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Clayoquot's uncommon kayaking
Bountiful in sea life and scenery, this B.C. sound whispers paradise
By GREG JOHNSTON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
TOFINO, B.C. -- Sea asparagus is crunchy and similar in flavor to its namesake, we found. And bull kelp fronds taste as you'd expect, like wet, salty cabbage.
But we were decidedly hesitant when our guide on a kayak tour of the intriguing marine paradise called Clayoquot Sound asked if we had ever heard of another locally abundant food item -- "bear popcorn."
I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"In spring when the bears come out of hibernation, they're hungry," explained a grinning Andy Clappis.
He flipped over a beach rock to reveal about a dozen small crabs scuttling about frantically. "These are almost pure protein. The bears crunch them up."
Bear or human, it seems impossible anything could starve on Clayoquot Sound, a rich network of tide-washed islands, estuaries, inlets and mountains about halfway up the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island.
Bountiful with oysters, clams, crabs, salmon, wildlife and scenic beauty, Clayoquot -- pronounced KLACK-kwit -- is known as a world-class kayaking destination. It is also the scene of one of the biggest environmental battles of the decade, encompassing some of North America's last and largest unlogged temperate rain forests.
"With some bias, in all reality it is still one of the most spectacular places," says Tom Stere, one of the founders of Tofino Sea Kayaking, the company we paddled with.
"It has everything from hot springs to whales, protected waters, exposed waters, and an indigenous First Nation (native tribe) deep and strong that pervades the area. There are other places more wild, but with its accessibility and everything, Clayoquot is hard to beat."
Our two-day paddle began on the waterfront of Tofino, a funky fishing town of about 1,500 and the center of commerce on Clayoquot, which is also the location of several villages of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation, once known as the Nootka tribe.
Clappis, 21, a Nuu-chah-nulth who grew up in a remote village on Barkley Sound to the south, proved an ideal guide because of his personal knowledge of the region's resources, heritage and traditions.
After a short lesson on kayaking technique and safety, we paddled in two tandems and three single kayaks to a chain of small rocky islets, past an active bald eagle nest and an occasional small and weathered houseboat. Then Clappis guided us through a narrow channel between rocky points, almost covered by a canopy of trees above, the rocks below dotted with purple and orange starfish and textured by barnacles and mussels.
We beached the kayaks nearby on a small gravel cove on Meares Island, the largest in Clayoquot, for a two-mile hike on a popular trail known as the Big Tree Trail. Townfolk from Tofino and First Nation bands built a boardwalk through an old-growth cedar forest here as part of their effort to stop plans by logging interests to clearcut large segments of Clayoquot.
Here we learned the curious story of how "CMTs" -- culturally modified trees -- helped halt the logging. First Clappis explained the importance of the red cedar to coastal natives.
"Some have called it the tree of life, because it was used for so many things," he said. "Clothing was made from the bark, baskets from the roots and whole cedar logs were used to make dugout canoes. Cedar splits easily, so split planks were lashed together for the sides of longhouses."
In 1993, the British Columbia government opened to logging two-thirds of 642,000-acre Clayoquot Sound, including its 1,000-year-old cedars. This set off fierce protests that grew to the international level and a lawsuit by First Nation bands.
"The First Nation bands said the forest was their traditional land," Clappis said. "To show that, they had Meares Island surveyed and more than 4,000 CMTs were found."
These were cedars showing signs of native use, such as stripped bark.
Ultimately the government declared a moratorium on logging Clayoquot's pristine areas, although recently timber interests, the Nuu-chah-nulth nation and some environmental groups agreed to a plan for limited, eco-friendly logging.
Local groups have been working to get Clayoquot declared a biosphere preserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in recognition of its ecological importance. An official declaration is expected in September.
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We returned to the kayaks and paddled back through the narrow cut and to a small island for lunch. Here Clappis offered samples of sea asparagus, an abundant low-growing beach succulent that many locals consume, and showed us the "bear popcorn."
Which fully explains why beach crabs scurry frantically when exposed.
After lunch, we paddled past islands and sandy shoals and across the main channel to southern Clayoquot, over two miles of open water. Here we encountered mild swells rolling in from the ocean and a light breeze.
The ocean-influenced weather on Clayoquot is often gray, wet and windy, but we were blessed by light winds, mostly clear skies and no rain.
Our stop for the night was the rustic Vargas Island Inn and Hostel, a kayaking lodge on the edge of a cedar grove, powered by propane and solar panels. The boat-in-only inn looks over a pretty sand beach and protected bay, and on our arrival another group was practicing self-rescue, rolling their kayaks and then righting them and climbing back aboard.
Vargas is another major island on Clayoquot, its western shore uninhabited, open to the Pacific and protected as a provincial park.
We secured the kayaks high on the beach, chose rooms, stowed our gear at the inn and had a chance to relax and chat. Then we enjoyed a feast prepared by Clappis and Stere, who was guiding the party that had been practicing self-rescue. And a feast it was -- grilled salmon and tuna, Dungeness crab, pasta with pesto, fruit and salad.
In the morning, we paddled along the shore of Vargas past a summer youth camp on a long sandy beach, operated by one of the local Nuu-chah-nulth bands. Two huge dugout canoes -- 40- or 50-footers it appeared -- were pulled up on shore.
I asked Clappis if he enjoyed kayaking the same waters that his ancestors paddled for centuries.
"Yes, they paddled their canoes all over, going fishing or clam digging or just for transportation," he said. "I had a client one time say, `I feel just like a First Nation person in the old days paddling around."'
Clappis became a guide after taking a five-month outdoor leadership course that got him hooked on sea kayaking.
"I grew up on the west coast of Vancouver Island, so it's sort of a dream come true. I don't have to sit in an office or pump gas," he said. "Another good part of the job is you meet really neat people, from everywhere from Tennessee to Germany."
Before breaking for lunch and then returning to Tofino, Clappis stopped along a kelp bed and pulled up a frond, urging us to sample it.
"Some people dry it and make kelp chips," he said.
We also paddled into a quiet bay where eagles waited near a nest and a pair of osprey fished, hovering 100 feet up before cocking their wings and plunging into the brine.
I realized these were among our last moments on Clayoquot, which had been all too few. It seemed way too soon to leave.
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Tofino, on Vancouver IslandŐs west coast, can be reached via ferry from Port Angeles, Anacortes or the Vancouver area, and then a drive across the island on Highway 4; figure on a full day of travel. RentonŐs Sound Flight offers direct air service four times weekly to Tofino, with the flight taking about two hours. Tofino Sea Kayaking offers day trips and multiday tours, some into the most remote spots of Clayoquot Sound. The company can be reached at 800-863-4664 or on the Web at www.island.net/~paddlers The Tofino Chamber of Commerce provides lists of other kayaking companies, salmon fishing charters, whale-watching cruises and scenic air tours. Call 250-725-3414 or visit the Web site at www.island.net/~tofino
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