Exchange Student Club Sunshine Coast Trip

On Friday the 30th of September I left downtown Vancouver for a weekend that I am still recovering from. The Sunshine Coast trip was much lauded in the weeks leading up to the trip so it was on many a person's must do lists.

Leaving Vancouver, weather fantastic

Unfortunately the queues for tickets were so lengthy that I missed my chance for a ticket, until just one day before leaving a flood of tickets were being sold by last minute cancelers. For the not so modest price of $230 I snagged a place on the boat.

Camp Potlatch was the site of this expedition and it is only accessible by sea. I didn't manage to get a good photo of the rusty tub that ferried us up. The camp itself is straight out of an American summer movie, complete with dining room songs and cabin names, mine being called 'Chilkat'.

The food also similarly camp oriented, by which I mean bad, although it was at least plentiful. I dare not question the composition of the cheeseburgers we ate for lunch on Saturday. The weather cooperated intermittently and for the remainder of the time it rained. The huts also were basic, with no electricity and the toilet a treacherous dark staircase away.

If it sounds like I had a bad weekend, then you have been fooled (which was my intention)! It was honestly the best $230 I've spent in Canada so far. The days I attempted to jam full of whatever activity was available at the time. We spent one morning kayaking far further than we were to supposed to, until the staff had to come get us. Two of us got badly lost on a hike and ended up walking through the forest with no trail, having walked past the massive and spectacular Potlach falls somehow without noticing them.

And at night, there were fires, music and unlimited alcohol. Unfortunately breakfast was served early and I wanted to fit as many activities in as possible, so I got very little sleep. Crossing a fast flowing river up to your knees is a bad idea with minimal sleep but hey I survived.

Special mention goes out to the global village which sounded like the worst idea ever (think school camp performances for each country) but was actually great and all the awesome people that I met. Also smores are the greatest. Assorted photos from the group photographer follow.