Sept 3 - Bamfield Trip Report

 15 members of the PGOSA Paddlers met up in Port Alberni at 8:30 a.m. September 3rd, 2024, and proceeded as a convoy out to Bamfield.  Enroute, we stopped at Sarita Lake. 

 

By 10:30 a.m. the group was on the water at Grappler Inlet 

 

Mermaid in Grappler Inlet

and headed over to the Coast Guard Station on Bamfield Inlet.  Wind and wave conditions were good. 

 

Once we arrived, we were there to witness the arrival of the Francis Barclay coastal steamer from Port Alberni, a great photo op.

 

 

 We headed into Bamfield Inlet along the boardwalk side of Bamfield 

 

and encountered a huge sea lion smacking a sizable fish around - he seemed not too concerned by our presence.  After that, we went in search of a local bear but alas, she was not to be found.  Eventually, we came to the head of Bamfield Inlet and stopped for lunch. 

 

Some of the group hiked a short distance overland to a wild pebble beach on the ocean side of the peninsula.

 

After lunch, on the way back, a very high tide permitted some exploration of narrow waterways and wild islands, 

 

and there were views of eagles, herons, kingfishers, and ospreys. Before we finished the day, some of us investigated Barge Bay and discovered a derelict homestead, a small fish hatchery, and another big sea lion close up.

 In all, we paddled a total of 9.8 miles (15.8 km) with some of us paddling a shorter distance of 11.4 km. On the way back, some of the group stopped off for a walk along romantic Pachena Beach just a few miles south of Bamfield. 

 

 

Most of us arrived home by dinnertime.

 Many thanks to Jim and Pam Swanson for acting as sweeps, and Ron Stephenson for checking out various passages for navigability. 

 Thanks to Lil, Chris, Pam and Donna for the photos of the trip.

 

Trip Report completed by Harvey Pearson