Canada 2025

Thursday25September

Fourth day on Vancouver Island where we take the road to reach the small town of Tofino. No sooner had we left Ucluelet than a black bear appeared in front of us. The animal seems injured, it is limping on one of its legs. It won't ask for more and will disappear into the bushes as quickly as it appeared to us...  

30 kilometers from Ucluelet, here we are on the great beach of Cox Bay. We are on the Esowista Peninsula, the northern part of Pacific Rim.

Renowned for its powerful waves and stretches of fine sand, Cox Bay Beach attracts surfers who come to challenge the Pacific Ocean all year round.

At the southern end of the beach, a small hiking trail crosses the rainforest.

The beach is 1.5 km long.

The red berries of the Canadian bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) and the black berries of the oval-leaf blueberry (Vaccinium ovatum).

We are on the small high point of the area.

Another one peaks a little higher...   An American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)...  

In the distance, the Lennard Island lighthouse has stood on the rocks for over a century.

Meanwhile, the surfers have stormed the ocean...

Perched discreetly in the branches, the Steller's jay, Cyanocitta stelleri, doesn't miss a crumb.

Mount Colnett reaches 792 meters and is located on the small island of Meares.

We are now in Tofino, the small town of barely 2,500 inhabitants, located at the end of the Esowista Peninsula.

Tofino overlooks Clayoquot Bay. The town is surrounded by docks for mooring boats or even seaplanes.

The seaplane base where the seaplanes depart from.

This totem pole pays tribute to the hereditary chiefs, the Ha'wiih, of the ƛaʔuukʷiaɬ people, the First Nations of this coastal region of Vancouver Island.

Ha! Another black bear wanting to be noticed.

We are heading back to the neighboring beach of Cox Bay Beach: Chesterman Beach. It is even larger than its neighbor with two kilometers of fine sand.

The campfire ban has been lifted. So tonight, it's going to be a sausage party!  

Friday26September

Today, the weather is the wettest of the trip. But the rain gives us a few respites, which we take advantage of to go hiking in the rainforest located near Long Beach, the longest beach on Vancouver Island.

The Rainforest Trail immerses us in a temperate rainforest where the humidity is constant.

Mushrooms do their job by decomposing dead wood.

A spotted banana slug, Ariolimax columbianus, also participates in the recycling of organic matter.

These white mushrooms belong to Calcipostia guttulata, a wood-decaying species capable of exuding numerous water droplets.

We are passing on the north trail where we are reminded of tips to avoid any chance encounter with predators such as wolves or bears...  

A mushroom from the russula family and a black banana slug.

Another russula and some winter chanterelles (Craterellus tubaeformis).

Fomitopsis ochracea, Phellodon tomentosus

The Maianthemum dilatatum and its speckled red berries.

The Ancient Monarch, a thousand-year-old conifer of the coastal rainforest.
"In 1271, when Marco Polo was traveling in the Orient, this tree was only a sapling. At maturity, it tolerates fire well, which probably eliminated less useful plants and left valuable nutrients. After resisting rot, insects, and the forces of nature, year after year, the roots supported the tree. Over time, the roots and outer bark grew, the trunk thickened and underwent the invaluable effects of rhythm. As age progressed and damage from violent winds occurred, the crown separated, creating a 'candelabra top' characteristic of the tree that eventually split."

The organic and lacquered texture of a Thuja plicata trunk. The natural oils of this wood, combined with the constant humidity of the coastal forest, create shades of color tinted by the presence of microorganisms.

Wickaninnish Beach extends Long Beach to the south. At the end of the beach is the Kwisitis Visitor Centre.

NOTICE - WOLVES IN THE AREA  

Be careful, avoid encountering a wolf:
- Travel in groups and make noise.
- Never leave food or trash unattended.
- Stay vigilant and pay attention to tracks and droppings.
- Keep children close to you – keep dogs on a leash at all times or consider leaving them at home.

If you encounter a wolf:
- DO NOT RUN. Do not crouch down.
- Pick up small children and stay in a group.
- Back away slowly, keeping eye contact with the animal.

Wave your arms and shout. Do what you can to look bigger and scare the animal away.

If a wolf approaches you:
- Throw sticks and stones, etc.
- If the animal becomes more aggressive, use pepper spray and defend yourself.

As the rain arrives, we enter the Kwisitis Visitor Centre. The history of the indigenous peoples of the west coast is told there, including traditional whaling techniques.

After the morning on the Pacific Rim coast, we head to Howler's Family Restaurant in Ucluelet for a lunch break.

The rain has become incessant... We are still going to park facing the great beach of Long Beach, in front of Incinerator Rock.

Incinerator Rock is a structure called a "stack" or sea pillar. It is a remnant of an ancient portion of the coastal cliff. Composed of a very hard and dense sedimentary volcanic rock, it has resisted the erosion of the Pacific Ocean better than the surrounding rocks and sand. The ocean has gnawed at the coast over the millennia, isolating it in the middle of the sandy beach.  

Tomorrow morning, we leave the rain of Vancouver Island to reach the last stage of the trip: Vancouver!