Trip Leader: Ken Bigelow
Participants: Selena Chong, Sherron Soo, Tracy Cook, Maureen Benzon and Maureen Cureton (Mo)
Led by Ken “Bam-Bam” Bigelow, six intrepid paddlers met up at a campsite in Port Hardy on July 10th for an 8-night adventure in and around God’s Pocket / Deserters Group Marine Park.
After a relaxed evening in Port Hardy –albeit with frequent checking of weather forecasts—we packed our kayaks the next morning and set off handrailing along the north coast. Rated 3C+ we were prepared for a challenging 12+km paddle, but the seas were surprisingly calm for our crossing past Duncan Island and Hurst Island to our first destination in God’s Pocket: Nolan Point on Balaklava Island (not to be confused with Baklava Island😉).
While rain threatened, we were instead rewarded …with our first sightings of Humpback whales. Momma & baby entertained us –breaching and rolling as Maureen B commented: What did you do on Saturday? We sat and watched whales play.
Nolan Point was a great campsite –and our trip leader, Ken, rigged up a nice big tarp above our kitchen area –in case that rain showed up.
We stayed on Nolan Point for 3 nights, exploring Brown’s Passage and Christie Passage and circumnavigating Balaclava Island. Our trip leader was keen on fishing –and why not –everywhere we paddled fish were jumping out of the water. After a fishing rod mishap, Ken fashioned a new fishing “rod” out of a piece of driftwood & fishing reel.
And we were rewarded again –this time with fish tacos for dinner!
Ken caught Ling cod and other mystery fish, and Sherron assisted with prep. Ken made up a batter and fried our fish, and Sherron made fish head soup and steam fish with leftovers. We feasted!
Every day on our paddles, Tracy –our compadre from Ontario—announced she wanted to see porpoises today…or more whales…or sea lions. She seemed to conjure them up because, sure enough, every day delivered another wildlife show: Humpbacks, seals, sea lions …and sea otters chillin’ on their backs. We also had porpoise sightings –some so close they swam under our kayaks!
Eagles and oyster catchers, and other birds were further delights. A mother & baby pheasant wandered around near our camp kitchen every day–oblivious to our presence, and at low tides we handrailed past amazing intertidal marine life (I’m still not sure what some things were).
We heard there were wolves on the island –but Ken was the only happy camper to encounter one. It wandered by his hammock one evening and Ken greeted it with “Hey buddy”. Then he yelled “wolf” and Selena sprinted towards his campsite, while others cowered in their tents (ok, so that was me).
No wolf sightings on our 3rd night, but we wrapped up the day with a campfire down below the high tide. We toasted marshmallows and other treats made the rounds, and watched more whale off shore.
Later that eve, some of us were lucky enough to have a really up-close encounter with a Humpback that swam into our bay and breached just off shore as we washed our evening dishes. The whale’s big tale was so close we could almost touch it.
After 3 fantastic nights on and around Balaclava Island we packed up and paddled to Belle Island. We encountered a kayak tour group that had just left Belle. They told us they heard wolves howling every night.
Later a wolf-watching tour boat past by as we camped on Belle Island. They told us they’d spotted two wolves at the north end of our island. So, some of us hiked around Belle in search of wolves. While we saw evidence of wolves living on the island, there were no more exciting encounters. Maureen B and Ken commented that the wolves were probably slyly watching us while we wandered in search of them.
Our daily paddles around Belle, Heard Island and the Gordon Islands did not disappoint. The parade of Humpback whales and other marine life continued. Most days were cloudy and misty but the sun showed up one day and Ken offered a reward for anyone brave enough to swim in the chilly waters. Sherron and Tracy took up the challenge. Maureen B also waded in to wash her hair. Selena and Maureen C (Mo) supervised from shore.
The next day, after a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes (for some), the plan was to spend another day paddling off Belle and then pack up and paddle to Cattle (or Caddle) Island the next morning. However, the forecast was for rain …and it delivered.
The rain started by early afternoon. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights.
OK, maybe I exaggerate.
Rather than pack up in the rain…and set up a new camp in the rain, we opted to stay a 3rd night on Belle Island. So, after a more relaxed breakfast, we set off in our kayaks to do some more exploring. Before too long we were greeted with thunder and lightning. As the booms got louder, that was enough for a vote to return to land.
We huddled around the old wooden camp table (apparently a campsite fixture for the past twenty years)—and spent the afternoon eating, drinking, swapping stories, and pretending we didn't have wet feet.
The rain was kind enough to let up by morning so we could pack up our wet tents and tarps. After one more camp breakfast, packed our boats and set off to paddle back to Port Hardy.
As we crossed back toward Vancouver Island, the group scanned the waters for whales. Just as we’d about given up—we spotted fins. Orcas this time! Three of them gracefully swimming by. What a fantastic way to end a wonderful week in God’s Pocket.
Thanks to Ken for organizing such a memorable trip. His knowledge of the area made us all feel safe, and the fish tacos and blueberry pancakes were a bonus. As a new member of SKABC this year, I am so grateful for this amazing experience –and enjoyed spending time with such terrific kayaking companions. Big “thank you” to Ken, Selena, Sherron, Tracy & Maureen B.
God’s Pocket was heavenly indeed.
