Sunday, May 31, 2015

Comox to Tofino - Day 18: Grant Bay

Raft Cove to Grant Bay: 13.2 nautical miles

It is hot. The beach here is protected from the wind by thousand foot high mountains, the sun is out and I am hiding in my tent to try and stay cool but it isn't working.

This beach is accessable by road and there is abundant evidence of human activity. There is what I believe to be the debris of a crazy, teen party; lots of beer and pop cans, a cheaply made, abandoned tent with pillows decaying inside and a fry pan in the sand. There is a shelter frame made from driftwood that is badly burnt on one side, a fire must have got out of hand. A day-use shelter made of driftwood and blue tarps is surrounded by garbage. Numerous fire pits line the beach with half-burnt logs, sand piled on top and littered with discarded cans and food containers.

I find it hard to believe how people are able to treat such an amazing place. I am used to beach flotsam but this is obviously brought by the people who visit and then just discard their waste and it is only May on a beach that would be cleaned by winter storms so this is just what they have done so far.

From what I have come to think of as the 'teen-party massacre', I was able to salvage some provisions:
    • roll of waterproof, medical tape
    • can of Chef Boyardee Lasagna
    • 2 cans of Hienz Beans with Bacon
    • can of Fresca (really looking forward to this once it cools)
There are also 3 cans of Diet Pepsi but I didn't take them. I am using the fly of the abandoned tent to shelter my boat and food from the sun. Later, down the beach I acquired four grape tomoatos from an abandoned lunch.

Today's paddle from Raft Cove was excellent; the swell is low, there was light wind was at my back and the shoreline was interesting with Sea Stacks and other features. I had lunch on a nice beach that seemed to be seldom visited. I looked for glass balls but found none. 


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