Kimler Adventure Pages (http://randsco.com)

As part owners of a unique, wilderness floating cabin (& new owners of a way to get there) - we thought we'd introduce you to the floating cabin, the area and extend an invite to anyone visiting the Hutton House. C'mon down!

Wilderness Floating Cabin: Located in the Barkley Sound, off the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, is our "new" floating cabin. One can catch crab off the dock, dig for clam or pick up oysters during low tide or fish for salmon, cod or halibut in nearby waters. It's a sea-food haven and a starting point for Pacific Rim Park adventures!

Last year, we were offered a percentage interest in a floating cabin in the Barkley Sound, just off the west coast of Vancouver Island. It's located in Julia Passage, very close to the Broken Group Islands and the Pacific Rim National Park. It's a wet and wild land; a kayaking mecca with lots of coves, beaches and islands. The wildlife is amazing: black bear, bald eagles, killer whales, and sea otters, among other things. If you like sea food, you'd love this place. Clams, oysters, prawns, crab, salmon, halibut and cod are all on the menu.

Over Easter weekend, we took the new boat down for a 4-day trip. It was our first trip to the floating cabin this year and quite an adventure, piloting our "new" boat, which was christened "Blue Yonder" - this happened inadvertently, when Scott radioed to our cabin mates, using the off-the-cuff call sign. It was an hour and forty minute journey down the long inlet, from Port Alberni, to the floating cabin. Traffic was light, but the seas were heavy and we bounced along, singing the theme song to Gilligan's Island.

We had a nice holiday with Candace and Richard (our cabin partners) and the weather was especially nice, even though it snowed a bit on the last night. Blue Yonder handled well, although she needs a few repairs and some extra gizmos that we'll need to purchase. We're looking forward to sharing this special, wilderness floating cabin with some of our more adventurours guests that come to visit.

To learn more about the floating cabin, see satellite images and photos ... read on. If you're coming up for a visit, you'll find this post a good primer about "what to expect". If you're likely not ever going to visit, then you'll have only a glimpse of this truly unique and wonderful adventure destination.

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To Cabin or Not to Cabin

We feel very lucky to have an opportunity to buy into a floating cabin in such a special place. It's the unique location, special nature of the cabin (hey, it floats) and the bond of friendship that swayed our decision.

Normally, we prefer to travel to different locations, rather than go to the same 'ole place, time and again. We had never considered purchasing a cabin for this reason. By partnering with others, however, it frees us (somewhat) from the obligation to go to the cabin "all the time". One of Scott's criteria was, "I don't want to feel like we have to go every weekend".

On the other hand, we thought that having a cabin would mean a tradition with Alex. She would grow up with fond childhood memories - "Remember all those great times we spent at the cabin?"

There's also a sense of community down at the cabin, for despite the picture, it isn't the lone cabin in Julia's Passage. There are about three dozen other cabins, scattered through the long and skinny passage. We thought it would be fun to be a part of that tight-knit community and develop long lasting friendships.

Tour of the Floating Cabin

The little cabin has been there for 50-something years. All the cabins were built there in a less regulated era. Locals built them as recreation spots, though now, a few live there year-round. Originally squatters, the government finally said, "No more" and grandfathered in all existing structures and now prohibit any new construction. Each hold title to the cabin and now pay property tax on them. Heck, there's even a water taxi that ferries kids to public schools in Bamfield, a short trip across the Sound.

I've pasted in a fully-zoomed, Google satellite image of the cabin. If you have javascript enabled, you can explore the map (zoom out, pan, change from satellite to map) and get an appreciation for the remote location of the floating cabin. There is a logging road, not far behind the cabin, but there's not a lot of traffic on it - believe me. It is this remote nature that binds neighbors together with a sense of community that you don't find in most neighborhoods. If anyone is in need or trouble, a quick shout on the radio would bring ample resources and man-power to aid.

The 50-year-old cabin is small, but cozy. It floats on large styrofoam blocks and large beams. It sits atop a cedar plank wharf, larger than the building, so there's a walkway, all around. There's a small patio in the front, which roughly faces south, so it catches the early sun and is a warm place to sit on sunny days.

Punky Oop & Orphan Rachel: Alex and Rachel clown around with some fun cabin wigs, kneeling in front of the corner kitchen. The appliances are all old, but it's a very cozy, comfortable cabin, especially when the heater is on!

Inside, there is a single "great room", which houses a small sitting area (the living room), a corner kitchen and a dining area. In the back are two (very small) bedrooms. Each has a bunk bed and barely enough room to turn around. There is a bathroom, with a shower and night-time toilet (which must be dumped, if used). Heat is provided by an stove-oil heater; cooking is done on a 4-burner propane stove/oven; there's a full-sized kerosene refrigerator and water is heated via a 40-gallon propane water heater (also in the bathroom). On a cold day, it's very cozy and comfortable inside. In fact, if one doesn't mind the oil-stove heater, it will blast you right out of the cabin.

Front Porch View: Looking east, up Julia Passage from the cabin porch, you can see one of the two connected cabins and another, further along. There are cabins scattered along the passage, but it's uncommon that all are occupied (mostly during the big holiday weekends).

Outside, there are four different wharfs that are tied around the perimeter of the cabin. Two are industrial, grated aluminum wharfs, garnered from fish farms. They're great, though they tend to be a tad too bouyant (we don't scrape the mussels, algae and barnacles off these docks, as the extra weight allows them to settle into the water a bit). The other two wharfs are both made of wood, are settling into the water too much - they're sinking! - and both need to be replaced.

Also attached to the cabin is a small work-shed, on it's own small dock. This holds empty fuel containers, a few tools, some fishing supplies and provides a bit of extra storage, when occupying the cabin. There's also a fish-cleaning station and build-in generator (for watching a movie or a hockey game on television, running power tools or powering the half dozen or so electric lights. Running the generator is noisy, so we tend not to run it, unless absolutely necessary.

There is a walk-way to shore, which leads to a small privvy. There's also a trail that heads back into the woods, along which runs a flexible, black ABS pipe, which supplies fresh water to the cabin from a nearby stream. There's not much else ashore, really, as the woods are quite dense, but it's nice sometimes to stretch your legs after being cooped up in the cabin for a couple of days.

Cabin Activities

Digging for Gold: Candace, Oop & Rachel dig for clams at low tide. It's just a short walk from the cabin (in the background) to excellent clams and (see them strewn on the beach?) oysters!

Crab Trap Haul: You never know what you're going to bring up in a crab trap. Here, Dad shows the Oop the catch: a juvenile crab and an enormous, 24-arm Sunflower Star Pycnopodia helianthoides. These gigantic sea stars are voracious predators, traveling at an astounding 40 inches per minute).

There's lots to do at the cabin, although one of the best features about the cabin is the solitude and quiet of nature. On a warm sunny day, it's fun just to sit out on the porch, listen to the call of seagulls, feel the cool ocean breezes on your face and read a book.

If you like sea food, you'll be tempted, at low tide, to wander out along the shore to dig for manila, butter or razor clams. If you like eating oysters, they can be plucked from rocks and along the beach. You might even find a pearl! (There's a jar in the cabin that contains the pearls that have been found so far. Though most are small and irregular in shape, there's one round beauty in there!)

Boat rides out of the passage and into the nearby waters that surround the Pacific Rim National Park are usually in the offing. You might spot a black bear, foraging along the shoreline, or see bald eagles swoop down from their nests to pluck fish out of the water.

Island Lunch: It's easy to find a deserted beach and have a picnic lunch. Here, we're on Alma Russell island. We took a small aluminum boat, from the cabin, and spent the better part of an afternoon. Richard tended the fire, Rachel roasted the wieners and the Oop ate a ton of junk food! Later, we explored a bit, combed through the flotsam and the jetsam, then chucked a few stones into the water.

Of course, fishing and prawning are always fun activities. We fish for salmon using down riggers, after setting a few prawn traps out, leaving them for a few hours at a time. Cod can be found closer to shore, along the rocks. Sometimes, a crab will find it's way into a prawn trap, which provides a nice dinner appetizer.

We don't have them yet, but we're planning on purchasing a couple of recreational kayaks, so that we can explore the sheltered waters inside Julia Passage and neighboring islands and shores. Day tripping to Alma Russell island for a picnic lunch is always fun.

Blurry Bald Eagle: Here's our "best" of our blurry bald eagle shots. A bald eagle swooped out of the sky to pluck something out of the water. These amazing creatures fly by so quickly, that it's difficult to get a good photo!

Longer explorations into the islands of the Broken Group provides stunning scenery, photography and adventure. Heck, you might even be lucky and spot a orca or migrating whale. We spotted a pod of killer whales on our first visit to the cabin, just over a year ago, on our boat ride in from Toquart Bay.

While you're reading that book in the sunshine, on the front porch, you might as well toss a crab trap over the edge of the dock. Who knows what manner of sea creature you might catch. It might even be dinner! Don't get too engrossed in your book, otherwise you might miss spotting a passing eagle, sea otter, boat or harbor seal! (Bear have even been known to come down the walkway from the beach).

Social activities at night don't center around the television, but rather games, talking or summer evenings outside with a campfire (there's an outdoor fireplace on the porch)! Neighbors tend to visit and gather to watch hockey games or other sporting activities. A night boat ride to a neighboring cabin is a nice way to meet new people and see a million stars, shining above.

The fresh air manages to amplify one's appetite, for some reason, but not to worry - there's plenty of fresh seafood on the menu. On our last night there, we ate the last of the crab, prawn and fresh clam chowder ... a veritable bounty of the sea!

The place has a certain magic about it, there's no doubt. If it sounds good to you, then just make mention about heading to the cabin on your next visit to the Hutton House. If you'll miss the mall, the telephone and web browsing ... maybe you should give it a pass. (The cabin isn't for everyone, we recognize, but it won't stop us from calling you "crazy").

(It reminds me of a comment made by one of my old oil-patch friends, Louis Klonsky, who once said, "My idea of roughing it is a night at Motel Six"! I don't think that wild-man Louis would be keen on a night at the floating cabin, nor catching crab off the dock, even though he's more than welcome and has provided a humourous glimpse into some people's idea of a wilderness adventure!