Up The Creek With A Paddle!

The plan for today was to meet up with John and Louise (Kayak Yak) at the Victoria Canoe & Kayak Club (VCKC) beach and explore the Gorge Waterway and Portage Inlet which Robyn and I have been wanting to do for some time. The weather couldn't have been better as once again, like yesterday afternoon, we decided not to wear our paddling jackets which let the morning sun soak into our bodies. I also was looking forward to seeking the current under the Tillicum bridge which is just around the corner from the VCKC. Today the current forecast was to reach maximum Ebb at 11:36am with a rate of 6.02 knots at the narrows which pretty well guaranteed no return if we decided to ride the rapids. (An interesting note about the rapids is that they are 1 of only 2 reversing rapids in Canada, with the other being in the Bay of Fundy). More about the rapids can be read HERE and HERE.

L to R: John, Robyn and Louise.... what a day to be on the water!!!

Heading north against the noticeable current we explored the shoreline and some of the interesting cottage like homes along he way. Many of these homes have been here for decades and by the looks of it so have some of the inhabitants of the area. LOL

This trip would also be our first experience in exploring some of the rivers and creeks that empty into the shallow basin of Portage Inlet. The first transit was into Craigflower Creek which is a thriving salmon spawning stream each fall. John & Louise commented that even seals come this far into the waterway when the salmon are present and spring is a great time to see the different types of ducklings.

The end of the creek (5km mark) for us as a wind fall has blocked the access beyond.

After making our way across Portage Inlet we entered the Colquitz River waterway which makes its way through much of Saanich. This little creek was one of my favourite playgrounds when I was a kid and it is neat to be returning to it in a kayak. Kinda like a big salmon coming home huh?  LOL

Working our way back to the VCKC it was our chance to get the photo that we needed at the narrows for completing an Earthcache as noted earlier in the blog. John was kind enough to follow us as far as we thought safe enough to do and when I made my turn for the photo I was bucking a pretty good current. One day..... we will run the rapids! :-)

The Tillicum Narrows near maximum Ebb of 6 knots. If you look closely behind us you can see the change
in the elevation of the rapids. At this location we were being pulled pretty good towards the rapids so there
was only a few seconds for John to snap some photos for our Geocaching Earthcache credit.

The perfect ending to such a great experience shared with loved ones and friends ......... Namaste :-)

OMMMMMMMMMMM