2004/06 Yukon trip - Getting there - Woss Lake |
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Then we were off over the Hump and then north towards Woss Lake with our camper and the family's car.
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Our sunshine disappeared north of Campbell River, and the rain set in shortly thereafter. We met up just outside Woss and after a couple of false starts found the logging roads that lead up to the lake and the campground. It was owned by Canfor, one of the Canadian logging companies and camping was free. The campsites were a bit soggy, but we found one on the edge of the lake that would accommodate the camper and the tent. The lake was pretty, but the scenery was tough to see in the rain.
We spent the evening with all of us, four adults, a baby, and a wet dog, all in the camper. Movements had to be carefully negotiated. We were to get a lot of practice at this over the next few days!
Friday 9th July
We hiked the Woss trail along the Woss river while Sandie babysat. The trail was wet but beautiful, rain forest with big cedar trees, moss, giant slugs, soggy shrubs, and, of course, more rain.
Back at the camper there was much knitting activity, but not much of interest for us guys. We took a trip over to Schoen Lake provincial park to see if that lake looked better in the rain than our lake, and concluded that it didn’t, as the clouds hid the view and there was nowhere there to walk unless you first paddled ten miles up the lake to the trail head.
Saturday 10th July
We had heavy rain overnight, and this leaked into our bed area, so we were trying to air the mattress out and dry things up. The tenters were doing OK, especially as this was the baby's first time camping. Having the camper as a daytime refuge helped a lot.
As it looked like rain was set in for the day we decided to set off to Telegraph Cove for a birthday lunch at the Killer Whale cafe. Telegraph Cove is a tiny village, built entirely on a boardwalk or pier. The waters off Telegraph Cove are a great place to see whales and eagles. We went for a walk along a service road above the Johnson Strait and saw eagles and deer, but no whales this time.
On the way back to Woss, we checked out Nimpkish Lake, a massive long lake that parallels the highway. We hiked down to the shore in sunshine past an empty campground, just a couple of tents down on the beach. It looked like a cheap and scenic place to stay but not much to do without a boat. Back at Woss it was still drizzly and damp.
Sunday 11th July
Sunday was more promising, dry and breezy, but still with clouds covering the mountains. We took the kayak out of the black box on our roof, and assembled it. We took turns with trips up the lake, though it was tough going into the wind and waves. Woss Lake is about 15 miles long so the waves have a long time to build. About noon the wind dropped and the rain restarted, and we all retreated to the camper. I took a couple of walks in the rain along logging roads. By evening, cabin fever had set in and we decided to ignore the weather and we took the kayak for a mad paddle halfway up the lake. We had a good rolling time crossing the lake, and then found a fish fattening place, where they keep and feed the salmon fry and then release them into the lake in hopes that they’ll return to spawn in about four years. We made it back shortly before or after dark, depending on whether it’s our story or the ladies’ version.
Monday 12th July
Monday was a beautiful morning, sunny and calm. But we were leaving! We all took our last kayak trips and then said our goodbyes. They were heading south back to Port Alberni and we were going north to Port Hardy for the ferry.