John Harvey Photo

Porpoise Bay, Sechelt (Spring 2002)



The May Day long weekend came up quickly this year and Andrea wanted to kick off the camping season.  I had never been to the sunshine coast (but it seems that everyone else has) since most of the big provincial camp sites were already booked up (go figure - only one weeks notice) we decided on Porpoise Bay.

David DrinkingJer Making BreakfastDean with BowlPlateKaren Eating Breakfast

Our first morning we went Kayaking.  Given my experience in Hawaii (got salt water on a camera) I decided not to bring my camera. We got back in the afternoon and decided to go for a walk around camp.  The northern edge of the camp site is Angus creek - a salmon stream that is mostly covered over by forest.  There is a trail along the edge of the creek with nice afternoon views.

Angus Creek RunningAnugs Creek with Bright SpotWater Around Rocks

Next to the creek is the lush plant life of spring.  The ferns were just starting to come out and a few spring flowers were also making a show.

Sword Ferns UnrollingPacific Bleeding HeartBracken Fern Unrolling

The creek breaks out onto the beach - a mostly sand flat beach with enough rocks to make jogging a hazardous affair.

Shell and Kelp on BeachAngus Creek Across Beach

From the Delta we walked back toward the day part of the camp and who should we run into?  The rest of our party!  The daisies were out in full force giving postcard pictures of the BC Parks picnic tables and a wonderful opportunity to show off how much we were relaxing on our trip - nothing like sleeping in a field of daisies!

Daisies with Picnic TableAndrea in DaisiesDavid in DaisiesDean in Daisies

Mud Flats at Sunset

Back to camp for dinner, and I noticed the sunset was changing light around us.  I walked back to the beach to see a great sunset.

Mud Flats at Sunset

Kitchen Tarp

We got rain both evenings so camp starts out a little moist in the mornings.  Next morning and it's time for a walk!

Camp With TentsCamp With Tents

Chapman Creek Trail


The Chapman creek is fast creek that caries salmon in the fall.  We were there in the spring so it was probably flowing faster than average, but it didn't look like the kind of place you would want to go swimming.  The trail itself has a number of gnomes and trolls craved into dead fall and stumps.  The "spirits" were carved by Terry Chapman (not related to the person for whom the creek was named) in 1996.  They certainly added entertainment to our hike.

Spirit Grown OverTwo Spirits on Two TreesTree Fort with Spirit

Dean with Tree SpiritMark with Tree Spirit

We weren't particularly satisfied with the half hour hike with the carvings so we wandered further.   The guide book (Sunshine Coast Recreation and Visitor's Guide) suggests there are falls half an hour after after the carvings.  The book is wrong.

Karen on BridgeJer Crossing Back

We hiked for about an hour and a half until we got to the power lines (part of the problem is not knowing where we were going because we didn't have a good map.)  When we got to the power lines, we met some bikers who suggested the hike to the falls would be an additional 45 minuets.  Most people were hungry so we just hiked back.  When we got back we drove to a near by beach and notice a sign with a trail map.  The book is wrong.

Tree Snail on Bare LogTrail Map for Chapman Creek

Fresh Air SignKaren Playing with Fire

Our camp site has a ban on fires - at first we were confused, but the first night we saw a plume of smoke sitting over the far shore - the air flow around the combination of mountains, inlet and open ocean causes air to sit over Porpoise Bay at night.  The camp site has three small fire pits (community fire sites) and in the evening we joined in and quickly found ourselves there alone.

Andrea Tending Fire

For a May day long weekend trip, we expected rain, but we still had a lot of fun!


 


Daisies with Picnic Table
Tags: field, flower, picnic table
Anugs Creek with Bright Spot
Tags: dappled light, stream
Spirit Grown Over
Tags: art, Sunshine Coast
Bracken Fern Unrolling
Species: Pteridium aquilinum (bracken fern)
Tags: fern
Andrea Tending Fire
Tags: fire, long exposure
Dean with Tree Spirit
Tags: art
Mud Flats at Sunset
Tags: beach, silhouette, sunset
Water Around Rocks
Tags: rock, stream
Karen on Bridge
Person: Karen
Tags: bridge, river
Angus Creek Running
Tags: dappled light, stream
Dean in Daisies
David Drinking
Person: David
Camp With Tents
Tags: motion blur, tent, twin
Dean with BowlPlate
Fresh Air Sign
Tags: sign
Sword Ferns Unrolling
Species: Polystichum munitum (Western Swordfern)
Tags: fern
Andrea in Daisies
Person: Andrea
Karen Playing with Fire
Person: Karen
Tags: fire
Mark with Tree Spirit
Person: Mark
Tags: art, Sunshine Coast, tree
Kitchen Tarp
Jer Making Breakfast
Person: Jeremy
Tags: camping, cooking
Karen Eating Breakfast
Person: Karen
Angus Creek Across Beach
Tags: beach, stream
Two Spirits on Two Trees
Tags: art, Sunshine Coast, tree
Camp With Tents
Tags: tent
Pacific Bleeding Heart
Species: Dicentra formosa (Pacific Bleeding Heart)
Tags: flower
Jer Crossing Back
Person: Jeremy
Tags: bridge, river
Mud Flats at Sunset
Location: Go To...
Tags: silhouette, sunset
Shell and Kelp on Beach
Tags: beach, kelp, shell
Trail Map for Chapman Creek
Tags: sign
Tree Fort with Spirit
Tags: art, stump, Sunshine Coast
Tree Snail on Bare Log
Tags: snail
David in Daisies
Person: David
Tags: Do Not Tag(7), art(5), Sunshine Coast(4), stream(4), beach(3), silhouette(2)
People: Karen(3), David(2), Jeremy(2), Andrea(1), Mark(1)
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Camping > Porpoise Bay, Sechelt
From: John Harvey Photo > Porpoise Bay, Sechelt

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Last Modified Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 00:26:09 Edit
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