God's Pocket: 6 Days
Kayaking with abundant wildlife viewings. Experience the waters that draw Orcas and Humpbacks to feedDates: 6 Days
June 12-17, Aug 8-13
Aug 27-Sept 1
Meeting Place:
Port Hardy
Suitability:
Prior Mulit-Days Recommended
Cost:
$2440
God's Pocket: 6 Day Kayak Journey
God's Pocket is an exceptional area to explore and to seek out wildlife viewing opportunities. The deep upwelling of cold water and currents offer plenty of food to our larger marine mammals including the Northern Resident Orcas, Humpback whales, and Stellar Sea Lions. Knowing the times of the currents and having local knowledge is incredibly valuable to paddle this area and to at times position ourselves to view wildlife without interfering in their behaviors.
The area is known as God's Pocket because of its amazing and abundant intertidal and epipelagic zones which are blanketed with a rainbow of colors and species. Exploring these zones at our lowest tide levels will open a world to us that is nothing short of incomparable.
On the trip, all meals are prepared fresh for you and will allow you time to explore the beaches and forests or to find a nice spot to relax with a book. The equipment provided on these trips is high quality, sourced locally, and with your ultimate comfort in mind.
We will meet up the evening prior to our trip to introduce ourselves, discuss further information and hand out additional gear. The following morning, we will paddle out of Port Hardy and make our way to our first camp. We often move camps 3 times depending on the trip to allow for a greater variety of scenery. We will have a water taxi pick us up in God's Pocket on the final day and return us to Port Hardy in the afternoon. On occasion, we may water taxi out and paddle back to Port Hardy. Highlights in the area are most definitely the high probability of whale sightings, sea otters, bears and wolves and discovering the exceptional intertidal life.
If you are looking to get away from everything, this is your trip!
Where We Paddle
Day 1
We will start the trip in Port Hardy. A kayak instructional will be delivered to assure the group has a good understanding of paddling techniques and group travel. The first day will include a morning paddle, lunch and then another hours paddle in the afternoon, before making our way to our first camp.
Day 2-5
These will be full paddling days unless the weather tells us otherwise. Our days will include 2-3 hours of paddling before lunch and another 2-3 hours of paddling post lunch. The routes will vary on group, weather, water conditions and guides decisions. We will switch camps at least 3 times to give the group a greater chance to see more of the islands.
Day 6
The final day will include a full morning paddle and a water taxi back to Port Hardy. After sorting our gear it is always nice to meet in the evening at a local restaurant given everyone's schedule to share in our experiences and round the trip out. While we often plan for a water taxi pick us up in God's Pocket on the final day we sometime switch this to a water taxi on Day 1 and a paddle back to Port Hardy on our final day. For those planning to drive south on this day, we are typically wrapped up between 3-4pm. Please let us know your travel plans in advance. We will do our best to accommodate, albeit sometimes it is nicer to stay in town and soak up the trip before hurrying away.
When & Where We Meet
At this time we will review all pre-trip information, including morning departure - meeting place and time, appropriate clothing, itinerary, etc. We will also distribute dry bags, paddle jackets and water bottles for personal packing.
It is important for all participants to be present for the meeting. We find it very beneficial to the organization of the trip. We will also at this time fill out waivers and review any other medical concerns.
What is Included
- Your certified guide
- All kayaking gear and safety equipment
- Paddling jacket
- Camp chair
- Four dry-bags for your personal belongings
- Tent
- All meals and snacks
- Water taxi one way
Please ask about any extra rentals if needed
What to Bring
Clothing should include:
- 1 pair of water shoes - that can get wet and most importantly have grip. They need to have ankle straps. We recommend runners, water shoes, Keen sandals with closed toes or Crocs clogs. Closed toed shoes help against stubbing toes on rocks and cutting feet on shark objects like barnacles.
- A pair of rubber boots are optional. Perks include your feet staying dry entering and exiting the kayaks. Downside they can flood if a wave fills them. They can also be bulky to wear in a kayak or to store.
- 1 pair of land shoes - runners or another light weight shoe are great.
- 4-6 warm socks
- 1-2 shorts
- 1-2 pants (A pair of fleece pants for the evening can be nice.)
- Underwear
- 1-2 thermal underwear - like the baselayers you might wear skiing.
- 4-5 shirts - a mix of short and long sleeve
- 1-2 sweater - a light/medium weight sweater while on water.
- Evening sweater or puffy coat (nights can be cool.)
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants - not necessary but can be nice to have.
- Paddling gloves - and on land mitts for those with generally cold hands.
- Buff - for neck warmth and sun protection
- 1-2 warm hat/beanie/toque - whatever you know it as! Wool or fleece ideally.
- Sun hat
- Swimsuit - optional
Check out MEC for some good options.
No cotton or jeans. These materials can cause rapid transfer of heat away from the body when wet, and do not dry easily. Wool, or synthetics such as fleece or polyester are better options.
Other Items may Include:
- Sun glasses (with a set of straps can be helpful so you don't lose them in the water!)
- Glasses/Contacts and Solution - consider a back-up if one becomes lost or broken.
- Small quick dry towel (for swimming or drying/wiping feet at night)
- Toiletries and menstrual products - biodegradable soaps please
- Baby wipes - for personal cleaning
- A few Band-Aids
- Sunscreen/insect repellent - please spray away from others, and not on materials like tents, life jackets and paddle jackets as it leaves stains and ruins the material over time.
- Lip balm - ideally 15 SPF or more.
- Personal medications - bring extra doses of medication if is critical to you. Separate and duplicate, keeping one set with a partner or guide. A trip can be cut short if there is not enough medication to keep a client safe.
- Wide-mouthed water bottle– plastic 1L Nalgene is ideal. They float and do not scratch kayaks. It’s nice to have a carabiner clip attached. The wide-mouth is necessary for refilling out of a water dromedary.
- Electrolyte tablets – can be nice while exercising in the sun especially.
- Book/Journal - kept in a Ziplock bag to reduce taking on of moisture.
- Spirits - alcohol may be consumed after the day's kayaking only. No glass bottles please.
- Camera - small waterproof cameras are great. If you have a larger camera we find a good option is for it to be wrapped in a sweater and kept in a dry bag. It can be stored in your cockpit. Most find a hardcase is difficult to access and store.
- Battery pack and charging cables
- Ziplock bags
- Headlamp/extra batteries
- Ear plugs - if others are sleeping deeply nearby.
- Inflatable/compressible camp pillow
- Small pair of binoculars
- Sleeping bag with a 15L max compression sack - Rental option available upon booking. Includes a -10º sleeping bag and liner for $5 a day.
- Sleeping pad -that is an appropriate size for packing in a kayak. Rental option available upon booking. Includes a comfortable sleeping mat for $5 a day.
It is advisable to bring along a piece of identification, a debit or credit card and a copy of your health insurance. This can be helpful in the rare occurrence of an evacuation and can help in the facilitation of best care, possible taxi or hotel expenses etc. thereafter.
Please contact us with any further questions at info@nullwildrootjourneys.com
