Thursday, 24 August 2006. Woohoo! We're off! Myself, Maria, Merewyn and Brenda piled into Brenda's car and headed for the ferry. The traffic was worse than we expected but we got to Horseshoe Bay for about 4.15 pm, in plenty of time for the 5.10 ferry. Except... that it was full already, so we ended up waiting for the 6.40 sailing. Well, that wasn't so bad really: it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and we had a leisurely dinner (mmm, fish and chips) in the park in Horseshoe Bay. Even better, the weather forecast for the next few days was no worse than cloudy with sunny spells. We couldn't have asked for more.
We boarded the 6.40 ferry and bagged a group of four seats. Now it was time to read all about what we were setting out to do :-) Well it was for me anyway. We had a melodramatic article on the Nootka Trail from a copy of (Beautiful) British Columbia magazine, the descriptions from Tim Leadem's book "Hiking the West Coast of Vancouver Island" and Shannon & Lissa Cowan's book "Hiking Vancouver Island" along with a recent photo-journal article from the Club Tread website. The day before we had been intimidated by the description on another website which insisted that we were endangering our very lives by even thinking about doing the trail. OK so it wasn't that bad, but it did a good job of sowing plenty of doubt. Anyway, in the end we figured that between the four of us we actually did have enough experience to tackle this trail comfortably. (Despite it being only my third ever backpacking trip...)
Now we were getting excited about the trip. The float plane flight, clear skies, the peace and quiet, wildlife (eagles, bears, wolves, sea otters and whales), camp fires, beautiful beaches, amazing rain forest, and last but not least, trying out Mother Nature's washroom facilities... I was really hoping to see (or at least hear) wolves, sea otters and whales. A bear sighting or two wouldn't go amiss either.
Off the boat in Nanaimo at 8.30 or so, we sped off up the Island while watching a perfect sunset turn into a crystal-clear night. We reached the Buttle Lake campground at 10.45 (15 mins before the gate was closed) and claimed a vacant site. We pitched our tents in the dark. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the night sky. It was the clearest night I've seen in a long time and spotting little nebulous splodges like the Andromeda galaxy and the double cluster in Perseus was easy. The Milky Way filled the sky between the trees above our tents. If only it was the time for the Perseids...
Midnight saw us settling down to sleep, ready to be up bright and early the next day.
Links:
BC Ferries
British Columbia magazine
ClubTread.com (not the same as ClubTread.org)
Strathcona Provincial Park
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
The Nootka Trail
The Nootka Trail is a 37-km hike on the west coast of Nootka Island.
Q: Where is Nootka Island?
A: Nootka Island is off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Before I decided to do this hike I had not heard of Nootka.
Q: How do you get there?
A: We took a float plane from Gold River to Louie Lagoon, returning to Gold River on the ferry from Friendly Cove. This is the most common means of getting there and back.
Q: How long does it take?
A: We did it in 6, including a rest day. Next time I think I'll allow an extra couple of days to lounge around and explore more. But that's assuming that the weather will be as good as it was this time :-) If it's raining, 7 or 8 days in a tent could feel like a long time...
Q: 37 km (23 miles) isn't very far and it's flat, isn't it? Why did it take 6 days?
A: Good question. It's true that much of the trail is on the beach. But that beach is not always good walking - the infamous pea gravel saps every ounce of energy. And when you're off the beach, you're in dense rain forest climbing over and under fallen trees every few yards. It could be done in 2 or 3 days if you really pushed it (with a lighter backpack), but why rush? It's beautiful out there and it's worth taking the time to absorb it. Also you may be forced to wait for the right tide to get around some of the headlands, or for the water level in a creek to drop so that it can be safely waded (there are no bridges on the trail).
Q: What's special about the Nootka Trail?
A: Firstly, the place where the trail ends - Yuquot (or Friendly Cove) - has been inhabited for over 4000 years! That's a lot of history. The Mowachaht-Muchalaht people that live here were the first to hunt whales. Nootka is also where the first major contact took place between First Nations' people and Europeans in the late 18th Century. The fur trade (largely from sea otters) was centred here and the British had their Pacific Canadian headquarters here (later moved to Victoria). And then there's the solitude: we encountered maybe 10 people in 5 days, none of whom were hikers (compare that with the 50 per day that begin the West Coast Trail!). It was mostly just the four of us. Of course that's a problem if something goes wrong as there are no roads, no houses, no cell phone coverage, or patrols. You're on your own out there. The folks at Air Nootka said to use a 2-armed wave if we were in trouble. Or carry an emergency radio or satellite phone.
Q: Is it free to hike the trail?
A: Yes in principle, but No in practice. The hike itself is mostly on Crown (i.e. public) land and there are no charges for that. However, getting to and from the trailhead is a different matter. First there's the airfare (check with Air Nootka for details but expect to pay around $150 per person, at least in 2006), then there's the ferry (MV Uchuck III) which was $40 and finally there's the $40 "landing" fee, which is payable to the Mowachaht-Muchalaht band (although it should be done through Air Nootka to ensure the band really gets the money). This last one is a little controversial since it went up from $5 in 2003. It allows you to enter Friendly Cove (which is reservation land) to camp, explore and catch the ferry. Personally I don't mind - it's not an outrageous sum - but it is hard to see what you get for your $40.
Links:
A couple of links that helped us with our planning (some of the resources have disappeared since 2006):
Q: Where is Nootka Island?
A: Nootka Island is off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Before I decided to do this hike I had not heard of Nootka.
Q: How do you get there?
A: We took a float plane from Gold River to Louie Lagoon, returning to Gold River on the ferry from Friendly Cove. This is the most common means of getting there and back.
Q: How long does it take?
A: We did it in 6, including a rest day. Next time I think I'll allow an extra couple of days to lounge around and explore more. But that's assuming that the weather will be as good as it was this time :-) If it's raining, 7 or 8 days in a tent could feel like a long time...
Q: 37 km (23 miles) isn't very far and it's flat, isn't it? Why did it take 6 days?
A: Good question. It's true that much of the trail is on the beach. But that beach is not always good walking - the infamous pea gravel saps every ounce of energy. And when you're off the beach, you're in dense rain forest climbing over and under fallen trees every few yards. It could be done in 2 or 3 days if you really pushed it (with a lighter backpack), but why rush? It's beautiful out there and it's worth taking the time to absorb it. Also you may be forced to wait for the right tide to get around some of the headlands, or for the water level in a creek to drop so that it can be safely waded (there are no bridges on the trail).
Q: What's special about the Nootka Trail?
A: Firstly, the place where the trail ends - Yuquot (or Friendly Cove) - has been inhabited for over 4000 years! That's a lot of history. The Mowachaht-Muchalaht people that live here were the first to hunt whales. Nootka is also where the first major contact took place between First Nations' people and Europeans in the late 18th Century. The fur trade (largely from sea otters) was centred here and the British had their Pacific Canadian headquarters here (later moved to Victoria). And then there's the solitude: we encountered maybe 10 people in 5 days, none of whom were hikers (compare that with the 50 per day that begin the West Coast Trail!). It was mostly just the four of us. Of course that's a problem if something goes wrong as there are no roads, no houses, no cell phone coverage, or patrols. You're on your own out there. The folks at Air Nootka said to use a 2-armed wave if we were in trouble. Or carry an emergency radio or satellite phone.
Q: Is it free to hike the trail?
A: Yes in principle, but No in practice. The hike itself is mostly on Crown (i.e. public) land and there are no charges for that. However, getting to and from the trailhead is a different matter. First there's the airfare (check with Air Nootka for details but expect to pay around $150 per person, at least in 2006), then there's the ferry (MV Uchuck III) which was $40 and finally there's the $40 "landing" fee, which is payable to the Mowachaht-Muchalaht band (although it should be done through Air Nootka to ensure the band really gets the money). This last one is a little controversial since it went up from $5 in 2003. It allows you to enter Friendly Cove (which is reservation land) to camp, explore and catch the ferry. Personally I don't mind - it's not an outrageous sum - but it is hard to see what you get for your $40.
Links:
A couple of links that helped us with our planning (some of the resources have disappeared since 2006):
- http://www.airnootka.com/hikes.html
- http://besthike.com/2006/12/28/nootka-trail-trip-report/
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Principle and practice
So now you know or have guessed what the intertidal flush (ITF) is. The principle is simple. The practice is also very simple. Unless you're on a crowded beach. Or if some jet-skiers happen to pass by (and stop to see what you're doing). Or if a float plane flies 500 ft above your head (at least they can't stop, although they can circle like a vulture...). The latter two possibilities are based on Real Events™. Anyway, there's no need to be shy. Just find a spot in the intertidal zone and do what comes naturally. Mother Nature flushes for you twice every 24 hours.
Back to the Nootka Trail. My intention is that these pages will serve as an outlet (no pun intended) for blethering about things to do with this trail. It'll no doubt evolve into something completely different later but for now I'll keep it to Nootka-related stuff.
Back to the Nootka Trail. My intention is that these pages will serve as an outlet (no pun intended) for blethering about things to do with this trail. It'll no doubt evolve into something completely different later but for now I'll keep it to Nootka-related stuff.
What's in a name?
I guess it goes something like this.
And that's all there is to it.
OK so what was my flash (flush?) of inspiration? Last week I completed the Nootka Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Of course, over a period of a few days certain things happen which are best dealt with using the so-called "Intertidal Flush", which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
Feel free to think of my blog as verbiage washed out onto the "cyber-sea" once I am done... Or just a load of crap.
- Buy computer
- Feel strong desire to subject world to innermost thoughts and feelings
- Create blog - must have cool name
- Scratch head (or other itchy place), wait for flash of inspiration
- Begin enlightening the world
And that's all there is to it.
OK so what was my flash (flush?) of inspiration? Last week I completed the Nootka Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Of course, over a period of a few days certain things happen which are best dealt with using the so-called "Intertidal Flush", which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
Feel free to think of my blog as verbiage washed out onto the "cyber-sea" once I am done... Or just a load of crap.
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