– by Suzanne Morphet –
Journey is looking for something. The big blonde mutt wades chest-deep in the clear green water. Occasionally he plunges his head under the surface, but whatever he’s after is faster than he is.
I watch, amused, from the open-air timber frame cabana where guests can help themselves to coffee and tea, read a book, stretch out on a yoga mat or simply watch a dog at play.
It’s another laid-back start to the day on Maurelle Island, one of the Discovery Islands near Campbell River. There’s no ferry service, no utilities, and almost no people. But there are giant cedars and Sitka spruce, bald eagles, crystal clear water lapping the shoreline and spectacular kayaking through channels that team with life. In other words, a piece of paradise.
Arriving in the rain a few days earlier, and wading ashore at mucky low tide, I wasn’t so sure. But entering the forest was a magical moment. The rain stopped – or at least it seemed to. “The trees capture 45 percent of the rain,” explained Cristina Fox, who was standing on shore with her baby daughter to greet me and five other guests.
Fox, and partner Brody Wilson, have based their business – Go With the Flow Kayak Adventures – on Maurelle, the same Island where Brody grew up. His was one of those idyllic childhoods spent outdoors: running through the forest, swimming in the ocean and fishing and foraging for food. At 11, he learned to kayak and now he leads guided tours through some of B.C.’s most beautiful seascapes.
But it’s their home base that captures attention first. The setting is delightful: what looks like a dark and impenetrable forest from the water opens up into a light-filled space the size of a cathedral. Pine-needle paths wind through a tangle of native ferns, salal and huckleberry bushes and lead to three cedar cabins and a large white teepee.
Even though it’s completely off the grid, this place has plenty of comfort. Sunlight pours through an open-ended cedar structure housing showers and modern vanities. With fluffy white towels and bathrobes, it feels like a spa in the wilderness. And did I mention wine and appies every afternoon in the wood-fired hot tub?
But it’s the kayaking I came for. Three provincial parks lie within easy paddling distance – Octopus Islands to the north, Main Lake to the west and Surge Narrows to the south. We devote a day to each, stopping to picnic and swim along the way.
We admire pink and purple starfish clinging to the rocky shorelines in Surge Narrows as we paddle leisurely through at slack tide. At Octopus Islands we explore the always-open driftwood art gallery and add to the collection while Brody dives for crab for dinner. We greet sunbathing seals on our way to Main Lake at the north end of Quadra Island, the closest we get to civilization. On our hike through the forest there, Liana Turrin, a corporate lawyer from Toronto, pauses. “The air smells different here,” she says.
No kidding. The air, the trees, the water … life is good. Especially from this vantage point.
Go With The Flow Kayak Adventures offers all-inclusive four- and five-day Luxury Base Camp tours ($1,269 and $1,499 per person respectively based on double occupancy). See www.kayakingbritishcolumbia.com or call 1-888-435-2925 for details.
