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THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE watching dusk fall upon the calm waters of a harbour. The faint sounds of seagulls owls and herons. The splashing of feeding fish fleeing from the seals that hunt them. The murmurs of people having dinner on their boats and the smell of barnacles at low tide. This is the time of day that the magic of living on the ocean reveals itself and when I'm most delighted to be aboard a boat - the one I grew up on. This week's adventure takes you to a place I've called home every summer since I was a little girl. PLACE: Desolation Sound (CLICK FOR MAP) LOCATION: Okeover, BC Have suggestions for UNPLUGGED this fall? Tweet me @amberturnau. |
Our family has spent summers at Desolation Sound for two decades now. The provincial marine park, is about a 2-day sail from Vancouver or a full day of road and ferry travel to the closest mainland departure point of Okeover.
Every July, our family of four hopped aboard our sailboat Chucklyn - which was built by my parents in the 1970s and has seen its fair share of offshore adventure. For at least a month, we spent our days venturing between ports, hiking, visiting waterfalls, diving into warm lakes, fishing and paddling to our heart's content along the shorelines. It sure beat day camp and by the end of the summer our skin was nut brown; our feet toughened from shoeless adventuring.
Both in their late 60s, my now-retired parents still spend at least three months a year continuing our family tradition of exploring coastal BC.
Now an adult, I try my very hardest to escape city life for at least a long weekend to visit my parents in or around Desolation Sound. If you catch the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons first thing in the morning, then drive straight through to Earl's Cove to catch the next ferry to Powell River, you could be in Okeover between 12 and 2pm. My parents zip over in the Zodiak to pick me up and transport me back to the closest port, Grace Harbour.
Frequently visited by American and Canadian yachties and kayakers, the area that has a long history among the coastal First Nations people. Then, in the 1800s much of the region held remote logging settlements. Despite the remains of occasional turn of the century logging equipment, the second growth forests have all but covered up the human impact.
While the outskirts of the marine park are dotted with the occasional summer home or oyster farm, the charms and beauty of this pristine area are not lost on its visitors.
My favourite part about our hikes is the Huckleberries and other flora, which are often lush and plentiful in the summer months.
Paddling along the shoreline of the anchorages is a great way to spend your early mornings or late afternoons.
You don't need to own a boat to experience Desolation Sound. Many people rent sea kayaks and spend anywhere from a long weekend to multiple weeks paddling and camping in the many provincial park campsites.
Desolation Sound offers the chance to experience some of that magic BC is so famous for. And, with patchy cell reception - it is a true opportunity to get away from it all! One thing's for sure, this place will always hold a special place in my heart.
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