Trip Report: Broken Group Islands, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Broken Group Islands is part of the Pacific Rim National Park located in western Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It consists of over 100 islands, islets and rocky outcrops scattered in Barkley Sound southeast of the town of Uclulet between Loudoun and Imperial Eagle Channels. It offers a true west coast kayaking experience but in sheltered water. It offers awesome kayaking. There are sandy beaches, sea caves, blowholes, and arches. It is populated with dozens of archaeological sites, including village sites, middens, stone fish traps, and culturally modified trees.
The islands offer primitive camping on seven of the islands where there are solar composting outhouses. No potable water is available so fresh water has to be carried in. All trash must be carried out. There are restrictions for length of stay in the islands and at a site. Group size is also limited. Wood fires should be small, located in the intertidal zone, and charcoal crushed and dispersed in the intertidal zone.
Friday, May 11th
I traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia by flying Delta Airlines from Cincinnati via Salt Lake City. There I rented a car and took a two hour ferry ride from nearby Tsawwassen across the Strait of Georgia to Duke Point near Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. I then drove two and a half hours north on Route 19 and west on Route 4 to the Pacific coast and then south a few miles to the city of Ucluelet. The last 55 miles on Route 4 is on a paved but narrow winding mountain road with spectacular scenery. During my visit in early May the mountain tops were still snow covered.
In Uclulet I drove to Bostroms B&B on Marine Drive where I had booked a room for two weekends. On arrival I met Gary and Judy Bostrom, daughter Crystal and their dog Baxter. Gary is a retired fisherman, Judy is a school teacher in Uclulet and Crystal is a college student in Victoria, BC.
Judy showed me my room known as the Trail Room. It is amazing. The floor is a beautifully artistically stained concrete with electrical radiant heat. The private bath included a Japanese styled sink and a shower tiled with river pebbles. The canopy queen sized bed was warmed for my arrival by a mattress heater. There was a luxurious couch, stuffed chair, coffee table, and dining room table. There was an LCD TV on the wall for DVD viewing. Skylights in the living area and bathroom kept the rooms bright. The patio doors open wide to a porch overlooking Little Beach Bay, small islands and the Pacific Ocean.
Stairs lead down from the patio to another patio that fronts two other guest rooms and a common guest room, all overlooking the Pacific. Another set of stairs lead down from the lower patio to a waterfront deck. The Bostroms have designed their home so they and their guests can easily view the Pacific.
My room had a modern kitchen stocked with utensils, dishes, fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and sink. In the fridge was cheese and two varieties of smoked salmon. Outside on the patio is a barbecue and heated hot tub overlooking the ocean.
The common room where I ate breakfast and visited with other guests is equipped with wireless internet, library of art and natural history, dining area, kitchen, the latest exercise equipment, and games including a billiard table.
After showing me my room and patio areas, Judy showed me the waterfront deck. There we saw three loons swimming with a river otter. The water in the bay was very clear. We could see a nice beach called Small Beach in sight to the left of the deck.
Breakfasts were memorable. Each started with several kinds of fruit followed by oatmeal brulee, flax bran muffins, quiches or baked apple pancakes, sausages, etc.
The Bostroms also invited me to tea a couple of times and dinner one evening.
Saturday, May 12th
I looked for a bank to exchange USA currency for Canadian but could find only a credit union in Uclulet. A clerk in the credit union told me I could not exchange currency since I was not a member. They did tell me a pharmacy up the street could do the exchange and they did. I then drove back north to Route 4 and followed it north along the Pacific coast to the city of Tofino. I had lunch at Sobos. I ordered a soup and their “killer king taco” which included salmon, apples and pineapple and a delicious sauce. The soup was close to the best I’ve ever eaten.
Most of Route 4 between Uclulet and Tofino is in the Long Beach Unit of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. There is a daily visitor fee of $6.50 for an adult. It is easy to get a permit all along the route using a credit card and automatic permit dispensers.
The Pacific Rim has a cool and wet maritime climate. Air temperatures are determined primarily by the Pacific Ocean. I understand water temperatures near Uclulet vary from 46° F in January to 57° F in August. Air temperatures are therefore mild in winter and cool in summer. Air temperatures ranged from the middle fifties to middle sixties during my visit. I heard it seldom snows here at sea level in the winter.
Prevailing westerly winds and the mountains in central Vancouver Island make the western coast of Vancouver Island one of the wettest areas in the world. Rainfall in the Broken Group Islands averages close to 9.8 feet per year (Cincinnati averages 40 inches per year). Henderson lake 12 miles north of the Broken Group once received 21.5 feet in one year! I understand June through September is considered the dry season. During my trip there was a slight amount of rain on the sixth day and then it rained off and on the eighth, ninth and tenth days.
There is an abundance of life on land and water in this area. There are written precautions posted in many places about potential encounters with wolves, black bears, and cougars. Wolves and bears can become problems after they are fed or find garbage and associate this with humans. I saw two bears grazing on grass along side the mountain road. The most abundant animals I saw were bald eagles (dozens), ravens, and banana slugs. The banana slugs seem to be on every foot trail in the forest. They may reach 10 inches! The largest I saw was 5 inches. Many are yellow and green in color.
This area has a rich cultural history. Before Europeans arrived several groups of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation people lived along this coast and on its islands. Their population is growing today and some school classes in Euclulet are 40 percent First Nation children. Some of or part of the islands of the Broken Group Islands are First Nation Reserves. More than 170 archaeological sites are known to exist there today.
Sunday, May 13th
I again drove through the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. I walked several trails including those in rainforest, bog, and along beaches. I took numerous photographs of hugh Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, and Sitka Spruce. All three grow large in this temperate rain forest.
In the late afternoon I met the two guides from Steller Sea Kayaking, Kris Wilhelmsen and Steve Schellenberg. They met me at Bostrom’s B&B and brought over some dry bags for my gear. I brought two new tapered dry bags with me from Cincinnati and needed only one of theirs. Judy Bostrom showed Kris around the B&B and she talked Kris into inviting Steve and having breakfast with us the next morning.
Kris, Steve and I went out for a salad and some beers Sunday evening and discussed paddling and planned our five day trip among the Broken Group Islands. Kris and Steve told me this would be their first trip of the season and I was the only client this trip.
Monday, May 14th
Kris and Steve arrived at Bostroms after spending the night at a campground in Ucluelet. We had breakfast, I loaded my gear in to the van and we left for Toquart Bay. We drove out of Uclulet to Route 4, turned right and proceeded northeast about 7 miles along Kennedy Lake and then took an unmarked dirt road right to the Toquart Campground on Toquart Bay. Sometime during the 50 minute drive Kris remembered he left his jacket at the Bostroms. Kris and Steve brought along two new Seward Tyee 17 kayaks. I chose to paddle the light blue Seward and Steve paddled the dark blue one. Kris’s boat was a kevlar Current Designs Solstice. Kris and Steve also brought along a new 2-man Sierra Design Dome tent for my use.
A bald eagle called from a tall nearby tree as we took the kayaks off the trailer. We packed our kayaks and paddled south toward the Broken Group Islands. We paddled between the two Stopper Islands, brushed by St. Ines, I. continued south paddling by Hankin, I, and stopped for lunch at a beautiful white sand beach on a small island between Lovett, I. and Trichett, I.
After lunch Kris called the Park Warden by cell phone and learned the wolves are now on Gilbert, I. They move from island to island apparently looking for the small deer that live on these islands. Afternoon winds picked up as we paddled south after lunch. We paddled around Clarke, I. and Bensen, I. looking for a suitable campsite and chose the north end of Clarke. The wind was blowing and Chris said he was cold. A few minutes later he found a jacket hanging at the campsite that someone left earlier.
Chris and Steve prepared dinner as I set up my tent. Later I helped gather firewood.
We ate a supper consisting of salmon cooked with onions and orange slices, a spinach salad, and chocolate cake. We built a campfire of cedar driftwood and visited until 10:30 pm. We were serenaded by bald eagles, and four loons swimming nearby. When I walked back to my tent with a flashlight an animal began squealing loudly from near the tent. I put the flashlight beam on it and it was a mink running in circles as it made the noises. He must have run a half dozen circles before he disappeared into the darkness. That got my heart racing!
Tuesday, May 15th
I had a great sleep and woke about 7 am to sunny warm weather. The tide was out. The tide appears to run between 8 and 12 feet. The most extreme was a little over 12 feet later in the week. I saw numerous mink tracks in the sand leading to and from the intertidal zone. I also saw a raven fly from the intertidal zone with some fleshy appearing morsel in its beak. I understand wolves and bear will also find food in the intertidal zone.
Kris and Steve heated water before every meal. Mornings I had coffee but tea for lunch and supper. They make coffee using a coffee press. This press appears to be similar to those sold by Campmor, Piragis, and REI.
We had a breakfast of eggs, ham, onions, coffee, bread and jam, butter, and salsa. As we ate breakfast, a harbor seal along shore lifted its head out of the water to check us out.
We loaded our kayaks and paddled south around the outside of Benson, I., and south of Wouwer, I and Howell, I. Near Wouwer we saw California and Steller Sea Lions. The California Sea Lions are darker and the Steller Sea Lions have a more prominent brow. There appeared to be a large bull sea lion on the top of the rock acting as a sentinel. The sea lions barked at us as we paddled by.
As we paddled the open side of Woover and Howell we saw spectacular seas breaking on the rocks.
We went to Dicebox, I. for lunch. There is a burial cave on the south side of the island once used by the First Nation people. As we circled the east end of Dicebox we saw another harbor seal. We saw several more harbor seals at various times during the week, always in the water.
After lunch we cut back between Howell and Wouwer and saw more sea lions. There were also sea lions on a small rocky treeless island south of Wouwer. The water was rough out there as the afternoon wind picked up. This was the roughest water we’d seen.
When we got back to camp on Clarke the wind had shifted from the Southwest to the Northwest and was cold. We listened to the weather radio and learned showers were expected over night. We setup a tarp over the kitchen area before building a fire, visiting, and going to bed.
Wednesday, May 16th.
We woke to a cooler temperatures, mist and occasional showers. Two young ladies wrapped in rain gear arrived in a small skiff to collect fees. We were charged $6.90 Canadian each per night.
After breakfast we broke camp and packed our wet tents and tarp and paddled to Turrett, I. There we visited First Nation shell middens and observed canoe lanes at ancient village sites. There are impressive large trees on Turrett. We beached our kayaks at another midden site and walked back to the largest tree in the BGI. We saw numerous leopard and banana slugs on the path.
We then paddled to Dodd, I., had lunch and set up camp so our gear could dry out. We then paddled counterclockwise around Dodd and Willis, I. and back to camp. During this trip we paddled in the roughest seas we’d experienced caused again by the afternoon winds. During preparation of supper a mouse appeared on the table eager to dine with us.
Thursday, May 17th
After breakfast we paddled east on calm water, cut south of Onion, I. and then circled counterclockwise around Dempster, I. and Gibraltar, I.
On the south side of Gibraltar we examined three sea caves. These face the open Pacific. When the trough of an ocean swell reaches the cave mouth water runs out of the cave but when the swell crest reaches the cave mouth water runs out. Because of the constriction of the cave mouth water first appears to be pouring down a slope out of the cave and then down a slope into the cave. We entered the caves backwards paddling in reverse when the water poured out and then forward when the water rushed in.
Once we reached the north side of Gibraltar we paddled north of Jaques, I. and then through a narrow opening between it and Jarvis, I. Between these two islands is a lagoon that was once surrounded by First Nation villages. We explored the lagoon and saw abundant starfish and sea cucumbers through clear water on the sea floor. We examined several ancient fish traps and a sacred site where offerings are left. Here someone had tied a white eagle feather to a nearby tree branch.
We had lunch on Jarvis, I. A cool wind was blowing out of the Northwest and we ducked behind beach logs to stay out of the wind while eating. We shared the beach with another group of paddlers, the first we’d seen.
We then paddled back to our camp on Dodd. As usual there was a strong afternoon wind and rough water. After arriving back at Dodd and before supper we walked a path paralleling a long shell midden into the nearby forest where there are large Western Red Cedar and Western Hemlock trees.
After supper we saw another mink. It walked up from the intertidal area through our kitchen area and disappeared into the underbrush only a few feet from where Kris and I were standing. It acted like it did not see us.
Friday, May 18th.
Early in the morning Kris asked if I heard the sea lion after I went to bed the prior evening. I did not because I fell asleep quickly. Kris said it was slapping its tail in the water and it sounded like gunshots.
We broke camp, packed our kayaks and paddled north passing through the Brabant Islands and stopping for lunch on Hand Island. A short distance from our lunch site Kris showed Steve and me a culturally modified Western Red Cedar. The First Nation people sometimes split planks from a standing tree. They cut notches low and high on the tree trunk and then used wedges to remove a plank without killing the tree. The tree would repair itself but the scars remain after more than a century.
After lunch we paddled north through the Stopper Islands and back to Toquart Bay. There we unloaded our kayaks and drove back to Uclulet.
Kris and Steve dropped me off at Bostrom’s B&B. Kris picked up the jacket he left. Gary later told me Kris told him I was a strong paddler. I appreciated the complement. Kris and Steve gave me hugs and we said our good-byes.
I cleaned up and took my clothes to a laundromat. There, another customer asked me if I had two loonies for a toonie. I said no but learned later that a loonie is a $1 coin (it has a loon on it) and a toonie is a $2 coin.
After I returned from the laundromat the Bostroms invited me to dinner. Judy cooked a stuffed spring salmon that Gary caught. We enjoyed conversation before retiring.
Saturday, May 19th
Saturday I walked the Wild Pacific Trail. This beautiful walk offers panoramic views of the Pacific from Uclulet.
I drove back to Tofino for lunch and some shopping. I then spent the afternoon visiting and photographing Combers Beach, Long Beach, Schooner Cove, Rainforest Trail and the Wickaninnish Interpretive Center. The Bog Trail was closed because of bear activity. Late in the afternoon I returned to Bostroms and found a surprise in my refrigerator, a Dungeness Crab (boiled without the innards, thank you) ready to eat. It was a very tasty meal.
I then packed my gear in readiness for my trip back Sunday.
Sunday, May 20th
I said good-bye to the Bostroms. They gave me hugs and some small gifts. I won’t forget them.
I drove back up Route 4 across the mountains taking photographs along the way. It rained on and off most of the way.
I stopped in Port Alberni for lunch. This city suffered serious damage from a tsunami after the 1964 Alaskan earthquake. Port Alberni is located at the end of a 35 mile narrow inlet. Evidently the tsunami caused more damage there than the rest of the region because of the momentum of the wave and narrowness of the inlet.
I had a 5:45 reservation on the ferry running from Duke Point to Tsawwassen but managed to catch the 3:45. I was the last car permitted to board. This ferry can carry nearly 400 vehicles.
I checked into the Airport Holiday Inn Sunday evening and ate supper at a nearby Pantry restaurant.
Monday, May 21st
I caught an early Continental Airlines flight for Houston and made connections for Cincinnati where I arrived at 7:30 pm.
I had a great time on Vancouver Island. Everyone I met was friendly. The food was great and the weather was better than I expected. A good introduction to the area is available at www.longbeachmaps.com/Dmaphome.html.
The Bostrom’s were wonderful hosts. They made my stay comfortable and I very much enjoyed our long conversations. Judy and Crystal went out of their way to describe interesting places to visit during my stay. You can check out Bostrom’s B&B at www.bostromsbandb.com.
I made a very good decision in choosing Steller Sea Kayaking. The equipment was first class, the food was great, and Kris and Steve were wonderful companions for five days. They know the Broken Group because they have led many groups there. They are Level III guides, and have Wilderness First Aid & CPR training. Every time we went out they took along first aid equipment, stove, food, water, and sleeping bag in case of a injury or capsize. Kris is a professional anthropologist and has detailed knowledge of the archaeology of the Broken Group Islands. He also is a knowledgeable naturalist. Traveling with Kris is like being on a combined archaeology and biology field trip. You can learn more by visiting www. stellerseakayaking.com.
I’ve always wanted to paddle in the northwest. My interest in this area was increased after I read John Vaillant’s “Golden Spruce”. I am planning on going back to the Northwest next summer. I want to visit Alert Bay on Vancouver Island and the Vancouver Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. I am also studying the possibility of combining this with visiting and paddling in the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).
Larry Bowdre
Cincinnati, OH
Birds seen: Bald Eagles, harlequin ducks, common loons, common mergansers, ravens, and crows,
Mammals seen: mink, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, California sea lions, deer, Mammals not seen: gray whales, humpback whales, killer whales, sea otters.
Invertebrates seen: banana slugs, leopard slugs, bat stars, leather stars, ochre stars, spiny pink stars, sea anenomes, sea cucumbers, moon snails , various mussels, barnacles, and crabs
Plants seen: Bull kelp, sea lettuce, western hemlock, western red cedar, yellow cedar, sitka spruce, bosenberries, huckleberries and salal.
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