at impossible heights above the tide line, thrown there by an unfor- giving sea.
But what makes the coast so dangerous in winter, also makes it
come alive for the paddler in summer.One moment you’re in a val- ley of green water; the next you’re on a crest so high you can see for miles along the shoreline. Offshore breaks swirl as a wave top passes, then the level drops, exposing huge mussels, starfish, giant barnacles and bull kelp, clamped to an anchoring reef.Water pours off exposed rocks until the trough passes. Then the basalt disap- pears beneath another green surge. In a kayak you can stand off a few metres in perfect
safety.As a mariner, it would send the fear of Beelzebub up your spine to watch those teeth appear and vanish in the restless swells.
And then there’s Plan B As any back packer will tell you, the West Coast weather, even in
summer, can be variable. If you’re out for a week and it turns wet, you don’t have a lot of options, apart from just keeping on going. Not so, if you have launch support and a home base. If it dawns foggy or windy,a good way to spend the day is to slip
across Alberni Channel (25 minutes in a kayak,5 in the launch),and play in the Deer Group of
islands.Several of these forest-capped out- crops are limestone, with arches, sea tunnels and deep sea caves.
There are surge channels so narrow you have to deck your paddles and push yourself through using your hands. Inside these dark places it’s cool and quiet, even on hot summer
days.The Pacific swells barely reach the twilight
zones.The kayaks lift and fall gently, as though the ocean itself is breathing in some deep, dark rhythm. Brilliant sea anemones and purple starfish cling to the sheltering
walls.At the back of the caves, gentle swells curl and break in diminutive surf,submerging polished marble boulders. Water drips from high ceilings, making loud plopping sounds. It’s a magical world, where visitors tend to whisper, as though they’re somehow intruding on a sacred place. Perhaps they are. On a more urbane level, we’ll pass through the aptly named
Robber’s Channel, where the burned out hulk of Greenpeace’s famous Rainbow Warrior lies at anchor. Still blackened from the bombing and subsequent fire that sent her to the bottom of a New Zealand harbour (courtesy of the French Secret Service),her rusting bow shows the marks of her
trade.And on the bridge,smoke-grimed but still visible are the flags of ships rammed and sunk, during an age when environmental militarism was still in its infancy.
Getting the balance right While the days are filled with the salt water and damp air of the
West Coast Trail, the evenings don’t have to be more of the same. After a long hard soak in the hot tub at Tyee Lodge,we emerge to
photos from far left: The Tyee Lodge Sous-chef presents guests with appetizers of oysters baked in Cinzano and herbs; Guests enjoy a delectable three course dinner served on the lodge deck with a view of the setting sun; The hot tub entices weary paddlers for a soak before bed. photos by Rick Hudson.
ADVENTUREkayakmag.com 35
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