The planning for our holiday on Vancouver Island started about a year ago. We and 6 other friends from our kayak club booked a week's expedition with Mike from Mountain & Sea Guides. As it's such a big island and Jaap and I only visited Victoria during our honeymoon, we deciced to add two more weeks. Finally on the 19th of August our big holiday started and we flew out to Vancouver and then Port Hardy in the North East.
After Port Hardy (just North of Telegraph Cove) we stayed in Strathcona Park (Buttle Lake) where we met our Dutch friends by coincidence, Tofino where we walked through dense rainforest and over massive roots to reach Cone Hill, Ucluelet where we walked part of the Wild Pacific Trail, Courtenay where we cooled off in the local river and Quadra Island where we met Driftwood Tom. Then we went to Telegraph Cove where our week's kayak expedition to the Broughton Archipelago started from.
Map of Vancouver Island with visited places (blue triangles)
Below is a selection of photos and videos to get an impression of
what we saw and did. A picture tells a thousand words so the writing
will be very limited. Not all photos have been taken by myself and where relevant have been credited accordingly. I would like to thank Dave, Jill, Nicky and Mo for their permission to use them here. Enjoy!
Juvenile bald eagle
Colourful damselfly
Bear warning sign along one of the many trails
Swimming in Buttle Lake, Strathcona Park
The cool lad and the silly lassie underwater
Stunning scenery at Buttle Lake
Our first night camping at Buttle Lake
Map of Tofino and Ucluelet area
Boat journey to Meares Island near Tofino
Sunset from Meares Island
After a long, steep and sweaty ascent we finally made it to the top of Cone Hill on Meares Island
Derelict van as sculptural feature in Tofino Botanical Gardens
Brilliant sign in Tofino Botanical Gardens
Vintage typewriter in nature
Man and woman sculpture
Lily pond at botanical gardens
More sculptures in the garden
I was treated a delicious lunch for my birthday at Tofino Botanical Gardens
Our camping spot at Ucluelet just after we had been notified a bear wasforaging on this very spot an hour earlier!
Wild Pacific Trail sign
We actually thought this was put up mainly to keep dogs on a leash. Wolves tend to avoid places where there are many tourists!
The trail had magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean around every corner
We had just been warned by the warden that a bear had been spotted on the trail about an hour earlier and then we saw bear poo. It's full of blackcurrants and smells like it too!
This large Douglas Fir tree is a very popular tourist attraction and is located at Cathedral Cove between Ucluelet and Port Alberni
It's hard to see the size of the Big Tree in such a dense rainforest
Branches are covered in lichen
Beautiful root system of a fallen tree
A giant chair made from driftwood by Driftwood Tom on Quadra Island
Driftwood Tom and Jaap in front of his self-built house. It was so inspiring to meet him and to see his work!
True craftmanship
Nature taking over
Driftwood Tom builds these small huts for the many hippies who live in the forests of Vancouver Island
At Nuyumbalees Cultural Center on Quadra Island we learnt about Canada's First Nations populations, their woodcarvings and their potlatch collections such as masks
Time for reflection and shade under this artistic construction
First Nations woodcarving
Postcard The Pod by Trevor Angus: "Whales teach us about living together with family and community"
Postcard Eagle Transforming by Corey W. Moraes: "The spirit in all beings offers guidance as we transform"
Postcard Whale by Paul Windsor: "Whales provide us a message of family, unity and collective strength"
Day 1: Telegraph Cove to Kaikash Creek Forest Recreation Site, 14 km Day 2: Kaikash to Mound Island, 21 km
Killer whales in Johnstone Strait
Killer whales in Blackney Passage
Our campsite at Mound Island (2nd night)
Every night we had a delicious meal cooked by Mike. Afterwards there was a strict regime to put all washed up dishes, cutlery, mugs and even toothpaste in our kayaks to avoid attracting bears and cougars. Even deodorant was not permitted!
Pure bliss; enjoying yummy food with friends in stunning scenery while watching humpback whales catching their meal. It can't get any better than this!
