My original plan for Desolation Sound was to string together a series of twenty-mile days to visit the head of Toba Inlet, then return to Lund.
Toba Inlet is a known area for sasquatch. I thought fall might be a good season to find the creature, because there’d be fewer people about. I’d had excellent success sasquatch-watching this time of year along other parts of the coast, so I had high hopes for this trip.
I naively hoped the high mountains would keep any fall storms out of Desolation Sound. They did not. I made it only as far as the Curme Islands before I was forced to take a weather day. Even in the relatively protected Curmes, a southeast gale was able to reach in and touch me, and I spent Sunday night with my feet up, propping my tent to prevent a thirty-knot wind from pressing it flat on top of me.
Route map. I took the last available free parking spot at Lund.
A worsening forecast persuaded me to return south to the Copeland Islands and hole up again, this time to escape predicted forty-five-knot winds. Luckily, I was able to shelter from this howler by meticulous site selection on North Copeland, and my second weather day was much more relaxing. Still, my itinerary was blown to hell, and there was no way I could even reach the mouth of Toba, much less explore the whole thing. I decided to come home a day early.
Despite the missed opportunity to find sasquatch, the trip was great. I got one of my closest humpback whale encounters, a whopper feeding on what appeared to be herring near Sarah Point, just at the entrance to Desolation Sound. Sea lions, marbled murrelets, and a small, distant pod of orcas rounded out the wonderful wildlife of this trip.
Best of all, I had the whole sound to myself, further heightening my enjoyment.
Red-necked grebe at Lund. Daylight was so brief, I wasn’t able to reach Lund from Seattle before nightfall. I stayed at Edwin’s lovely hostel in Powell River to get a predawn start on Sunday.
Early morning harbor seals at Sevilla Island. In the dim light, the birds and animals were less frightened by my silent passage than they would have been during daylight.
Entering the Copeland Islands. I was happy to see the Copeland Islands on my way north. It had been too long.
Male harlequin ducks in Copeland Islands. Most seabird species were already wearing their duller winter plumage, but these gentlemen added a touch of color.
Steep, foggy walls of Thulin Passage, Malaspina Peninsula. Surprisingly, flood tides seemed to run south. I had guessed they’d go north, so I had to fight them the first day. Luckily, they were weak in this area, even during this time of the new moon.
Steller sea lion surfaces for air. The sea lions were highly inquisitive, to put it mildly. This one approached me underwater, and I was briefly concerned about a ramming!
Diving humpback whale at Sarah Point. This fine creature welcomed me into Desolation Sound. It was tail-slapping the water, apparently to stun prey.
Black turnstones and humpback whale. Winter birds and winter mammals dominated the sound to a much greater extent than humans.
Crossing Desolation Sound toward Mink Island. I love the fall-time palate of grays in our part of the world.
West Curme Island. If it weren’t for BC Parks’s tent platforms, camping in the small Curme Archipelago would be difficult or impossible.
Alex in the Curme Islands. What a pleasure it was to have this miniature paradise all to myself. I spent the weather days reading science fiction novels on my Kindle.
Oysters in the Curme Islands. At low tide, it was possible to walk between some of the Curme Islands.
Rainbow at West Redonda Island, Desolation Sound. I was surprised how little the high mountains seemed to impede the storm winds. Once the low-pressure systems began to hit, it was all chop, all day.
Desolation Sound in the wake of a cold front. With more weather systems on their way, I decided to bail out rather than risk getting stranded, even in so lovely a place as this.
Looking back toward Mink Island, Desolation Sound. This area is one of the best in Canada for wildlife and wild vistas.
Looking for campsite, Copeland Islands. It’s too bad I missed Toba Inlet, but it gave me more time to enjoy special places like this.
Sunset in Copeland Islands. Thursday morning was a bit of crawl back to Lund from North Copeland, fighting a 15-knot headwind and a half-knot adverse current. It was midnight before I made it back to Seattle.
It had been seven years since I’d last visited Desolation Sound, and I was glad to have gone back. I still want to explore Toba Inlet, so next time, I’ll schedule a few more days and wait for a lengthy weather window. Sasquatch won’t escape me again!
—Alex Sidles