Osgood Creek Aug 24

Our third canyon to round out our time at Jervis Inlet was Osgood Creek, which some alleged was the best. We knew it would be a big day between the 3.2 mile roundtrip paddle, 2 mile bushwhacking approach, and bonus 0.6 mile bushwhacking exit. As we started paddling northeast along the coast, sunbeams through thick clouds and silvery shimmers of waves gave way to sun. Once again we had a headwind but thankfully much more manageable intensity than the previous day. My shoulders were sore from the previous day such that I felt like I was dragging an anchor as I paddled. On the way we spotted some red pictographs high up on a cliff and a sea otter clambering up into the forest at the sight of us. It took us about an hour to get to the mouth of Osgood, and quite a bit more time to get the boats settled to start hiking.

The forest hiking was easily the worst of the three approaches with the oldest overgrown logging roads giving us dense regen to wade through. The technical canyon section ended 0.6 mile up from the ocean so we had bonus approach and exit. I mostly led the way through some washouts, past an old rusty shell of a car, and up some steep slopes. Once again it was obnoxiously humid and sweaty in the forest. Near the end the bushwhacking only got worse, at one point sending us through a dense stand of 3" diameter trees that felt like we were squeezing through prison bars. After covering 1.9 miles ascending 1200 ft in 1hr45min (good considering), we finally arrived to the start of the canyon. After a deserved snack break, we suited up for the descent.

Overall I found Osgood to be a mixture of styles between Soda and Seshal, and relatedly it ended up being my second favorite canyon. It had more greenery and was more enclosed than Seshal, but also had some lengthy boulder sections that broke up the good bits. There were some logs to traverse, some jumps, and even an interesting slab of rock that formed a brief cave-like section. 

The clear standout feature was a 40ft steep chute slide with two slight bends in it that rocketed us cleanly into the biggest pool in the canyon (frontispiece). Nearly everyone lapped this two or three times because it was that good (Osgood As It Gets" the first descenters named it).  

At one point I got into the lead position and was constantly rope or carabiner poor which was a bit silly. Kenna and I checked out something that seemed like a borderline slide (perhaps a bit too rough with mid-slide drops and turns?). Kenna went for it with ragdoll results that looked unpleasant; I tried a slightly different line but ended up similarly thrown around so we made everyone else rappel. Later I noticed the beta said this had been slid but would result in the slider being a human pinball! As we neared the end of the technical canyon we had one excellent 33ft jump then a scenic but very slippery rappel. The last rappel was supposed to be off a log, now absent, so we improvised with a meat anchor and me rappelling off a meager little rock arch. We soon recognized the side stream where we crossed the creek on our approach so we desuited for the hike back down. After a little more than three hours and about 13 rappels we were through the canyon. 

The paddle back to camp took about 40 minutes, despite me hugging the coast to try to catch as much shade as possible since the sun was perfectly positioned to blind and burn me. Pulling into camp was jolting to the senses as the other group of canyoners had arrived. Eleven people, enormous tents, four full-size coolers, a propane grill, music, !Starlink!, hammocks blocking our path to water, and gear on our clothesline; though friendly, it was hard not to feel invaded and our little wilderness retreat turned into a car camping weekend. Though I'm sure we had common interests and probably could have made a useful connection or two, I had no interest in socializing with them given the circumstances.

We had an early final day packing ahead of an 8am water taxi pickup that the boat captain was actually early for, and a smooth ride along the inlet back to the dock. The rest of the travel went as smoothly as it could. We said our goodbyes to Lukas and Suhei, and new friends Jack and Kenna on the ferry. The border crossing only took about 5 minutes coming back which was a relief. There was enough warm sun to dry out my gear on the Weidert's back patio, which was appreciative for airplane packing. At one point Ryan and I went out with his dad on their boat to drop some shrimp traps. Later we had a nice meal outside including a stellar homemade cobbler. The following morning I was on my way back home.

Thanks to Lukas for the impetus for this British Columbia canyoning adventure, to Heather and Ryan for the airport pickup and driving, to Ryan's parents for their memorable hospitality, to Ryan and Keith for the gear loans, and to everyone in our group for making such a fun and awesome team (Lukas, Suhei, Keith, Rob, Jack, Kenna, Ryan). While I think I still prefer the style of South Island canyons, it was nice to get a taste of these Pacific Northwest canyons and to realize just how much is still unexplored in the region.

Soda Creek Aug 23

We started our second full day camping in Jervis Inlet with low clouds draping the hillsides and high clouds blocking out most of the blue in the sky. More worrying was the notable wind swell and whitecaps in the inlet that we would have to cross 2.2 miles in a headwind to reach Soda Creek on the other side. This being the shorter of the three canyons, we had a more leisurely morning waiting to see if the wind swell conditions were stable or would improve. Around 9:45am we inflated packrafts and decided we might as well give it a try, the general consensus being we would return to camp if we found the conditions to be too borderline. Ryan's sea kayak became quite helpful for storing and transporting some of our canyon gear.

I led the charge hugging the coast for a touch of shelter, paddling to the headland 0.7 miles southwest of our Seshal camp. I paused to wait for everyone to collect here, every lapse of paddle strokes having the current and swell push me back towards camp! Eventually we assembled and all were keen to try the 1.4 mile crossing. I picked a landmark a quarter-mile upwind of the white sliver of the last falls of Soda Creek, started paddling and virtually did not stop until I reached the other side. Unsurprisingly the GoPro footage does little to convey the topsy turvy feeling of the constant swell, occasional whitecaps, and gusts of wind. Despite my upwind landmark, my GPS track showed my crossing as being more perpendicular towards a destination 0.5 miles downwind of Soda Creek, a testament to the strong currents. I was the first to arrive by about 15 minutes, taking me 1hr15min including the wait for everyone to gather. The last waterfall of the canyon plunging straight into the ocean was an awesome sight that got me excited for this canyon. Carefully I carried my packraft over the sharp barnacled rocks to a position well above high tide, then worked to arrange everyone else's boats with the limited space at our landing. 

In contrast to the other two canyons whose approaches follow overgrown logging roads, Soda Creek had a more direct line steeply climbing through the forest, which was much more pleasant. This being our only north-facing canyon, we immediately recognized the forest as lusher, with more ferns and mosses. Later when we reached the canyon we realized this north-facing canyon also translated to it being the most slippery and coldest of the three canyons. Our 0.5 mile approach took us about 35 minutes to gain 500ft in elevation.  

The canyon was immediately recognizable as very different in style from Seshal. Soda was mossy green, slippery, cold, lower flow, and more enclosed than Seshal. We suited up and began our descent, enjoying a great mixture of rappels, slides, and jumps.

Previous canyoners rated this as the worst of the three canyons so I went into it thinking it was just a short "add-on" canyon. What I found turned out to be my favorite of the three canyons, even if it did leave me wishing it was longer. For a 0.3 mile long canyon it was at least very consistent with little boulder hopping and mostly a continuous chain of waterfalls and pools and enveloping greenery. Crossed logs also added to the allure. Slipperiness aside, it was a beautiful canyon. 

The final section of 3-4 waterfalls was the best as the tunnel of greenery let in a view of distant peaks across Jervis Inlet and fantastic pool horizonlines. My favorite waterfall was a nice jet plunging away from the wall straight into the middle of a dark pothole with a view of the ocean beyond (frontispiece).

I was initially surprised to see a fixed boater rope at the last rappel but it made sense that boatgoers would do the quick jaunt to the last waterfall to plunge 35ft since the waterfall is very visible from the water. We debated jumping this final waterfall into the ocean but in the end all of us rappelled. It almost looked like it could be a steep slide too but I had visions of hitting the wall at the end or being cheese-grated by barnacles. The initial plunge into the ocean was a shock at how warm it was compared to the creek. The canyon descent took a little less than 3hrs with about 11 rappels and 6 slides.

We had some difficulty in pulling Lukas' rope (again!), resulting in Ryan actually climbing back up and around to free it from the last anchor. Ryan also won the day by pulling out a bottled margarita to share before our paddle back across the inlet. The wind swell was only slightly improved from the morning but at least now we were going at an angle in the downwind direction. It took me a fairly deliberate 45min of paddling to travel 2.1 miles back to our camp, this time recording a sinusoidal path that started and ended more perpendicular to the shore. 

Everyone was stoked to have done the canyon successfully and to have made the somewhat intimidating crossing in our modest boats. We had a nice chill evening in camp, enjoying the shifting light and tides, the lack of bugs, and the great company. 

Seshal Creek Aug 22

When I think of British Columbia canyoning I think of the well-known canyons of Squamish. These canyons and this general area known as the Sunshine Coast was really not on my radar at all until Lukas suggested a trip. It was instantly intriguing. Three aquatic canyons (Seshal, Soda, Osgood) plunging through temperate rainforest, requiring a ferry, hour-long water taxi charter, then camping and packrafting to access all sounded like a suitable adventure. The first descents were only two summers prior and we would be something like the third or fourth group to check them out. Between Lukas and I we gathered a diverse group of eight to tackle the canyons. We opted for late August when water levels would be low enough that there should be no real dangerous hydraulics in the canyons, giving us the highest chances of success. Between the flights (for me), the BC ferry, water taxi, packing efficiently, and organizing group gear, there were a fair bit of logistics to navigate. Somehow it all worked out. 

Ryan picked me up at the Seattle Airport (my new least favorite airport in the world) and drove me to crash the night at his parents' place at Warm Beach, a really cool 1920s seaside cottage overlooking mudflats and islands complete with a pet eagle. In the morning Keith and Rob showed up and we piled into Ryan's megatruck. Thankfully the border crossing was trivially quick and easy, and the boat inspection similar. We met Lukas and Suhei, and for the first time Jack and Kenna on the ferry crossing from Vancouver to Langdale on the Sunshine Coast. We made good time to the roadend and got organized in the last two parking spots available near the dock. We were worried about our volume of gear until the boat captain laughed us off and told us that we had nothing compared to hunters. Around 4pm we were finally loaded and cruising down Jervis Inlet at speed. We were baffled by the strange pattern of logging blocks along the way and the random quarries, otherwise the scenery was spectacular with steep forest and alpine peaks. After about an hour the boat pulled up to the bouldery shore, we unloaded gear, then set about carving out our camp. We had a sizable flat bulldozed by logging operations to work with but it still took considerable effort to clear the brambles that slashed all of our legs, some rocks, and to rig tarps with the less than ideal placement of trees. Eventually we got there and had ourselves a nice camp overlooking the inlet and its 12 foot tidal range. Ryan and I each flew drones to scout the canyon, both agreeing the water level looked tame with no real hazards.

For a few days we had been watching the weather cautiously. Thankfully forecasted rain of nearly an inch dropped to more optimistic forecasts. We had some thunder booming further up the inlet but thankfully only sprinkles and light rain upon us. We readied our canyon gear so we could have an efficient morning. Some people went for a swim in the surprisingly warm inlet, marveling at the bioluminescence agitated at every movement of water.

I awoke to find the ground dry and sparse raindrops on my tent. It seemed the thunderstorms completely missed us and now we had blue skies, a relief that water levels in the canyon should not be a concern for us. We were on for canyons with Seshal Creek right behind camp being our first target. Around 8am we were finally organized for the 1.8 mile hike up the old logging road that we were camped on. Five large switchbacks in the road helped us gain about a thousand feet in elevation without too much effort. Far from acclimatized, I was drenched in sweat despite the early morning hour. The last third of a mile the road was thoroughly overgrown which slowed our progress. Following a GPS track we bashed down the hill off the road to arrive at a scenic granite patio area perfect for changing into wetsuits. We were all immediately struck by the beauty of the gray-peach granite slabs, green forest, and most of all the clear emerald waters in the pools. Looking downstream we could see a continuous chain of drops and forest framing a view of the distant spire of Churchill across the inlet. The crisp water clarity and color ended up being my favorite features of the Jervis Inlet canyons; combined with a surprising lack of sediment in the creek there was seldom ambiguity in the depths of the pools at a distance. The canyon started with a few awkward obstacles including a meat anchor into a slide, a slide too low angle to actually slide, and another obstacle where a bolt hanger had been removed requiring a rappel down a chockstone crack.

We soon got into the swing of it, working effectively as a team to scout jumps/slides and leapfrogging the rappels. I was perfectly happy in my 4/3mm wetsuit and hood to the point of not really consciously thinking about the water temperature. At the low flow we had the canyon there were no hydraulics to be concerned about so it was just about checking pool depths and having fun. 

The canyon had quite a mixture of styles from chained pools, open slabs, boulder gardens, sculpted hallways, a rapid-fire three falls sequence, and a dark ravine section near its end. Lukas' light sub-8mm rope gave us some trouble between a core shot and spontaneous twists in the end nearly chocking into the anchor. The slides were typically short but some of them quite fast and fun. One in particular had a neat banked turn reminiscent of a bobsled course. My favorite single feature in the canyon was a clean 30ft jump into a bottomless pothole with more drops chained beyond (frontispiece); I rigged a rope and several people ended up taking multiple laps on this one.

Nearing the end of the canyon the style changed with a dramatic horizonline leading into a sequence of 25m rappel, pourover exit leading into a 22m rappel, then a steep 20ft slide. At higher flow this section would feel quite intimidating; at our flow it was just scenic. If the whole canyon was like this section it would have really won me over.

After the rapid-fire section, the canyon ended with two rappels into the narrowest section of the canyon, which had moody churning vibes. Down the short narrows was the final 25 ft jump into the last of the freshwater, a stone's throw above the saltwater of the inlet. In all, the approach took us about 1 hr and the descent took us a leisurely 6.5 hrs, with about 11 rappels, 11 slides, and 9 jumps.

We all really enjoyed the day and it was great to see how well everyone got along and worked together despite huge age gaps and not knowing everyone's background. It was probably my least favorite of the three canyons due to boulder hopping sections and the general lack of consistency in its style. I was tired at the end of it, mostly because we did not stop for lunch and I was too engaged with the canyon to eat or drink. Once fed and recovered, we all chilled near our rain tarps. Ryan even got a fire going that was nice to stand around before turning in.