Broughton Archipelago

When COVID-19 prevented us from going to France this summer, we decided to spoil ourselves with a wildlife watching kayaking trip from Telegraph Cove. Normally, we opt for cheap do-it-yourself kinds of adventures, but sometimes it is easier (and safer) to have an experienced guide lead the way. Justine really wanted to go kayaking for a few days, and have the chance to see some whales, so we opted for a trip that combined both! And since Adrien never says ‘no’ to a new adventure, we forked over $1680 each for a six-day trip with North Island Kayak in mid-September. Turns out that paying the money was the easy part — surviving the trip was much harder!

We feared that COVID-19 would postpone our adventure, but it was actually the smoke from the California and Oregon wildfires, combined with some tingling nerves in Justine’s back, that almost made us abandon the trip after day 2. Then on day 3, the winds picked up and we were forced to stay at the same camp for a third night. Morale was low, but some rays of sunshine, humpback sightings, and near-perfect paddling conditions on day 4 helped boost our energy levels.

We are so grateful that we stuck it out! It truly was an unforgettable trip with sightings of humpback whales, seals, porpoises, sea lions and marine birds. We stayed at three different campsites near white midden beaches on the islands of the Broughton Archipelago. We covered approximately 100 km in six days! Full map with some pictures and descriptions is available here.

The smog and fog were our foes

On day 1, 2 and 3, visibility on the east coast of Vancouver Island was hampered by a disgusting smoke that stung our noses, eyes and lungs. On day 3, water taxis were busy evacuating other kayakers and we were tempted to join them!

The weather improved on days 4 and 5, and we were able to enjoy the view of the dozens of islands that we paddled around. Then, thick dense fog rolled in. It was better than the smoke, but it limited our visibility on day 6 and caused everything to be wet, wet, wet.

The lesson is: pick a time of year when there are no wildfires and there is no fog… or be lucky.

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So many whales and sea lions

Everyday we saw wildlife. The first day, we were lucky to see a humpback whale 20 meters ahead of us. We had to stop paddling to let it go, both for our safety and to not disturb it.

We also had a sea lion swim just in front of us and look at us several times while snorting heavily.

During the trip, we also saw seals, porpoises, eagles, loons, sea ducks, gulls, shearwaters, ravens, cormorants, jellyfish…

Adrien also claims he saw a bear leave a beach just as we approached. But he was the only one to see it and didn’t have time to take a picture, so does it count?

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Paddling is actually hard

We paddled 4 to 6 hours a day and, boy, did it hurt! We were in a tandem kayak, which meant that we struggled together. It also meant that Justine had to relinquish all steering control to Adrien, as he was the only one with control of the rudder! But Adrien did well enough that the tandem kayak did not become the ‘divorce kayak’ as it is sometimes called.

Our real struggles were our body aches — probably because going from one two-hour kayak all summer to 4 to 6 hours a day is a big leap! Sometimes, Justine thought she heard the blow of a humpback, but when she turned around it was only Adrien panting. His left shoulder hurt pretty bad after day 2 so he developed a little-effort-on-the-left-big-effort-on-the-right technique that ended up being very effective to save his sore tendons.

Justine dealt with some tingling nerves in her low back throughout the trip, the result of spending way too much time on a computer the week before. Her chiro claimed ‘motion is lotion’ and he was right. She felt the best while paddling, but struggled to sit to eat meals and had some uncomfortable sleeps. Thankfully, a few Tylenol calmed the pain and she started to feel better by day 4.

Justine also got some pretty ugly blisters on both hands despite her brand new neoprene gloves. Adrien’s hands were unblemished, but his cheap bike gloves didn’t survive the trip.

Injuries and body aches weren’t the only challenges. Navigating the wind and currents was not easy! Sometimes we wondered if we were even moving forward, and once we were almost pushed into the rocks. Turns out Adrien was pushing the wrong foot pedal!

But we got into a rhythm, moved forward and our kayak never flipped!

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Yes you will be wet

To get into the boat, we had to walk into the 10°C water with our sandals on. Justine wore neoprene socks for extra warmth and was pretty happy with them while Adrien wore thick hiking socks and was not satisfied.

While paddling, we got splashed, especially Adrien. North Island Kayak provided paddling jackets, and under that we wore swimsuits, sport pants and several layers of t-shirts and sleeves (non-cotton). We were definitely warm enough, but jealous of the guide’s gore-tex attire!

We quickly learnt that soaked clothes don’t dry overnight so we had to put on wet clothes in the morning. It was far from comfortable but better than putting on dry clothes that would have got wet anyway.

Having a guide was vital

Our guide, Brad, had 20+ years of experience in sea kayaking in the Broughton Archipelago. He was in charge of navigation and our safety, but also making coffee, cooking, telling us stories about the place and changing the bucket in the outhouse when it was almost full.

On day 1, Brad gave us a 10 minute security briefing at Telegraph Cove which basically consisted of:

• paddle wisely by doing large movements rather than planting the paddle deep in the water
• if something scares you (wave, strong current…), face it head on
• stabilize the boat at any time by holding your paddle horizontal
• if the kayak flips, pull on the yellow handle to undo the skirt and swim to the surface

It was so strange to have everything prepared for us. It was a nice break from our usual camping adventures, but by the end of the trip, we missed cooking our own food and deciding on the daily itinerary. We couldn’t have done the trip without Brad, but we feel ready to take on more responsibilities in the next kayaking adventure.

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How to set your poop on fire

Have you ever pooped on an isolated island with no bathroom? Sometimes nature calls and you just have to embrace it! You can dig a hole in the woods, yes, or you can do your thing on the beach while enjoying the view.

Here are the 10 steps to have the best pooping experience on the beach:

1. Wait for the low tide
2. Bring a roll of toilet paper and a lighter (in our case, they were provided by North Island Kayak)
3. Find a private spot below high tide line
4. Make sure there is no bear around
5. Get into a comfortable squat
6. Poop while watching wildlife and listening to the wind in the trees
7. Use toilet paper
8. Light the used toilet paper on fire
9. Wait for the fire to die off
10. Cover the poop with sand or dirt (optional)

Technically, you are only setting the paper on fire so it doesn’t remain in the nature for years. The tide will eventually wash your poop away.

Beware: you may not be the only one to enjoy the private spot you found so don’t step in other people’s mark.

Staying at Telegraph Cove

We spent the night before the kayaking trip in Telegraph Cove’s campground. There are also hotels and cottages but we found that they were too expensive for us.

Telegraph Cove’s campground provides water at every camping spot. If you are tenting like us, you may want to request a spot with a wooden pad because the ground can be pretty damp. Also, if you stay by the stream, be ready to be swarmed by &%#$!! little flies, possibly No-See-Ums, that bite.

The campground is equipped with washrooms, showers and laundry machines. There is an overflow field so, even in the middle of the summer, you may be able to get a spot.

Telegraph Cove’s campground is also a departure point for the Dave Farrant trail that leads to a viewpoint from where you can sometimes see the whales, including orcas.

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Picture Slideshow

It is hard to capture good pictures during a kayaking trip, particularly without a waterproof camera, but we still managed to capture some memories with three different cameras. Here is a slideshow of some of the snapshots from our trip!