2025-09-13 Gabriola

More than ten years ago, a Slack group was formed by an acquaintance for local craft beer geeks to discuss the growing local craft beer scene. The group grew to about 100 members relatively quickly, but stopped growing many years ago now, and the slack evolved into a group of friends. As this happened, channels for hobbies and other non-beer topics started to proliferate.

One of the more popular interests was cycling, and our “beer” slack now has multiple bike-related channels. One of them is specifically about bike camping. It was here that a Gabriola trip was hatched last year in mid September by LA. I didn’t go. The first night was solo for LA, and it poured rain heavily all day, all evening, and all night. Thankfully she was equipped with two tarps, but nonetheless it was undoubtedly a challenging time.

This year the weather was looking much better, with rain forecasted for one morning but otherwise sunny, warm but not hot; just perfect. Well – that was the forecast. More on that later.

Some folks rolled out on Friday, but me and two others rolled out as the Saturday crew. We all stayed until Monday. The weather was perfect. I was rolling around 8am, and we caught the late morning ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. From there it was a few km along the water to catch the small boat to Gabriola, a quick ferry that runs regularly enough to feel like a water taxi.

This was also the first time I’ve gone camping on the Stooge after a year of ownership. Bike-packing was front of mind when I bought the bike, so this felt overdue – even though it was a trip that really did not require such a rugged setup.

The reason I took the Stooge though is that Gabriola has an impressive trail network for a small island, including a double black rated trail! I wasted no time making my way to this trail after dropping off my gear at camp. It was steep, but that was it – no big features, no gnarly rock rolls, nothing to earn such a rating. Obviously a gulf island double black is not the same as a whistler double black. Probably for the best, as I don’t take the same chances I used to.

After the quick loss of elevation riding said trail, dubbed ‘Jack’s Dropper’, we followed a local’s advice about a less known beach on the east side of the island, shown below. It was indeed a good spot.

We hastened back towards camp after a snack on the beach to join the rest of the group at Malaspina Galleries. Despite the name, there is no artwork on display; but the beauty of the natural world is on full display with worn away sandstone creating a natural 3/4 tunnel like a cresting wave. We hung out here for the last hour of warm sun with beer and snacks at our sides. I even stuck my phone in the water for some underwater photos. There were tons of starfish!

It was a beauty day, but the clouds were starting to coalesce and rain was expected by the morning, so we set up our tarps to protect our gear and provide a sheltered spot to hang out.

It was a pleasant evening and our communal camp area was pretty dialed. The campsite is adjacent to a narrow inlet (below, center) that makes for a lovely spot to relax too.

Evening activities included review of our bingo cards (shout out to Graham for making them), drinking beer, and conversation over the propane fire (as the fire ban was still in effect).

The rain started around 10pm as a light sprinkle, and became a light but steady rain throughout the night. The sound of rain on my tent was both relaxing and sleep-preventing. Credit to my modest MEC Spark 1 tent, it kept dry inside except for a small bit by the fly which was probably my fault.

The rain was pretty light when I got up around 8am, and tapered off over the next hour allowing us to explore our surroundings without getting wet while drinking coffee and having breakfast.

I took this opportunity to photograph the area as well, as noted above and below. I haven’t been to a gulf island that isn’t beautiful yet, but Gabriola has a unique charm. Especially the water-worn sandstone along the shoreline.

As we took in the views at the shoreline, a wall of grey could be seen moving towards us looking menacing. I knew there was significant precipitation in that air, and we made our way back to camp without wasting time. Within moments, the rain began and steadily increased in intensity. At this point it was perhaps 11:30am. The wind also picked up, and at its peak it was a proper rainstorm. This was also precisely when our friend Dave arrived on his fender-less two speed bike from the mainland, drenched despite only 700m of travel from the ferry to the campsite.

Once the skies let up, we wasted no time getting out on our bikes as it was already after 1pm and the grocery and liquor stores close relatively early on the island.

While it was my first time on Gabriola, most of my company had explored these trails before. As such, I went along for the ride, following suggestions and recommendations. There was no losing – all the trails were really beautiful. Generally not technical, save the odd root, but they were narrow and immersive.

And they were seemingly everywhere. Gabriola is unique among the southern Gulf Islands in this regard, having a network of trails that are rather unparalleled. A dog walker’s paradise, this island.

By late afternoon, the rain a few hours prior was a distant memory with blue skies and surprisingly dry terrain. We laid in the field above and remained entirely dry.

After some provisions at the store we headed back to camp for more time in front of the propane fire pit, accompanied with an assortment of special beers brought by Dave and Ashley. Managing to not get too carried away with the booze, we were generally all in bed by 11pm.

The next morning was a travel day towards home, but with the extremely regular sailings off the island we were able to enjoy coffee and nature at our own pace in the morning.

After a lovely hour or so of walking around at low tide and marvelling at the eroded rocks, I packed up camp unhurriedly. As previously noted this was my first time bikepacking on the Stooge, but it was also my first time using the Buckhorn panniers and this bag arrangement in general. I was surprised by the capacity, owing in no small part to the tent being mounted atop the rear rack. Despite packing the tarp, my bulky cooking and coffee kit, and a few beers – I still had enough room to stuff a few other items in if needed.

The ride back was pleasant and uneventful. I took the higher, hillier, but quieter route from the ferry to West Vancouver along with Graham, Dave, and LA – and linked back up with Rob and Karen at a West Van park where we enjoyed one last beer of the trip and some final relaxing before returning to normal life.

Oh, but one of Gabriola’s well-fed spiders managed to hitch a ride in my pannier. I moved him to the patio, and a day later he rode back into our apartment on a dog mat I had put outside. I haven’t seen him since; I hope he’s OK but I also hope he’s done with me.

Attendees: Rob, Karen, LA, Ashley, Graham, Dave, and myself.

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