KAYAKING PRINCESS ROYAL ISLAND
April 18, 2026
I have been entirely consumed by the details of anything and everything involved with this expedition. Life the past week has consisted of nothing more than prepping, prepping and oh yeah, more prepping. It feels like a fairly simple task to plan for a fourteen day expedition yet it has proven to be anything but. Well, I can’t say it has been a difficult task however, I can say that deciding what food I am going to want to eat fourteen days from now is a job that will never be simple. Now, all that’s left to do is immerse ourselves in life on the water; the part that makes all the planning worth it.
Writing this I am sitting on the ‘Northern Adventure’, the ferry boat that will drop us in the remote community in Klemtu, twelve hours from now. The pre-trip jitters are slowly fading and the anticipation of getting the kayaks on the water is very quickly growing. There is no better feeling than the planning being done and the logistical work getting us and all the gear required to support us, loaded on the ferry and re-focusing our minds on the expedition in front of us. There are still so many unknowns ahead but for now we need to work on getting some sleep, on this VERY rocky boat.
WHO NEEDS SLEEP ANYWAY?
APRIL 19, 2026
We have successfully made it to the Great Bear Rainforest! It was a fairly smooth transition from unloading the ferry to sitting in our floating kayaks, even in our sleep deprived states. The attempt at a full nights sleep on the ferry boat was far from successful. In total, (between the both of us) there were three hours of sleep recieved. It was by no fault but our own that we were set up for a poor nights sleep, with no sleeping bags and one sleeping pad… that I have now discovered fails to hold air for longer than 30 minutes. I suppose that will matter less when I am sleeping on the forest floor?? The sea state along the inside passage was far from confidence inspiring, with waves that were rocking the ferry as far as it could go from side to side. These things seem worse when it is 3:00 in the morning and all you want is to be asleep.
Unloading our kayaks and baggage was made simple by the fact that we were launching from the beach below the ferry ramp. The BC Ferries workers made sure that we knew using the beach was at our own risk, which we were gladly willing to accept over the idea of hiking all of our belongings 2km to the next closest launching beach. Packing the kayaks is always trickiest on the first day with a full grocery stock up, but we managed to fit everything without our kayak decks looking like the back of a hermit crabs shell. The dropping tide proved to be humbling with the two of us fighting to lift two very heavy boats, in a way that surely we will not do again (if we like our backs, that is). We were on the water just after 7:30 this morning, with no plan as to where we would set camp for the night.
As we had anticipated, it was a fairly foggy and rainy morning. There was just enough visibility for us to cross from Swindle Island (where the ferry docks) over to Sarah Island, where we were planning to find a camp for the next few nights. There are very few signs of human life in this area, which I truly enjoy, however, paddling in front of the Boat Bluff lighthouse, with the faded red roof against the thick coastal forest, was a highlight of my day. There was a fair amount of sea life stuck to the walls along the shoreline of Sarah Island but we were far too motivated by the idea of being horizontal in our sleeping bags to lallygag our way to camp. I have a feeling that sea life won’t be a hard find in this area… considering we found THE largest Ochre sea star that either of us had ever seen. No exaggeration, this sea star had at least 3ft diameter. That will be a hard find to beat.
DAWSON’S FUN FACT OF THE DAY: A group of sea stars is called a ‘Galaxy’
We took a break at the beach which we originally had made an option for camping but due to the fact that we got there around 9:00 in the morning, we decided we had it in us to keep paddling. Camping along Sarah Island is deciding between either stopping sooner than you would like and having a guaranteed camp spot or rolling the dice and hoping that you will find somewhere that is big enough to pitch a tent. We chose the latter. This being our first paddling day drastically increased our willingness to travel further than our energy levels were charged to meet.
There must have been a sea lion haul out just around the corner of our lunch beach because we surprised (we were just as surprised) a rather large colony of sea lions that happened to be hanging out in the water. I have never seen so many sea lions jump and fully clear the water, clearly not pleased with our presence. Seeing an unhappy sea lion has to be one of my lest favourite sea kayaking encounters, as grateful as I am to see these creatures in their natural habitat. I was rather relieved when they decided they no longer needed to follow behind us.
The shoreline along Sarah Island is beautiful. I made an attempt at counting the waterfalls that we passed during our paddle today but I lost count somewhere around eight, which is a fair few within a 12km stretch. Everything feels so magical on the first day of an expedition. I was riding the high of knowing my life is going to consist of sitting in my kayak, with no other responsibility, for the next twelve days. The wind held off just long enough for us to get a little ways past our lunch beach but was far too strong for us to get to the next noted camp spot on the map. We stumbled across a small cove that seems to be suitable enough for pitching a tent and it even has a fresh water source. I think we were willing to camp anywhere will our exhaustion leading the decision making.
Our evening turned out to be warm and sunny, which is exactly what we needed after a rainy paddle day. The jobs we set aside for ourselves in the evening were; fill the water drom’s, make dinner (well, re-warm the dinner that my mom had made for us) and go to bed as soon as possible. This bay opens up to Laredo Channel, with Princess Royal Island sitting just across from us, covered in snow capped mountains. It is clear that we have chosen a time of year that will provide us with the solitude we were hoping for… fingers crossed the weather doesn’t add to that.
Redefine Success
It All Begins Here
Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.
The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working toward a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress comes from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.
You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know. The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the version of yourself you’re becoming.
Small Steps Create Big Shifts
It All Begins Here
Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.
The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working toward a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress comes from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.
You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know. The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the version of yourself you’re becoming.
Turn Intention Into Action
It All Begins Here
Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.
The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working toward a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress comes from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.
You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know. The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the version of yourself you’re becoming.
Make Room for Growth
It All Begins Here
Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.
The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working toward a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress comes from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.
You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know. The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the version of yourself you’re becoming.