West Coast

We picked up a minivan to cruise along the rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island. After passing through some small towns, the road met up with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Few people live on this side of the island (due to heavy rainfall and strong winds) so we were mainly surrounded by thick forests and hills.

We parked at the southern terminus of the Juan de Fuca trail which runs 47 km parallel to the shore. We only did a short section of the hike, down to Mystic Beach. We entered a lush forest with trees covered in moss, running creeks, and several slugs. It was somewhat reminiscent of New Zealand's Fjordland park, an area that sees even more annual rainfall.

After 45 minutes, we arrived at the rocky beach. Several camps were still set up from the night before. The rugged coastline stretched far in both directions, disappearing only into the fog. The limestone cliff walls were porous from the ever-present water runoff.

On the way back, the fog cleared just enough to reveal the mountain outline of the Olympic National Park sitting above a thin layer of clouds.Read more