Happy October! What an incredible way to start such a fun month of the year. The transition to fall is underway and the orange deciduous trees are poking through the dark evergreens and greeting us with glee. Our float today was a peaceful one, as we found ourselves viewing the scenery vertically, our necks all the way back trying to peek at the peaks thousands of feet high scattered throughout Desolation Sound. We found waterfalls sprinkled all among the many islands and inlets, making for a great game of eye spy all the way through the straits.

Given this morning was such a calm start on the water, it was so fun to see most of our crew out on their bow drinking their coffee and watching the shorelines roll by. We saw many seals and birds utilizing the tide lines as the feed and periodically poking their heads around our boats checking us out, making sure there weren’t any extra snacks, we’re sure. As we cruised through Waddington Channel, we discussed the history of Canada’s first wagon and mule roads and how their Canadian Pacific Railway came to be. We could even peak off our starboard side down through Pendrell Sound and watch the clouds burn off and the rain start to evaporate as the sun trickled into the pass. Desolation Sound is full of rich history and scattered through the inlets you can find old logging roads and even homesteads that seem to have been left untouched for years.

Pulling into our marina in Toba Wilderness, we were all so very excited to know we were not only docking for the night but headed into a site that had miles of upkept hiking trails. We met the grounds keeper, and he explained all that he had done over his 18 years of living here year-round, and my oh my how he has sure done an incredible job with the land. After we all tied up and settled in, each boat and their crew respectfully went their own directions and started the different hikes at different times, passing by each other with a smile on their faces and an undying excitement to keep exploring.

The hiking trails were covered with lush vegetation and hundreds of species of mushrooms. Once we were all back to our vessels, we decided that we would host our group dinner at the Toba Wildernest Welcome House, a pavilion the grounds keeper constructed about 5 years ago in the early evening. Each boat contributed a dish, and the spread was so incredibly creative. Given it has been a bit of time since we last visited a grocery store, the generosity and thought that was invested in everyone’s contribution was astounding. We sat around the fire place and shared drinks and more stories about our lives outside of our adventures and how stunning out present moment was.

The pavilion sat at the waterline, and we overlooked Double Island that sits between Pryce Channel and Toba Inlet. These two passages made the waterfront both so extensive and expansive. To operate on our own time yesterday and unwind a bit before our shared dinner was so lovely and recharging for the group, it was incredible to feel the fleet’s energy all in one place. This was the first time we have all shared a meal together since our flotilla orientation back in Bellingham!

The night wound down slowly, and the fleet tucked themselves in tight knowingly having a late start to tomorrow morning due to planning our travels with the tide. Each day we get a little closer together and a little further into Desolation Sound, tomorrow we will touch down in Octopus Islands and have lovely 2-day adventure into another one of Desolation Sound’s marine parks.

P.S. Is Desolation Sound on your bucket list? We can take you there! Reserve your spot on our 2022 Desolation Sound Flotilla today.