Spring Island Explorer: 4 or 5 Days

Overview

The calm of a rugged coastline

Our guests always recommend coming for as long as possible! That said, if you can't fit in our 7-Day package, our 4 and 5-Day Spring Island Explorer packages are fantastic options for unwinding and tasting the wonders of this remote west coast location.

Our daily routines flow with the tides, weather, and wildlife. Taking full advantage of the comforts and conveniences of our base camp, each day's outings by sea kayak and foot allow us to share nearby highlights, including:

• curious Sea Otters and other marine mammals, including the possibility of Humpback, Grey, Minke and Killer Whales
• Tufted Puffins, Bald Eagles, Osprey and other marine birds
• Black Bears foraging along the shoreline
• inviting shell beaches on rocky islets laden with marine life in tide pools
• giant Sitka Spruce trees topped with the massive nests of Bald Eagles
• picturesque sunsets and sunrises like nowhere else on the coast
• historic and current village sites of the local First Nations people
• watching some of the most spectacular surf-pounded shores off the West Coast of Canada

Sea Otter viewing

Our guides enjoy sharing knowledge and skills, which includes learning from you! We are committed to helping you to feel comfortable if in a kayak for the first time, or to further developing your confidence and competence if already an experienced kayaker.  When on interpretive walks, if we don't have answers for your many questions, we'll try to find out more in our substantial resource library at the base camp.

Date & Rates - please contact us if you have specific dates that you don't see available on our schedule. We may be able to adjust our schedule to suit yours!

What's Included?

Itinerary

Day 1

• Massive log jams up Clanninick Creek

  Depending on your travel choice, you will arrive at our Base Camp on Spring Island in the early afternoon, greeted by our staff and introduced to the 24/7 flow of tea, coffee, or juices and the always available fruit bowl and snacks.
• After you've been shown to your waterfront tent site, everyone receives an orientation to our facilities, including how to use to the waterfront propane heated shower.
• We listen to the interests of each guest - "what are you most looking forward to experiencing with us?" ... and then begin activities that will suit the collective and individual interests: maybe a guided forest walk to stretch travel legs and enjoy beach-combing on some of British Columbia's most magnificent shorelines, or maybe an introduction to the kayaks with basic strokes and an afternoon paddle among sheltered islets.
• Yummy appetizers lead to a satisfying dinner well beyond what most expect while camping.
• Evening activities are usually less structured, providing you with time to fully experience what you're after - social time around the fire or on the beach with friends, family and staff; games in the kitchen shelter or meadow (bocce or ladder golf); sunset walks; reading, sketching, or journaling; or sitting still in a quiet place, watching the gentle rhythm of the waves.

Day 2 onward

• You might be woken by the caress of waves on the cobblestone beach, the morning mew of a sea otter pup in the bay, the call of a bald eagle overhead ... or simply the need to stumble out of the comfort of your tent to find a coffee to say hello to the day.
• After a tasty wholesome breakfast, we typically head out mid-morning to paddle through islet clusters, destined for an island, beach, forest trail, or nearby estuary to explore. We are surrounded by a myriad of route options, most offering perfect sand and crushed shell beaches for breaks, lunch stops, beach combing, exploring tide pools and rocky outcrops, or "savage lounging" (the paradise of a rejuvenating afternoon nap on an island in the pacific!).

• Enchanted Sitka Spruce meadow on a remote island

  You may choose to take the day off from paddling and just relax or explore Spring Island by foot while others paddle.  
• On the water, we are likely to encounter Sea Otters while paddling near the calm waters of prolific kelp beds. And we are frequently greeted by jumping Salmon, snorting Sea Lions, or squadrons of Black Oyster Catchers.
• Our kayaking options include a variety of routes, distances, shoreline types, and sea conditions to satisfy the range of guest interests and comforts.
• Arriving back at the quiet bay of our camp around 4:00 p.m., there may be the opportunity to practice specific kayak skills (strokes, or for the hardy, re-entry techniques or the basics of rolling a kayak).
• After some evening appetizers, you may choose to go for a refreshing swim, wander the trails, settle onto the warm beach stones with a drink in hand, enjoy a hot shower, or visit by the fire (or if it's cooler and raining, by the warmth of the woodstove in our kitchen shelter).
• With a scrumptious dinner in belly, evenings are often enjoyed around the campfire, or with a sunset walk to the exposed west side of Spring Island.
• We also have the option of unparalleled sunset paddling, full moon paddling, or night-time paddling in the darkness lit up with the magical underwater glow of bioluminescence swirling off each paddle stroke.
• Your 3-4" foam mattress and bed will eventually lure you to rejuvenate for the next day's adventures.

Last Day

• Views from our base camp

  As per previous days, we have the morning to explore a little closer to camp:  possibly a sunrise paddle (optional for early birds!), or a circumnavigation of Spring Island or nearby Aktis Island if the conditions are suitable.
• If not yet done, we can also enjoy a morning walk through a moss-laden old-growth forest trail to visit ancient Western Redcedar trees - this feels like you're stepping into another world on Spring Island.
• After our last lunch together and goodbyes, it's time to take the spirit of your Spring Island experiences home.  This is also a good time to start scheming and planning your next visit - many of our guests have returned over 6 times, and some as many as 20 times!
• Depending on your travel arrangements, you will depart from our beach in the early afternoon by water taxi or float plane, ready to visit us again! ... And feeling like you've truly had a west coast adventure holiday full of memories to carry you through the year.