Last summer I travelled to Banff and Jasper, Alberta, and fell in love with Canada's West. This year I wanted to travel even more west, and so, with two of my greatest friends, I journeyed back towards those beautiful mountains.
I was fortunate enough to experience British Columbia with Meghan and Shannon, and because we had so many adventures, I am going to write about our trip in two posts: this one recapping our time on Vancouver Island, and a second on the Vancouver, Whistler, and Chilliwack area.
On our first day we flew into Vancouver International Airport, picked up our rental car, and headed towards the Ferry to take us to Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. We drove to the Qualicum Beach area and stayed a night at Little Qualicum Falls Campground. This was by far our most beautiful campsite! It was surrounded by tall, towering trees, and was a five minute walk away from Little Qualicum Falls. After walking around the falls, we found a path that took us to a small pond above the falls. It had the most beautiful crystal blue warm water, so we ran back to camp, changed, and ran again so we could swim before sunset.
We started day two off at Cameron Lake and Cathedral Grove. Cathedral Grove, located in MacMillan Provincial Park, is an old forest containing giant Douglas fir trees. These were the tallest trees I have ever seen, and it took six of us to wrap around the base of one tree! In the afternoon we travelled to Mount Washington. We went up the gondola and did a couple of the short hikes at the top, however, the haze from the wildfires blocked most of our view. What we did see was a beautiful blue lake in the distance. So, we looked it up and made our way to Lake Helen Mackenzie. The 4km hike travelled through a marshy area, meadows and forest, before opening up to the lake. We took a dip in the lake, and I found it so hard to get out! I swam out into the lake and treaded water for a few minutes, just taking in the beauty of the mountains all around me. We left the lake to head towards Campbell River. One of my trip highlights came unexpectedly on this drive - A BISON RANCH! "See a bison" had been on my bucket list for months, and when we turned onto a side road to find a field full of bison, I couldn't contain my excitement. Note: how ugly are bison, eh?! We laughed and laughed watching these animals. Still, it was a fun little surprise.
Day three was fishing day! To "catch a fish" was also on my bucket list. When Dave Pearo found out I had never been fishing, he contacted his friends, Norm and Katherine, and they were able to take us out. Wow, what a day! Norm and Katherine are two of the kindest souls I have ever met, and I am SO grateful they were willing to let us stay at their house, use their boat, and take us fishing for the day! We caught many dog fish (a small shark!), two snappers, and a pink salmon! Yes, catching my first fish was very exciting, but the highlight of my day was seeing two humpback whales. I had never seen a whale, and I didn't realize how magical it would be!
On day four we left Campbell River, and travelled to Tofino and Ucluelet. Locals call August "August Fog-ust", and it was obvious why. The day was filled with fog, but we were able to visit the shops, Long Beach, Tonquin Beach, Brown Beach, Big Beach, Little Beach, and the Amphitrite Point Lighthouse. We spent a good chunk of time and had a lot of fun at the lighthouse. The terrain was giant rock, which made for a fun, challenging walk. That night we enjoyed our only campfire of the trip. Due to the severe fire warnings, most places banned campfires. One of the parts I loved most about this entire trip was the time spent in the evenings at the campgrounds. When three tired girls are bundled up in a tent with a deck of cards, lots of laughter is inevitable.
Vancouver Island was breathtaking, peaceful, and the perfect way to start our trip. I am so glad we decided to see parts of the island, and I can't wait to one day return to see the rest. I can't wait to write about the rest of our trip. Hope you enjoy some of these photos!
Stephanie
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