To say we’ve been busy would be an understatement, but it has all been a lot of fun so we’re not complaining. Last night was our last night in Canada for several weeks and we were up pretty late doing laundry and repacking for an early departure for Seattle this morning. As such, I hope you’ll forgive us allowing you rely on our photos for this update.
Day 14 – The Wild Pacific Trail
Running through Ucluelet and up to Tofino is the Wild Pacific Trail. While it’s steep, the small section we did was pretty well packed and navigable by most people without mobility or balance impairments. Great views are to be had from the main trail, but taking the little offshoots to the beaches/shoreline rocks is really cool, if somewhat more challenging, with numerous steep stairs, or steep, rocky slopes.
Post hike, we headed to Tofino for dinner at “Wolf in the Fog” before hitting Tofino Chocolate for some gelato. We also checked out the famous “Tacofino,” but didn’t eat there that evening.
We couldn’t leave without nabbing one West Coast sunset so we headed to Big Beach in Ucluelet where we found many locals and tourists alike, some with fires going and others with meals being prepared. Got a couple of bunch of photos, but haven’t really settled on my fav yet.
On Tofino and Ucluelet: cool places to visit, but probably a bit too hippy for an economist and grammar nazi.
Day 15 – Travelling to Port Renfrew
Up and packed early, we picked up breakfast to go at our by-now favourite breakfast place, The Blue Room. On our way out, we saw some locals out, also grabbing a bite.
We ate in the car while we waited for the local road closure to open up, then we were on our way, retracing our drive back to Nanaimo.
Once there, we turned south. We were told we might find the road leading into Port Renfrew fun – “think racetrack,” they said. Needless to say, we didn’t need to hear that twice, and they didn’t steer us wrong! Highlight video to come!
The drive exposed us to logging on the interior of Vancouver Island, well out of sight of the majority of tourists. Seeing the logging foreshadowed what we would see and learn during the balance of the day.
In Port Renfrew, we were to rendez-vous with, Matt, who is married to one of Trish’s many cousins as well as Maureen, who is, you guess it, Trish’s cousin. While we waited for Maureen, we took a stroll around a recent development in Port Renfrew.
These cabins are a mix of rentals and owner-occupied units. They have a pretty amazing view.
Once everyone had arrived, we hopped into Matt’s Toyota Tacoma and headed for Avatar Grove, an section of old growth forest that features “Canada’s Gnarliest Tree”.
On the way there, we Matt got us to load medium sized rocks into the truck, but provided no explanation. Once we got to the bridge over the Gordon River, things became clear. Apparently, its tradition to toss rocks into the river from this bridge. Whether is a Vancouver Island-wide tradition, or simply Matt’s tradition was not discussed. Either way, fun was had.
The drive was not something I would recommend for the typical car, but most SUVs should be able to manage if it the driver is competent and careful. Good thing Matt had the skills, experience, and appropriately set-up truck. Still, 4WD was never engaged. We eventually got to the trail, which is split by the road.
The climb to the tree is made more accessible by boardwalks and stairs installed by the volunteers from the Ancient Forest Alliance, which provides some handy directions to the site.
On the way up, Matt was in full tour guide mode, telling us how the area was discovered and saved from logging less than a decade ago. He explained how he and other volunteers had built all stairs and boardwalks, including hauling all the materials and tools up the slopes through the forest. He also showed us how much more work needed to be done, pointing to erosion that was being accelerated as people took the path of least resistance around trees, often doing those trees harm.
The photos don’t do it justice. These trees are magnificent and massive. The environment is awe inspiring and can only be fully appreciated by being in it. We were so grateful to Matt for brining us here, but he wasn’t done.
When we had walked the upper and lower sections of the trail, Matt took us to see Big Lonely Doug. Doug is a massive, ancient Douglas Fir that, by the graces of some decent forestry worker was not tagged for harvest an estimated 20 years ago. The result is that it continues to grow, towering over everything around it.
That’s Doug in the background. Well, half of Doug, maybe. While I was able to capture the tree’s full height, the image didn’t do it justice. Doug is estimated to be 230 feet tall! You can find all the stats on Doug here.
Of the images I’ve captured, I like these two of Doug the best.
From there, we made our way to our overnight in Port Renfrew. Maureen was staying over with us, but Matt had to head home after dinner.
We are very grateful to Matt for taking the time to show us around and share his knowledge. We’re also grateful to the Ancient Forest Alliance who work to protect these forests. If you share the view that these old growth forests should be protected from logging, then you might want to learn a bit about the organization and how you could help them advance that mission.
We have some video and other content, but posting right now isn’t workable. Stay tuned for our next catch-up post, featuring a return to the mainland and Seattle.