Ocean Sound Canoeing in Haida Gwaii

September 12, 2016

Ocean Sound Canoeing kayaking paddling in Haida Gwaii, BC

Words by Dave and Laurie Knox - Trail Kitchens Customers - Nelson, BC

30 days is a significantly long canoe trip, especially when one is out on the West Coast of British Columbia. Gwaii Hannas is a 150 mile long marine land and cultural reserve composed of over 100 islands composing the southern half of Haida Gwaii archipelago just below the Alaskan panhandle.

We paddled and sailed our 17.5 foot canoe from end to end and back, beach camping the whole way. Orcas, Humpback whales, sea lions, dolphins, and multicolored jellyfish were our constant companions. Weather ranged from hot and sunny to 4 day long rain storms with a few gales thrown in for good measure. Traveling with 2 large dogs and their food made us carefully consider what we would be taking on the trip!

It sure is nice to be off the ground for cooking when you are living on beaches. The Trail Kitchens Camp Kitchen with adjustable legs was an excellent choice for a combination camp table and kitchen storage box. It has much more surface area than a typical roll up table and can be rigged in various configurations depending on the wind to provide a sheltered cook space.

At the end of the day we would typically set up the kitchen to cook dinner, and breakfast and lunch for the next day, storing those last 2 meals in thermoses. We would break down the kitchen that evening and be ready in the morning for an early start to take advantage of tides or the morning calm.

Having an efficient work space to prepare multiple meals simultaneously was a real pleasure! We also really liked the fact that we could stand on the box when it was stowed in the canoe. I canʼt imagine this unit wearing out, weʼll definitely have it for a long time.