| A Northern
Piece of the Broughtons Huaskin Lake at Turnbull Cove by Carol-Ann Giroday |
 It pays to be a skilled eavesdropper.
It was in this way that we found ourselves in Turnbull Cove our first summer exploring
the Broughton Archipelago. I listened from our VHF radio to several other cruisers
talking about Turnbull Cove, Claydon Bay and Nepah Lagoon. We entered the area
from Wells Passage, up Grappler Sound north as far as you could go into Turnbull
Cove, across from Watson Island. Nearby is Nepah Lagoon with rapids at its entrance.
They call them “Roaring Hole Rapids” and as you approach you can see
the mist from the turbulent water and hear the roar as the water empties or fills
the lagoon through a narrow passageway. The drop is about two feet when the water
is going in or coming out of the lagoon.
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When we arrived
and motored into Turnbull Cove we were surprised how large an area it was. It
is a bay with beautiful scenery and very protected. As we motored around looking
for the ideal anchor spot I noticed through my binoculars a sign on the east shoreline
close to the head of the bay. The sign marked a forest service trail off the northeast
shore of the cove leading to Huaskin Lake. The lake appears on the chart but is
not named. I looked up Turnbull Cove in several of my cruising guides and finally
found the name in the Waggoner Cruising Guide. 
The next morning,
after breakfast, we returned to the spot in our inflatable. We secured our tender
and started up the trail. It was a steep uphill climb and just about when I thought
I wasn’t able to replicate a mountain goat any longer and my burning calves
could endure it not one step further, the trail flattened out and we went down
the other side to the lake by a staircase made of logs complete with handrail.
As we descended the staircase the lake came into view. It was a beautiful, clean
clear green color with a sturdy dock leading out to it and a ladder at its end.
Surrounding the edge of the float was a picnic table, a platform for tenting and
a fire pit. A short distance from the float was an anchored log raft to swim out
to. The water was beautiful and warm and we had the lake all to ourselves.
As is often the case, the return
hike seemed a quicker and easier go than the calf-burning climb to get there.
When we returned to our anchored Sea Foam again we marveled at the diversity of
the surroundings here. Located within minutes of each other was a serene and secluded
lake, a large, scenic sheltered bay with many boats at anchor, and a formidable
set of rapids leading to a huge lagoon. We knew we had just scratched the surface
and would have more exploring to do. Undoubtedly we would be back for another
swim next summer and further exploration in Nepah Lagoon.