The Wild Islander Podcast Benj Klassen

The Tyee Pool in Campbell River, here on Vancouver Island, has a tradition & history spanning lifetimes of Island folk in the sport of fishing for some of the biggest Chinook Salmon the coast has to offer. Finding it’s roots in 1924, The Tyee Club holds a world famous tournament that brings people from all over the globe to compete under very specific circumstances & conditions during the months of July, August & September to attempt to catch a Chinook Salmon of 30lbs or greater, completely on their own. No motors. No assistance from their rower guide. Just you and the salmon you hopefully convince to snap at your lure that can weigh up 70lbs +! Join me as I attempt to join this prestigious club with my friend & guide Rick Janzen as we dive into the history of one of the most unique places here on Vancouver Island.

It’s the Season 2 finale and we’re ending it with a bang as Benj wraps things up with the story that made the season a reality… and that may or may not have been an encounter with one of the most dangerous & wild predators in all of North America. We hope you enjoyed Season 2 and we look forward to Season 3 coming this Fall (2022). A huge thank you to our sponsors Imagine Camping, Van Isle HNTR, and Ridge Wilderness for helping make this season a reality! Be sure to check out all their offerings for your next adventure. If you have suggestions for future guests on the show, send us an email to wildislanderpodcast@gmail.com.

AdventureSmart is a national program dedicated to encouraging Canadians and visitors to Canada to “get informed and go outdoors”. Through education programs, community outreach, special events and media, they help reduce the number and severity of search and rescue incidents in the country. Much of this is thanks to this weeks guest, Sandra Riches: Executive Director of BC AdventureSmart and her incredible team. They have just recently launched a series of educational videos to compliment their diverse outdoor education programs, which include our very own Juan de Fuca trail and Mt Albert Edward here on the Island. We’ll talk about what it took to build AdventureSmart from the ground up, safety/training resources for adventure seekers, Van Isle resources & connection points within their programs and much more. Be sure to check them out at www.AdventureSmart.ca or follow them online @bcadvsmart on FB, Twitter and Instagram.

First aid is one of those essential training tools we would all love to have when adventuring in the outdoors, but if your like me, you don’t jump at the chance to sit in a classroom watching slide after slide of safety protocols as your ‘exciting weekend plans’. Enter Dave Wooldridge and the Ridge Wilderness team. They have made this often onerous task to essential safety training fun, engaging and unique in almost every way they can. Partners with the Red Cross, Dave and his team offer some of the best programs in the province in not only First Aid, but in the world of canoeing as well. This week, we’ll chat about what it took to build a successful outdoor business, crazy first aid response scenarios, owning Canada’s largest canoe and how we can all be better leaders in the outdoors by preparing ourselves to be our best selves through adventure companies like Ridge Wilderness. Be sure to check out all they have to offer you and your adventure companions at: www.ridgewilderness.com

If you’ve ever driven north of Courtenay here on VI, you might have noticed the wilderness around you becomes a little more… well, Wild. You see more open hillsides up into the mountains and remote logging roads that seem to carry on forever in every direction. It’s hard to know where to begin when seeking your next adventure, so this week we’re joined by my longtime outdoor adventure companion, Shawn Quinton, as we share some of our favourite places to explore on the North end of Vancouver Island. We talk about places to rock climb, portage routes, the elusive Grizzly Bears that have swam over from the mainland, abandoned youth correctional facilities, places to take the family, places to take only the most adventurous folks, and so much more. Shawn is a longtime wilderness guide here on VI, working at places like Strathcona Park Lodge, Mt. Washington, and Camp Bob. Shawn has extensive training & experience in rock climbing, sea-kayaking, outdoor leadership, wilderness first aid, navigation and so much more. You can follow him @shawn_of_the_cave_13 and all of the amazing places he guides with mentioned above!

One of the most asked questions we get is: where can we go to explore new Vancouver Island outdoor gems? Where are all the cool places we see online and how do we get there?? Well y’all are in luck because you asked and we answered: we invited our friend of the show, Dylan Benson from the GTFO Company to help find some absolutely gorgeous spots to explore, specifically from Victoria to Naniamo on VI. We talk about stunning beaches, chasing waterfalls and places so accessible, kids can come with you! And don’t worry, our next episode will have all the spots for those looking a little farther North as well. And if you’re looking for even more locations, follow us online to find new places to explore for every age or skill set!