The Wild Coast of Vancouver Island

On the 6th of august the waiting finally has come to an end. Edwin, a friend of mine, and I unload our kayaks from his Ford at a boat ramp at Horseshoe Bay's harbour. My tour around Vancouver Island is about to begin.

I used to dream of a kayaking somewhere at Canada's westcoast for 10 years now. 2 years of planning this trip are lying behind me. The excitement I had in me triggered a lot of impatience during the last 2 months. Here I am now in Vancouver, about to enter my kayak and start paddling. Very simple, very intense. Edwin accompanies me the first day. From the second day on I will be on my own. I hear Edwin's Bon Voyage, as we we proceed into different directions.

I kayak through the straight of Georgia, in between islands and cliffs. A Canadian family invites me to dinner in their vacation home after only 3 days. That's how Canadians are: open and straight forward. After enjoying a last piece of cake and a coffee, I say good bye to civilization for now in the harbour of Lund. I enter the wild. Water, forrest, Mountains, the call of the loons and the sound of kingfishers. Nothing else. Calmness, lonliness and a damn good feeling.
My current calculations are a little off at the Arron Rapids and I set a new personal speed record: 14 mph. I struggle a little with the whirlpools, so I am happy with myself having passed the Rappids.