty sure it’s not meant to be ironic.
When I head back to the Northwest this fall, I hope pavement
isn’t considered the ideal future. I hope we appreciate the long-term
value of our wildlife and wilderness in a world where both of those
things are becoming increasingly rare. I hope we elect governments
with a better sense of responsibility to wilderness, governments
whose economic policies aren’t mired in an irresponsible and now
ineffective past. I’ll miss the warmth and sunshine, but I can’t wait
to get home and go for a paddle along a solid, rocky shoreline. I’ll
be thrilled to share it with bears, wolves and mountain lions.
Editor’s Note: Daniel Boone (a direct descendent of the
original) wrote to us from Florida recently to tell us of the many
paddling opportunities in the part of the state which is north of
Orlando and west of Jacksonville: from the secluded intimacy
of Juniper Spring Run, which flows through the middle of the
Ocala National Forest, to the nationally known Suwannee
River Wilderness Trail. From slowly flowing streams to class III
whitewater, Florida has a lot to offer paddlers.
• www.floridagreewaysandtrails.com, 887-822-5208 (toll free)
• www.floridastateparks.org, 800-326-3521 (toll free)
• www.suwanneeriver.com: 800-868-9914 (toll free).
© Biologist Bryan Nichols would like to
emphasize that there is some spectacular
wilderness paddling left in Florida, and more
low impact visitors will help boost its value
to those who count beans. See our next
issue for some tips.
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June/July 2005
43
Mother’s Day Blessing
Alexandra Morton
Alexandra Morton
F
rom the beaches of the Broughton
Archipelago to the shores of California
and beyond, many people laid their hands
upon the ocean and streams wherever they
were on Mother’s Day, May 8, at noon
Pacific time, to offer the pink salmon a
blessing and to pray for their safe migration
to sea and home again.
Alex organized a blessing for wild salmon on Mother’s Day.
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Here, the morning of May 8th dawned
in perfect shades of soft blues and calm
water, the Broughton’s most beautiful face.
People began to arrive in boats of all sizes
and shapes from the nearby communities
of Sointula, Alert Bay and Port McNeill.
Children and dogs splashed gaily about
waiting for the ceremony to begin. Then
the elders arrived from Alert Bay via the
Naiad Explorer.
“We call on the spirits to look after
these salmon,” said Chief Henry Scow
of Kwicksutaineuk Ah Kwa Mish. “Wild
salmon are a part of our culture, our
community and our diet. If they are gone,
a part of us dies with them.”
After a greeting by chiefs Bill Cramner
of the Namgis and Chief Henry Scow, over
100 people knelt on the white shell beach
of the ancient midden and laid 200 hands
lightly upon the water. Our silent blessing
flowed forth. People also laid hands on
the Skeena, Kispiox, Bulkley and Kootenay
Rivers in BC, the Suwannee River in Florida,
the Atlantic Ocean off Bermuda, the Pacific
Ocean off California, Vancouver Island,
Echo Bay and Malcolm Island.
Claudia Maas, who runs the local
hatchery near Echo Bay, released 20 of the
last surviving Viner River chum salmon,
remnant of a once strong salmon run. The
young fish schooled briefly beneath an
eagle feather that had been laid on the
water and then streamed out to sea. Songs
and drumming began and tears flowed
freely.
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RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
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Used Kayaks For Sale
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Fax:
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SKILS
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44
For Information
Ocean River
800 909 4233
[email protected]
Instructional Tours
July 9-16, August 6-13
SKGABC Assistant Guide
April 23-30, May 21-28
SKGABC Day Guide
April 13-17, May 11-15, June 25-29
CRCA Instructor Certification
Level 1 May 4-8, Level 2 June 17-21
Specializing in Custom Instruction
www.skils.ca
June/July 2005
© Jennifer Lash photos
From the Archipelago
We have been unable as yet to end the
cycles of sea lice epidemics, but at the
blessing we elevated the young salmon
from abused to sacred, and we thanked
them for their generosity to us.
These fish are a gift we will not be given
again. We must do everything we can to
save them. Scientific arguments haven’t
done it, so we are resorting to prayer—a
power not be underestimated.
Please do what you can to help us save
the salmon. Thank you.
© Alexandra Morton, R.P.Bio.,
is a marine mammal
researcher and author.
www.raincoastresearch.org.
Sea Kayak Association of BC
Trips, training, monthly meetings,
newsletters, paddling contacts
www.skabc.org
[email protected]
604-290-9653
Box 751, Stn. A,
Vancouver, BC V6C 2N6
200 hands laid lightly on the water.
A recent study done on a salmon farm
in the Broughton Archipelago found that
lice produced by the fish farm was up
to 30,000 times higher than natural sea
lice production in the wild. Science from
Europe shows that it takes only one lice to
kill a juvenile fish. In 2002, pink salmon
stocks experienced a 99% collapse, which
has been attributed to the sea lice from the
salmon farms.
The salmon farms are killing our wild
salmon. We have asked government and
the salmon farming industry to help us but
they have abandoned the wild fish and
done nothing. I have published this tragedy
in scientific journals, but government
inaction has shown that the science isn’t
going to be enough.
June/July 2005
➝
45
Gear Locker
Two Person Tent Review
T
here is an incredible selection of tents on the market these days. Everything from
ultralight minimalist designs, to heavier and roomier 4 season models. Bear in mind
that when kayaking, weight isn’t much of an issue, as the boat will carry the load. But if
you plan to hike with the tent as well, you may want to start counting ounces. Ultimately,
finding the right tent for you comes down to matching your needs to features, size, weight,
cost and intended use.
Rochelle and Alex try out several two
person tents on the beach.
46
BIG AGNES SEEDHOUSE SL2
The Seedhouse SL 2 is a breezy little tent
that does a great job of balancing very low
weight, compactness, and comfort. There
is no fat anywhere in this design, just the
essentials needed to create a comfortable,
if decidedly snug, shelter for two people.
The pole system consists of DAC Featherlite
8.84mm poles connected by shock cord to
two DAC aluminum hubs. Plastic clips attach
the tent body to the pole frame for quick and
easy set-up. The basic shape of the tent is that
of an A frame, so there isn’t an overabundance
of volume or usable headroom inside. The
Fly is constructed of 30D nylon ripstop with
a polyurethane and silicone coating, as is the
floor. Due to the very lightweight material
of the floor fabric, a Big Agnes footprint is a
recommended option. The entire tent body
is 1.6 oz mesh, providing excellent cross
ventilation. A single front door, with well-
Text by Alex Matthews
Photos by Alex Matthews
and Rochelle Relyea
placed pockets either side of it (perfect for
eyewear), and a decent sized vestibule, round
out the package. This tent will appeal greatly
to folks who paddle but are also committed
to the ‘fast and light’ school of hiking.
Floor Area: 28 sq.ft / 2.6 sq.m.
Vestibule Area: 5.5 sq.ft / 0.51 sq.m.
Interior Peak Height : 38”
Packed Weight: 3lb 11oz
Packed size: 6.5” x 16”
Price: $299 US, $364 Cdn at MEC
Big Agnes, 735 Oak Street, Steamboat
Springs, CO 80487. Toll Free: 877-5548975, Ph: 970-871-1480, info@bigagnes.
com, www.bigagnes.com.
BLACK DIAMOND FIRSTLIGHT
I actually requested a different model,
the Black Diamond Bibler, but when the
Firstlight appeared instead, I was intrigued.
At an amazingly compact and lightweight
3 lbs, this is a truly featherweight shelter.
Its single-wall construction results in no
outer fly, only the tent body itself. For setup,
two poles are flexed into the tent, making
pitching fast and easy. It’s very tight for
two six-footers, and amenities consist of
two ceiling vents, two interior pockets and
one front door, backed by netting. There is
no sheltered space outside the tent, unless
you purchase the optional vestibule (an
additional $129 US).
The floor is lightweight SilNylon, while
the canopy is made of EPIC. EPIC is billed
as highly water-resistant and breathable, but
not totally waterproof. In tests (light rain),
the Firstlight stayed dry, although it was hard
June/July 2005
not to introduce moisture whenever the door was open.
The Firstlight will appeal to the ultra-lightweight, minimalist hiker,
climber or adventure racer who gladly trades some comfort for the
lightest, most compact tent available. For kayakers in wet climates,
it represents a great emergency shelter (weighing less than two liters
of water), but may not be the best choice for extended touring.
Floor Area: (27.3 sq.ft) 82x48x42i”./(2.5 sq.m.) 208x123x107 cm
Vestibule Area: optional—additional $129 US
Interior Peak Height: 42”
Packed Weight: 3 lbs / 1.49 kg
Packed size: tent bag –10”x5.5”, poles–16”x2.5”
Price: $299 US
Black Diamond, 2084 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City, UT
84124, Ph: 801-278-5552, [email protected], www.bdel.com
EXPED SIRIUS EXTREME
The Sirius is a roomy tent that easily accommodates two, or even
three people in a pinch. Pitching the tent requires only two poles,
which slide into continuous sleeves on the outside of the fly, forming
two hoops that support the tent. Because the tent body is attached
to the fly, once the poles are in the sleeves, and the fly staked out,
setup is complete. When pitching the tent in rain, the tent body
stays dry, as it is protected under the fly throughout setup.
Not a freestanding design, but a ‘tunnel tent’, the Sirius must
be staked out to stand. This popular European approach is not
the liability that many North Americans perceive it to be. Tunnels
pitch and knock down fast. They are stable in wind, and afford
lots of interior space. And, really, any freestanding tent needs to
be staked out to perform properly. A tunnel just makes that need
more obvious.
The Sirius is a nicely constructed tent with palatial dimensions and
fine storm performance. With just the one (albeit very large) front
door, and one rear ceiling vent, ventilation is about the only weak
point, so it’s important to manage condensation within the tent.
Floor Area: 35 sq.ft./3.25 sq.m.
Vestibule Area: 16 sq. ft./1.5 sq.m.
Interior Peak Height: 49” / 100 cm
Packed weight: 7.0 lb./3.2 kg
Packed Size: 16x6’’ / 42x15 cm
Price: $359 US
Outdoor Research, 2203 1st Avenue South Seattle, WA 981341424. Toll free: 888-4-ORGEAR, www.outdoorresearch.com or
www.outdoorresearch.com/home/page/exped_or
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June/July 2005
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is a very sturdy tent with beefy waterproof coatings (10,000 mm for
the floor, 2,000 for the fly) and excellent storm performance. The
sensible layout provides good interior space and great wind stability.
Double doors and vestibules, both equipped with vents, allow good
air circulation. At $349 Cdn, the Light Field is a real bargain.
Floor Area: 3.14 sq.m.
Interior Peak Height: 95cm
Packed weight: 3.73kg.
Packed Size: 60 x 22cm
Price: $349 Cdn
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). 9 stores Canada-wide.
1-888-847-0770 (Canada & USA), 604-709-6241 (Vancouver &
International), www.mec.ca.
MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP (MEC) LIGHT FIELD
The Light Field is a four-season mountain tent for two people. But
while it sports the full-coverage fly and beefy four-pole construction
of a winter tent, it also incorporates enough ventilation options, like
the zip-out ceiling panel, to make it work well in warmer climes.
Pitching is a little awkward. The same plastic clips used on the Big
Agnes tent are present here, but this time there are 28 of them! And
the two arch poles must be maneuvered to the inside of the corner
poles for setup. I also wish that the doors of the canopy used one
continuous zipper instead of the two that must be zipped to open
or close a door. If it sounds like I’m nitpicking, I definitely am. This
MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR HAMMERHEAD 2
The Hammerhead 2 is a feature-laden tent with lots of ventilation
options, and enough room to make a very comfortable shelter
for two people. Pitching this three-pole design is a breeze, as
the excellent pole clips snap into place easily. There’s plenty of
headroom inside. A huge ‘roll-back’ ceiling/wall panel, backed with
no-see-um netting, combines with door vents and a back window
for plenty of cross-flow and great versatility in setup. In really nasty
or cold weather, panels can be zipped closed as desired. This is a
great couple’s tent because the full coverage fly provides a goodsized vestibule over each of the dual side doors. The result is a layout
where each person has complete control over their side of the tent
and how they choose to organize it. Although it’s a relatively large
footprint, requiring a bigger site, the dual doors also allow either
person to come and go without climbing over their partner.
The only thing I didn’t like was the rather drab color of the fly,
although once inside, the color is actually very restful. Detailing
and materials are excellent, and the Hammerhead provides fine
performance in sopping wet conditions or hot sunshine.
Floor area: 36 sq.ft.
Vestibule area: 8 sq.ft. + 8 sq.ft (2 vestibules)
Interior Peak Height: 45”
Packed weight: 7 lbs 8 oz
Packed size: 20”x7”
Price: $245 US, $395 Cdn
Mountain Hardwear, 4911 Central Ave. Richmond, CA 94804,
Ph: 800-953-8375, [email protected], www.
mountainhardwear.com.
48
June/July 2005
Paddle the way you want
Text by Alex Matthews
Photos by Rochelle Relyea
It’s your right
MOUNTAIN SAFETY RESEARCH (MSR)
FUSION 2
The Fusion 2 is a very sturdy tent that
should withstand any weather that you are
likely to encounter. To pitch the tent, three
color-coded poles are threaded through
continuous pole sleeves. After the Mountain
Hardware clip system, pole sleeves seem
like a bit of a nuisance, but they do yield a
very taut pitch and a commendably strong
structure. A very large front door and two
large zip-open panels in the roof and back
wall combine to offer excellent ventilation
in the Fusion. Two adjustable wire peak
vents in the roof of the fly keep warm, moist
air circulating. All materials feel beefy and
durable. The floor is coated nylon, rated
to a whopping waterproofness to 10,000
mm. MSR is the only manufacturer in this
test to assert that the consumer need not do
any seam sealing at all after purchase. The
fusion is dry.
This is a bombproof two person tent,
with a relatively compact footprint, so
it can be pitched in tight spots. It offers
excellent storm performance, decent space
and good ventilation for a full coverage
fly design. It’s great insurance against the
storms that batter our exposed coasts.
Floor Area: 31 sq.ft. / 2.8 sq.m.
Vestibule Area: 8.5 sq.ft. / 0.7 sq.m.
Interior Peak Height: 42 in. / 110 cm
Minimum Weight: 6 lbs 13 oz / 3.1 kg
Packed Weight: 7 lbs 13 oz / 3.5 kg
Packed size: 17”x7”
Price: $299.95 US, $430 Cdn at MEC.
Mountain Safety Research (MSR),
4000 1st Ave S. Seattle, WA 98134,
Ph: 206-505-9500, Toll-Free:
800-531-9531, [email protected],
www.mountainsafetyresearch.com.
Thank you to Rain Coast Adventure Sports for
product information and practical feedback.
Rain Coast is Victoria’s newest outdoor store, and
boasts the biggest tent selection in town.
© Alex Matthews is our Gear Editor and
co-author of the instructional DVD:
“The Ultimate Guide to Sea Kayaking”.
[email protected].
June/July 2005
➝
good fitting paddle.
Features like our Neutral Bent Shaft in
Carbon or Fiberglass, in either Small or
Standard diameter are a few of the ways
you can find the fit, performance, and
comfort you’re looking for.
For help with choosing a good fitting
paddle stop by your local paddle
shop, or visit our web site at
www.wernerpaddles.com.
for more details
www.wernerpaddles.com
800-275-3311
Peter McBride
Altiplano Expedition, Lago Tuyota, Chile. At 13,700 ft and 18 inches deep, Wendy Madgwick,
Jon Bowermaster, and Alex Nicks portage to the highest and shallowest lake of the expedition.
49
Great Gear
FOR SALE
BORÉALDESIGN has a line of new accessories. The Master Lock Python is a fully
adjustable locking cable, to provide kayak security during storage or transportation. The
removable, interchangeable and cut-resistant, 100% steel braided cable has a vinyl coating
to prevent scratching. Available in 3 different lengths: 8’(2.4m), 15’ (4.6m) and 30’(9.1m).
Locks and cables sold separately. The weather-tough and rust-resistant Python lock body is
made of solid aluminum. Boréal’s KayakSecure is a telescopic security device for the cockpit,
made of 304 stainless steel. It works best when used in combination with an adjustable
locking cable to secure your boat. HullSecure is installed through the rear bulkhead of
a composite kayak, or across the rear deck. This through-hull system secures your kayak
when used in conjunction with an adjustable locking cable. Depending on your kayak,
three options of installation are possible. www.borealdesign.com
Rubberized,
ergonomic handles,
tow/security U-bolts
Designed and built
on Vancouver Island...
for discerning paddlers everywhere
8.4L day
locker, Seairsports
inflatable seat pads,
forward rudder lines
1997 Feathercraft Khatsalano, teal green. Asking
$2,950 US OBO. 1998 Feathercraft K 1, yellow.
Asking $2,650 US OBO. Both located at the
Feathercraft facility on Granville Island and both
have been inspected, repaired and inventoried.
[email protected] or 702-371-9868.
15.1 acres of treed waterfront near Echo Bay
(school, fuel, post office) in the Broughton
Archipelago, BC, with dock, deep water
moorage, two homes, two cabins, workshop,
fruit trees, chicken coop, good sun exposure
and lovely view. [email protected].
WANTED
Sporttrek™ internally
retractable, balanced,
foil rudder
Our new “Ratchet
Hatches”™
Kayak/Canoe Trailer: holds up to 8 kayaks,
has large storage container underneath racks,
very rugged with 14” wheels, spare tire, build
on Chevy rear end: $2000 OBO. Paddles: 4
Aquabound Carbonfibre Expedition AMT 2piece paddles, never used: $195 obo. Serratus
Pro Lifejackets (XL, L, Med): $ 75. MEC
sprayskirts: $25. All gear is in excellent shape,
used only a few times. New Westminster, BC.
[email protected] or phone 604-8808933.
Couple want to share return water taxi service
to Nuchatlitz area (westcoast Vancouver Island)
sometime between mid-June and early August.
Flexible. Bruce 250-656-5595 (Victoria).
Models available from 9 to 22 feet including
sail, surf and specialty models. Find us at:
www.extremeinterface.com
www.lightspeedkayaks.com
250-752-8432
Manufactured by
September 9 – 11, 2005
Port Townsend, WA
Register on-line at:
www.wcsks.org
NORTH AMERICA’S PREMIER ON-WATER PADDLING EVENT!
50
June/July 2005
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Natural West Coast Adventure Gear
SEA KAYAK EQUIPMENT
www.bckayaks.com
[email protected]
250-391-0331
VICTORIA, BC
Natural West Coast Adventures
• Kayak Instruction • Tours • Rentals
1308 Everall St., White Rock, BC V4B 3S6
604-535-7985 www.kayak.bc.ca
June/July 2005
51
BOOKS
Compact Guide to British
Columbia Birds
Lone Pine Publishing, 2005
ISBN 1-55105-471-X
192 pp, color illustrations
$12.95 Cdn
www.lonepinepublishing.com
This field guide profiles 83 of the most
common birds to be seen in BC. Each 2page spread contains a detailed illustration
of the species, a photo of the bird’s egg,
and identification, nesting and behavioral
information in paragraph and point form.
The entries are grouped and color coded
and all the birds are shown in a handy
comparative reference chart. A glossary,
index and checklist of 363 species regularly
occurring in BC are also included. The size,
format and sturdy construction of this guide
and the detailed coverage of each of the
species included, make it an excellent field
guide, although not a comprehensive guide
to all the birds of BC.
Seasons with Birds
by Bruce Whittington
illus. by Loucas Raptis,
Touchwood Editions,
2004
ISBN 1-894898-21-4
168 pp, color & b/w
illustrations, index
$26.95 Cdn, $19.95 US
www.touchwoodeditions.com
Bruce Whittington has crafted a series of
essays to follow the months of the year and
significant corresponding events in the bird
world. The result is a beautifully written,
illustrated and formatted book that could
be savored bit by bit through the year or
enjoyed all at once. Not meant to be an
identification guide, this is a compilation
of Whittington’s personal experiences
and research, and is meant to tempt you
to spend more time getting to know the
wonders of real birds in their natural
habitats. You will be entertained, touched
and informed by Seasons with Birds.
The San Juan
Islands: A
Dreamspeaker
Cruising Guide vol.4
by Anne & Laurence
Yeadon-Jones
Raincoast Books,
2005
ISBN 1-55192-807-8
160 pp, color photos
and illus., index
$49.95 Cdn, $39.95 US,
www.raincoast.com
This fourth in an excellent series of coastal
cruising guides provides comprehensive
information for a mariner’s exploration of
the San Juans. The details of anchorages,
marinas, parks, points of interest, charts, etc.
are beautifully presented with color photos
and Laurence’s hand drawn charts.
The Trailside Cookbook
by Don and Pam Philpott
Firefly Books, 2005
ISBN 1-55297-952-0
144 pp, color photos,
index, $19.95 Cdn,
$15.95 US
www.fireflybooks.com
More than just a cookbook filled with
delectable recipes for campers and hikers (you needn’t eat only dried food and
canned beans), The Trailside Cookbook
includes lots of practical information and
advice for living in the outdoors, including
weather forecasting, nutrition and food
planning, cooking methods and equipment, foraging, and packing. Great color
photos add to the appeal of this handbook/cookbook.
SEA KAYAK EXPLORATIONS
LOW COST, SELF-CATERED,
4-8 day trips
for fit, selfsufficient
adventurers.
17 YEARS IN BUSINESS
A DV E NT U R E
We paddle mostly
single kayaks but
we bring some
doubles, and we
share responsibility
for meals.
From $455–$1265 Cdn
See itineraries at www.gck.ca
[email protected]
O UT F ITT E R S
Trips to...
• Gulf Islands
• Broken Group
• Queen Charlottes
• Broughton Archipelago
• Nootka Island—Nuchatlitz
• ...and Baja, Mexico!
www.gck.ca
910 Clarendon Rd., Gabriola Island, BC CANADA V0R 1X1
PH: 250-247-8277
52
FAX: 250-247-9788
June/July 2005
Kayaking the Inside Passage: A Paddler’s Guide
from Olympia, Washington, to Muir Glacier, Alaska
by Robert H. Miller
The Countryman Press, 2005
ISBN 0-88150-642-7
512 pp, maps, b/w photos
$28 Cdn, $18.95 US
www.countrymanpress.com
Paddling the 1,300 mile Inside Passage along North America’s Pacific
Northwest coast is an ambitious undertaking for even the most
experienced kayaker. This guide is an indispensable resource for
anyone contemplating the challenge. It gathers essential information
from many sources—most importantly, the author’s personal
experience—and includes an extensive bibliography to supplement
the material provided. Miller divides the coast between Olympia
and Alaska into five sections, devoting a chapter to each, and so
even if you’re not prepared to paddle the whole way, Kayaking the
Inside Passage will help you plan shorter trips. Maps with page
number notations to indicate where important information can be
found are a useful addition to the text. Appendices provide other
valuable resources.
The Happy Camper:
An Essential Guide to Life Outdoors
by Kevin Callan
The Boston Mills Press, 2005
ISBN 1-55046-450-7
320 pp, color photos
$24.96 Cdn, $19.95 US
www.bostonmillspress.com
www.fireflybooks.com
Author Kevin Callan is a 20-year veteran of outdoor expeditions.
The Happy Camper is a compendium of absolutely everything
that he has gleaned from his own and his friends’ experiences in
the wilderness—planning, packing, cooking, first aid, kids, pets,
knots, paddling—really, he covers all the bases! Complete with
lots of color photos (some instructive, some hilarious), this is a
great guide for anyone who loves to live outdoors, even if it is
only on weekends and a few weeks in the summer. There is even a
chapter on ‘Cold Camping’ for the intrepid among us who choose
to camp in the winter. Unless you are 20-year camping veteran
yourself, you will find plenty in The Happy Camper to help make
your wilderness experience safer, ‘greener’ and more enjoyable.
Boréal • Dagger • Extreme • Necky
Formula-Impex • Perception
SEA AND RECREATIONAL KAYAKS • PADDLES
PFDS • DRY TOPS AND BAGS
OUR STORE IS BIGGER NOW FOR BROWSING
1851 WELCH STREET, NORTH VANCOUVER, BC
Middletonsʼ Specialty Boats
New Kayak & Canoe Sales & Rentals
PHONE 604-240-0503
[email protected]
June/July 2005
www.middletonsboats.com
53
NEWS
For the past six years, Diane Coussens has
played a key role at WaveLength. She’s been the
voice and face of the magazine to many in the
industry. Now she’s moving on to new ventures
and we thank her for her dedication. Although
she’s no longer on staff, Diane remains a close
associate and friend, and we expect she will
help out from time to time.
Diana Mumford is now WaveLength’s
Assistant Editor. She brings many years of
publishing experience to the job. Diana, her
husband Ron and son David, live on Gabriola
Island. They paddle from their waterfront home
and from their newly acquired mothership.
You can reach her weekdays at 250-247-8858
from 9 am to 2 pm.
54
Photo courtesy of David Seath
WaveLength Editor Alan
Wilson was awarded a
Lifetime Achievement
award at the 7th annual
Va n c o u v e r I s l a n d
Paddlefest in May.
Alan was paddled to
the beach in a First
Nations canoe for the
opening ceremony and
presented by Jackie
Dennis-Orr with a
ceremonial paddle and
June/July 2005
a framed Inuit tapestry. The paddlers, Frank Brown and his family,
gave an honorary dance at the ceremony. Bud Bell of Sealegs
Kayaking served as master of ceremonies, and words were offered
by federal, provincial and municipal representatives.
Also on hand at the Paddlefest was the nonprofit Trade Association of Paddlesports’
(TAPS) newly hired Executive Director,
Paul German. Paul has been involved
in ocean kayaking and canoeing in the
industry for over 15 years. He’s also a
talented photographer who has supplied
several cover images for WaveLength. Paul
is based in BC so he will be better able
to integrate the Canadian paddlesports
market into the Association’s mandate. He
can be reached at the new head office of
TAPS at 604-980–3980. TAPS represents
manufacturers, retailers, outfitters, instructional centers, publications,
and others throughout the paddlesports industry, including canoeing,
kayak touring, whitewater kayaking and rafting.
TAPS’ West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium, to be held this
year Sept. 9-11, is the largest and oldest sea kayak symposium in
North America. It brings together the finest kayak manufacturers,
speakers, and instructors in one place. With 1400 ft. of sandy beach
for product demos, a large retail area, indoor and outdoor classes,
and on-water kayak instruction, it’s great for both beginner and
veteran paddlers. The Symposium is held at Fort Worden State Park
in Port Townsend, Washington. New this year is on-line registration,
allowing attendees and exhibitors to receive instant confirmation
of their registration. See www.wcsks.org.
➝
www.automarine.ca
[email protected]
Average time of assembly
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June/July
2005 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com
2/2/05 3:42:05 PM
55
First prize in the 2005 Great Summer
Kayak Raffle for the Georgia Strait Alliance
is a Greenlander II Folbot double folding
sea kayak plus paddles, spraydeck, skirts
and more ($3,300 value). Second prize is
a Sea Kayak Getaway at Coast Mountain
Lodge (for two people, spring 2006)
donated by Coast Mountain Expeditions
($1273 value). Third prize is a one night’s
stay for two at Sooke Harbour House,
breakfast included ($316 value). Raffle
tickets are $6 each or 3 for $15. The draw
runs from May 14 to Sept. 13. For tickets or
more info call 250-753-3459 or visit www.
GeorgiaStrait.org.
Confluence Holdings Corp. announced
in May that a purchase agreement has
been signed under which it will acquire
the watersports division of WaterMark
Paddlesports Inc., including WaterMark’s
paddlesports brands. Confluence and
WaterMark include the most recognized
brands in the industry and together will
form the premier paddlesports company in
the world. The Confluence family includes
Mad River Canoe, Wilderness Systems,
Wave Sport, WindRider and Voyageur.
WaterMark includes Dagger, Perception,
Mainstream, Harmony, AT Paddles,
Yakima and Rhode Gear. Confluence
and Watermark were created by mergers
in 1998. They will continue to operate
Kayaks available: Necky, Current Design,
Atlantis, Seaward and Formula; PFDs: Salus
and Extrasport; paddles: Aquabound and SET
Wing Blades. Daily: 604-987-2202.
1st Prize in
Georgia Strait
Alliance’s Raffle
www.GeorgiaStrait.org
as autonomous business units for the
remainder of the 2005 selling season.
A rendezvous for sailing canoes and
kayaks will take place June 25, 2005 at
Porteau Cove Provincial Park which is
located approximately 30 minutes north
of Vancouver, BC. Camping is available.
There will also be some commercial
outfits demonstrating their craft. Other
beach launchable sail and paddle craft are
welcome. [email protected], 604-855-7734.
The Saskatchewan Centennial Canoe
Quest will be held from June 18 to July
5, 2005. 31 teams from Saskatchewan,
Alberta, Manitoba and Scotland will travel
the historic Churchill River system route in
25 ft. voyageur canoes, from the western
border of Saskatchewan across 1018 km
of lakes, rivers and land. This unaided
wilderness canoe stage race and pageant
will include celebrations in 13 northern
host communities. See www.saskatchew
ancentennialcanoequest.info.
Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak Centre has
opened a new warehouse retail outlet
in North Vancouver, BC—The Kayak
Shop—3000 square feet of retail space
conveniently located two minutes from the
north end of the Second Narrows Bridge.
56
SnapDragonA-M05.indd 1
After becoming the first man to solo-kayak
around all the inhabited islands of the UK
and Ireland, kayak-cop Sean Morley capped
the achievement by winning the Devizes
to Westminster International Canoe Race
during the Easter weekend. The 39-year-old
from St. Erth in Cornwall beat off tough
competition to win the single kayak event,
with a finishing time of 16 hours, 36 minutes
and 18 seconds. The four-day, 125-mile race
finishes opposite the Houses of Parliament
beneath Westminster Bridge. There are 76
locks that competitors have to portage (i.e.
run carrying the kayak) and it is described
as one of the toughest endurance events of
its kind. Sean is already planning his next
project, a first circumnavigation of South
Georgia and is currently seeking sponsorship
for that trip. More info and photos at www.
expeditionkayak.co.uk.
Kayak for Assistive Technology is a
fundraiser to raise awareness of assistive
technology and to establish a fund to
provide computer-based assistive technology
for individuals with disabilities. Barbara
Welsford, Coordinator of the Assistive
Technology Centre in Bridgewater, Nova
Scotia, and her dog Katy, will kayak around
Mahone Bay harbour on August 13. Barbara
has recently been diagnosed with cancer for
the second time in her life. When she was
19 she was diagnosed with bone cancer
resulting in amputation of her right leg.
Now she has been diagnosed with breast
cancer, thyroid cancer, in situ malignant
melanoma and a heart condition brought
on by the chemotherapy she received as
a young woman. The Assistive Technology
Centre Society has been in existence for 14
years and is a registered charity organization
(#890315849 RR 0001 1023142). For info:
[email protected], 902-543-6329.
2/2/05June/July
5:37:01 2005
PM
Driving to Telegraph Cove on northern Vancouver Island, BC
will be more pleasant this summer because the remaining stretch
of gravel road will be paved. 70,000 people visit Telegraph Cove
marine facilities, accommodations, campgrounds, restaurants and
stores every year. The cove is also home to BC’s first whale watching
company and a working whale and marine mammal museum. [At
press time we learned roadwork may not start till summer’s end.]
Ocean River Sports of Victoria, BC has opened a new store in
Market Square, 564 Johnson St., where Ocean River Sports started
in business over 20 years ago. The ‘Outlet Store’, will sell name
brand outdoor clothing at greatly discounted prices—40 to 50%
off most products. The new store is geared up to sell volumes of
outdoor clothing, in partnership with Patagonia, Sierra Designs,
Arc’teryx as well as other outdoor clothing manufacturers. Nothing
will change in the main Ocean River Sports store at 1824 Store St. ➝
EMKodar Outdoors presents
Schu-kat
Schuka
Simply the most versatile inflatable out there
www.emkodar.com
POPEYE’S
Marine & Kayak Center
814 13th Street, Everett WA
On the Waterfront at Everett Marina
425-339-9479 www.popeyesmarine.com
[email protected]
June/July 2005
57
15% of every subscription to WaveLength for the
rest of 2005 will go to marine conservation.
Join us in supporting the Georgia Strait Alliance in its 2005 fundraising campaign to
CELEBRATE 15 years of achievements and BUILD for successes over The Next 15.
The Strait of Georgia is one of the world’s richest marine areas, yet it is also Canada’s most at-risk natural
environment. The Georgia Strait Alliance is the only citizens’ group focused on protecting these precious
waters as a whole. Help GSA protect and restore the Strait of Georgia, its adjoining waters and communities
by taking a subscription and considering an additional charitable donation.
See subscription form on facing page...
NEWS
continued
Mothership Adventures is expanding
their territory this year to take in the Great
Bear Rainforest and the Goose Islands on
BC’s remote central coast. They will be
visiting the estuaries of glacial-fed rivers
where bears, wolves and eagles congregate
to feed upon spawning salmon. And they
will visit clusters of outer islands where
sea otters, whales and dolphins can be
seen. The weeklong trips offer kayaking of
isolated coves and passageways. See www.
mothershipadventures.com.
A new study confirms that BC fish farms
are responsible for a dramatic increase
in sea lice on wild salmon. Published in
the respected Proceedings of the Royal
Society of London, the study shows
that the transmission of lice from farmed
salmon to migrating wild salmon reached
an intensity of 70 times greater than natural
near the farm studied, and continued to
exceed natural levels for 30 kilometers
along the migration route. This amounts to
a total contribution of lice from the farm
that was 30,000 times higher than natural.
Wild salmon advocates continue to press
for the immediate removal of open net pens
and a shift to more sustainable forms of fish
farming. Closed systems would address
most of the disease and pollution concerns
posed by open net cages.
Albertson’s Inc., the third-largest food
retailer in the United States, has warned
BC salmon farmers they must clean up
their act if they want to continue exporting
to US consumers. In a letter to the main
industry lobby group, Albertson’s warned
that the industry must adopt technology
to eliminate disease transfer to wild
stocks and escapes from salmon farms.
The letter lists five concerns, especially
the use of open-net pens along the BC
coast. Albertson’s suggests “adopting
technology that eliminates disease transfer
and farmed salmon escapes so that wildlife
is not harmed as a result of salmon
farming.” This would mean land-based
‘closed containment’ systems to prevent
escapes and the transfer of sea lice to wild
salmon, something the Coastal Alliance for
Aquaculture Reform has been calling for.
90% of BC’s farmed salmon is sold in the US,
so by choosing wild salmon, US consumers
are turning the tide against fish farming. See
www.farmedanddangerous.org.
Congratulations to Harbour Publishing and
the authors of A Stain Upon the Sea:
West Coast Salmon Farming, which
won the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional
Prize at the BC Book Awards in Vancouver
in May. Authors include Alexandra Morton,
Stephen Hume, Betty C. Keller, Rosella M.
Leslie, Otto Langer and Don Staniford.
www.harbourpublishing.com.
Congratulations also to WaveLength’s
columnist Alex Matthews and to Rochelle
Relyea who are to marry in mid-June.
58
June/July 2005
CALENDAR
Jun 3-5, South Sound Traditional
Inuit Kayak Symposium, Belfair,
WA. [email protected],
253-761-8105, www.qajaqpnw.org
Jun 4, Round Bowen Kayak Race, Bowen
Island, BC. 38km race. 800-60-KAYAK,
www.roundbowenrace.com
Jun 11-12, 16th Annual Atlantic Canada
Sea Kayaker’s Meeting, Tangier, NS.
877-404-2774, www.coastaladventures.com
Jun 16-19, Inland Sea Kayak 2005
Symposium, Washburn, WI, 715-682-8188,
www.inlandsea.org
Jun 18–Jul 5, The Saskatchewan Centennial
Canoe Quest, 31 teams travel the Churchill
River system. www.saskatchewancentennialc
anoequest.info.
Jun 19-Jul 2, 3rd Great Ohio River Paddler,
[email protected], 513-460-3365,
www.ohioriverfdn.org/gorp.html
Jun 25, 5th Annual Kayak Fishing Tournament
& BBQ, San Luis Pass, TX. www.packtx.org
Jun 25, 2nd Annual Canoe & Kayak Sail-In,
Porteau Cove Park, BC. [email protected],
604-855-7734
Jun 29-Jul 3, 2005 Yukon River Quest,
Whitehorse YK. www.yukonriverquest.com
NEWS
continued
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Synthesis Report, released in March,
reveals that approximately 60 percent of
the ecosystem services that support life on
Earth—such as fresh water, fisheries, air and
water regulation, regional climates—are being
degraded or used unsustainably. The Report
was conducted by 1,300 experts from 95
countries. See www.millenniumassessment.
org/en/index.aspx. ❏
Jul 8-10, Door County Sea Kayak Symposium,
Door County WI, 800-472-3353,
www.rutabaga.com/everyonepaddles
Jul 10, BC Marine Trail Ocean Kayak
Marathon, Vancouver BC. 888-425-2925,
www.ecomarine.com
Jul 14-17, Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium,
Grand Marais,MI, [email protected],
734-439-0049, www.GLSKS.org
Jul 15-16, 15th Annual Potomac Whitewater
Festival, C&O Canal National Park, MD.
301-807-1515, [email protected]
Jul 16-24, Gorge Games, Hood River, OR
www.gorgegames.com
Jul 29, 4th Annual Jay Challenge race, Magog,
QB to Newport, VT. www.jaychallenge.com
Aug 6-7, Mississippi River Challenge, 651-2222193 #19, www.mississippiriverchallenge.org
Aug 13, Kayak for Assistive Technology
fundraiser, Mahone Bay. 902-543-6329 ATC
centre Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
Aug 27-28, 9th Annual San Juan Challenge
Kayak Race, Anacortes, WA. 360-299-2300
[email protected],
www.adventuresports.com/kayak/san juan
Sep 9-11, 2005 West Coast Sea Kayak
Symposium, Port Townsend, WA.
www.wcsks.org, 800-755-5228
Sep 17-25, Bamfield Kayak Festival,
Bamfield, BC. Races Sep. 24-25. 250-728-3644,
www.bamfieldkayakfestival.com
Sep 24-25, Canada West Paddle Surf Fest, Tofino, BC. www.surfkayak.org/kayakfestival.html
Sep 30-Oct 2, Surfing Superior Surf Kayak
Confluence, Wawa, ON. www.naturallysuperior.com/surfingsuperior.htm
Oct 7-8, Phatwater Kayak Challenge 2005,
Natchez, MS. [email protected], 601445-8843, www.kayakmississippi.ocm
Oct 15, Annual Suwannee River Challenge,
White Springs, FL. [email protected],
386-397-1309, www.aca1.com ❏
15% of every WaveLength
JJ05
subscription goes to marine
conservation.
Subscribe or Renew
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reading articles and looking at
the pictures. It keeps my dream
of a future trip real in my mind.
My two year renewal is in the
mail.” —NL, Loganville, Georgia
for a chance to win a
Weekend Pass for Two
to paddling’s best event, the
West Coast Sea
Kayak Symposium
in Port Towsend, WA
September 9–11
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the Trade Association of Paddlesports
www.gopaddle.org
Prize includes entry, food & lodging. ($600 US value)
1 year sub: 1 entry
2 year sub: 2 entries
DEADLINE:
July 31st, 2005
It’s not necessary to pre-register for the WCSKS to win this prize,
but if you do pre-register and then win our draw, your registration
fees will be refunded by TAPS. Lodgings are limited so organizers
recommend you book soon (online bookings available).
Congratulations to Mark Kenworthy of Brookside NJ, winner of the Kokatat drysuit!
Subscriptions: $15 per yr or $25 for 2 yrs in North America
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59
BED & BREAKFAST ON THE BEACH
Gabriola’s south coast paradise.
Beachfront. Wildlife. Hot tub.
Gabriola Island, BC
• KAYAK RENTALS •
Ph/Fax: 250/247-9824
www.island.net/~casablan
If you’re planning a paddling trip near
Northern Vancouver Island or the
Central Coast, RENT from us.
ODYSSEY KAYAKING
LTD.
Toll free 1-888-792-3366
250-902-0565
[email protected]
www.odysseykayaking.com
Ph: 250-539-5553
Adventuress
RENTALS, TOURS, LESSONS
[email protected]
121 Boot Cove Rd.
Saturna Island, BC V0N 2Y0
SOUTHEAST EXPOSURE
Ketchikan, Alaska
6 Day Guided Trips
Misty Fjords National Monument
907-225-8829
www.southeastexposure.com
SALTSPRING KAYAK & CYCLE
• Tours • Rentals • Sales
Located on the wharf at Fulford Harbour
next to the ferry terminal. Walk off the
ferry and step into a kayak or rental bike!
Toll Free: 866-341-0007
“Gateway to the Southern Marine Parks”
[email protected]
CALL 250-725-3309
AWESOME KAYAKING—FREE CAMPING
We Simply Offer a Better Experience!!
Excellent equipment, superior service
since 1991. Sechelt, BC
(at Tillicum Bay Marina).
SEA KAYAK & CANOE RENTALS, SALES, LESSONS, TOURS
[email protected]
www.pedalspaddles.com
BOOK AHEAD: 1-866-885-6440 or (604)885-6440
2005 is our 15th year
of bringing new people
to paddling
www.saltspringkayaking.com
VARGAS ISLAND INN
Affordable Wilderness Resort accommodation in
Clayoquot Sound on Vargas Island beachfront.
• 5k N.W. Tofino • Ideal for kayakers • Inn &
cabins • All self-catering • Passenger & kayak
transport from Tofino available • Lots to do!
WaveLength Magazine
KAYAK & DIVING
New Log Cabin Accommodation
Next to Drumbeg Park
Gabriola Island, BC
www.HighTestDive.com
RUSTIC SHORELINE CABIN on Penobscot
Bay near Rockland, Maine. Available for
summer rental. Cookstove and woodstove, but
no plumbing. Surrounded by acres of woods
wtih access to beach. $300/week or $50/night.
Call Jim or Stephanie 706-576-5248 before
5/27 or 207-594-0624 after 5/27.
Your home base
for Exceptional
GULF ISLANDS
Paddling!
Mayne Island, BC
Kayak Rentals, Lessons and Guided Tours.
Accommodation/Kayaking packages available.
www.bluevistaresort.com
1-877-535-2424
MAYNE ISLAND KAYAK & CANOE RENTALS INC.
KAYAKING AT ITS BEST!
Rentals/Guided Tours/Lessons/Sales/Bicycles
Complimentary Ferry pick-up. Open year round.
A variety of accommodations available.
C-54 Miners Bay, Mayne Island, BC
Canada V0N 2J0
Tel/Fax: 250 539-5599
maynekayak@gulfislands.com
www.maynekayak.com
Caribbean Sun and Warm Ocean Water
Grab your swimsuit & your
snorkel — we provide the rest
with customized kayaking
trips through the reefs
and clear waters of the island
West Peak Inn
of Guanaja.
831-786-0406
www.westpeakinn.com
The web’s best source for alternative
menstrual products
Eco-friendly essentials for women on the go!
60
Free catalogue 1.888.590.2299
or shop online at www.lunapads.com
Whitewater Kayak! Tours
Chilliwack River Rafting. No experience
necessary. Inflatable kayaks on class
2 to 3. Easy skills transfer from Ocean
kayaking. Daily departures.
Call 1-800-410-7238
www.dowco.com/chilliwackrafting
June/July 2005
Aboriginal Orca Adventures
with Village Island Tours
All-Inclusive Multi-Day Trips / Kayak Rentals
• Experience aboriginal culture
• Sleep in a native big house
• Enjoy seafood feasts & hot showers
• Paddle with orcas
• Whale encounters guaranteed
www.villageisland.com
1-877-282-8294
NORTH ISLAND KAYAK
Port Hardy & Telegraph Cove
Rentals & 1–6 Day Guided Trips
Sea Kayak Guides
Alliance of BC
Toll Free 1-877-949-7707
www.KayakBC.ca
[email protected]
Fall Guides Exchange
Sept. 30–Oct. 2
in Ucluelet / Tofino
Hosts are Bonny Glambeck and Dan
Lewis of Rainforest Kayak Adventures,
and Tracy Eeftink of Majestic Ocean
Kayaking. Details posted at:
GABRIOLA COTTAGE
Private, 2 bdrms, sleeps 6, kitchen,
yard, sandy beach access, ideal for
young children, no pets/smoking.
Starting $500 weekly:
250-247-9883 [email protected]
www.gabriolacottage.netfirms.com
Visit the The Willows Inn on Lummi
Island for some of the best, most
accessible paddling in the San Juan
Islands. Push off from our no bank
beach and be at Clark Island in 45
minutes, Sucia in an hour and a half.
www.willows-inn.com
www.skgabc.com
YOGA SEA KAYAK JOURNEY
3rd–10th September 2005
Join us in the exquisite nature
of Tai-li Lodge, Cortes Island, BC
www.yoga-nature.com
[email protected]
KELOWNA KAYAK & OUTDOOR
Recreational, Touring, Racing, Sit-on-tops
Year round kayak lessons
Wide selection of accessories
2079 Enterprise Way, Kelowna BC
www.kelownakayak.com
[email protected]
250-860-3361
ANDALE KAYAKING
Salt Spring Island’s north end Kayaking
Connection. Sales, rentals, lessons, tours,
kids’ boats. Wallace Island Marine Park
Tours. A variety of drop-off and pick-up
sites. We make kayaking fun and safe!
250-537-0700 (Apr–Oct)
[email protected]
www.saltspring.gulfislands.com/allanmather
North Coast Adventure
5 day tours into the Kitlope, the
largest, unlogged temperate
rainforest. 5 day tours to
the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary.
Incredible archeology and First Nations
culture. Top quality equipment, small groups,
catch your own dinner. www.blackfish.ca
or call Paul and Gina at 1-877-638-1887.
www.queencharlottekayaking.com
EASTERN OUTDOORS
GALIANO ISLAND KAYAKING
BC’S BEST SPRING KAYAKING.
Daily Guided Tours.
Costa Rica Sea Kayaking since 1987.
Ph/Fax: 250-539-2442
kayak@gulfislands.com
www.seakayak.ca
Atlantic Canada’s Adventure Outfitters since 1979.
Kayak tours on the Bay of Fundy.
Paddle with the whales from
St. Andrews and Dipper Harbour, NB.
Also Ramea, Newfoundland tours.
www.easternoutdoors.com
Toll free: 1-800-56-KAYAK
NEW ZEALAND
Seakayak & Cycle Tours & Rentals
Natural High, Adrenalin Dealers
“Downtown By The Fishing Pier”
4 Star Accommodations
571 Island Highway
Campbell River, BC V9W 2B9
www.oceanfrontbb.com
June/July 2005
Hostess: Patty Johnson
Phone (250) 286-8385
Toll Free 1-877-604-4938
[email protected]
WWW.SeakayakNewZealand.com
WWW.CycleNewZealand.com
[email protected]
64-3-5466936
64-3-5466954 fax
SKGABC Annual General Meeting
October 16, 2005
Nanaimo, BC
The Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC
is a non-profit society which upholds
high standards for professional sea kayak
guides and operators in BC. Through
on-going professional development and
certification, the Alliance strives to ensure
safe practices on an industry-wide basis.
SKGABC EXECUTIVE
PRESIDENT
Blake Johnson: [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENTS
Kerry Orchard: [email protected]
Piper Harris: [email protected]
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Tracy Eeftink: [email protected]
COORDINATING DIRECTOR
Sue Handel: [email protected]
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Andrew Jones: [email protected]
Nancy Hamilton: [email protected]
Tina Walker: [email protected]
SKGABC Membership
To become a member of the Alliance, mail
this form and a cheque to the address below.
___ Company Membership—$100/year
___ Individual Membership—$35/year
___ Associate Membership—$25/year
Name__________________________
Address________________________
______________________________
Phone_________________________
Email__________________________
Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC
P.O. Box 1005, Station A,
Nanaimo BC, V9R 5Z2
[email protected]
61
Aug/Sep 2005
EASTERN
SPECIAL ISSUE
Deadline June 20. Available August 1st.
WaveLength goes east! We take an
in-depth look at the vibrant paddling
scene in eastern North America.
We also develop a companion online
Directory of Eastern Paddling.
Bowen Island
Sea Kayaking
• TOURS
• RENTALS
• LESSONS
CALL TO RESERVE
1-800-60-KAYAK
Video messaging—changing the way we see the world.
bowenislandkayaking.com
Build.
Paddle.
Escape.
www.pygmyboats.com
P YGMY
rugged
top rated
P r o d u c e d b y t h e c o u n t r y ’s l e a d i n g w o o d e n b o a t k i t m a n u f a c t u r e r.
Designed by veteran wilderness paddler John Lockwood, built by you.
versatile
ultra-light
th e osprey
P y g m y B o a t s I n c . , P. O . B o x 1 5 2 9 , D e p t . 4 , P o r t T o w n s e n d , W A 9 8 3 6 8 • 3 6 0 . 3 8 5 . 6 1 4 3
62
June/July 2005
June/July 2005
63
The Original Mothership
New trips to the GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST
on British Columbia’s Central Coast
64
Tours Departing Weekly
Toll Free: 1-888-833-8887
www.mothershipadventures.com
www.WaveLengthMagazine.com June/July 2005

- Wavelength Magazine

Transcription

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