Roll in a patch of stinging nettle and you'll think it's a spelling mistake. Nettle's stinging needles, as whispy as whiskers, are hollow and filled with formic acid which can cause burning, even blistering. Though aboriginal medicinal uses were various the principle technological use was as a source of hemp-like fiber for making thread and string. Stalks were picked late in the year when prickles had largely dropped off. Fibers were separated by rubbing or beating and then spun into thin threads. Those in turn could be braided to form thicker, stronger twine for weaving fine cloth, making fish nets and fishing line and, rarely, string bikinis.
Illustration by Manami Kimura
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Gambier Island: West Bay Amble
(6 - user rating)
Written by Brian Grover
Level: Easy
Distance: 4 km r/t
Time: 1½ hr
Elevation: 50 m
Season: Year Round
Map: 92 G/6
Access: Take the bus to Horseshoe Bay and catch the ferry to Langdale on the Sunshine Coast. Crossing time is 40 minutes. As you step off the loading ramp of the Langdale ferry you'll find the foot passenger ferry to New Brighton immediately on your right. Since this ferry services both Gambier Island and Keats Island make sure you get on the correct sailing.
To avoid retracing your steps, contact Cormorant Marine water taxi [604-250-2630] in Horseshoe Bay to find out if any trips are planned directly to West Bay. Though scheduling is sporadic and custom trips prohibitively expensive it may be possible to piggyback on another previously scheduled outing for just $20 or so. From West Bay just follow the directions below in reverse, returning via ferry from New Brighton and Langdale.
A boat ride or two, a pleasant rural stroll, and lunch at a charming country store are the highlights of this low-key day trip. From the government wharf in New Brighton climb the hill past the pay phone, staying with the right fork when you reach the Gambier Island General Store [604-886-3838.] Soon enough the road levels out, taking you past old homesteads and newer recreational properties as it winds through mixed forest of maple, hemlock and fir.
Think Globally, Buy Locally. Gambier Island Store has a sandwich and a porch swing with your name on it.
Chest-high glades of sword fern burning with backlight offer plenty of opportunities for the photographically-inclined. Continue straight at the only other intersection en route to reach the long pier at West Bay. Or turn right and take a side trip to Gambier Harbour, adding 6 km to your day. Return to the general store for a gourmet sandwich before heading back to the city. Later in the summer picking blackberries along the foreshore is a good way to kill time while waiting for the ferry.
Actually, if you want to hitch a ride back to civilization from West Bay, it's more practical to call Mercury water taxi in Horseshoe Bay than Cormorant water taxi. Cormorant is based on Bowen, and only randomly comes to this part of Gambier. Mercury has scheduled service on weekends out of Horseshoe Bay, to both West Bay and Gambier Harbour. Mercury's number is 604-921-7451.
If you hike this stroll to West Bay in late October and plan to be there at low-ish tide, it's spawning season!
You can see Chum salmon fighting their way up the beach, and then into the lower reaches of Whispering Creek, which parallels the lower part of the West Bay road, leading to the dock. Look over the edges of the bridge just above the dock, and you often can see half a dozen big, tired Chums in the shallows, waiting to climb the next stretch of the stream.
Comments
Their schedule is at
http://www.mercurylaunch.com/schedules.php
You can see Chum salmon fighting their way up the beach, and then into the lower reaches of Whispering Creek, which parallels the lower part of the West Bay road, leading to the dock. Look over the edges of the bridge just above the dock, and you often can see half a dozen big, tired Chums in the shallows, waiting to climb the next stretch of the stream.
They're usually there around Hallowe'en.