During our process for the integrated unit plan the group had initially come up with the idea to do an out trip up Indian arm to the Indian river to see Salmon spawn and build our stone traps. We had figured that since this was very close and accessible it would be an ideal field trip. We could tie in hydro electricity with the old BC Hydro power station and talk about water and salmon. As you know the fieldtrip evolved and the focus on salmon solidified and we started to move away from water as a main topic.
We eventually decided to have a much longer field trip to the Island to Sooke and spend some time hiking the Juan de Fuca trail, building stone traps on different salmon streams there and working with the aboriginal community. While this idea was much dreamier and fit much better with our new unit plan it was significantly less doable for me to take a trip and experience what we had planned to do with the students. This was for a variety of reasons. I didn’t have the six days that we had planned for since I was in school and also working. The people that were able and interested in making the journey with me also were limited by time because of work and school. I didn’t have the money required to do such a huge trip and neither did they. The ferry is expensive and renting a canoe or kayak in Victoria is more expensive and more complicated.
I decided that I would still do the originally planned trip as it made much more sense. I have also wanted to canoe up Indian Arm for a number of years and had already hiked the Juan de Fuca and kayaked around Sooke before and was interested in a new adventure.
It was decided that we would spend three days and two nights up Indian Arm and have a fantastic adventure.
I did a ton of research and preparation for this trip. I have done a lot of canoeing in lakes and on rivers but had never done a canoe trip on the ocean. All of my paddling on the ocean has been in kayaks. For logistical reasons we choose to use canoes on this trip. They were more easily available to be rented at MEC, they were less expensive and they did not require a special roof rack. We were able to rent two canoes from Thursday evening until Sunday evening for $100.00. We actually picked the canoes up early Friday morning and they loaded them onto the car for us it was awesome. We also chose to use canoes because there were five of us and we wanted to bring tons of food and three of the people on the trip didn’t have the compact camping gear needed to store things in kayaks.
I researched tides, weather, wind patterns and the best routes. For the weekend that we went it was best to leave Friday afternoon with the tide coming in with the wind to our backs. We were going to leave early Sunday morning to catch the out going tide and to avoid the stronger winds that pick up in the afternoon heading up the arm. I had packets of Indian arm maps, tide charts and safety plans for each person and enough food for a few days if we needed it.
Indian Arm Map
Here is a list of the food and gear we brought and the email that I sent the other folks in the group:
Meal plan:
Friday
Lunch: sandwiches, Jess’s salad, cookies
Dinner: cheese tortellini with tomato sauce and green salad
Treats and snacks: chocolate, watermelon, cookies and samosas
Saturday
Breakfast: oatmeal and fruits
Lunch: wraps with hummus, cheese and veg and cherries
Dinner: veggies chili, corn bread and green salad
Treats and snacks: chips and salsa and hummus, veggies and watermelon, power bars a la Jess
Sunday
Breakfast: yogurt, muffins and blue berries
Lunch: wraps or cracks with cheese, hummus and veg
Snacks and treats: cookies, trail mix, fruits
Extras: I will bring enough food for a day’s worth of extra meals in case we need it. (like soup, mac and cheese and some MEC freeze dried meals)
Other stuff we will have:
Coffee
Tea
Hot chocolate
Sugar/honey
Cream
Condiments
Juice/soda
Water
Salt/pepper
Random other things to know:
There are no fires allowed in the park so alas no s’mores this trip.
There is water only available at bishop creek and granite falls, we will bring a large water container but everyone should have their own water bottles.
Edith and I will bring:
A set of plates, bowls, cutlery, cups and such for 4 if either Jess or Tobias could bring one plate/ bowl/cutlery that would be swell
We have a pot set and a stove- Jess will bring another set of pots and Tobias will bring a larger stove – let me know if you need fuel
We have one three person tent and will borrow another three person tent from Alana. Do Jess and Tobias want to borrow one of these tents? If so could you bring your 2 person tent for Anita to use?
We have a large cooler for the food.
We have camp suds.
What everyone should bring:
Sleeping bag and air mattress
Bathing suit and towel
Some warm layering clothing and a jacket
Flashlight or head lamp
Books (okay you don’t have to but I will be)
Toiletries, sunscreen and bug spray
Dry clothing – it might get a bit wet in the canoe so wear water cloths and shoes and bring a change of stuff
If you have a dry bag awesome. We will bring our rather small one for electronics.
Hat and sunnies
Binoculars
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