Broken Group Archipelago
It has been just a week since my return and I am already wishing I was back, actually I wish I never had to leave. This was my 3rd year in The Broken Group. Keith a fellow Firefighter from a neighboring district and friend of mine joined me again this year. We wanted to do something a little different from the norm. We decided to go with all fresh food, no dehydrated food allowed for this one.
We set out making a meal plan. Disregard the fact that we are both Firefighters and like to cook, Keith actually has a cullinary background as a Chef. We had some limitations with our meal planning, we knew that water is limited in The Broken Group so we had to choose meals and foods that used less water. We also counted on harvesting a fair share of seafood as appetizers.
We thought we would start off with some hearty veggies and work the menu out from that. We brought along Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Lime, Jalapenos, Avocados, Broccoli, & Mushrooms.
To that we added the staples of Rice, Pasta, Flour Tortillas, Corn Tortillas, English Muffins, Pancake Mix and Oatmeal. We also brought along the following condiments in mini squeeze bottles: Soy Sauce mixed with Sesame Oil, Rooster Sauce, Mayo, Mustard, Tapatio, Rice Vinegar, and a Kenyon Multi Spice Shaker.
For Proteins we brought along Grass Fed Sirloin Steaks from Keith's freezer, Marinated Carne Asada also frozen, Hard Salami, Hard Cheeses, foil packed Tuna, and Frozen Sausages. The meat and other perishables were kept cold by two 2 ltr bottles that were filled with frozen water.
We only planned out our dinners and to some extent our breakfasts too. Lunches were left to whatever we wanted that day and usually consisted of some type of wrap.
We spent half a day going through the food and dividing it up in smaller baggies and vacuum sealing.
Saturday Day 1
Our plan was to leave Saturday morning right after we got off from work and catch the 12:45p ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria. This meant I had to have all my packing done Thursday as I had to work Friday. I did a dry run with packing my boat as this was to be its maiden trip with me. I soon realised that packing all of this extra food was going to take a lot of ingenuity.
Luckily neither of us had to be up all night running calls and we both got off on time. This is especially rare when you have something planned right after a shift. I drove over to Keith's house and we loaded all of his gear and the rest of the food and his boat into and on my car.
We now had a 2 hour drive ahead of us to get to Port Angeles. We arrived early so we stopped at the Crab House for a bite to eat and then walked around town and through the farmers market. Keith bought several cookies, brownies, and pull aparts. I finally caved and bought a Maple Bar with bacon bits from the local bakery.
We had to be in line an hour early for boarding. We noticed several school buses and trailers marked with Marching Band names. It turns out they were heading over to participate in the Victoria Day Parade. The boat was loaded with what seemed like 500 high school kids and their families. It was hard finding a seat.
Once off the boat we made good time to Toquart Bay where we planned on launching out of in the morning. On the way the weather forecast had changed and was telling of 20-30kts of wind by late morning. When we arrived at Toquart Bay we found calm glassy waters and swarms of mosquitoes. I threw it out there that we could pack fast and paddle for the islands tonight thus avoiding the morning winds and the possibility of having to delay our trip by a day. In the end we decided to pack and launch. We quickly emptied the car of its contents and ran it down the beach and packed the boats in record time.
The car parked and parking paid for we left the campground at around 8:30pm. Sunset was just around the corner at 9:00pm. I had been here twice before and knew that navigation lights were few and far between and soon we would loose all light.
About a half mile into our journey I spotted some movement on the beach at a creek mouth. It was a Black Bear foraging, I could not resist stopping and snapping a few photos darkness looming or not. We made it out to the Stopper Islands just as the sun officially set. You could easily make out the islands in the distance and you could even see there outline against each other. The navigation lights were already blinking. A quick check of the chart and a few bearings later and we started our 4 mile crossing to Dodd and Willis Island.
In the main channel there was a low swell of about 1-2', the water was calm and glassy and not a wisp of wind. I used the few nav lights I could see to keep track of our progress and my compass to make sure we weren't paddling in circles. The night closed in around us as we approached Willis and Dodd Islands. It was now getting very dark and we were entering an area with no lights to navigate by so I pulled out my new Garmin GPSMAP 62S Handheld GPS and verified we were at where I thought we were and got us to the Campground on Willis Island.
We arrived at the campground on Willis and there were already a couple of kayakers at the campground. We talked it over and since we were so close to Turret Island and the weather so favorable we decided to continue on.
I was glad I upgraded my headlamp. I had always just bought the cheap $19 light and it would last only a few months of use in a marine environment. Plus the cheap ones are not that bright as I figured out in a deep cave at Cape Flattery, but that is a different story. My new head lamp the Black Diamond Storm
Thievpal Channel between Willis and Turret Island proved to be the best part of the entire night. The bio-luminescent organisms were out in spades! With every dip of the paddle you could see schooling fish swimming down and out from the boat which gave the illusion of huge glowing jelly fish under the boat. It was probably the most dramatic bio-luminescent show I have seen.
With a high tide we were able to take advantage of a shortcut between Turret and Tricket Islands and found ourselves landing at the campsite just before midnight. We pulled the boats above the last high tide line and tied them off to a tree. We then unpacked our bivouac gear and made a hasty camp. By now we had both been up for 36 hours and had driven over 7 hours and paddled 8.5NM in the dark. We were tired and I was glad to be sleeping comfortably in my Hennesy Hammock!
Sunday Day 2
We awoke the next morning around 9am to the sound of lite drizzle against our shelters and to the Toll Collector for the campground asking if we were awake. Now we were! We got out of bed and paid our dues for our stay this week. We explained to the him that we paddled in late last night and he had this look of disbelief on his face. We unpacked the boats and set up our base camp there on Turret Island. This has been my standard M.O. when visiting here. The campsite is fairly well protected and affords amazing sunsets! Turret Island is also somewhat of a central location for the park so it provides a good jumping off point each day.
Once camp was setup we decided to go for a short paddle. The major winds forecasted never materialized and the forecast had them pushed forward to tomorrow morning. Conditions were still calm with light rain so we ventured out towards Tricket & Lovett then crossed over to Owens & Clarke Islands. These islands can provide hours of exploration when the conditions are low and the tide is high, especially around Clarke Island.
We landed at Clarke and I finally found the remnants of an old fireplace. For the last 2 years I have always looked for it on Benson Island in-fact I have even run into people on Benson searching for it there too. Low and behold it is right in the campground on Clarke Island. I had not stopped on Clarke before because it had been over run with boy scouts for the last 2 years. This year we met a group of guys from Seattle that have done an annual trip up there for the past 12 years. We showed up just as they were dressing a salmon fillet and preparing the BBQ, briquet's and all.
The winds started picking up a little now so we thought it best to head back to our camp before they got too strong. We arrived back at our camp after visiting a secret spot to collect the perfect sized oysters to cook over the fire. We collected wood and got a good base of coals and set up a little fire box to support my Purcell Streamside Voyageurs Grill to cook the oysters & dinner on. This night we ate Oysters, Sirloin Steaks, Broccoli, and Vegetable Rice.
Side Note: Last year we stayed a couple of nights on Gibraltor Island and found someone had left behind a small grill made out of re-bar and wire grate. It served its purpose but was large, heavy and rusty. I had a brilliant idea for my million dollar product. I would design a similar grill but it would be made out of stainless steel, smaller diameter tubing, and stored in a nylon sleeve. So when I got home I did a google search to see if it had already been made and to my disappointment it had. The grills are made by hand in Northeast Washington State and are only sold online. The quality is excellent and is exactly what I had envisioned.
Today we paddled 6.1NM and visited Paradise Beach, Lovett Island, Owens Island and Clarke Island.
Monday Day 3
We woke up to howling wind and pelting rains. I could here the kitchen tarp (Kelty's Noah Tarp) whipping in the wind. Keith was first out of bed and he went down to check on the Kitchen. He came back and reported that the tarp was still standing but things had been knocked over. I got out of my hammock and dug out my rain gear and stepped out into 20-30kts of wind and sideways rain! The direction of wind ws just right to place it right down the entrance of our little bay. The tarp was still standing but one of the corners had broken free from its anchor and was flapping in the strong winds and had knocked over the kitchen supplies into the sand.
We quickly tore down the shelter and moved it to the opposite side of the point where there was more shelter from the wind and anchored the trap in place. We then had to move the 2 rounds and plank for our table and a log to sit on plus all of our kitchen supplies. What a mess!!!
Finally out of the wind, somewhat, and sheltered from the rain I was finally able to enojoy a cup of fresh brewed coffee from my Bodum Travel Press. I got turned on to these from a couple of friends Kim & Maxine who had them on our California Coastal Trip. I have done Starbucks Via but it tends to leave a weird after taste to me. We made breakfast, a scramble of farm fresh eggs, sausage, and onions wrapped in a flour tortilla. After wards the winds were still howling and rain being driven sideways, so I made the executive decision to retreat back into our shelters and sleep out the storm. I brought along a 10L Sea to Summit Kitchen Sink and we used it to collect rain water running off the tarp. I would then store and filter the water using a Katadyn Base Camp Water Filter. We never had to worry about water shortages the entire trip. The kitchen sink made washing dishes a snap because you did not have to perch yourself on a rock over the water or wade out into it. You just collected sea water with the sink and brought it ashore to wash your dishes while your feet stayed warm and dry.
We woke around one in the afternoon and the winds and rain had subsided. We packed a lunch and our boats and set out towards Hand Island to collect Clams for tomorrow nights dinner. The original plan was stop at Hand Island on our way out on the first day but that was changed with our decision to make a night crossing. Loaded with clams and oysters we returned to our camp to find that we had been invaded. We hung the clams in a mesh bag from a tree branch over hanging the water to allow the clams to spit over night. After a while, I introduced myself once our new neighbors had become settled and found out they were from Port Angeles and Sequim. Sam and David were their names. This was David's first time in the BG and Sam had been coming here for over 20 years. It turns out they both paddle quite a bit with local legend, Chris Duff. I invited them over to our camp fire later and left them to finish unpacking.
For dinner we ate Carne Asada Tacos wrapped in corn tortillas and garnished with onion cilantro and lime.
Today we paddled 10.9 NM and visited Dodd Island Camp, Hand Island, and the Brabant Islands.
Tuesday Day 4
We woke early this morning to gray skies and calm winds. We ate a quick breakfast of Apple Cinnamon Pancakes had our morning coffee and listened to the weather report. It sounded like improving weather all week long with the usual afternoon increase in winds.
We pulled the chart out and started planning our day. Since the winds were supposed to be calm today we ventured to the outer islands of Batley, Wouwer, and Howell.
We first visited the cut between Batley and Wouwer to see if we could find any Sea Lions. None were to be found but there was still plenty of other interesting stuff to see. I poked my nose out to see what conditions were like on the outside of the islands were and found a swell of 4-5' and winds of 10kts with confusing clapotis near shore. Given the conditions and Keith's level of comfort we stayed inside and paddled over to the cut between Wouwer and Howell.
I was following the south east shore of Wouwer when I came around a corner and spied a dog standing on the rocks. At first I thought what the hell is a dog doing all the way out here and then recognized the tell tale signs of the dog actaully being a wolf. The give away was the tall thin legs. I quickly and quietly pulled out my Canon S100 in a Canon Waterproof Case from my whisley hatch and started taking several pictures hoping that a few would turn out. Wolves it turns out have been in the Broken Group for many years but it is rare to see them. The lone wolf seemingly uninterested in us nonchalantly walked around the point and out of sight.
We continued over towards Howell and took a few photos of the few Sea Lions hauled out on the rocks before continuing on our Journey. From Howell we crossed over to Dicebox and landed for a quick break and snack. We both felt good and thought we would push onto Jaques and Jarvis to see the lagoon nestled between the islands.
We paddled through the Faber Islets which is essentially a rock reef that is exposed at low tide and partially covered at high tide. It is a really neat and adventurous place to visit but keep in mind it is exposed to the ocean swell and SE winds. After a little surf push through the Faber Islets we journeyed past Onion, Mullen, and Keith Island before finally reaching Jacques Island. The passageway on the west side of the island will be high and dry at a tide of less than 6' or 2 metres. We passed through at high tide and had plenty of water. I have been through this cut at low tide and the passage way was so narrow the sides of the boat scraped against the barnacle and we had to push ourselves through with our hands as there was no water for our paddles.
Once in the lagoon we floated over the ancient fish traps located in the SE corner of the lagoon. We stopped and had lunch on one of the ancient canoe launches and watched as a guided tour group paddled through. The sun finally decided to make an appearance. We left the lagoon and headed over to the NW side of Jarvis where there are some winding protected waterways that we explored.
With the sun out the waters turned emerald green and turquoise blue so I got a wild idea of mounting my GoPro HD Motorsports Hero to the bottom of my boat to catch some of the underwater sights. I use the motor sports kit because it comes with the suction cup mount and the camera can then be placed anywhere on the boat it can find suction, including the bottom hull. I have used it in surf and have never had it ripped from the hull, moved yes, but never removed. I still attach a lanyard just in case because I know sooner or later the sea will try and claim it.
We crossed over to the Tiny Group which is like a little oasis of white shelled beaches and tropical looking waters. This is a must see for anyone going to the Broken Group. Another break and quick snack we decided to head back to camp. We crossed in between Turtle and Dodd Island and took advantage of the shortcut between Turret and Tricket. This time the tide was going out and right at the lower level of 9' to cross. It turns out we made just in the nick of time. We had only a few inches of water under the hulls but made it through without having to portage.
Back at camp we set out our clothes to dry in the sun while Keith prepared some awesome Homemade Clam Chowder and I baked some Beer Bread in my new GSI Dutch Oven. This was the first time I have used it and it was a last minute item to bring. The bread was cooked perfectly without any burning and popped right out of the oven. Our neighbors came over and shared some of their fresh caught ling cod with us as we swapped paddling stories by the fire.
Today we paddled 16.3 NM and visited Batley, Wouwer, Dicebox, Faber Islets, Mullins, Onion, Keith, Jaques, Jarvis, The Tiny Group, Turtle and Willis Islands.
Wednesday Day 5
We woke up and made coffee. Keith prepared a hash for breakfast with potatoes, red peppers, onions, and fried eggs. Keith wanted some nav exercise so I set him up with the weatehr forecast for the day and a destination of Prideaux Island and the Bay on Nettle Island as I had not been there before. Keith was left with the task of inding an appropriate route their and back given the forecasted conditions and tides for the day.
We left our campsite and headed south around Turret Island where we sighted 2 gray whales feeding off the south east end of turret island. Unfortunetly they were all business and at the surface only long enough t catch a breath before diving again, so I was unable to catch a picture this time. . .
We ran up the SE side of Turtle Island and found small waterfall that is probably only active a day or two after heavy rains. We crossed over near the Tiny Group and Keith decided to try for the cut between Jacque and Jarvis eventhough the tide was already below 6'. We ended up having to get out of the boats and dragging them through the cut.
We crossed over to Prideaux Island and explored a few of the inlets and had yet another short portage over an exposed cut. We continued exploring some of the intersting narrow passages around the NW side of Nettle before exploring the large bay on the SW of Nettle Island. The bay on nettle island is surrounded by steep rocky shores with trees to the waterline. We landed on Island 21 which was protected from the NW winds and bathed in the warm sunlight. We took a lunch break here. From Island 21 you can look SE at the Wardon's Floating Station which we visitied after our lunch break.
Keith did a good job choosing a route back to take advantage of the lee of the islands. The NW wind was in our face the enitre time at 10-15 Kts. On our way back we met up with David and Sam as they were returning from the outside of Gibraltor Island. We paddled with them up to Turtle Island before we peeled off to visit Salal Joes old homestead.
We crossed Thievpal Channel again hoping to utilize the gap between Turret and Tricket and with a little bit of luck and fancy boat work we were once able to get through the cut without getting out of the boats. David and Sam went out and took the passage way by Lovett Island and we both arrived back at camp about the same time. We finallly were able to get all of our clothes and paddling gear dried in the sun and oh what a great feeling that was!
Tonight we had Oysters for starters and finished with a Jones Island Smoked Salmon Pesto and fresh baked bread. We shared our oysters with Dave and he later shared some fresh Ling Cod Tacos with us! Boy did we eat good on this trip or what.
Today we paddled 14.1NM and visited the Tiny Group, Jacques, Jarvis, Treble, Prideaux, Nettle, Keith and Willis Islands.
Thursday Day 6
Today was going to be a shorter day after 2 days of near 15NM we chose to go back out to Benson and Clarke and do some hiking on the islands for a little variety. Breakfast today was down and dirty with Egg McMuffin Sandwiches. We paddled a straight shot out to Benson Island. The tide was low but coming in so we got to see some exceptional tide pools along the North side of Benson.
I found a small patch of HUGE brightly colored Sea Urchins near the beach we were landing at so I parked the boat put on a surf hood strapped my snorkeling mask on and hooked my camera to my wrist and swam back out through the kelp fields to the Sea Urchins to get some video and stills underwater. As luck would have as soon as I started taking video the battery went from 3 bars to low in 30 seconds. DRAT! So I started to slowly make my way back to the beach swimming through kelp fields. It was surreal, the blades of kelp flowing in the current, the sunlight reflecting off the bottom and then I came across a school of brightly color perch darting through the stands of kelp.
It was at this point that I realized my right arm vas getting VERY cold and WET. I stopped site seeing and swam back to the beach. Out of the water I felt a pool of water in my right arm. As I was undoing my zipper I inadvertantly raised my right arm and the cold water went rushing down my body BURRRR! Luckily I had a complete set of dry under clothes I was able to switch into. I found two pin holes in my dry suit under the shoulder pocket. Don't know how they got there. There were no abrasion marks over the pocket on the outside and I only kept a day/night flare and energy bars in that pocket.
We secured the boats above the high tide line and I set out my wet clothes to dry in the sun as we hiked over to the other side of the island. We visited the House Post that The First Nations Placed on Benson Island in 2010. We explored the rocky beach on the west side of the island and found high perches that afforded us some spectacular views of the coast. It was a great day to be exploring the coast.
We left Benson Island and headed over to Clarke via the NW passageways. These can only be accessed at high tides as this whole area becomes dry at low tides. This is a very beautiful and interesting area. Clarke island is truly one of the most serene campsites in the park and because of this it can be one of the busiest. We stopped on a white sandy beach for lunch before heading back to camp for the evening.
Keith made a tasty vegetable stir fry for dinner. Both of us were all oystered out so we skipped those tonight. We talked about packing up camp in the morning and heading over to Hand Island for our last night. We did this last year and it worked out well because it cuts your paddling distance in half on your last day making it much easier to catch an earlier ferry home.
We were finally treated with an amazing sunset. Keith myself Dave and Sam with drinks in hand sat on the rocky shore facing west looking out towards Ucluelet as the sun dropped below the horizon. We got a special treat as a couple of Gray Whales came into the bay and were feeding during the sunset. It was a fitting last night night on Turret Island.
Today was only 6.5NM and we visited Benson, Clarke, Owens, Lovett, and Tricket Islands.
Friday Day 7
Quickie breakfast today consisted of a heated chocolate breakfast shake and an energy bar. We tore down camp and packed our boats in no real hurry as we planned to only get to Hand Island today and maybe the Pinkertons.
With the boats loaded and heavy again we made our way to Hand Island via the NW side of Tricket, Willis, & Dodd Islands. We made an exploratory stop in the Brabant Islands as I had never really explored the coast line there. We then headed out along the NW side of Hand Island which has some interesting rock features and passages.
We pulled up on Hand Island just as a lone paddler came in from Toquart Bay. We settled into the camp on the NW tip of the island as it had trees suitable for a Hammock. I took a gamble and left my rain fly off. The weather forecast called for a ridge of high pressure to settle in today and build through tomorrow, so I felt fairly confident about not getting rained on. The beach was so warm and winds so calm Keith and I both settled in for a mid morning nap on the beach which lasted until late afternoon. Now it was too late to explore the Pinkertons and be back in reasonable amount of time. So we explored Hand Island by foot visiting the marshy lagoon trying to locate an old steam donkey engine used for logging back in the day.
Dinner the last night was supposed to be Curry Vegetables but the curry sauce didn't hold up to well so I made another plate of stir fried veggies and rice. The sunset tonight was no where near as dramatic as last nights but was still a gorgeous site to watch. Tonight we packed the boast back up with what we could leaving out only our bivouac gear and paddle clothes. Breakfast in the morning would be energy bars.
I settled into the Hammock and set my alarm on my phone for the first time of the trip. We wanted to be up by 5AM to give us enough time to get to the ferry in Victoria without feeling rushed. The skies stayed clear all night long and it was great to watch the stars pass by through the mosquito netting in my hammock.
Saturday Day 8
As luck would have it I did not need to set my alarm. I was awakened by a brilliant but short lived sunrise that painted the skies and water a brilliant red and purple. I tried to rush out of hammock to catch a picture but by the time I was up the colors already began to fade and then my alarm went off. We got our shelters broken down, stuffed and packed in less than 30 minutes which was good because the mosquitoes were out for the first time and they were annoying! On the water we sliced through glassy waters and arrived at Toquart Bay just before 7AM.
Greeted again with mosquitos we quickly unpacked the boats carried the gear and then the boats to the car and loaded the car up in about 30 minutes. Can you say motivated! I had a fresh changes of cotton clothes in the car and a fresh bag of fresh bath wipes. It felt good to be somewhat clean and in clean clothes. Now just 7 hours of driving and 1.5 hours of waiting in the ferry line and a 1.5 hour ferry ride ahead of us.
Will I do it again? YOU BET I WILL!