Georgie Lake at last

Georgie Lake sunset SR601300

Georgie Lake sunset

When I was starting to plan my journey to the north end of Vancouver Island, I had seen that Georgie Lake rec site was the farthest north site on Vancouver Island that was still fairly close to civilization and paved roads. I mentally had this location as a goal for how far north I would go at the minimum. But my previous attempt to visit had been thwarted by snow. This time, I was sure the snow would be gone, I would finally make my northern destination for my winter travels on Vancouver Island.

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Sointula, a village with European flavor

Pysähdy Finnish for stop PXL_20220309_231839881

Finnish translation on sign in Sointula

I saw from the forecast that the day was going to be sunny, perfect for heading into the village of Sointula and snapping a few, no, a lot of pictures along the way! I could do a little resupply run to the Sointula Coop, and see what services were available in town for me. If I could do a full resupply here, I might stay on Malcom Island a little longer. Continue reading

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Exploring Beautiful Bay

Beautiful Bay Trailhead PXL_20220307_233157405 I started my hiking in the Bere Point Campground by heading over to the Beautiful Bay trailhead, right across from my RV. Being this close was a minor negative to my campsite, as people going to walk the trail would be parking here close to my RV. But hey, internet signal where I am, and camper in the other direction. I decided for my first hike to just go to the viewing platform and to the beach access beyond that, coming back via the beach for a nice little loop. I planned to explore the rest of the trail when I had a full day to devote to it. Continue reading

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Bere Point: oceanside camping at its finest

Haddington Island PXL_20220307_211938964

Haddington Island

My long stay around Kidney Lake was done. I was going to take a ferry to Malcom Island, and head for Bere Point Campground – one the locals had told me it was really nice. I could see that the town of Sointula was close enough to walk in, plus there were some trails and roads in the area to explore. I figured it would at least be worth paying the $35 for the ferry ride over.
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Settled in at Kidney Lake

Damp road SR601164 I realized I had found a really good boondocking spot when I returned there for the third week. This spot had good road access, good internet, good access to towns, and two fishing lakes within walking distance. Plus, there was a ton of logging roads to walk down in the area. I wasn’t in a hurry to go elsewhere, and some rainy days kept me from finishing my explorations. Plus I really wanted to catch a fish at at least one of these lakes while I was here. Continue reading

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Oddities in the woods

Kidney Lake calm PXL_20220218_191324662

Kidney Lake

I was parked in my new secluded spot, close enough to the lake to walk over and fish, but not so close that I’d get visitors in my spot. I had another nice day of weather coming up. I figured I’d go check out something I saw on the googles aerial and see what it was from the ground. Continue reading

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M stands for moving

Steamy logging trash 7D2_6900

Not part of the interpretive trail, rather in contrast to it

I was on a nice little day hike that took me to Beaver Lake and an interpretive trail. Plus I had a great camping spot right by the little lake I had found on the aerial photos of the area. Where I was had two lakes to fish, one right by me and one within walking distance. On top of that, there were lots of logging roads around here to explore. So why would I bother to move camping spots? Well, let’s just say the weekend was coming… Continue reading

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Fishing and boondocking spots found

Kidney Lake PXL_20220215_000714386I had decided to move on from Coal Harbour, as my explorations did not reveal any other really good boondocking spots. I could try one of the spots I had scouted if nothing worked out in the new area I was going to check out, near Beaver Lake. Based on what I had seen in the aerial photos of the area, there were a few spots that looked promising, surely one of them would work out for some boondocking.
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Little bit of fishing, little bit of tourism, little bit of fossil hunting

Stephens Lake fishing PXL_20220210_234815633 The day dawned with barely a cloud in the sky, unusual weather  on Vancouver Island this time of year. I intended to take advantage of the blue sky day and get some fishing in. The forecast was for more good weather following today. My plan was to walk into Coal Harbour and play tourist, snapping pictures with my tourist camera and gawking at the sites. I also wanted to scout a potential boondocking spot near town – for future potential visits. That ended up with some disappointment, but an unexpected surprise as well. Continue reading

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I found more snow, but decided to run away from it

Tree in the way PXL_20220203_191942861The weather at Coal Harbour was about to turn very rainy. I had one more day of better weather to go explore down a road and see if I could get to Ruperts Inlet from my boondocking spot. Would I be able to hack it or would the bush thwart me? Where would I find snow?
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