As John Kimantas, an author and long-distance kayaker, returned from a whale-watching tour, he saw a group of kayakers paddling leisurely along with the whales surrounding them. He鈥檇 never been kayaking before but was immediately inspired to try, he explains. 鈥淣o motors, no bustle, no crowd, no lineup, no deadline. What freedom!鈥� he says.
A short time later, with a handful of paddling trips under his belt, he craved to be on the water more and more and at his desk less and less.
鈥淜ayaking was my passion and my way to be able to see Vancouver Island and the 小蓝视频 coast, which is so phenomenally beautiful鈥� but I was only being able to do it in small portions, so I wanted to do a longer trip.鈥�
So in 2003 he quit his job and packed up his paddles, ready for his first long-distance kayaking trip around Vancouver Island 鈥� an adventure that kick-started his love for the sport. He accessed remote places.
鈥淲hen I started, Google Earth didn鈥檛 exist and there were none of the forums that are available now for sharing information,鈥� he says, recalling that exploring God鈥檚 Pocket Marine Park just north of Port Hardy was like paddling into the unknown.
鈥淚 went out to these islands not knowing what to expect 鈥� if there were big rocks you couldn鈥檛 land on, or what I was going to have to deal with. It turns out that it鈥檚 a supremely beautiful area, perfectly suited for kayaking with lots and lots of opportunities for camping and exploring.鈥�
It was a journey that revealed the unknown, and because there was so little information written about the coast from a kayaker鈥檚 perspective, he began chronicling his discoveries.
鈥淚t seemed appropriate to share the information that I was finding out about these areas because so much of it wasn鈥檛 written about.鈥�
His subsequent book, The Wild Coast: A Kayaking, Hiking and Recreation Guide for North and West Vancouver Island, gave kayakers and Vancouver Island adventurers, for the first time, a detailed guide to exploring the coast and the confidence to go off the beaten track safely.
He wrote three volumes in total, one of which involved a 92-day kayak up 小蓝视频鈥檚 central coast to Alaska, during which he treasured the escapism and the solitude.
鈥淚 went for long periods of time not seeing anybody and there鈥檚 sort of a transition that takes place in your mind. All the clutter falls away鈥� and you get this wonderful silence instead, and it鈥檚 a beautiful thing鈥�. Everything becomes slower and simpler and you just get down to the basics.鈥�
Though he describes himself as an atypical adventurer, he鈥檚 encountered many extraordinary experiences during his thousands of kilometres paddling 鈥� especially with wildlife.
鈥淚鈥檝e been blessed to have had so many whale encounters,鈥� he says, describing the time a whale stopped right underneath his kayak. 鈥淎nother time, one swam up beside me, eye-balled me and swam with me for about an hour.鈥�
He said his experiences have been transformative, and they have allowed him to become part of nature. 鈥淚t鈥檚 phenomenally beautiful but it鈥檚 also a different world when you鈥檙e out on the water. The air changes, the geography changes, the environment changes with you, and the ecology of the wildlife that you see is completely different, with new vistas at every turn.鈥�
He鈥檚 paddled to many places, but when asked about his favourite spots, he doesn鈥檛 hesitate: 鈥淏rook鈥檚 Peninsula and the Cape Scott area at the north end of Vancouver Island,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the mix of wilderness, remoteness, fantastic shoreline and the incredible wildlife. Great beaches, few people, lots to see and do. Challenging but achievable.鈥�
Next is a journey from Vancouver through Howe Sound, up through Desolation Sound and into the Discovery Islands. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a good summer, for sure,鈥� he says.
At the Squamish Public Library next Thursday, July 30, starting at 6:30 p.m., Kimantas will discuss his adventures in a talk titled 鈥淪illy Things I Have Done in a Kayak: The Stories that Never Made the Guide Books.鈥� For details visit squamish.bc.libraries.coop.
