An Aussie in Canada: Vancouver Island Adventures
Greetings from Prince Rupert. I’m back on the mainland after a fabulous week of adventures on Vancouver Island. First port of call was the lovely little city of Victoria, the oft forgotten capital of BC. Scottish Celtic bands cranking out irresistibly jiggable tunes, funky jewellery and craft stalls lining the streets, bright coloured Victorian era buildings – it’s a vibrant and fun little city. I also sampled tasty local ales and lagers from quite a few brewpubs around the harbour. I’d highly recommend Spinnakers, a nice leisurely walk around the harbour from Chinatown.
An early wake up call and a series of buses then took me halfway up the island to the west coast fishing village of Tofino. The hostel there – Whalers on the Point is the most beautiful and well appointed that I have ever seen. Located right on a quiet cove we could sit in front of the glass windows, enjoying a Pacific Western lager or two, watching the changing play of light on the water, and bald eagles swooping around the rocks.
My adventure partners were an Aussie, Canadian and Dutch man and over the next couple of days we had all kinds of fun. Biking through the Pacific Rim National Park in the rain (can’t let a little thing like rain stop us), we ended up trekking down what was probably one of the hardest walks I’ve ever done – tree roots as ladders, giant fallen cedars as slippery bridges across dashing streams, all leading to an amazingly wild, secluded beach, replete with bear prints and flotsam from China and Japan.
We also headed up the Clayoquot Sound in sea kayaks for a six hour expedition to Adventure Cove and back. Saw seals, bald eagles, golden eagles, plovers, gigantic colourful starfish and the wildest most breathtaking scenery you could imagine. We were out on the edge of the world. Pure and utter serenity.
The trees on the west coast of the Island are incredible. Out on Meares Island we crawled inside giant cedars with room for two or three inside, and needing a good 10 people to form a ring around the base. Port Hardy up on the northern tip is a sleepy little town, but we found the local hangout and rock’n'rolled the night away to Rockin’ Ronnie and his magical drum machine. Classic hits of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s!!!!
Yesterday was the 17 hour ferry journey up the Inside Passage, from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert. Stunning scenery the whole way, soaring snow capped mountains, swathed in wispy mists, dashing waterfalls tumbling right into the ocean. It was amazing how varied and untiring the scenery was. Unfortunately we didn’t see any whales but a few dolphins playing about and the almost ubiquitous bald eagles playing on the air currents. I never get tired of watching them at play. It is definitely one of the most beautiful journeys I have ever taken.
Tonight I’m heading out to the Queen Charlotte Islands for some more kayaking and hiking. Just hope it rains less than Prince Rupert.
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