Paddling away from the northeast beach, you head counterclockwise, through the patch of water lilies, past the windsurfers and down through the narrow passage to Beaver Lake. Two sleek boats silently speed by, members of local rowing clubs practicing for the next big meet. Back in Elk Lake, you paddle adjacent to the Patricia Bay Highway, your route back to Victoria and from there up island.

On central Vancouver Island, west on Hwy. 4, you launch your canoe into Kennedy Lake, the largest body of freshwater on the island. The shore is lined with second-growth forest, and prints of a black bear tell you to keep your eye open for wildlife. You toss your line overboard, savoring the thoughts of a trout grilled over a firepit. You spend two days paddling the lake, stopping now and then to explore some of the many trails.

Your Vancouver Island canoe exploration takes you to the north end of the island and the Sayward Forest Canoe Route near Campbell River. You launch at any of a number of sites, heading counterclockwise into the multi-lake, 50-kilometer trip. Somewhere ahead in this three- to four-day trip is the first of four small sets of rapids. Slightly further ahead, identified by an orange marker, is the first of a number of easy portages. The shores of the lakes, Campbell, Gosling, Higgins, Amor, Surprise (there's 12 altogether) are lined with second-growth forest, much of it planted following the Great Fire of 1938. The gnawed alder trunks are evidence of beavers, while the shoreline mud is puckered with the tracks of deer.

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