Long time readers may have noticed that we make a trip to Keats Island every summer and it’s a highlight every year. (Past years here.) We’ve been camping here as a family since before we even were a family. It’s a little different every year and we learn better what works for us after every experience. This year was Winnie the Dog’s second camping trip with us.
We camped for three nights this year and had initially planned to go from Sunday to Wednesday. We were all set to leave Sunday afternoon and so Sunday morning were dressed for church when Peter and I realized that both of the ice cream places on Keats Island were closed from Sunday to Wednesday. Hiking to get ice cream is a big feature of our time on Keats so we quickly decided to shift our week and leave on Wednesday instead. (In 2020, there was no ice cream due to Covid and it just wasn’t the same.)
We left late on Wednesday afternoon, launching our kayaks from Gibsons and paddled across to Plumpers Cove.
Our kayaking configuration was similar to last year – Peter steering the tandem kayak, Pearl in the front seat with Winnie the Dog, and Rose seated in a rear hatch while I went in the single kayak.
The weather around here has been pretty spectacular in recent weeks – hot and sunny – but we were still surprised by how busy the campground was on a Wednesday. Nevertheless, we found a great campsite, one with beach access and privacy that we had never camped in before. I had made sandwiches for us for dinner and it was very nice to be able to eat right away without having to do a lot of setting up first.
We spent our time exploring the beach, exploring the woods around our site, reading in the hammock. Pearl and Rose set up a pretty epic game of General Store that they played off and on throughout our time there. Now that our girls are older, they’re able to play around the campground (with some rules) pretty freely and they enjoyed going off on their own. Like last year, one of our few issues was that Winnie the Dog got very upset and whiny whenever one of us left the campsite.
Overall, Winnie did pretty well. She slept again in her Ladybug Tent and that worked well to keep her contained at night. It was also a shady spot for her during the day. She barked at various times more than we would have liked but that’s true at home too. She loves the water and had several swims and lots of stick fetching. We found a fort nearby in the woods and the girls had a lot of fun playing there while Winnie roamed around nearby. Winnie’s biggest issue was that she hated when any of us jumped from the dock. She was fine with swimming, fine with walking on the dock, but the minute anybody jumped, she just freaked out. Lots of whining and barking so we had to take turns staying back at the campsite with her.
This time the girls were very brave and as well as jumping from the regular dock at Plumpers, they both tried jumping from the bridge. (At high tide, of course!) Pearl even jumped from the very highest railing.
Thursday afternoon we hiked to Keats Landing. This is where the ferry from Gibsons docks as well as where Keats Camp is located. We swim near the public dock and then headed to Mariners Inn at Keats Camp for ice cream.
On Friday, some good friends joined us for the day. They came over by ferry and hiked from Keats Landing to Plumpers while we met them partway. The day together flew by as we swam, snacked, and played. They also have two kids, a little younger than ours. In the afternoon, we all hiked together to Camp Barnabas for ice cream at the General Store there.
Peter kayaked them back to Keats Landing in the afternoon to catch a ferry home. Spending three nights on the island, it was really nice to have an event to look forward to for one of our days, and it’s always special to share this place that we love.
Our plan was to head home on Saturday and when we kayak either the morning or the evening are the best times to paddle. We opted not to rush on Saturday and to spend one more day on Keats and head home around dinner time. We made one more ice cream trip to Barnabas, naturally.
Our paddle back to Gibsons was uneventful and we stopped for Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers at Wendy’s before heading home.
It’s such a gift to have such a beautiful spot so close to home and to be able to spend time there every summer. It’s pretty lovely to be building so many memories as a family.
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Ha, I remember Winnie the Dog’s ladybug tent. That’s sad that she gets distressed when she thinks you guys are separating from the pack, but it’s also sweet. You’re her people! Maybe there is something on YouTube in how to help with that.
Also, I like that you rearranged the whole trip for ice cream, lol.
Hahaha, ice cream is a key feature of this camping trip! We did without in 2020 when the camp was closed but we figured why repeat that experience if we don’t need to?